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urupotter · 4 years ago

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So while I've said before that I don't like the HP subreddit, I still frequent it because occasionally I read something insightful. This is one such case, where I read a reading of Lupin that I'd never seen before in response to a comment of mine analyzing the shrieking shack confrontation between Snape, Remus, Sirius and the golden trio, where I mentioned that Lupin was a gaslighter so I wanted to share. It was created by reddit user u/UsuallySiSometimesNo and is posted here with his permission. We had a little conversation in the comments. Read it under the cut

UsuallySiSometimesNo: That struck a cord with me, too. I didn't think about that on a conscious level before, but when I read it, it felt instantly true.

Honestly, I think the strongest examples of Lupin gaslighting are actually done to himself. The biggest, character-defining example, I think, is that after finding friendship with James, Sirius, and Peter, he becomes so desperate not to be ostracized from them (due to his issues of self-worth and his personal brand of impostor syndrome) that he deliberately and routinely feeds himself false narratives about their behavior until he can no longer tell fact from fiction, even as he's experiencing it.

Their relentless bullying of Snape? A childhood rivalry.

Their casual bullying of other students? Kids being young and stupid.

Their clear disinterest verging on contempt for Peter, someone less fortunate and vulnerable with whom they're supposed to be good friends? Just mates being mates.

Even actions taken against Lupin, himself, are revised in his memory to be 'no big deal', because he desperately needs that to be true. Let's pretend for a moment that Snape indisputably deserved to be slaughtered by a werewolf the night Sirius told him how to get past the Whomping Willow. Sirius did not send Snape to be killed by any old werewolf. What happened that night was that Sirius - one of Remus' best friends, if not his actual best friend - attempted to use Remus' curse/illness against someone (which is a big enough betrayal on it's own) without ever telling Remus that when he woke up in the morning (covered in blood and in the presence of a shredded corpse) it would be to find that he had committed the act he was most petrified he might one day commit. In setting Snape up to be killed by Lupin, Sirius, at the very least, risked Lupin's sanity, and, at the very most, risked Lupin being sentenced to death.

Now, I understand that Sirius wasn't thinking about all of that when he did what he did, and I, as a someone removed from the situation (and armed with the additional character/situational knowledge granted to a reader) can even understand why Sirius' own trauma led him to grant such a blind death sentence to Snape (which I think is related to a point you made elsewhere, u/Adventure_Time_Snail, about Sirius' "violence towards those who trigger his fundamental fear of wizard fascists" because of his abusive upbringing). But Lupin's perspective is not one of an unbiased observer. And once James found out what was happening and pulled Snape back before it was too late (which, I would think, was more to save Lupin than to save Snape) and once Remus awoke the next to day to discover everything that transpired the night before, I find it hard to believe there wasn't at least some conversation about the true gravity of the situation. And yet, even all these years later, Lupin doesn't bat an eye when Sirius not only doesn't display shame when the event is mentioned in POA, but offers something akin to regret, NOT at the fact that his actions could have gotten Lupin killed, but that that they DIDN'T get Snape killed: "It served him right...", he sneered. etc. etc.

I think the obvious question here, is 'Even disregarding what Sirius did to Snape - how can Lupin be okay with the knowledge that Sirius has no regret, at all, for what he did to him, even now that they're adults?' Well, we're not in Lupin's point of view in the books, which means we can't hear his internal monologue, but I think a satisfactory answer to the question is that he's done a substantial amount of internal gymnastics in order to get to a point where he doesn't see this as a big deal, or even as something that he has a right to be upset about.... just like a gaslighter does to their victim.

Again, because we're not in Lupin's POV, we can't point to the exact instances that such internal gaslighting took place, but, based on what we do observe from Harry's POV (and based on external knowledge of gaslighting as a true-to-life concept) I wouldn't be surprised if Lupin so desperately needs everything to be okay that he derides himself for feeling bad or betrayed, that he calls himself stupid for thinking terrible things that have happened to him are a big deal, that he wars with himself about how people who are his friends and who are so good to him and who are better friends than he thinks he deserves could possibly do something to harm him/others, and that he beats down whatever emotions and senses and gut feelings he has that tells him something his friends have done might be very wrong. What we see in the books is a man who makes excuses for his friends and harbors a warped perception of reality in much the same way victims of gaslighting do, and he seems to exploit his own insecurities in order to instill doubt in his own experiences in much the same way perpetrators of gaslighting do.

I can't help but think that, by the time Lupin tells Harry that Snape harbors a particularly strong hatred for James because James was a better Quidditch player, Lupin has become so adept at gaslighting himself that he actually believes it.

tl;dr: One of Lupin's defining characteristics is that he gaslights himself out of a desperate need to be liked by others, since he has a difficult time liking himself and seems to believe all of his relationships are incredibly fragile.

Urupotter:

This is a fascinating reading on Lupin that I've never seen. I don't read him the same way, in that I think Lupin actually does know that what he's doing is wrong, he just doesn't have the moral courage to act on his conscience. (I view him as the anti Snape, great conscience, but abysmal moral courage, while Snape had unbelievable moral courage but a shitty conscience. Their arcs are about growing their moral courage and their conscience respectively) Realizing that his negligence almost got Harry killed is what triggers his arc, concluding when he goes back to Tonks and Teddy after running away, taking responsibility for his actions for the first time.

But this reading is so interesting that I'll have to reflect on it. Do you mind if I post it on my Harry Potter tumblr blog? I'll credit you of course, I would just like to discuss it with my followers. Of course if you don't want to I won't.

UsuallySiSometimesNo:

Honestly, I think the lack of in-depth conversation about Remus Lupin (at least compared to fan favorites Sirius Black and Severus Snape) is a missed opportunity and a shame. Don't get me wrong, I can discuss Sirius and Snape until blue in the face, but Lupin's arc is just as powerful in an understated (and often underestimated) way. The muddy, oversimplified truth is, without the fatal-flaw decision making of all four Marauders throughout their lives, the series of events proceeding the first chapter of the first book don't happen, and the story we all know and love never comes to be.

And speaking of sparking a discussion about Lupin...

I think Lupin actually does know that what he's doing is wrong, he just doesn't have the moral courage to act on his conscience.

You know what? I agree. And that's what makes him so interesting, I think. He is constantly and dependably full to bursting with internal conflict. When his friends are wrong/do something wrong/say something wrong, he can and does immediately identify the situation as wrong. When he does something wrong, or when he does nothing in the face of something wrong, in that moment I believe he knows the full weight of the situation. Like you said, he has a strong conscience, as well as a deeper, perhaps more nuanced understanding of right and wrong than do, for example, James and Sirius. Now, Lupin needs his friends. They're not just people to hang out with, they're a lifeline for him. He's not going to engage in conflict with them if there is even the slightest chance that he might lose them (for a variety of reasons, he lacks, as you said, the moral courage to do so). But he's also a generally decent human being, and with a strong conscience comes the capacity for sincere guilt and remorse. So, not only will he not confront his friends, he needs it to be okay that he doesn't confront them. And it's at that point that I think the self gaslighting is triggered.

But Lupin is intelligent and nobody's fool, so the gaslighting creates only a thin layer of ice over the problem. Just enough of a cover that he can live with the things he would otherwise deeply regret. I do think he believes the alternative reality he makes for himself to be accurate as long as it isn't really challenged. Crack the ice, though, and we see him express remorse and reveal an underlying awareness of past and present truths. But then the moment is over, and the war between the uncomfortably and full weight of the truth and his need for the companionship of his friends returns, and then the gaslighting begins again, allowing him an easier return to his closest friends (and eventually his closest friend, singular, after the others have been taken from him as was his fear all along) without conflict and with minimal strain on his conscience.

Once Sirius, the last of his original chosen family is gone - truly gone, as opposed to 'located elsewhere' as he was when in prison - following OOtP, suddenly Lupin's arc takes off at a greater speed than at any point prior. He's now literally lost all of the people he'd been terrified of figuratively losing. Although there are still people and things he cares about, he isn't as dependent on any of them as he was on those foundational friendships, and the finality of their absence allows him to finally grow beyond his stifling cycle of reality shifting, confront the truths of his reality and his circumstances, and, as you said, finally take responsibility by returning to Tonks and Teddy - a decision that, ultimately, triggers his death (I don't mean to imply that it was a bad decision or that it's the sole cause of his death, but Rowling has said that being 'out of practice' contributed to his loss at the Battle of Hogwarts, which makes for a fantastic tragedy).

I don't mean to overstate the importance of this theory or imply that it's always present when he's on-stage, and, as with anyone, many other elements, of course, factor into his actions/words/motives. But I think it's a fascinating potential component of his character all the same. If you have more thoughts on this, I love to hear them - and I look forward to reading the discussion on your blog!

So what do you think? Is this a valid reading of Lupin? I'd say it is, but I'm interested in reading my followers thoughts!

#remus lupin #lupin #severus snape #sirius black #moony #padfoot #the marauders #marauders #harry potter #hp #mwpp

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viridiave · 4 years ago

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NARUMITSU <ATTEMPTING TO READ THE SUBTEXT PLATONICALLY>

*Wrote all this some time last month so I might be off- really really off- also full disclosure I too am a Narumitsu shipper- this is just me giving myself a bad time doing the impossible and having fun XD

-I am going to fail sooner or later. Looking at you, Bridge to the Turnabout.

FIRST GAME >Turnabout Samurai -Yep. We're jumping right in with 'unnecessary feelings'. I'm going to be put on a stake for this. -This is going to become the main argument with any and all homoerotic subtext present in the first game- that it was unintentional. They didn't actively start making it gay until the second game, and even before then the producer for the games had to warn the development team not to try and insert these themes for fear of getting it wrong and lose the fanbase they'd accidentally caught the eye of. I can still create arguments for why this specific, hilariously meme-able line could be read romantically of course- but as far as the game development team at the time was concerned this interaction was never meant to be read as romantic. -Unease and uncertainty are... very valid feelings for Edgeworth to feel at this very moment and as much as I'd like to joke that he was feeling uncertain about his sexuality after seeing his childhood friend as an adult, this line was really just likely meant to lead up to the conclusion of Turnabout Goodbyes and Edgeworth's character arc for this game. His perfect win streak had just been shattered in a case prior. In this case, he was meant to persecute the lead actor of his favorite show- and in some ways his helping the defense can be taken as his biases getting the better of him. His sense of justice and his entire worldview is about to be overhauled, and I can see how he would regard this budding doubt in himself as an unnecessary (heh) distraction from what he believes is his true purpose in life.

