#this would take place before this rewrite’s version of Dragon Games

[direwolfrules]

You see, now I’m hyper-fixated on G1 Monster High and Ever After High, mostly Ever After High, so now I want to start a rewrite AU thing of my own and use the disappearance of Hexiciah Steam’s team as a catalyst for the crossover. Like, the Evil Queen returning is Act 2 or 3 of the crossover, secret final boss type thing. Act 1 focuses on the missing steampunk dilf. I’d also reorder or cut somethings entirely from both series.

Like, the Catacombs under Monster High are a eldritch nightmare realm constructed by an ancient monster race known as the Builders. They’re near impossible to map out due to their impossible size, full of impossible illusions and tech, just random weirdness. Well, what if the impossible stuff that monster kind doesn’t understand or can’t make sense out of is the result of magic not native to monster kind? What if the Builders used some Ever After and Wonderland magic in their creations in addition to monster magic and tech? What if it spanned several realms?

And like, we’d get the ghouls investigating because Ghoulia finally made progress on her research into what happened to Professor Steam and discovered that the last report of this mad scientist was he was going to go down into the Catacombs with his team to finally prove his Builders theory correct. Cleo is extra interested and invested because the name of one of the listed team members? Her long missing mom. Also Lagoona actually comes along on an adventure for once.

On the Ever After side let’s let Darling be the one to be doing research on magical locations for a school project and figure out where the lost entrance to the Labyrinth is. Idk, some of the girls go with. Definitely Blondie for her Mirrorcast, which means Dexter’s going too because camera man. Cedar goes because of all the fantastic art that’s said to be within the Labyrinth and also “I cannot tell a lie, so if we do find the Labyrinth my word will be proof that this isn’t us pulling a hoax-us-pocus”. Apple and Raven cause we need them, they’re the main characters (and Apple and Darling need to develop together so the Dragon Games payoff is like, a payoff). I also need Briar to come because I love her and this is my self-indulgent rewrite AU thing. Also I can totally picture her telling Lagoona that Gil’s family ain’t shit, love is love, make out with that boy in front of their house while flipping them the bird. Ramona and Cerise because I want a “Werewolf? No, wolfwere” interaction and also for this whole thing to end with Ramona getting Clawdeen’s number. Enemies to lovers arc, annoying little sisters in full force, all that.

I also would want Cupid to come because I just want them all to look at her like “Cupid, you have some explaining to do”.

Idk, I could have it that later when the Evil Queen escapes via something in the Catacombs/Labyrinth it’s revealed that she manipulated things by causing the exact right people to find the exact right documentation at the exact right time. Casting spells from her mirror prison like the villainous queen she literally is.

[sheikfangirl]

your puppet zelda headcanons are definitely making me reconsider her as a concept!! i agree she felt very underdeveloped but has a lot of potential. from a gameplay perspective, if you had your way in integrating/rewriting puppet zelda into totk's narrative, how would you do it? i feel like you'd make her infinitely more developed lol

Hey @pitchblackespresso Thank you for your patience! I know, your question has been in my inbox for a couple of days now but I thought it was so interesting I really wanted to take the time to think about my answer before replying. Obviously, I would've looooove if the dev team added more depth to Puppet Zelda, I mean, she's a walking horror movie trope just waiting to ooze angst and hurt!! hdkjlsgjsjniosdgv!!!!! I happen to be a game dev in real life and I play games with a game dev point of view... I always put myself in the team's shoes and I have empathy for them. Making a game is hard work and what they achieved with TotK is insane. Obviously Puppet Zelda wasn't their priority and I can't wait to learn more from the Masterwork book... I would never ever pretend I would've done a better job than them!! Buuuuuuuut! We are here to brainstorm and have "what if" fun! Here are a couple of confused ideas that will, hopefully make sense :) Find a way to boost the "confused Link" narrative. Puppet Zelda was so obviously NOT the real Zelda, I wish the writers had played with our skepticism a bit and made us doubt and consider that she might just be the real Zelda. I want to be manipulated by Puppet Zelda dammit!!! (and be stepped on, but that's another story)!

Trigger Puppet Zelda encounters!! Going to a specific place on a Blood Moon and trigger a Puppet Zelda encounter !

Picture this: Blood moon ambiance, 100 times worse! She could've made Gloom Shrines appear, full of hellish puzzles or just straight up old school dungeons? But...scary dungeons!  Who here is OoT Shadow Temple PTSD? I sure am! Picture The Shadow Temple, but black, red and on Steroids....the kind of weird shit straight out of the original Hellraiser or a PG-13 version of Berserk's Eclipse. Evil Quests? Something that would've been super dark but sadly impossible without the integration of some kind of morality system like games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect (Games I'm also obsessed with by the way) : Having Puppet Zelda give Link Dark quest objectives that would have made us question her sanity and intentions and have consequences on Link.  A Good old fashion Battle We should have had the opportunity to FIGHT HER!!! That would've been HEARTBREAKING!!!!  Bonus: This one is not about Puppet Zelda, but about Link. It seems like a detail but..I wish his model changed as we progressed throughout the story. The closer you get to the end, the more dirty and tired Link would have looked, like Wander in the influencal masterpiece game "Shadow of the Colossus." I hope you are not disappointed by these couple of proposals :) Welcome to the cult! Glory to Puppet Zelda ✋ Cheers!!!