>Turnabout Goodbyes -Edgeworth wanting to keep him away from DL-6 has its own section mostly because of how stubborn he becomes when it comes to Phoenix's insistence in particular. It's clear that this stubbornness is a front, I will concede with that- but there are merits to his initial reluctance in accepting Phoenix's defense. It's evident that Phoenix himself has grown over the course of the game so far, but in both of the times that he faced off against Edgeworth in court, his victories were... a tad bit contrived. For instance in Turnabout Sisters, Phoenix really only wins because Mia was being channeled and blackmailed White as he was about to leave the stand. Turnabout Samurai is a little better- but had him rely on quite a lot of coincidences (proven later to be substantiated) that surfaced during the trial. This is nothing to say of the deeper reason Edgeworth has over dissuading Phoenix from taking his case ("You in particular I cannot ask to do this.")- where I can make an argument for his pride and/or concern over Phoenix's career as an attorney. The stakes are relatively high here as well- if Phoenix fails, Edgeworth is incarcerated, Manfred von Karma goes free, DL-6 goes cold once again with no hope of getting re-opened, and everything that Phoenix has been working towards as an attorney would have been in vain. DL-6 is a case that has ruined many lives- it'd make sense if Edgeworth himself felt as though it would be a waste of time and effort to take this case because of how convinced he was of murdering his own father prior to Gourd Lake. He'd grown up for the past 15 years with a nightmare and a death sentence over his head- I wouldn't be surprised if he simply gave up and accepted that he was going to die at the hands of his prosecuting mentor. Even if he were acquitted for the murder of Robert Hammond, his perceived involvement in DL-6 would have thrown a wrench in his freedom- any lesser attorney would have given up on that. And this is unloaded BEFORE Phoenix tells him about the true reason as to why he became an attorney. -Phoenix's insistence to defend Edgeworth in this case can easily just be read as platonic- his complete, unfettered faith in Edgeworth's innocence is heavily influenced by that class trial, for better or for worse. While I'm perfectly happy to imagine that Phoenix's attachment to his idealized version of Edgeworth grew into something deeper sometime in the fifteen years that he hasn't seen him, I do believe that Phoenix in particular really is just that much of a sentimental person. This is to say nothing of his nature as a defense attorney- and what little time he's managed to spend with Mia has taught him that unbridled trust in his client is what gets him through the day, and he's putting it to practice here. Edgeworth was what he has been working towards the moment he decided he would practice law- as Phoenix at this point in time still believes that he could do no wrong despite seeing what Edgeworth is truly like in court. -Cutting into the meat of Phoenix and Edgeworth's shared past, I made a point earlier to say that Phoenix's perception of Edgeworth as a person is idealized. Every memory that Phoenix has had of Edgeworth prior to the events of the first game were from their childhood- and they had 4-8 months (plus one year if we're generous with the retconning some of the official art gave us) MAX to develop a friendship so strong that Phoenix makes major life decisions just to meet with this man. The fact that this time spent together was ENOUGH for Phoenix in the first place is... really hard to skirt around. To quote Dan from GameGrumps "this is something that you would only do for someone you're trying to marry" and if one of them was a woman I guarantee this ship would be canon already. But then again- since this is Phoenix Wright in particular somehow I can believe that he really is just that sentimental- and that isn't always a bad thing. He'd managed to save Edgeworth twice with this conviction after all. When Phoenix sees Edgeworth, he doesn't see a demon prosecutor, he sees his childhood friend who aimed to become a shining example of justice following in his father's footsteps. They address how shaky his foundations for becoming an attorney were in the Phoenix Wright Files once actually- going through a mini-existential crisis because he'd become an attorney with the main goal of saving Edgeworth from what he'd become, and now that he's accomplished that he's just kind of... lost. Edgeworth himself manages to pull him out of this, though. -man that hurts my case a lot actually but to be fair I was banking on failing -I just didn't expect it to happen so early even with the first game -in fact ESPECIALLY with the first game -though I cannot for the life of me wonder how I can come up with a heterosexual explanation for why the buildup towards Edgeworth telling Phoenix and Maya about his nightmares reads so much like a stunted love confession. I'm serious- just read any high school shojo manga ever. You'll find that it hits a lot of the same beats.

>Rise From The Ashes -It's in this case that we observe some of the consequences that the intial upheaval of Edgeworth's worldview in Turnabout Goodbyes causes him; distrust in the enforcement of the law. Not exactly the time for him to be dabbling in another, meme-able brand of unnecessary feelings. Several things like the Prosecutor's Office's relationship with the Police Department starts to waver with the murder of Bruce Goodman, and this becomes the final nail in the coffin for Edgeworth's worldviews and values as a prosecutor. His and Phoenix's teamwork in this trial becomes prevalent- the story behind the King of Prosecutors award represents this best despite it's currently incomplete state. The backstory behind this award paints an ideal of justice in the courtroom wherein the truth comes out as a result of the efforts of contradictory forces. A broken halberd that can cut through any shield (the prosecution) and a broken, unbreakable shield (the defense). Read as representation the text becomes something of a metaphor for the ideal justice that manifests itself in the best parts of Edgeworth and Phoenix respectively- the duality of their opposing professions rather than something that is limited to their relationship. -The same argument that I've used for Phoenix's unwavering belief in Edgeworth's innocence in Turnabout Goodbyes can be used for this case as well. -Though Edgeworth still goes M.I.A for a year after this case, it does grant his disappearance a bit more context as to why exactly it is that he left- and I'll be taking a tiny liberty with this and apply the interpretation that the Miles Edgeworth Files grants us, and that he left in order to better himself and grow as a person, a prosecutor, and as a friend to Phoenix Wright. It's... difficult for me to want to read this as anything but romantically-charged because the narrative beats are NOT lost on me (the dialogue makes this especially hard. send help.)- there's a possibility that Edgeworth at this point in time realizes the value in having a better, more functional dynamic with the one defense attorney who he considers a true equal in court. This dynamic will allow for less chances to encounter missteps and errors in any verdicts handed down in court, and if Edgeworth is to pursue his ideal of justice- Phoenix Wright is undoubtedly essential to this endeavor. The aftermath of Rise From The Ashes is indicative of this newfound goal of his- the symbolism behind the old King of Prosecutors award and the two halves of the evidence list certainly helps this case. -<"It seems all you do is worry about me." -Miles Edgeworth, Rise From The Ashes> For good fucking reason Edgeworth. You were accused of murder and have implicated yourself on the stand for DL-6 just a few months ago- and if the Investigations games are anything to go by, you're more of a danger magnet than PHOENIX is. I had to say it. The first Investigations game takes place over the course of 2-3 days and the sheer amount of shit that Edgeworth had to deal with in between that interval truly makes me wonder how Phoenix Wright ended up with the title of danger magnet. And THIS time- Edgeworth's car becomes a crime scene because his corrupt superiors needed a convenient way of transporting a corpse. There's VERY good reasons to worry about the livelihood of Miles Edgeworth. -Okay I... can't believe I forgot about the chessboard. Here's the kicker- the one we see from his office isn't even the only one he owns. I... legitimately cannot give you ANY purely heterosexual, platonic explanation for why Miles Edgeworth has THREE (THREE. I CANNOT OVERSTATE THIS. HE HAS T H R E E OF THESE FUCKING THINGS. GOOD GOD. HE CAN'T BE ANY MORE EXTRA.)(there exists a similar, portable set in the Investigations games- and he has a new set by the time of Dual Destinies) sets of custom-made chessboards with personalized, highly-specific red and blue designs made purely to depict his rivalry with Phoenix Wright. I fold. I give up. I forgot about the chessboards I wAS NOT EXPECTING TO FAIL THIS E A R LY- -You know what the real kicker is with Rise From the Ashes? The main argument that I have introduced back in Turnabout Samurai does not apply here. Rise From the Ashes was made as a DS-exclusive case and did not exist in the original GameBoy version of the Trilogy. Which means if there is homoerotic tension written in for this case (and there happens to be a lot. the chessboard is proof enough.), then we can safely assume that the writers at this point were well-aware. So yeah- maybe don't feel TOO bad about the unnecessary feelings line- because ever since then the writers have been playing off of that and it SHOWS. -Is there really a point to this I'm just- everything is stacked against me tryna interpret this platonically -Like I know I make a point to say that a romantic relationship isn't the end-all of all relationships because this franchise LOVES pushing the Found Family dynamic and I'm an absolute sucker for that -good god by the time Dual Destinies rolls around I'll probably just give up and happily say they're happily married -that's literally what they act like don't even pretend

#narumitsu #wrightworth #ace attorney #gyakuten saiban #phoenix wright #naruhodou ryuuichi #miles edgeworth #mitsurugi reiji #i'll probably write more once school blows over #so have the first game for now #trust me i tried #maybe i'm just not an anti-shipper and that's why i failed #uh feel free to set the comments on fire #but like civilly #we're all here to have fun okay #even if fun means shipping

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inviouswriting · 5 years ago

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Femdom

As the title suggest. A bit of femdom, so this is gender selected as a female wol. And my brand of smut writing. I hope you all enjoy this. This is still light compared to what I can write unhinged.

Remember not to tag my stories like this as n//s//f//w otherwise this site will flag it wrong. I can strongly say this is full tilt. I also have this on my Ao3.

For Aymeric fans. Myself included. It’s written in third person but easy inserts for any character someone desires.

Femdom

There are a lot of things Aymeric does for his beloved, he devoted and swore his life to her from an altar. He provides himself to her and loves her as unconditional as she gives back to him. He is more than happy with this life, he loves her well, she is always satisfied in their bed.

Aymeric for an evening gives his love control over him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way with how well she treats him. Blue eyes stare at his love fitting well onto his lap, he is in simple clothes more fitting for their play. The coats discarded, him with his hands bound to the headboard, her idea. A safeword in place once things were too intense, she gives him a full kiss, earning it back.

She shifts her hips enough down and can already feel him hard against her core. She chose to wear something a little extra, given to her on their wedding day from Tataru. A blue corset with a black middle section, almost mirroring his regalia clothing with intricate designs, and thin panty to match, black stockings and arm gloves. She is almost embarrassed to wear it, but seeing how Aymeric’s eyes roam over her.

“We’ve established that Leviathan will be our word for full stop? We also establish the word Ice for if you need something.Yes, my love?” The shy exterior gives away to something else. She’s sure and assertive as she asks. A hand pressed to the side of Aymeric’s face and he presses his cheek to the satin enjoying the feel of the softness as a thumb circles his cheek much like he does for her when he’s in charge.

“Yes, my love. Leviathan and Ice are our words.” He agrees to them, a smile as fingers trace over his lips and he parts them to let her tug gently on his bottom lip. She gives him another full kiss, delving her tongue into his mouth, and he eagerly sucks on her tongue once he tastes birch syrup. From tea earlier.

She deepens the kiss more as her hips press against his a bit harder earning a soft groan from him. She can feel his arms jerk to try and grab for her but only to be held well by the rope that binds them. She knows her knots and knows his strength. If he really wants free he can rip the nylon with ease. Always a way out and safety being their top priority in these kinds of play.

Breaking the kiss she glides her tongue over his bottom lip then with her teeth deftly bites and tugs just enough to take it in her mouth and sucks. Under her hips she can feel her love’s cock twitch at the pain mixed pleasure finding that he enjoyed that. Her hands roam down the front of his blue shirt and starts opening it up sliding her hands along the skin, he feels silk while she teases along his sides feeling him shift when she finds a tender spot along his ribs.

Letting go of his lip, she moves to lay kisses along his jawline up to his right ear where at the very tip of his pointed ear she traces her tongue along the edge and follows the curve down. She’s rewarded with a moan she hasn’t heard before, one of need and the tug of his arms meant he would like to return all her plentiful teasing. She kisses his ear, then puffs a breath of hot air on it.

“You will be able to touch me, in time. My time to explore you.” Her right hand carefully removes the cuff off his left. Silk touches along the skin that is normally hidden from sight. A visible shudder from Aymeric as she gently places more hot kisses on his right ear while the left is rubbed delicate.

She pulls back to see his face and he’s flushed from a mixture of arousal and embarrassment of her attacking one of his hot spots. Blue eyes glazed over in lust for her, and from the way she is seated in his lap. She can feel a throb, that she can’t wait to touch.

“Yes, my beloved.” He understands her words and bites his own lip as the strain he feels gets a bit tighter even with her sitting on it. That didn’t help him at all when relief is clothing barriers away, but she also holds his permission. She shifts down a little deliberately grinding her core against his erection. Earning another moan, and his face blushing darker at seeing her do that.

“Look at me, Aymeric.” He does once she says it. Blue eyes watching her every move, in hope that she does something to relieve some of the pressure he’s feeling. Instead he is greeted to the sight of her as she has his shirt opened and gliding her hands down his torso to the hem of his pants.

Fingers are careful as they travel over the large bulge, tracing the outline of his cock. Her index finger swirls around the tip and she feels his hips shove forward to feel more of her hand. She instead pulls her hand away and sits back with her arms folded under her chest pushing her breasts up a bit. The corset amplifying her features but drives him insane altogether.

“Mine apologies love. It felt good.” He apologizes sheepish. A smile on her face, and she resumes her exploration. The finger returning to swirl again around the tip feeling the hardness under it as it twitches when she drags it where she feels the underside. Her eyes cast up and sees his focused on her fingers as they dance along his dick.

She cups him through his pants and grips enough to earn a louder moan from him at having her touch him. She squeezes the length starting at the base and following up to the tip where she strokes him over the fabric. It is her turn to bite her lip at seeing his face relax in pleasure, eyes half-lidded and mouth parted as he panted light from her stroking him.

She stops to tug the hem of his pants down, him lifting his hips enough to allow her, he hisses at the cool air hitting his engorged flesh. He has his eyes closed and misses her grabbing something from their table. She resumes stroking him and he feels something snug being eased around his cock down to the base. Aymeric opens his eyes and is greeted to her smirk and her hand holding at the base.

She removes her hand and he blushes deeper at seeing a ring around it. He eyes her and she only smiles sweetly at him in her way. Once the ring is there, she tugs off the gloves on her arms, and places one across his eyes to block out his sight. He could shake it off if he desired, but relaxes his head onto the pillow instead as a sensation washes over him. Something erotic about what she is planning. He waits in anticipation now.

She moves herself to arrange her body better. She places her knees at his head and lays on his torso, her head down at his groin. With bare fingers now, she traces the same path her gloved fingers did before, this time on heated flesh. Fingers start a light massage at the tip, cupping then slide down the thick cock. Her fingers dotted with precum smear it down. On the path back up, she squeezes her palm at the tip earning a much louder groan than she’s heard him make.

Aymeric feels like he is in heaven with her hand touching him, the way she is gentle yet teasing. He feels the restriction of the ring working in preventing his release, instead more precum flows out. A tongue sweeps over the head circling around the underside of his glands. He keeps his hips from thrusting up wanting more of that wet heat, but fears she’ll stop again if he does that.

His love instead takes more into her mouth, rewarding him for holding out. She shifts enough to bring a hand between her own thighs and first tugs the glove off Aymeric’s face rewarding him with seeing her slit as she moves the thin panty to the side. Her fingers delving into her slit parting them enough for him to catch a glimpse of her entrance.

Now she’s teasing him with another taste he desires in her. Her fingers pull from her hole only to tease at her clit as she sucks on Aymeric’s erection. He bucks his hips, a sign he is getting too close, and she stills her ministrations. A frustrated sigh escapes his lips feeling her pull her mouth off him. Her free hand not toying with her slit goes to squeeze at his sac, rolling it along her fingers feeling the smooth skin in her palm.

A sobbed hiss escapes him, Aymeric is torn between a lot of things, his love’s mouth, watching her please herself so close to his mouth, and touching him tender in a way only she does. She grants him a small mercy, in removing her fingers from in herself and gives them to him. When she does this Aymeric quickly catches her fingers in his mouth and sucks on them, cleaning every spot of her juices off.

For him catching on, she shifts her hips and pushes herself so his mouth has access to her folds. Once he feels he’s close enough and is given permission by her wiggle of her hips. He sinks his tongue into her folds and sweeps his tongue from her clit to her hole. He wishes his hands weren’t bound now so he could pull her hips even closer till his tongue is buried in her.

She resumes sucking on him, guiding his hips to thrust gently by raising her head enough and then back down. Her lips meet the halfway point on his length, the head hitting the back of her throat. She tilts her head to the side, and goes further bringing him into her throat. She goes until her lips meet the metal of the ring snug at the base.

Her hand rolling his sac squeezes gently making Aymeric buck his hips up. She feels his enjoyment with how his tongue delves inside her as deep as it goes in their current position. Once she is certain about how much she has taken into her mouth, she sucks again, pulling her head back then swallows him back down. Once her mouth is back at the tip she swirls her tongue around it earning more moans from him.

Aymeric pulls his mouth from her slit to moan and pant, he desperately wants to cum. He holds himself back despite the ring preventing him anyway. A rare frustrated cry from his throat comes out, while he feels her tongue lap at the tip finding that sensitive spot just to the side he enjoys when she gives him oral.

She feels him twitching madly in her mouth. If the ring wasn’t in place he would have came already. She teases him more by sucking just at the over-sensitive tip, lips nibbling just along the side of the shaft. Aymeric’s hips are jerky as his mind clouds over in pure lust. He closes his eyes to focus on the pleasure building up.

Then suddenly, she stops and pulls her mouth off when she was certain he would cum even with the ring on. The frustrated moans that come from him now, as he is exposed to cool air again. She also shifted her hips again to deprive him of pleasing her, her fingers returning to her folds to bury them inside. She is more turned on than she realized with listening to him. She stills her hand and removes it as she gets an idea.

Moving herself again, she sits up and turns so she is facing his head. The wild stare from his ice blue eyes. If he wasn’t bound she would be bent over and fucked the hardest she’s ever been. Aymeric licks his bottom lip when she removes the panty, and starts tugging the corset open, leaving her breasts bare to his eyes.

She sits on his chest with her legs on either side of his head, her thighs parted. A blush on her face more from when she was pleasing him. Aymeric stares at her, waiting to see what she is doing, he feels himself twitching when he sees her hands part her folds and fingers resuming pushing into her slit up to her knuckles. Her other hand teases her clit as she puts on a show for him.

He realizes what she is doing, and his hands tug at the rope. He wanted to touch her now, take up her hands. He curses internally when she moans out.

“Aymeric!” Her voice is needy and teasing as she calls his name. He grips his hands together they itch to do this, his favorite way of pleasing her, yet she was doing it over his face. He couldn’t move his head closer as her seated spot prevents him from raising up.

“I feel really good! I feel so good!” She begins a mantra and it drives him insane, listening to her cry it out. When she parts her folds for his eyes to see, he’s greeted with how her juices spill over her fingers. Aymeric licks his lips again wanting to run his tongue along to taste her and tease her.

“Ah! Aymeric! Ah! Aymeric!” Her thighs tense, and her love lets out his own strained groan at the way she holds her slit open enough to see her entrance squeezes down on her fingers. She worked herself to an orgasm and he can only watch her as she shudders in mild aftershocks. He knows however this is only one of the many she can have, having brought her to multiples over their sex life together.

She sits up a bit more straight, and looks down at her love who almost seems pained from holding back his own orgasm. She decides to reward him, and flips herself over. She removes the ring and starts to stroke him, her lips at the head sucking and sweeping her tongue, she pulls off brief to grant him permission.

“You may cum in my mouth.” With that she takes him all the way into her mouth and prepares herself in receiving his seed. Aymeric more than happy to give in lets her work him over that edge, his tip is sensitive to the point he musters his own moans out loud as he cums. She drinks it down following the pulse and throb as he lets it out.

With her mouth at just the head, she uses her hands to milk him of every drop. He has a natural sweetness to him, one she can’t get enough of, and has often sucked on him in his office for it.

She lets him calm down from the current orgasm, his panting one of the only sounds in the room. She moves pulling her head off his cock only to arrange herself so she is sitting on his lap. Her heated slit resting on his sensitive shaft.

Aymeric eyes her through half-lidded eyes at what she is up to next. She only smiles sweetly at him again, he returns her smile with his own that has won her over many times.