[ganondoodle]

I'm curious, in your totk rewrite, would the final fight with Ganondorf be the same, or would you do something entirely different?

somewhat, this is a bit of a different take on ganondorf though, it makes more sense in context of his changed ... or added rather, backstory;

you fight him once before, not a phantom like in canon but him physically, were hes still trying to cope with the horros he had lived through being half awake for such a long time so he isnt much for talking, at the end of it he has like a breakdown that essentially causes cataclysm 2.0 (that might even open up new caves that were previously just cracks in walls too) and which spawns the miasma/memory trees that contain his memories, all of which you need to collect to unlock the ending-

structurally the final fight is similar:

theres a horde of enemies you fight all together and the sages get taken away once you reach ganondorf; when you find him hes all calm and collected but does not allow zelda to talk to him despite her understanding how it had come to all of this and her wishing for a different solution; the fight begins but over time as he loses HP he start to act differently, less calculating and like he is in control and more and more aggresively, and more jumpy like he is afraid of something

phase two he gets too cornered and activates his enigma stone + the sages rejoin you, he is visibly just trying to put an end to you using everything he has to offer, phase two of phase two, he loses it and changes into a beast form (a miasma version of the best forms we know basically, i made a sketch of it once but it was only a rly early concept; i need to put more boar features on that

(unsure whether i want this to be his engima stone active version or the actual beast one) after he changes into beast form he charges at link and zelda and essentially burrows through the earth with them, breaking through the surface in the hyrule plains where the dark beast ganon fight happened in botw, here you fight him in the open, any weathher and time of day can happen here so its a much more diverese vibe each time; he is very fast in this form, if you are familiar with bloodborne im thinking of something akin to the first phase of ludwigs fight but a little more coordinated

this fight ends with zelda telling you to shoot at her so she uses her shielding powers (sth she can also do in the game itself) to reflect your arrow in a certain angle (reference to how ww zelda shoots an arrow you need to deflect in order to defeat gan but in reverse), it hits the ornament keeping the enigma stone in place from the side and it flings off

the battle seemingly ends with beast ganon falling to the ground, zelda tries to run and take it away but gan is still awake and sees in her how sonia sealed him way back, so in a last ditch effort to avoid the fate he had just escaped (despite zelda not wanting to do any of that) lunges for the stone and swallows it

he transforms into a dragon snatching up the both of you and flying high into the sky, zelda can wriggle free but falls and while she could land safely with her paraglider gan is flying off with link so she makes a last moment decision to take in her enigma stone as well, she transforms, rams into gan to free link and a somwhat similar fight as in canon happens, though i would like zelda to be more openly agressive towards dragon-gan

sicne in this version gan doesnt have his stone on the forehead somehow but inside like you would expect you need to fly into his mouth to end the fight, assuming you have found the lab that held the moonbloom (perhaps kogas so tie him nicely into it all) needed for the reverse dragon medicine (bc i wanted to involve links passion for cooking somewhat i thought it would be cool if he takes the chrage on that to make that special dish), you now use it, causing gan to spit out his stone and reversing (still unsure whether he survives this or not, but i thought of the scene from spirited away when chihiro gives haku the lil herb thingy to make him spit out whats killing him when i was coming up with this) zelda catches you again and you use the second charge on her to reverse her as well, boom you got your epic falling scene, the sages also now have made their way up through the tunnel, perhaps they catch gan too

this is a super rough current concept for it, it might all change still so dont take this as the final version, still working on it all after all

[theguildawards]

Hey everyone!

The Nomination Period is now closed! Below the cut you will find a complete list of all the nominations received for The Guild Awards this term! The mobile-friendly version can be found in a Google Doc here!

If you do not see your nomination, or you find issues with the links, please reach out to us as soon as possible!

We are going to give you 2 weeks time to enjoy all of the pieces nominated for this term! We strongly encourage that when you view a work of art or read a fanfiction, please reblog or leave a review to let the creators know how much their work and talent is appreciated!

The voting period will begin April 15th and end April 29th midnight PST!

In order to be able to vote, you will need to login. We will be posting the link to the voting form on the first day of the voting session.

Got a question? Check out our FAQ or send us an ask!

Message one of the mods directly: @sassybratt9791 @phoenix-before-the-flame @kiliinstinct​ @ratretro  @phoneboxfairy

Thank you to everyone who nominated for making this term absolutely wonderful and happy voting!

[please reblog to help spread the love of these amazing creators!]

First Term 2023 Nominations

FANFICTION

Best Action/Adventure

“yuánfèn” by tiddiejoon (AO3) “The Curse of the Dragon Slayer” by FiveCentsFanFics (AO3) “Day of Parting” by Heartofroses112 (AO3)

Best AU/AR

“Satan Soul” by ButterflyDragon (AO3) “The Girl in Blue” by smilingskyy (AO3) “Deadly Decisions” by Auburry (AO3) “Keep Me Safe” by Rosicamarica (AO3)

Best Canon

“Schtum” by RougeCrimson (AO3) “Former Arrangements” by @genavere

Best Angst

“A Debt Paid for a Date Made” by @nalu-gifs / AubieSquire (AO3) “Losing What You Never Had” by @pencilofawesomeness “if you asked me i would lose it all” by ObsessiveExplosion (AO3) “The Ghost lingering in your eyes (they haunt me everyday)” by MarcoThePigeon (AO3) “Let’s Play the Quiet Game - Recovery” by Rook2020 (AO3) “Stained Blades” by @xhusu / Husu (AO3)

Best Dark

“Dead Stars” by @genavere “The Last of Us” by @classysassy9791 “The Nobodies” by RedDoorBlack (FFN)

Best Drama

“Monster” by MsKtK (AO3) “Bring Back What Once Was Mine” by Winged_Capybara (AO3) “Amber Sin” by Winterlogy (AO3)

Best Humor/Parody

“Family Dinner” by butterflyzilla (AO3) “A Weapon of Mass Love” by Eveegirly (AO3) “I’m Married” by Auburry (AO3) “The Jam Problem” by @acacia-may

Best Oneshot

“God, she loves him” by @bumblebeehug “Winter” by @bumblebeehug “Part of the Family” by Leo_Wolf (AO3) “Silly and intimate moments” by @jemmahazelnut “Headspace” by Amajjzy (AO3) “Prove It” by Grace Buckley (FFN)

Best Character Portrayal

“properly” (Gray Fullbuster) by Kikapea (AO3) “Monster” (Gajeel Redfox) by MsKtK (AO3) “Fairy Tail Twin Dragons” (Natsu Dragneel) by LokaMuse (AO3)

Best Romance

“Pizza Date” by @zal-eska “don’t touch what’s not yours” by @tokkias “taking the hint” by @tokkias “Beautiful” by TheLorax (AO3) “Letters from a Future Lover” by ReeseBee (AO3)

Best LGBTQ+ Romance

“no place i’d rather be” by @gray–dragneel / lastoneleft (AO3) “There is Love” by @sandwitchstories

Best Serial

“Let’s Play the Quiet Game” by Rook2020 (AO3) “The Beast of Fairy Tail” by @xfangheartx “Bull in a Crystal Shop” by buniibebe (FFN) “Tra'viin Tome'mir” by GemmaRose (AO3)

Best Ficlet

“ugly” by iiwaiizumii (AO3) “The Short-Lived Adventure of Fairy Man, Fairy Woman, and Fairy Boy” by Purplefern (AO3) “Just Try To Get Rid of Me” by tiny_writes_stuff (AO3)

Best Antagonist Portrayal

“Fairy Tales Grimm” (Jose Porla) by DarkUnderworld (AO3) “Rewrite” (Zeref Dragneel) by @thehylianidiot

Best Completed

“Sleeping Beauty” by moeruhoshi (AO3) “Fairy Tales Grimm” by DarkUnderworld (AO3) “Yer a Wizard, Gajeel” by LinaBean15 (FFN)

FANART

Best Action/Adventure

“Erza Scarlet” by @thearcanearts “Archer Rogue” by @celestialrayna

Best AU/AR

“Happy New Year” by @karmelyon “Happy Early Valentine’s Day” by @hollie-arts “She’s not pleased - Fighter AU 5/?” by @moxiepoxart “Band AU things and the what not” by @heartonxions “How Chapter 125 Should’ve Ended” by @lei-z-fan

Best Canon

“Fairy Tail” by @pencilequipped “Summertime Fun Series” by @pinchepeachyxo “Let’s Dance, Lucy!” by @tsushi-talks “job hunting woes” by @kaicean

Best Angst

“Untitled” by @juv-ans “Untitled” by @4stralfairy

Best Dark

“RAGE” by @crowind1 “It’s Freed Day” by @moxiepoxart “It’s Been a Long Time Since I’ve Been Me” by @phoenix-before-the-flame

Best Humor/Parody

“Wanna Make Out Now?” by @selfawarecobalt “The three genders are literally princess, slut, loser” by @annluvazzel “Wendy & Lucy” by TheGoldenSmurf (TW) “stupid blurbs” by @friedmeatbuns