“Ready for more love?” She moves her hands up to his hair and begins gliding her fingers through the silky black. He lets out an audible purr from her petting his head, fingers touching over ears as he feels like he is ready for more.

“Yes, but Ice, may I have water first?” He asks for something he needs, feeling his throat scratchy from his moans. She nods and reaches over to the table to grab for the glass there. She lets him upright enough to drink. He feels better with it, and nods for her to continue. She herself takes a drink remembering to stay hydrated in the middle of play.

Once there were no more hiccups, and she feels him starting to get hard again from her shifting against his hips. She grounds her hips to his, the heat of her wet slit kisses along his shaft. The movement lubricates him along her folds for better glide. Aymeric is biting his bottom lip, still sensitive from earlier, but the things she does to him. He is more than happy to feel that warmth.

She takes mercy on his hands, and reaches over to undo them. Her breasts pushed to his face. Once his hands are free, Aymeric takes a moment to rub his wrists of soreness from his pulling earlier. He looks at his love and places his hands down at her hips but doesn’t touch her until she says or guides him to.

“You may touch, but not tease.” She instructs him and he nods. His hands at her waist guide her with her movements to grind along his hips, he almost tosses his head back when her hot core grazing the head of his cock. Aymeric grips her hips harder but stills his hips to avoid pushing into her. Instead he moans out in frustration at being deprived of her warmth so close and oh so hot.

His love smiles at him, watching his face in pleasure and frustration at their game. She hasn’t had enough teasing him, instead she moves her hips off him and sits back.

“I want to watch you. As you watched me.” She hints to her pleasing herself. Aymeric regards her wearily but nods his head in agreement. She scoots back enough so he can raise up and under her watch he takes his erection into his hand. Aymeric begins slowly stroking himself in the same manner she did earlier, finding himself enjoying that a little too much.

Strokes become light pumps as his thumb sweeps over the tip, he chances a look to his love, and she is watching his face more than his hand. His face flushes red with her watching him so intently.

“Keep going.” She says to him, giving him permission to keep pleasing himself. He pumps a little harder, a bit faster. Soft groans escape his throat, and when he is on verge of that release.

“Stop.” Aymeric puts his hands to his sides and grips the bedsheets tight. He swallows back a moan his eyes are closed. He feels her place that ring back into place. He opens his eyes to her smirk, and sighs in his denial.

“Begin again.” His hand returns and pumps with fervor, his love moves to sit back her own hands going back to her own heat watching him is getting to her. The way he gazes at her for permissions, for relief. His eyes begged more than his mouth ever could, and when she sees his face filled with bliss and his hips shake.

“Stop.” His hand goes down to squeeze at the base, another frustrated hiss comes out. Despite the sweet torment, he feels pleasure through his spine. He gets what and why she is doing this. To show him what he does to her.

“Again. A little longer my dear.” She smiles up at him, her own hands mirroring his in pleasure. She stops when she gives the order, and resumes when she grants it. She watches his face for signs of his pending release and one the next bout she bites her bottom lip as she gives another command to stop.

“Stop, you may remove it.” Aymeric sighs in relief being granted to pull off the ring. His love smiles up at him, and he knows that stare she gives him. It tells him the time of play like this is done, and she wants him.

“May, I take over my love?” Aymeric asks, he is met with a nod. He didn’t want to tease her either. He wanted to be buried in her warmth and drive them both to completion. Their safeword for full stop was only if either were in pain or did not like something. She smiles at him.

“I’m proud of you for letting me do this to you. Now please I want you to make it hard for me to walk straight for a few days.” She is leaned back and Aymeric parts her thighs. He positions himself at her entrance, looking up at her once more for silent permission. She nods and as soon as he’s granted permission he thrusts in hard.

He knows he doesn’t have to wait, he thrusts hard and fast knowing she couldn’t wait much longer for sensual and slow. The cries he tore from her throat he drives her harder to hear them louder. His name chanted from her lips like earlier but more needier and he almost loses his senses at how searing hot she is. The sensitivity of his tip made him appreciate the play they did more.

Leaning over her, Aymeric gives her kiss after feverish kiss. Making up for what he couldn’t give her. She arches under him when he hits a good spot inside and wraps her legs at his waist. He nearly pulls back out only to thrust harder enjoying the sound of their skin together. He was always thick but he felt fuller from the denials, and it makes her cry out when he pushes harder.

She still holds his permission to cum, and Aymeric is kissing all over her face, his lips grazing her neck along with his teeth. He leaves a mild bruising kiss at her collarbone.

“Let me cum, please love? Please let me.” He pleads in her ear, giving it a delicate nibble.

“You may, after me.” She gives him one last order, and he takes great pleasure in it. His right hand going down to rub her clit while he reangles his hips a little to drive into that one spot that makes her see stars and cry his name without restraint.

It was on the sixth time in of him doing that, that makes her cum. Her walls clamping down around his cock and he drives himself in deep to feel her, as she cums in a gush of fluid. He hears her scream his name, a sense of pride filling him as he is in deep grinding his own way to release filling her full of his seed.

Once he is spent, he collapses on top of her, mindful of his weight he doesn’t crush her. His face nuzzling into her neck as he hugs her tightly to his own body. A well satisfied smile on his lips. Each kiss he leaves on her neck makes her shiver and jump.

“I love you. I love every part of you.” He murmurs into her ear. He’s well satisfied.

“I love you too.” She returns each smile, and pets his head tousling his hair some more. Blue eyes regard her with respect and adoration.

He pulls from her and arranges them so they’re laying on their sides. Aymeric beams smiles down at her, seeing how she shakes and shivers from his hard thrusts. He himself is shaking from aftershocks of his own orgasms. She gives him a smirk while her left hand seeks his.

When she can walk a bit, she gets up to grab things they need. Snacks, water, washcloth and robes. She takes time to clean him off, and he returns the treatment in their after care. Water for all their cries, and robes for something soft. Leaving the fronts open for their skins are too warm for either to feel comfortable. Aymeric relaxes with his love in his arms, running his hands down her back.

“Thank you for this.” She hears him speak, tired in his voice. A smile on her lips. She pets his head in the same manner of his hands on her back. She could see it in his face of being over-relaxed and ready to fall asleep on her.

“You are welcome love. We can do this again later if you like.” She chuckles seeing his eyes snap open and regard her.

“Maybe after I’ve rested some. You my dearest, wore me out.” Aymeric begins to feel a sense of fear in how his beloved’s sex appetite is.

“Later it is.” She gives him a kiss and he returns it. She scoots in closer while his arms wind around her.

#aymeric #ser aymeric #aymeric de borel #aymeric x reader #Invi's ffxiv writing

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lotornomiko · 4 years ago

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A Random Valkyrie Profile WIP

Been trying to revive my muse...mostly just randomly spinning from project to project, trying to find something to inspire me long enough to write more than one chapter...and then in the midst of that, got this idea in my head...but I’ve struggled with it, just cause it could go nowhere and just be a pointless one shot, OR! I could make it the prologue to an attempted caged bird rewrite. Problem is I can’t decide either way, so it’s stalled for now...but I like the short bit of what I do have, so want to share...Lezalenne centric, am now eyeballing my RUAli fic to see if I can’t write the next chapter of Sacrificial Maiden...

It’s mostly work safe unless you don’t like written scenes of death and gore....though those massacred were all faceless entities...no actual character death thus far from the games...

It started out as a whisper, one lone voice standing out among the thousands of Creation, that muted whimper of pain a plea so foreign and strange a sound amid the peace and tranquility that had come to perpetuate the many realms. That unwelcome buzzing in her head was joined by a second, and then a third, a suffering so immense and overwhelming, it had nearly staggered the Goddess in place, the hurt there a summons Lenneth could not turn away from or ignore.

That suffering would only worsen, the whispers becoming louder and louder, as more screamed out their pain. The rising agony of so many more then rolled through her, the damage done these people twisting, taken to new levels of a depravity that only heightened the desperation felt. It was a herald of the dying in fact, that tortured wail an unending chain of suffering, each soul that did finally die, replaced by another, and another, their pain this litany of fear, of confusion and anger, even of hate. Her heart broke with that acknowledgment, with the betrayal expressed by those slain. They felt alone and abandoned, some even damning the Goddess with the last of their breath.

She’d shoulder at least part of the blame, the atrocities committed this day, having been done in her name, every last body felled one piece of a message personally crafted for her heart alone. The ringing of it echoed through her, piercing deep inside her own soul, and Lenneth’s wings just couldn’t fly fast enough. Not to stop the massacre at hand, the Goddess arriving to a scene straight out of a nightmare, the horror that greeted her eyes, a far too fitting match for the agony screaming within.

There was so many dead. So many broken bodies strewn about, blood and other things splattered across the pavement. She’d close her eyes to such a sight, trembling with a barely suppressed urge to do her own brand of screaming, this seemingly senseless brutality an abomination that had no right or reason in her universe. It was blasphemy against everything she had ever believed in, and broke truce with the promise that Lenneth herself had bestowed upon the people of this world. It made a mockery of the paradise she had granted, this one sliver of evil twisting everything into something horrible and profane, this perversion both intolerable and unacceptable, a cerulean blue gaze snapping open, that color blazing with the righteous fury of not just the Goddess, but of all those who had been killed on this day.

It was an anger that boiled in the depths of that cerulean gaze, all the pain and the suffering combined with the horror of this senseless havoc, and the utterly lost and confused feelings of the how and the why of such a thing having been allowed to have happened at all. With it came guilt, a part of this her fault for allowing the chance of, her kindness twisted and spat back at her feet, this violence a proverbial slap from the one whose hand had set off on this murderous rampage.

She trembled with the force of her many emotions, both hers and that of those who had died, Lenneth understanding that this massacre made a mockery of her compassion. Of it, and of her mercy, the second chance she had given, the human who had been awarded such consideration in the first place, done so for a favor once owed. A debt that had needed to be repaid, the world saved through the actions of a selfish and utterly lustful man.

A blasphemer by birth, this was just the latest, and most unforgivable of his crimes. This cruel blood shed and torture an act she could not let him slide on, not now, not ever again. The monster that he had proven to be, the true colors that he had yet again shown, a single act of good could no longer free him of the fate that only the most depraved of sinners earned, that soul of his not bound for the heavens or for the hell, but instead set to be removed so completely from the cycle of rebirth so as to have him face the ruin that was the entirety of his being’s utter annihilation. Only then would this world, her paradise, truly be safe, cleansed of the last---the only source of its sin, all that evil and greed an otherwise corrupting force on that of her Creation.

There was no hesitation in her now, the decision made. Not just by her, but by HIM, his reckless ways no longer able to be tolerated for ANY reason, he had tried the last of her patience, the favor owed no longer able to overlook any more of his vile antics. He had used it all up, every last bit of good will and gesture, and with her eyes blazing that bold color of emotions, the Goddess reached for and drew out the sword from the scabbard on her hip.

She took careful step forward, not about to desecrate the remains any further, stepping over bodies and parts, sometimes slipping on pathways made slick with the blood and the gore. It was horrifically cruel, the amount of dead staggering, stretching out farther than she could see, forming a trail that would lead her deeper into ruins. The Goddess already knew for certain just what awaited her inside, could feel that mad pulse of that vile energy beckoning her in, that pulsating thread of a life most perverse and powerful in its own right, daring Lenneth forward. He knew she was there, had in fact counted on her to come, this bloodshed and brutality all done with the intent to gain an audience with the Goddess. He had wanted her attention in fact, and by all she has held holy, he now had it, though the man wouldn’t be reveling in it for long.

Sword in hand, she continued down that pathway in that careful manner, the screaming of the souls for their vengeance nearly deafening her to the sliver of what else awaited her in the deepest part of the ruins. There was not one but TWO threads of life within, HIS, and a much fainter beat, that of a mortal struggling with and losing the battle to hang on.

“No.” Her first instinct breathed out of her on an angry gasp, power coursing forward, to try and bolster the life that was rapidly faltering. With a miracle of love, light, and healing, she sent reassurances to the one in danger, such encouragement needed, the soul that had been so close to slipping away completely, instead redoubling their efforts, fighting to hang on for just a little longer.

She heard a wild and masculine laughter in response, but that monster who played at being human, made no overt gestures toward his one remaining victim now. He was in fact toying with them both, the innocent and the Goddess who would protect all, Lenneth starting to move, faster and faster, until her feet all but left the ground, her wings shuttling her forward the rest of the way, mixing gleaming white feathers into the trail of bodies and blood, the pathway lit up with her radiance, and brought her ethereal form out into a large cavern of a room.

#valkyrie profile #lenneth valkyrie #lezard valeth #wip #work in progress #one shot #no name yet #fanfic #fanfiction

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machi-kun · 5 years ago

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Thanks for answering my question! And I’d love an in depth explanation of the compatibilities if you’re offering!!

of course! it’s no problem at all, I actually have a lot of fun talking about stuff like this SJDFSKDJFHKDJFS Here’s a brief explanation of why I put them in that order:

1. Rhodey: I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory. Despite Rhodey’s attitude being a little more uptight at times, you can see, in canon, that he’s just as dynamic and wild and capable as Tony, they share a similar humor and they have genuine care and affection for each other. Even if they have bad moments, like in IM2, it’s never out of hatred or anything like that - it’s Tony acting contrary to their friendship on purpose, out of his own issues, not a demonstration that their friendship isn’t as strong as it seems. In fact, it’s only proof that their friendship is as strong as it seems that Rhodey is able to jump back to Tony’s side almost immediately as he realizes what is really happening, and no hard feelings are kept from either of them. Out of everyone else, these two are the ones who truly understand and support each other.

2. Pepper: Pepper goes second because even though she has learned to navigate through Tony’s personality and issues quite well, and they do seem to have a nice relationship, Pepper falls short in a place where Rhodey doesn’t, and that’s why she’s the second, not the first, on this list. Pepper really struggles to understand Tony’s motivations as Iron Man - which is to say, she tries really hard to help Tony with some of his issues, but she goes about it in a less than advisable way. It’s not the worse of problems, certainly not in this list, but it’s enough not to give her first place, because between someone who vehemently tries and fails to conciliate this part of their lives together, in comparison to Rhodey, who does it flawlessly, does indicate that something in their relationship doesn’t fit quite as neatly as the first one does.

3. Natasha: In the MCU, Natasha and Tony are so eerily similar it’s shocking. They both have the same kind of personality, they both are very good in keeping a tight hold on their feelings, but are hopelessly loyal, despite pretending they’re lone wolfs or whatever they want the world to believe they are. They also are adaptable, in a sense that if they need to change plans quickly, change sides, change perspectives, change everything to make a certain mission work, they’ll do it, even if it’s hard - they struggle to live on the line between being practical and being idealists, because they are both, and sometimes they make decisions that hurt each other, but they never harbor too many hard feelings because they understand each other far too much to not see the other’s logic when they try to analyze their decisions. What’s unfortunate about the MCU is that Natasha made one of those decisions at a very essential moment of the story, which makes her seem far more loyal to Steve than to Tony - and whether you believe that or not, it’s up to you, but she doesn’t do it out of dislike for Tony; she merely does it because that’s what they do, they adapt.

4. Bruce: Though Bruce and Tony have opposite reactions to things sometimes, with Bruce choosing to step back because of his insecurities and being far more hesitant for it, and Tony acting despite them even though it costs him, almost to the point of recklessness - they have a very deep understanding of why they do so, much like Natasha and Tony. Both Tony and Bruce share some very similar insecurities, guilt about hurting people when they’re not careful, and despite it all, they still feel strongly enough about it to fight and help, because that’s more important to them than their insecurities. There’s a lot of camaraderie in that. See that Bruce also goes along with Tony in AoU despite their small problems along the way, and also despite Bruce’s fears about Vision coming out like Ultron: because they both understand what they’re trying to do, they don’t doubt the other’s intentions, and even if Bruce is not willing to push himself as far as Tony does, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand why Tony does it.

5. Bucky: The thing about compatibility is just that we don’t always have the same amount of shared screentime for every duo, so it’s a little hard to figure out dynamics like this, since they interact so little and in such a specific situation. Based on what I know about these characters’ personalities, I also have to do some theorizing to figure out some more informative details from the dynamics. What I see from Bucky that would be a stepping stone for a great relationship between them is exactly their very careful approach to determine if someone is trustworthy or not. Bucky is in a bad mental state so he’s very cautious, but very open, to gather information - and when is Tony not that? Both are also staggeringly loyal, but Bucky is not loyal the way Steve is, despite their friendship - Steve is forceful, and Bucky is conceding. And guess what - Tony is also conceding. They share an unfortunate amount of trauma too, which, for better or for worse, really adds a layer of understanding between them, even if their history begins with a bad story, it allows a kind of companionship and feeling of protectiveness and community that only a few things in life do. If they had the opportunity to surpass this bad break and become friends - they would be really great friends. It’s a shame they never got the chance.

6/7. Strange and Steve: I put them in the same place not because they have the same problem, but because their problems are equally impeding - they both are too involved in their own plans to make concessions, and that’s something that causes problems with Tony. Tony concedes most of the time, but he’s incapable of doing it all the time, nor he should do it all the time. We haven’t seen enough of Strange for me to believe he has trust issues that run as deep as Steve’s do - he seems to suffer from the same brand of assholery and i-work-better-if-i-make-the-call attitude Tony did at first, but if Tony can grow out of it, there’s no reason for me to believe Strange can’t do it too - even though Strange is, by nature, more reserved than Tony. Steve’s problem runs a little deeper. He and Tony share similar ideals, and they’re both as pro-active, which would put Steve above Strange on this list, but at the same time, he has massive trust issues and we’ve already seen what kind of consequences those trust issues can have between them. I would almost say Steve gets over it thanks so some of his attitudes in Endgame, but alas, his ending contradicts a lot of stuff, so as it stands, it’s very ambiguous how exactly they would be capable of a prolonged, peaceful relationship.

8. Thor: What makes me really upset about Thor sometimes is his lack of availability to be present and open with the rest of the team. Taika was the only one to get it right, I believe, but unfortunately, since Ragnarok only has Bruce around for us to test that theory, it makes it really hard to get a clear idea of what it would be like had Thor been emotionally available for the others too. I feel like they could get along, had the Thor we saw in Ragnarok continued - if that was the case, I would have put Thor all the way up next to Bruce, but seeing as canon cant make up their mind and changed Thor’s attitude and personality again for IW and Endgame, I have no choice but to assume Thor is simply not compatible for the kind of interactions with Tony that others can have, not the way he ended up being cemented as in canon.

9. Clint: Clint is, by far, the least compatible with Tony, from what I can gather from him. Though it seems at moments that they can be amicable (like the party in AoU) Clint is quick to change his opinion in a way that’s very intense, he can jump from complete mistrust to total attachment in a matter of minutes, and that’s not something Tony can handle, because if there’s something that fucks up Tony a lot is trust issues. Clint also seems to be very mistrusting of Tony in particular, and even if it wasn’t, and he would grant Tony the same “courtesy” he grants Wanda for example, to change his opinion and give the people he finds less than pleasant a chance - he doesn’t do it with an expression of genuine and vulnerable regret, as an apology should; either he doesn’t do it, or he doesn’t do it to the person who deserves to hear it, or he does it too late. Clint’s emotional availability is untrustworthy, and at times it almost seems like his loyalty is untrustworthy, so the way it stands in canon, I think there’s no way they could have had a better relationship than the trainwreck they had.