Best Kiss

“Happy Natsu Day” by @frogrockband “Can They Hurry Up and Kiss?” by @nalunalu “LAXUS X MYSTOGAN“ by @bluessom1 “I’ll take some sneak shots of the little lovers in me” by skytooo726 (TW) “Kiss Part 2” by 1C_Cherry (TW) “kiss(es)” by @junryou

Best Romance

”The Last Dance“ by @u1tear ”Untitled“ by @dravendraws ”Nalu“ by @gymjunkie412 “Fiction” by @jmoart214 “taking the hint” by @kaicean​ “Gruvia Week 2021″ by @goodnightlover

Best LGBTQ+ Romance

”Dirty Dancing AU“ by @bluessom1 ”Forget Nalu vs Nali They’re Obviously Girlfriends“ by @sporkteeth ”Like I always am, and I’ll always be“ by @oryu404 ”October Commission #9“ by @annluvazzel “Protective gfs” by @ace-of-fairytail

Best Character

”Cana Alberona“ by @kat-ran ”Flex“ by @jmoart214 ”The melody of my heart“ by @jerzaworms “Juvia” by @jesmeraki

Best Duo/Pairing

”Graylu“ by @b00nyb00bles ”Untitled“ by @4stralfairy ”Family Guides One Another“ by @jerzaworms ”Untitled“ by @hollie-arts

Best Group Depiction

”Fairy Tail’s Strongest“ by @rosavatar ”The Drunk, the Flirt, and the Nudist“ by @lleecoji ”The future is uncertain, but that can be a good thing“ by @silken-sails ”This brotp“ by @acnologias-ass ”Team Thunderstorm Naptime“ by @pencilofawesomeness “Bio-child Happy revisit!” by @imnothereokuwu

Best Manga Coloring

”Eileen Belserion“ by @nohemyjackson ”You must get your fill of that fleeting freedom of yours“ by @watcher-ofthe-sky “Untitled” by @wesluvr “Bread” by @fairy-edits

Best Redraw

”Lucy and Aquarius“ by @acnologiaheart “Lucy and Juvia” by @windmaedchen-fairytail ”Juvia“ by @watcher-ofthe-sky “Battle of Dragon Slayers” by @celestialrayna “lil gajevy redraw” by @zai-doodles

Best Overall

”Flame’s Desire, amiright?“ by @phoenix-before-the-flame “Untitled” by @a-lyosha ”Acnologia“ by @crowind1 ”Erza Scarlet“ by @pencilequipped

[littleladymab]

20 Questions Writer Meme!

thank u @galauvant for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 114! oh my god i've been here for 11 years.....

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 810,476

3. What fandoms do you write for? At the moment primarily Star Wars tho i am hoping to retire soon; my top fandom is Friends at the Table

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? It is primarily Magnus Archives JGM no spooky archives au (literally all four fics are on here), the girlies go wild for that

Stumbling and Spinning

you came at the right time

Because you feel like home

In Death's Dream Kingdom (this one is Lockwood & Co!)

if i'm honest, it felt like love

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Sometimes! It's a mixed bag if I'll respond to a "love this" comment, and sometimes I'll just actually forget to reply to really nice comments someone gives me because I don't want to respond on my phone and I just forget when I get to a computer.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? uuuhhhhh gosh I don't know. Maybe "Five Steps to Take to Ensure Your Soulmate Becomes a Ghost" (Rusty Quill Gaming)? Or "Theseus' Ship" (Dragon Age Origins/II)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? OH GOSH I DON'T KNOW!!!! This is a harder question to answer because I write a lot of cute and happy fics but what makes it a happy ending is any of the suffering along the way!! So probably "It's Only Forever" (Magnus Archives)

8. Do you get hate on fics? Nope! that would involve people reading it ayyyyy

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? i published one smutty fic and every time someone interacts with it i get embarrassed so no, I do not, my ace ass can't handle it

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I used to write crossovers! I realize how that they were all Johannes Cabal. The craziest was perhaps "Episode #*&%^: The Necromancer" in which August and I write a gender bent welcome to night vale episode in which Johannes Cabal winds up in Night Vale. They even did a recorded version of it!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I don't think so

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! Several!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship? I'm going to have to go with Signet/Echo from friends at the table because: I invented it.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? That's probably going to be "-0-" which is a Persona 4 999 AU. I've been thinking for ages how i'd either finish it or rewrite it, but to no avail. I think I worked myself into a wall and can't find my way back out (there is a joke in there about 999 and locked room games, but me not thinking of a good one is just evidence enough)

16. What are your writing strengths? I personally think I have great characterization and mood/atmosphere!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Excessive use of commas I am awful with visual descriptions of things. You want to know what a place/character looks like? too bad <3

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? If it is that trope of a bilingual person switching to another language because "teehee i forgot" or whatever that is don't do it ESPECIALLY if you yourself don't speak that language! I'm having war flashbacks to my time in the Voltron fandom. People still do it to the hispanic coded characters in Star Wars. Don't do it. If you the writer know how to speak/write this language and it is used because this is legit how a person speaks at home, sure. But you also have to consider: why are you writing this in another language, do you need to, is this out of place or in character? Most importantly: are you white? if you're white, just be safe and don't do it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Back in my ff.net days, Digimon Adventure!