#ask #anon #machi replies #Anonymous

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chorusfm · 6 years ago

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Coheed and Cambria – The Unheavenly Creatures

When looking for adjectives to describe Coheed and Cambria and their latest effort, The Unheavenly Creatures, I kept going back to the same word: epic. Coheed have never been strangers to expanding their repertoire of complex space odysseys and intermingled stories of fictional characters, but on this LP they have genuinely created something quite remarkable. This album grabs your interest directly from the first notes of “Prologue” that sets that stage for all that will come next in this saga. From the shiny and brilliant packaging of the entire album and its artwork, it’s hard not to get directly sucked into the vortex of Coheed’s world on this fantastic record. “The Dark Sentencer” was the first single released from the album, and for a good reason; it’s one of the stronger songs Coheed and Cambria have written in this decade. With the ever-brilliant dual guitar attack from Travis Stever and lead vocalist Claudio Sanchez, everything seems to click early on for this band. They continue to put out music that encourages deeper dives into not only the backing story, but the intricate parts of the songs themselves. “The Dark Sentencer,” sounds like a direct call-to-arms to Coheed’s fan-base, and makes it abundantly clear that this new chapter has all of the staying power that people have been clamoring for. The title track, with its synth dream pop piano interlude in the beginning, leads way to the aggressive guitars from Stever and Sanchez, with a strong backing beat courtesy of drummer Josh Eppard, breaks way to the well-timed hook and chorus when Claudio sings, “Oh, pretty angel, swinging from your cable/I fear, my dear, the end is near/So run, run, run, run, like a son of a gun.” As strong as the opening single was, I kept coming back to this track as one of the ones that sold me on this record. The choice to have a slow-burner of a track like “Toys” early on the sequencing may be seen to be a misstep to the untrained ear, but you need to trust in the process of Coheed’s story-telling to fully appreciate what they were going for on the record. The hooks and pre-choruses, in particular, are consistently solid throughout this LP, and you can tell that Coheed is firing on all cylinders and not taking anything for granted as they move us track-by-track. The down-tuned “Black Sunday” lets the catchy hooks take a brief backseat to the darkness that paints over the song. The lyrical content matches these darker tones found in the music with lyrics such as, “I’ll be the air you need when your lungs give out/Teasing, teasing, teasing.” The latter half of the track brings back some more of the hope from the despair found in the early stages of the song, and the closing choruses and chanting reminded me of the final notes of My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade.” The dark themes stay around for a bit in the middle portion of the record with songs such as “Queen of the Dark” and “True Ugly.” On the latter, Claudio shouts, “Divine, these monsters of flesh and bone/Oh, they make hate look so easy, loathe their kind/Oh, show me your true ugly,” it’s hard not to strip away some of the story for a bit and look at our society of spineless politicians spewing lies that they re-brand as facts. When making these types of comparisons, Coheed can become relatable in today’s world that seems to be growing darker by the day. However, the beauty of Coheed’s message, and story, is that these times never last forever. This is never truer on a song like “Love Protocol” which features a memorable chorus of, “Hold on to me/Tell me you’ve got me, sweetheart/The world is doing dim in my gaze,” and it’s the closest we’re going to get to a power ballad from our entrusted rock juggernauts. The second half of the record is filled with hit after hit, end-capped with some of the best songs in Coheed’s late-career catalog. “The Pavilion (A Long Way Back” features one of my favorite lyrics of hope in recent memory with, “Hang on, it’s clear that the roads about to get rough/Oh, can you hear its ringing its left in my ear?/Over and over, the light hits the dusk/It’s a choice that I make but for us I choose to give it all up.” In a lot of ways, this record is about looking for what matters most in our lives: finding that person we love and would do absolutely anything for, even as the world around us turns to shit. Other standout moments from this record, one that seems to have no shortage of them, is the blazing “All on Fire.” The songwriting and musicianship have once again returned to epic levels, and Coheed deserves our undivided attention as they guide us through a story that has many key takeaways. The “monsters” and “creatures” they reference in this album could easily be metaphors for the shallow and shameless people we have all likely encountered in our lifetime, but Coheed and Cambria have always allowed this to be open to interpretation for their fans to take their ownership of these songs. If the space odyssey story works for you, great, you can run with it. If you love these solid rock songs, that’s cool too as they are writing some of their best songs to date here. I would be remiss if I also didn’t highlight “Old Flames,” that features a rare piano-driven ballad that still fits into the grand scheme of the artistic vision they were going for. It’s also the closest Coheed have come to writing a simple pop-bliss song destined for new heights on the radio since “Blood Red Summer.” The closing song, “Lucky Stars” drives the point home that Coheed and Cambria wanted to solidify on this record: don’t lose hope in what matters most in your life, and continue to strive for what makes you happy in this mad world we live in. As I mentioned earlier, this epic landscape of a rock masterpiece should not be viewed as a band that was having trouble finding their footing in some of their more recent work. Instead, this is a band that truly knows the meaning of coming “home” in the many connotations of the word. “Thank your lucky stars that we can call this ours,” is Sanchez’s way of saying that they have found peace with what comes next in this never-ending book we call Coheed and Cambria. --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/review/coheed-and-cambria-the-unheavenly-creatures/

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mak23686 · 7 years ago

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Opinions about / views on The 100

Noone cares about what I post anyway, so that gives me the freedom to post whatever the hell I want.

If you feel the need to react to this post, feel free to do so. You can always point out flaws in my logic and give your own view.

If you just want to go “lol ur dump all heel bellmu bleik and pik petrun sehnts of ski krew and strehgt bois“, just don’t. Jacking off to Lexa’s death scene again is a more reasonable use of the calories you burn with that.

SEASON 1

Spearing Jasper was understandable. He cheered when they reached Mount Wheather. Combined with the superior technology (coming from the sky and the gun), it gave reason for the assumption that the 100 wanted to ally with the Mountain.

Was it over the top? Could the Grounders just have stepped out and confronted them? Sure, they could have. But I suppose decades of being at war with the Mountain Men gave them a “better save than sorry“ attitude in dealing with anyone possibly involved with the mountain.

(WARNING: ASSUMPTION FOLLOWING!) Also, based on the Grounder’s skill in stealth and use of weapons displayed in later episodes, they were rather lenient here. The kids didn’ bother being stealthy (since they didn’t know anyone was on the ground), so the Grounder scouts probably noticed and tracked them for a while before they reached the river to see what they were up to. They also probably could have killed the others, but they just attacked the one who crossed the river, and they didn’t use a bow or a throwing knife, they used a big ass spear for shock effect to send a clear “don’t cross this line” message.

Stringing Jasper up on the tree might have been a test of skill for the sky people. Would they be able to find their comrade? Would they be able to discover the traps? How are they dealing with the injury? The Grounders had Lincoln as a watcher near the camp. Gathering intel is important when dealing with an unknown force.

Also, no Grounder killed a sky person in the first five episodes. Up to then, it was two accidents (dropship landing), two acid fog deaths (Trina and Pascal), one mercy kill (Atom), one murder (Wells) and one suicide (Charlotte).

The first kills in the Grounder-Skaikru conflict were when the flares burnt down the grounder village (this can technically be blamed on Bellamy because he sabotaged every way to communicate with the Ark since the beginning and made the flares necessary, but whatever). Granted, it was an accident, but still, as Anya pointed out in the bridge meeting, it can be seen as an act of war.

Torturing Lincoln and the sky people firing the first shots at the bridge meeting certainly didn`t help either. And while at least a momentary truce may have been achievable, Anya had a point: Why agree to an alliance the Sky People could break as soon as they come down, especially since the kids have shown so much aggression up to now?

SEASON TWO

Absolute high time of the show. Great story with the Mountain Men as villains and Sky People and Grounders allying, hints of deeper Grounder culture (”My spirit will find the next Commander”) exploration of the value of “Good guys / Bad guys” in war. Bellamy was also at his high, courageous (the infiltration of Mount Wheather was his idea), smart (infiltration missions can’t be pulled off by a dumdum), at Clarke’s side during the irradiation ... honestly, I wouln’t have minded season two Bellamy and Clarke being together.

I don’t blame Kane for shocklashing Abby because it was a purely political move. She had broken the law (again) by freeing and arming prisoners. It wouldn’t have looked good to the general populace if one of the “elites“ had gone completely unpunished again. Maybe it was unnecessary to have them bang later, but well ... I’m neutral / slightly against when it comes to that ship.

Lexa haters sometimes say Lexa wouldn’t have needed to kill Finn. Seriously? Finn murdered 18 people, the call for his execution was literally the least morally questionable thing ever done on this show. When she first said it and they cut away all dramatically, I just thought “Yeah, reasonable request. Have him on a silver platter with a bow.”

The reaper cure proved Skaikru could be of worth to the alliance, but that still didn’t give the people of TonDC justice. Ask a lawyer if you’re allowed to kill a bunch of people if someone of your family made a medical breakthrough, I’m pretty sure the answer is no.

Finn used to be a great guy in season one, but then, he went crazy. Accepting his punishment and delivering himself to the Grounders gives him the status of “Fallen / Redeemed hero” in my book.

The battle of Mount Wheather should be considered from the Mountain Men’s point of view before screaming “Lexa evil, betrayal!”

The Mountain Men were facing annihilation. Their only hope was to break the alliance between Skaiku and the Grounders. Best way to do it? Take the motivation to fight from one party.

The Grounder Prisoners were worthless to them now that they had Skaikru bone marrow, so they could easily be traded. But do you honestly think they just went out and said “Hey Grounder queen whose people we’ve been bleeding dry for decades, here are your people, goodbye?” and Lexa just waived “Jus drein jus daun” and walked away? I don’t think so.

THEORY: They probably went out with guns held to the prisoners’ heads, making it clear that refusal of the offer would result in the death of every single one of them. How would that have sat with the Grounder warriors? It was clear from before (Arrival in TonDC / Quint) that the alliance wasn’t really popular with the Grounders, and if Lexa had sacrificed hundreds of them for the sake of 40 Skaikru prisoners? I very much doubt she would have survived that. Someone else (probably Nia / Ontari) would have seized power, and if the Grounders fighting at Mount Wheather wouldn’t have turned on Skaikru and slaughtered every single one of them along with the Mountain Men right away, the new leader certainly wouldn’t have been as open to an alliance as Lexa was. The death of the Grounder prisoners would likely have led to all-out war against Skaikru they wouldn’t have survived. Sure, the betrayal hurt, it led to another major emotional scarring for Clarke and Lexa never assumed the Mountain would fall and Skaikru would prosper, but as things are, the alternative would probably have been much worse.

The fact that it was never shown or explained from the Grounders’ POV could be seen as a sign the writers never cared about the Grounders as valid people.

SEASON THREE

First few episodes were good. Nia could have made an interesting antagonist. As badass as Lexa killing her was, she could have been more.

Pike ... don’t get me started on him. I get that he distrusts the Grounders after his experiences in Azgeda, but more than that, he invalidates the experiences the others have made that peace is possible (three months since Mount Wheather without an attack), is ignorant of the clan-based conflict-ridden nature of the coalition and simply considers all grounders the same and ignores the fact that an act can have different meanings in different cultures (comparing the Coalition Brand to branding cattle).

Pike was right there in the same room when Lexa ordered the Protection Squad to Arkadia. He could have brought up his issues with Kane and Kane would have brought it up with Lexa and then, arrangements to calm Pike’s fears could have been made (examples: more guards on Arkadia’s walls, ordering Grounder soldiers to lay down their weapons as soon as Arkadia comes into view, allowing Arkadia guards to shoot any Grounder who doesn’t). I wouldn’t be surprised if Pike planned his takeover from the second he saw Indra.

Kane also didn’t do good there. He and Abby were too confident that Kane would be the next chancellor, not considering the option that someone else could enter the election at the last minute.

If his “this land is ours now“ speech and the reaction to Monty pointing out there was a Grounder village right on the land Pike wanted to claim didn’t make you consider him a genocidal colonist ... watch them again.

Considering his part in defending Farm Station off screen during season 2, he could be called a fallen hero. During his on-screen time, he was an asshole.

You can explain Bellamy joining Pike with his grief over Gina (yay, plot device character!), but he still stayed loyal to him for an awfully long time. Gives me the impression that he simply latches on to the person with the most authority until they REALLY screw up. Bellamy is a good soldier, loyally following orders, but definitely not a leader.

I could (VERY grudgingly) accept the fact of Lexa’s death, but the timing was outright cruel and the manner was incredibly stupid. “Accidentally“ shooting her and then draw out her death scene painfully long with a nice shot of her still face and Clarke closing her eyes I mean what sadist wrote that?

Miller and Bryan do NOT even out Lexa’s death in terms of LGBT representation. Lexa was the most powerful person in the world, a badass warrior and her decisions were relevant to the plot for pretty much all her time on the show. Miller and Bryan are low-ranking soldiers with no authority of any kind and mostly just standing around next to someone.

“My spirit will find the next commander.“ in season two sounded like kind of a mythical thing. They still could have done that, with the AI making a mental evaluation who is most fit, but nope, just a bunch of kids killing each other. Make the Grounders more barbaric so people have less problems with them getting killed.

By the way, it’s very interesting that according to this post, Rhiannon Fish (Ontari) refused to wear Lexa’s cape when they originally wanted her to because she felt “it was like Lexa’s superhero cape”. Seems like the woman who played the bitch intent on killing Lexa and destroying her legacy (by murdering all the nightbloods Lexa raised) actually respects her more than the creators did.

The whole AI story was weird.

Letting Octavia and Pike hold the same room during the attack on the tower was pretty dumb. Let the girl fight alongside the guy who murdered her lover, what COULD go wrong there?

VERY satisfying to watch Octavia run Pike through in the end.

SEASON FOUR

Meh. Some interesting bits, but mostly ... meh.

Bellamy and his company blowing up the hydro generator to free the farm station survivors was a failure at third grade math.

People in Arkadia who will die in Praimfaya with the hydro generator: -400

People in Arkadia who will die in Praimfaia if we blow it up to free the slaves: +25

LET’S BLOW THAT SHIT UP!!!

Really, who in their right mind thinks that’s a good idea?

At least Bellamy admits he’s a dummy (”You have to use your head.” - “I’ve got you for that.”)

Ilian blowing up Arkadia seems a little bit like it was done to make that blunder irrelevant. Can’t have Bellamy (who broke the tie on the vote) be held accountable for a major screwup.

Also, what’s up with Kane (major advocate for the alliance up to then) telling Bellamy he just did what he thought he had to?

Loved the scene when Bellamy’s Rover got stuck in the mud and Bellamy was unable to save Peter and his father, mainly because of his “People die when YOU’RE in charge.“ line in season three. Sounded as if he would just save everyone. Well, you can’t.

Clarke is acting kinda welcoming of death the entire season. I mean, she didn’t put herself on the list (if it wasn’t for Bellamy), injected herself with experimental nightblood, tried to take the flame without knowing for sure if it will actually be compatible, volunteered to give up her suit for someone else although her nightblood is untested and actually accepted her death (“My fight is over”) before setting up the com system in the finale. I wouldn’t call her suicidal, but she doesn’t seem to mind the possibiltiy of dying if it saves others.

Can agree with Clarke, it’s admirable what Bellamy does for his sister. Family first.

Pointing guns at each other / almost killing each other is not romantic though. Neither is delivering someone to a ruler who’s likely to imprison or execute them.

Jasper killing himself after it was cut from season three because it was “too dark“ (BS) kinda seems like backpedaling.

Bellamy’s definitely gonna bang Raven or Echo (or both) during their time up in space though.

Season Five

What Clarke and Madi’s life was like on the ground during the last few years is the only interesting thing I can think of so far. How did they meet? How did they bond? How did they help each other through their emotional scarring (and I imagine Madi has a lot of that as well since she probably saw all of her friends and family die of radiation sickness).

Still thinking about how to watch that.

Possibilities I have come up with so far are:

a) Just read the episode summaries on wikipedia / The 100 wiki.

b) Get super-drunk every few episodes and binge them.

c) Watch the episodes one at a time and take a shot of 75% rum (strongest stuff I have in the house) whenever something stupid happens.

Not sure if option b or c will get me more drunk.

Feel free to add stuff / point out flaws. Just do so without getting personal.

#The 100 #Watch this get zero notes #Whatever #Just had to get it out of my head

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upwithadpeople · 8 years ago

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Look Up

Look Up

I recently had the honor and pleasure of being asked to give the commencement speech at my Alma Mater, Florida State University. It was a moment that I will always remember and wanted to summarize the content in order to be able to smile when I look back… or "Look Up,” as the case may be.

(6/6/17)

I am thrilled to be here with you, as I sat in those very seats not that many years ago. I won’t mention the exact year, but I’ll just say that outside of Tallahassee there was still trouble in the Middle East, Politicians still promised “no new taxes” and Bill Cosby was in the news for completely different reasons. Inside Tallahassee though, it was the “Neon Deion Sanders” era. #GoNoles! Let me see that tomahawk chop…

Okay, using the same chop: Who couldn’t wait for this day to come? Who needs to find a great job and make a bunch of money? Who wants to find love?Who wants to live a life that is fun and fantastic? Who has goals they want to crush?

I hear you. In fact, I was you. I had similar goals and similar dreams. Allow me to explain. For the past 25 years, I’ve made my career in advertising and marketing, helping people to build the largest retail ad agency in the world. I’ve had the chance to work with some of the most talented people, the most famous brands and have been a part of some of the commercials you can’t get out of your head even if you tried. The truth is, I’ve reached my goals and now I have returned to tell you the secret to helping you achieve all of your goals much faster. Interestingly, It’s been right in front of you for the past four years, but you’ve probably never realized it. I know I didn’t… until much later.

The clue was in the chop. That’s right…the FSU tomahawk chop. Let it guide you. Seriously, just follow your arm watch where it points you. Just Look Up. That’s it. Seriously, that’s the secret. Look up. This simple ritual we use to cheer our team also has a deeper meaning to guide our life. It’s the little secret for how you can make your next 25 years as amazing as you want. Our very own chop can be a lasting reminder for us all to look up.

Look up - Look up on life. Look up from your phone. Look up for love. Look up to yourself.

Look up on life.

I am an optimistic, half-full kind of person. I really don’t believe there will be a World War III. I don’t believe that gas prices will ever hit $20 and I don’t believe that the stock market will ever crash again to Depression levels. As you can tell, I must not be watching Fox News lately! Why must some people always be wrong for others to be right? Why must there be a red state and a blue state? Why is there so much bloodshed because of what someone has faith in? It doesn’t really make sense. It’s never made sense. I get that much of it is out of our hands, but why add to the craziness? Why not be a more positive force in the world when you can? The world needs to laugh more — a lot more. Like “pee in your pants” laugh more. Because when that happens – in those special moments – there are suddenly fumbles inside the red zone, Alabama loses once in a while, there are no wars, no hunger, no crazy politics and no hatred. Just the need to change underwear and I’m totally good with that.

Look up from your phone.

Don’t get me wrong – this is not a lecture against technology. I love technology. It makes life amazing in a million new ways every day. And, ask any one of my friends, I post more bulldog pictures on Facebook than most want, I Insta more #foodporn than you'd ever want to order and I am actually having this speech live tweeted as we speak (or check out #LookupFSU2017 on Instagram). I know you get it. I even know you’ve heard it all before, but still what changes? Our society has become focused on connectivity, but blind to real connections.

It is about how you want to live your life. For me, I wanted to live a life where, in the end, I am not just missed, but people actually felt I was missing. Think about it. There is a difference. It isn’t about making people sad. It is about working hard to know that I constantly offered something – with every relationship, in every job, in any room, in any conversation – to make a point, a mark… and maybe even a dent in things that needed change. It all starts by looking up.

You see, when you look up, something special happens. It doesn’t just lift your head. It lifts your eyes, it lifts your body, your spirit and your outlook. It lets you live life in person to connect with people that will be your base, your glue, your #squad. Look up to hear what they really have to say. Look up to see what is really in their eyes. And think of it this way, your phone isn’t going away. It probably needs charging anyway.

Look up for love.

Who you pick to surround you in your life will always be the most important decision you make. I was so lucky to meet my soulmate when I was your age and we’ve been married for almost 27 years. We have three amazing daughters who are our oxygen. In a world of “what” I do, they are the “why” I do it. Fairytales teach us the importance of love, but I actually think it is easy to love. Of course I love them, but I also like them. I can’t wait to be with them. They are my favorite people in the world. I play for their laugh. I work for their applause. To actually like the people you love… that is magic – human, mortal magic.

Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz had to go far from home to realize that there is no place like home. It takes nearly two hours and a chase scene for Disney characters to realize the power was inside them the whole time. Come on, we’ve all read the stories about people that used darkness to see the light, a loss to see gain, death to appreciate life, a broken heart to be heartfelt and losing it all to know that they once had it all… what a pile of crap… a pile of unfortunate crap. Those are not happy stories to me, they are the sad ones. They all waited too long. They made it harder than it had to be. Why? Many people are in an endless quest for what might be more perfect rather than looking up to the love they have and making it the most perfect thing in the world. Look up to the love around you and never take it for granted.

Look up to yourself.

If you can’t imagine your own possibilities, nobody else will either. Lean forward and never stop seeing yourself successful. I think too much is made of the phrases “find your passion” and “seek fulfillment” because most people live their entire lives doubting if they’ve achieved them. Don’t get me wrong, I want you to feel passionate and fulfilled, but those things can be byproducts of finding out what you are really good at… what you can be “best at” in fact. That is the path to greatest value and success.