20. Favorite fic you've written? Um it is my three massive AU fics because I put a lot of time and love into them even if they themselves don't get a love and attention.

I do also plan on book binding the series for 'far from the world' and 'tiny cracks of light' :')

far from the world that i made: Star Wars Rebels S5 AU (86,474 words)

When the war against the Empire is over, Sabine and Ahsoka begin their journey to locate Ezra. They don’t have much of a destination in mind, but Ahsoka knows the Force will guide them where they need to go. At the same time, in the Chiss Ascendancy, Eli receives an important message from one of the Navigators: Thrawn will return, and Eli should be there to meet him. Their paths collide in the Unknown regions, where they are forced to work together to plot a course based on a hunch and a hope. Sabine has to set aside her reservations about working with a former Imperial and aide to Thrawn, while Eli has to come to terms with the fact that he’s trying very hard to save someone who ruined their lives.

My Place to Land: Friends at the Table Twilight Mirage SignetEcho Bodyguard AU (85,495 words)

While on a job for Advent, Echo is arrested by the Beloved Dust and turned over to Excerpt Signet for trial. She offers them a choice: To serve as her bodyguard, or to serve a term in the Thyrsian guard. They thought being a bodyguard for the last remaining Excerpt would be easy. Instead, they find themself wrapped up the politics of a swiftly crumbling society, and have to decide between Advent's vision of the future, or a system that has never cared for them, and the woman who wants to change it all.

tiny cracks of light: Magnus Archives sashavist fantasy AU (37,591 words)

Sasha remains rooted to the floor, steadying herself as the thing inside of her rages. 'There is nothing for you back there,' it says. "I know." She places a hand to her heart and closes her eyes. "I am not looking for anything for myself. Just a man who is missing." She pauses, then her fingers curl around the fabric of her dress. Quietly, hesitantly, she adds, "A friend who needs my help," and hopes that it is true. (When Jon goes missing when attempting a ritual of the Beholding, Sasha is asked to return to the Archives to help find and save him.)

Not tagging anyone but please feel free to do it too!!

[rivalsforlife]

Do you have anything you wished was different from Ace Attorney canon?

Hello I'm finally slowly starting to get around to answering some of these! Sorry for the wait.

Uh this ask got super long so a basic summary of it: narumitsu being canon in a well-written way would be nice even though I don't think it would ever happen, I stand by not bringing back Phoenix as a main protagonist in DD, and I'd also want to rewrite all of SOJ so that Apollo goes to Khura'in in place of Phoenix, to have more interesting character stuff going on.

So the longer answer is this:

Aside from some of the actually problematic stuff that I don't feel qualified to talk about, story-wise, I answered a sort of similar question about a year ago here. I have changed my opinions a little bit since then, particularly with regards to the canonicity of narumitsu... because while I do love narumitsu I feel like I don't trust Ace Attorney to actually do it properly. After all if this past November has taught us anything "making a ship canon" could actually be quite undesirable and I have no desire to see Phoenix and/or Edgeworth sent to superhell. (I literally know nothing else about supernatural sorry about that.)

If capcom were somehow able to make narumitsu canon but in an unobtrusive way and as a natural progression of the storyline, like oh hey, the court record profile for Miles Edgeworth's Obligatory Last-Case Appearance has Phoenix mention they're dating, and maybe there's a few lines suggesting they live with each other, but it's not like... taking the entire story to force them together and otherwise does not change the way they interact with each other and butcher one or both of their characterizations in the process? I'd definitely be happy about that. Not gonna lie even if they made narumitsu canon in the most terrible way possible I'd have a "holy shit I can't believe they did that it's the best day of my life" kind of moment before I could think about it critically. But I honestly see no chance of them ever actually making narumitsu canon, so that's quite unrealistic to hope for anyways.

Aside from that in that other ask I talked about basically the premise of an Apollo trilogy and not bringing back Phoenix as the main protagonist in DD, and I still stand by that, buuut in my other ask I did touch on making SOJ a different game where Apollo goes to Khura'in instead of Phoenix - and you know what I'm going to take some time to actually talk about my dream version of SOJ because there were a lot of little things about the one we got that I didn't like. And it's going to be very long. So it's under a cut.