When it came to success, I always wanted enough money to have, but still want. There are times I made a little and times I made much more, but the amount is not the part that matters. Sure we all need money to make our lives easier, to balance how hard we work, to have something to show for it all. I am no different, but for me the real balance was never wanting to lose sight of the struggle of it all. The being hungry part. The need to plan, save, stretch and scrap together parts that reminds us of the true value of the things we want.

Think less and do more. Don’t ever allow yourself to be paralyzed by the fear of being wrong. Don’t worry about making bad decisions – we have all made bad decisions – just be brave enough to make new decisions that get you closer to your destination. Believe you can. Believe you deserve it. When you look up in the mirror, make sure you like what you see.

Looking up worked for me – for every goal and dream. I have followed that chop in every way I just mentioned. But, I believe it can work for you too. Just two words - Look up. If you embrace them, it will help you find what you seek, whatever that is. That job you need, the money you want, the love you crave, the joy you deserve and, all of us together, will continue the legacy of pride from graduating from this great institution of Florida State University.

So… Congratulations. Go Noles!

Follow that chop and #LookUp.

#LookUp #FSU2017 #GoNoles #LookUpFSU2017

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naomi-l-tiessen-blog · 8 years ago

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Tips on Planning out your Novel

Hellllloooooooo everybody ~

Happy Thursday Blogday!

If you’re in the same boat as me, the writing world is completely foreign territory. Every single day you are presented with a brand-new challenge, and like a puzzle, you need to figure out how to solve it. But you’ve made this far, and there is no fucking way you are backing down, right? You’re involved now, committed. You’ve joined the writing cult, and are in much too deep to back out now.

But here’s the thing: you don’t know the first thing about being a writer…or writing a story.

Hooray, me neither!

Don’t worry, from one newbie to another, I’ve got you covered. Don’t be afraid…the writing cult can smell fear….

So, you want to write a novel, but don’t know where to begin? I’ve got your back! In today’s blog, I’ll cover 5 essential points on planning your novel up to the writing phase.

So, without further ado, here are 5 tips on planning your novel and getting you started on the path to success:

1) The Brainstorming. This is generally the most exciting part of the writing experience itself, where the birth of magnificent ideas take place. They can come to you in dreams, while reading or watching TV, or randomly when you are, say, taking a bath and day dreaming about mermaids (may or may not be speaking from experience). This is, needless to say, the most vital part of the novel-writing process. Because, let’s face it, without an idea, there’d be no story, right? So, say you come up with an idea that you know, deep in your bones and heart of hearts, needs to be written by you and you alone. So, now what? Well, things to consider: 1) does the idea have substance? Can it carry the weight of an entire story, or would it be stretched thin from beginning to end with the threat of developing holes and breaking? And 2) are you going to be just as passionate about this idea in 2 months’ time? 6 months’ time? A year? Now I know that’s sort of a trick question, and unless you are a psychic, you aren’t really going to know the answer to that question. But sometimes it’s good to write down an idea, and then put it away, out of sight, out of mind. Allow the initial excitement to die down a bit, the glamour, the glare from your rose-tinted glasses. If, after a week or two, this idea is still as captivating as the day you thought it up, then you might have a story on your hands!

Once you are able to answer these questions, the fun begins! Keep a notebook handy, and start jotting down your thought dumps. Scenes that keep playing in your head nonstop, lines of dialogue, characters and their aesthetics. Create a name bank, pay attention to street names for inspiration (that’s how I got my MC’s last name), and unless your story takes place on Earth, maybe start daydreaming up things you might want to include in your new world (ie: language, terrain, wildlife, inhabitants, main food staples, etc). Write down things you’d like to have happen in your story. It could be anything…a coffee date, playing Marco Polo quietly at a bookstore, singing horribly at karaoke (ah, just learnt that I can’t, in fact, spell karaoke without spell check saving my ass), or a romantic picnic that ends in disaster when a rogue rain cloud unleashes its inner Poseidon and drenches everything. Some of these ideas you might be able to incorporate, some of them you might not, but it’s always safe to keep of list of ideas handy to give texture to your story. By the end of this, you should have a pretty good idea of the gist of your story. Having said that, never STOP brainstorming; it’s ok to come up with ideas for the beginning of your story, even as you write the end. I mean, it’s a bit difficult, and you might need to revise the shit out of your manuscript, but hey, that’s what drafts (and drafts, and drafts) are for!

2) The Researching. Maybe not as fun as the brainstorming part, but important. At this stage, you are diving deeper than just ideas. What sort of story are you telling? What genre is it going to fall under? If you don’t know much about that genre, learn about it. Read and watch movies that fall under the same category, and take notes (if anyone judges you for watching hours upon hours of Doctor Who, just declare it in the name of science. And if that fails, just tell them Scarlette made you). If your novel isn’t taking place on Earth, hit up tutorials on world building and stage setting. Dive into workshops about dialogue, chapter structures, and making believable characters. You know the bare bones of your story at this point. With that in mind, can you describe it in a single sentence? Can you explain it, start to finish, on a single page? These exercises help train your mind into getting the meat and potatoes of your story, the nitty-gritty. What is so important, so prioritizing, that you simply HAVE to mention it vs. what is, meh, maybe not that heavy duty, and can sit on the sidelines. It’ll help produce plot points, subplots, potential climaxes, and maybe even the mythical theme (le gasp!). Doing these sorts of exercises well help give your story shape, and point you in a solid direction.

3) The Creating. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve been creating this entire time. But this is sort of a different level of creating. In this part of the planning, you should no longer be picking ideas out of thin air. Your ideas should be taking structure…you should have a general idea of what your characters look like, what your world looks like, and the direction your plot is going. This “creating” process is dedicated to further solidifying those features. Your characters should have names, a vivid description, and profile pages full of their likes and dislikes, fashion sense (or lack thereof), fears, goals, where they start in the story vs. where they end up, etc. This is where the internet is your friend. Find pictures that best resemble your characters, and keep them around for inspiration. But try not to be creepy about it. Trust me, a lot of weird shit comes up when you type in things like, “7-year-old girl with blond hair and green eyes,” blah blah blah. Don’t want the cops paying you a visit!

You should be creating character profiles for your main characters (protagonists and antagonists), and at LEAST half-assed ones for your side characters. Side-note: create a cheat sheet for your character descriptions and names close by just in case. You don’t want Sir Maxwell McFeelya’s hair color to change from shoulder length, greasy dirty blond, to a crew cut with a totally-there bald spot in the middle of his more-pepper-than-salt hair. Talk about awkward. Or if your Sue-Ellen McAlister in chapter 2 suddenly becomes Virginia Davies in chapter 10. Oops. Once again, may or may not be speaking from experience here. During this stage, your new world should be really taking shape. Once again, don’t be afraid to use pictures as references and inspiration. You should know the main ins and outs of your world, such as language, professions, climate, terrain, food staples, religion, etc. There are some great templates explaining things you need to consider when creating a world from scratch...seriously, a ton. At this time, you should also be thickening up your plot, figuring out the main points, subplots, and climaxes. If you know the beginning, middle, and end, but don’t know how to piece them together, that’s ok. That’s what the next step is for.

4) The Outlining. This is on the list?? Shocker. Ok, before you pantsers get all up in my face about this, I stand firm in my belief that this stage is freaking CRUCIAL to the planning and writing process. To begin writing without an outline, you are more than likely going to end up with plot holes, inconsistencies, and a hell of a lot of frustration. Granted, there are a lot of people that don’t outline, and that works just fine for them. I am not one of those people, and therefore outlining is on my list. Plus, I kind of sort of love outlining. This is the point of the process where we have all (or at least most) our ducks, and now we are going to get them in a row. It’s time to organize your story, getting it in order. THIS is where you need to figure out how to glue the beginning, middle, and end together.

Think of outlining as a puzzle: you have all the pieces, and now you need to figure out where they all go. Don’t force the pieces into spots where they don’t belong, because you will end up with bent edges and something that is bumpy and doesn’t flow well. If a certain piece doesn’t fit anywhere, it might be for a different puzzle; take it out, and keep working. If you can’t find all the pieces, that’s ok too, just keep working, and when you’ve used up all your pieces, go back and focus on the holes. Maybe the piece is under the couch with the rest of your cat’s toy hoard. Or, much more likely, the piece hasn’t been discovered yet, because you haven’t thought it up. That’s totally fine. It’s also fine to push forward despite having holes in your outline (as long as they are nothing too major, of course). Often, I find that while I’m writing, solutions to those holes come to me at random. It’s sort of like your fur baby suddenly wanting cuddles the fucking second you stop pleading for their attention. Keep in mind that this part of the planning will take some time. Seriously, it can take weeks, and that is a-ok; it’s not a race. Just make sure that you don’t lose your passion during this time, because if you lose it now, then your story might be hooped. And on that happy note, we move on!

5) The Writing. Ah, yes, the stage where we actually do the thing. No more dancing around the subject, no more planning, no more outlining (yet, anyways). At last, you are ready, young Padawan. So, the first most important thing here to keep in mind is to write first, edit later. Seriously, that’s it. Don’t stress yourself silly about how shitty it sounds (newsflash, it probably does sound shitty), because if you let this fear consume you, your story will never leave your brain. Just get it all out of your noggin. Convert brain vomit into word vomit. Some people like to edit after every couple chapters, and if that works for you, then go for it. But don’t be picky, because if you get really down and dirty with the editing now when you don’t have the entire image in front of you, you might remove or change things that 1) don’t need it, or 2) are actually super freaking important. And while some don’t agree with me (HOW DARE YOU…just kidding *not really*), I highly recommend trying to write in chronological order to save yourself the misery of discovering holes and time inconsistencies and having to re-write a shit ton. Not fun.

And there you have it! Easy peasy right? Well, easy in theory, anyways. Lord knows that this is actually a shit ton of work. But with these tips in your tool kit, you are now one (or 5) steps closer to destroying the pipe dream of being an author, and actually becoming one! Hooray you!

With that said, I post new blogs every Thursday, and if there is anything you’d like me to discuss, feel free to message me on here, or tweet me @ScarletteStone

Until next time,

Happy Writing!

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