SO yeah I talked about it a bit in the other ask. I think that Phoenix going to Khura'in is a rather weak idea both externally and in-universe. In one of the interviews, too lazy to find which one, Phoenix basically goes to Khura'in because the writers couldn't figure out how to challenge him anymore. ... And then they don't actually challenge him at all. Because oh well now we're going to this new country where they KILL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS WHO LOSE and then it's supposed to be *shocking* that Phoenix would risk his life for a kid or his best friend. you know the guy who ran across a burning bridge to save his best friend. you know the guy who got punched in the face, nearly killed by the mafia, and tazed trying to save his clients. This doesn't tell me anything new about Phoenix's character. His whole travel in Khura'in doesn't tell me anything new about Phoenix's character. Basically the only reason he's there is to see Maya - Maya who theoretically would be returning home in about two weeks. Maya who was still in her training for two more weeks when Phoenix visited so he wouldn't be able to see her anyways. ... And in the meantime Trucy had the biggest show of her life that was going to be on TV and Phoenix wasn't there for it. And of course Phoenix didn't return home after Trucy was accused of murder (yes he couldn't be there for the trial, but he definitely could have for the emotional support afterwards) and instead just sits for two weeks in Khura'in doing literally nothing after Ahlbi's trial.

(And yes I know about the anime prologue that has Phoenix think Maya's in danger... but that's not strictly canon since it's never mentioned in game, isn't technically a part of the game, and even still, why wouldn't he go home after knowing that Maya's safe and that Trucy had been ACCUSED OF MURDER. Honestly that's what makes me angriest about this whole thing is that it makes Phoenix out to be a terrible dad. We really don't need any more takes like that, especially not from canon.)

And what about Apollo, you may ask? Well, given case 5 of SOJ, Apollo actually has a personal link to Khura'in and ends up staying there afterwards... after being there for like a day or two. I should note here that it has been a while since I went through SOJ in its entirety so I am fuzzy on many of the details. But both through what I remember and some conversations with people who actually played the game recently, the motivation for Apollo to actually stay in Khura'in isn't that great. It mainly seemed like guilt about his dead dad who he hadn't been in contact with for years and had completely written off until a few days ago but oh he died and then went to go visit him so... better take up the law office!

If Apollo had gone to Khura'in in place of Phoenix and spent more time there, reconnecting with his childhood home and actually getting passionate seeing how corrupt the legal system is there (even though we have a corrupt legal system at home) and being driven to fix it, that would make for a stronger story, I think. The Khura'in plot is more personally focused around Apollo than it is Phoenix. Phoenix's connection to Khura'in is through Maya, but Maya doesn't really have much of a connection to it aside from "it's where spirit channeling is from and she trains there". But Apollo, I guess, grew up there. So it's so strange to me that they force all of Apollo's connection to Khura'in in the last case while Phoenix is running around doing who-knows-what for the rest of the game. Phoenix spends more time getting to know the state of Khura'in and the Defiant Dragons and case 3's whole thing but he isn't the one who in the end decides to sit down and fix it; that's all on Apollo. It almost feels like they forced one of the two plots in to everything. And it was probably conceived as a Phoenix story that they needed to fit Apollo into last minute because oops he's supposed to be a protagonist too.

Some other strengths to Apollo going to Khura'in include that it would shake up the character dynamics a bit. Instead of Phoenix defending Maya, it's Apollo defending Maya, and that's a particularly interesting thing to look at in the context of Khura'in's "we kill defense attorneys" system. Of course, Phoenix would risk his life to save Maya, 100%, every time. But what about Apollo, who hasn't met Maya, who only knows her as "Mr. Wright's former assistant" - would he risk his life for her? And I feel like Maya would argue more against him defending her because of that. "We're strangers, you don't know me, you don't have to risk your life defending me." (Sidenote that I was always upset that Maya didn't protest much when Phoenix offered to defend her, knowing his life was at risk - sure she knows him better and knows he's always been able to get her out of these situations, but at the same time, the fact that there was no "what about your daughter?" conversation sucks. I really wish SOJ wouldn't have like. completely forgotten about the phoenix-trucy father-daughterisms.)

Let's say Apollo goes to Khura'in. Phoenix stays at home. Phoenix gets a call from Apollo that's basically "uhh hi Mr. Wright you know your friend Maya, she's been arrested for murder, if I defend her and I lose we're both dead," then you can tie in to that moment in 6-2 where Phoenix (who can't make it in time for the trial!) believes in Apollo and his skills as an attorney, not just to save Maya's life, but also his own. It ties in a bit more to the overall challenge of defending someone at the risk of your own life. Again, Phoenix would have very few hesitations, if any, risking his life to defend Maya. Apollo may have more defending a stranger at the risk of his own life.

Then if you can actually have Apollo and Maya talk together that would be neat - Maya can tell him embarrassing stories about Phoenix's rookie days, for instance. Their dynamic would be quite a bit different from Phoenix and Maya's, and that would be an interesting thing to see, unlike what we have in SOJ where all of Maya's substantial interactions are with characters she already knows or brand new characters.

(It would also be pretty neat to know more spirit channeling politics and dive in more to Maya's perspective on Khura'in and also her role as upcoming Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and where she plans to lead the village in the future and also reconcile with her family's bloody legacy, but I'm not quite sure how to fit that in right now.)

And how about Phoenix, back home in Japanifornia? Evidently he'd end up being in charge of defending Trucy. Now, I did love the siblingsisms in canon 6-2, but I feel like there is still potential for Phoenix defending Trucy. All of Apollo Justice has a bunch of good moments between Apollo and Trucy, and she's co-counsel on all his trials, but we've never had any substantial Phoenix and Trucy investigation or co-counsel moments. I feel like AU 6-2 would be a great opportunity to dive more into Phoenix and Trucy's relationship and how it may have changed after Phoenix got his badge back. Plus, Phoenix being "the only one who knows how she really feels on the inside", he'd have unique insider knowledge into some of the Gramarye stuff that comes up in the case and Trucy's personal connection to the Gramaryes, which Apollo knows a bit of, but Phoenix knows more of. ... Or at least, should know more of, given that he raised Trucy for nine years at this point and they're very close, and Phoenix knows her better than anyone else does, even if capcom has forgotten this.

... Of course having Athena defend the case would also be great because more Athena spotlight is never a bad thing, but it's hard to come up with a reason why Phoenix wouldn't be there to defend her. And doing more switcheroos in terms of role in the plot is a bit beyond the scope of what I have in mind right now. Sorry Athena.

Aside from that, Athena still gets Storyteller, Apollo still heads Turnabout Revolution, and Phoenix still gets the DLC case. Apollo stays in Khura'in in the end with a bit more to his motivations. Rather than it just being about carrying on Dhurke's legacy, it's also something Apollo is passionate about after all he witnessed here. While we're at it I'd still rework a lot of Turnabout Revolution to make it so that Phoenix genuinely believes in Atishon because that makes for sooo much more interesting of a plot and actual character development on Phoenix's part than "Maya was kidnapped again and Phoenix is only wrong when he has no other choice", but that'd require some more detail and this post is long enough already.

And in terms of other details that need to be sorted out, there's the question of why Apollo would need to go to Khura'in in the first place. I'd probably say something to do with Dhurke. Maybe he comes back a bit earlier - actually alive, maybe, though crossing borders would be a bit of a challenge, or he reaches out to Apollo remotely somehow and Apollo goes to yell in his face about abandoning him (or at least that's what he thinks he wants.) Then we could have some more Dhurke and Apollo bonding time, potentially? Idk, if you switch up Phoenix and Apollo you're pretty much writing a whole new game and obviously I have not worked out all the details, but I think if Capcom had tried to go with this route from the outset they'd have a stronger game. At least stronger character motivations.

So... yeah. Those are my opinions. If you read through this whole thing I'm very impressed because it got very long!

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a O (Part 2)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Orenchi no Furo Jijou:

Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Josei, TV short

Synopsis:  On his way home from school, Tatsumi sees a man collapsed near a lake. When he approaches him, Tatsumi notices something strange: the person in need of help is actually a beautiful merman named Wakasa! Because Wakasa's home has become too polluted to live in, Tatsumi graciously offers his bathtub as a refuge. With a boisterous merman as his new roommate, Tatsumi's normal life won't be returning anytime soon, not to mention Wakasa's aquatic friends—Takasu, Mikuni, and Maki—often show up uninvited, making them all quite a handful for the high school student. As he humors their curiosity for human life, Tatsumi sometimes finds himself enjoying their childish antics, but he will have to keep his cool if he intends to keep up with his daily life and newfound friendship. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8.5/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 13, 4 minute long episodes. 

My Thoughts: A soothing tv short with a fantasy twist and cute guys as far as the eye can see! 

Oshiete! Galko-chan:

Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, School, TV Short

Synopsis:  At first glance, Galko, Otako, and Ojou are three high school girls who seem like they wouldn’t have anything to do with each other. Galko is a social butterfly with a reputation for being a party animal, even though she is actually innocent and good-hearted despite her appearance. Otako is a plain-looking girl with a sarcastic personality and a rabid love of manga. And Ojou is a wealthy young lady with excellent social graces, though she can be a bit absent-minded at times. Despite their differences, the three are best friends, and together they love to talk about various myths and ask candid questions about the female body. Oshiete! Galko-chan is a lighthearted and humorous look at three very different girls and their frank conversations about themselves and everyday life. No topic is too safe or too sensitive for them to joke about—even though every so often, Galko seems to get a bit embarrassed by their discussions! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 12, 7 minute long episodes. 

My Thoughts: Cute art/ animation style. An alright short but nothing amazing. 

Otome Youkai Zakuro:

Genres: Demons, Historical, Military, Romance, Seinen, Supernatural

Synopsis:  Second Lieutenant Kei Agemaki, the son of a famous general, has hidden his extreme fear of paranormal beings all his life. However, when he and two others are reassigned to live and work with youkai in the Ministry of Spirit Affairs, he is brought face-to-face with his worst nightmare. Now with the help of the fox spirit Kushimatsu, he and his fellow officers must learn to work alongside youkai maidens—Zakuro, Susukihotaru, Hoozuki, and Bonbori—to solve paranormal cases. Set in the midst of an alternate version of Japanese Westernization, Otome Youkai Zakuro explores the clashes and unions that can occur when east meets west, local meets foreign, and women meet men. The unusual alliance of the youkai maidens and human officers must learn to work together in a world that is changing around them. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2010 with a total of 13 episodes. 

My Thoughts: An interesting (if not a bit cliche) but incomplete anime. Has a manga.... which is also incomplete and updated very, very slowly. 

Ouran Koukou Host Club (Ouran High School Host Club):

Genres: Comedy, Reverse Harem, Romance, School, Shoujo

Synopsis:  Haruhi Fujioka is a bright scholarship candidate with no rank or title to speak of—a rare species at Ouran Academy, an elite school for students of high pedigree. When she opens the door to Music Room #3 hoping to find a quiet place to study, Haruhi unexpectedly stumbles upon the Host Club. Led by the princely Tamaki Suou, the club—whose other members include the "Shadow King" Kyouya Ootori; the mischievous Hitachiin twins, Kaoru and Hikaru; the childlike Mitsukuni Haninozuka, also known as "Honey"; and his strong protector Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka—is where handsome boys with too much time on their hands entertain the girls in the academy. In a frantic attempt to remove herself from the hosts, Haruhi ends up breaking a vase worth eight million yen and is forced into becoming the eccentric group's general errand boy to repay her enormous debt. However, thanks to her convincingly masculine appearance, her naturally genial disposition toward girls, and fascinating commoner status, she is soon promoted to full-time male host. And before long, Haruhi is plunged into a glitzy whirlwind of elaborate cosplays, rich food, and exciting shenanigans that only the immensely wealthy Host Club can pull off. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2006 with a total of 26 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Raise your hand if you believe this series deserves a remake!? I would lose it if they remade this series but the original isn’t all that bad either! Worth a watch if you’re a shoujo lover! 

Outbreak Company:

Genres: Harem, Comedy, Parody, Fantasy

Synopsis: Shinichi Kanou is a shut-in otaku with a vast knowledge of anime, manga, and video games. One day, after applying for a job in hopes of escaping his secluded lifestyle, he is kidnapped and transported to the Eldant Empire—a fantasy world filled with elves, dragons, and dwarves. Trapped in this strange land, Shinichi is given an unlikely task by the Japanese government: to spread otaku culture across the realm by becoming an "Otaku Missionary." To accomplish his mission, Shinichi has the full support of the Japanese government, as well as the half-elf maid Myucel and Princess Petralka of the Eldant Empire. Together with this ragtag bunch, he will overcome the obstacles of politics, social classes, and ethnic discrimination to promote the ways of the otaku in this holy land. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Not memorable at all. Character design looks nice, very shiny... 

Owari no Seraph:

Genres: Action, Military, Supernatural, Drama, Vampire, Shounen

Synopsis:  With the appearance of a mysterious virus that kills everyone above the age of 13, mankind becomes enslaved by previously hidden, power-hungry vampires who emerge in order to subjugate society with the promise of protecting the survivors, in exchange for donations of their blood. Among these survivors are Yuuichirou and Mikaela Hyakuya, two young boys who are taken captive from an orphanage, along with other children whom they consider family. Discontent with being treated like livestock under the vampires' cruel reign, Mikaela hatches a rebellious escape plan that is ultimately doomed to fail. The only survivor to come out on the other side is Yuuichirou, who is found by the Moon Demon Company, a military unit dedicated to exterminating the vampires in Japan. Many years later, now a member of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, Yuuichirou is determined to take revenge on the creatures that slaughtered his family, but at what cost? Owari no Seraph is a post-apocalyptic supernatural shounen anime that follows a young man's search for retribution, all the while battling for friendship and loyalty against seemingly impossible odds. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 4/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Cliche, but not in a fun way. I rarely watch anime involving vampires though so that was a bit fun. 

Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen

Genres: Action, Military, Supernatural, Drama, Vampire, Shounen

Synopsis:  Yuuichirou Hyakuya is finally reunited with his childhood friend Mikaela Hyakuya, whom he had long presumed to be dead. Upon their reunion, however, he discovers that Mikaela has been turned into a vampire. Determined to help his friend, Yuuichirou vows to get stronger so that he can protect Mikaela as well as the comrades in the Moon Demon Company. Kureto Hiiragi receives information that a large group of vampires will be gathering in Nagoya, preparing for their assault on the Imperial Demon Army's main forces in Tokyo. Led by Guren Ichinose, Yuuichirou's team is one of many selected to intercept and eliminate the vampire nobles. With the Nagoya mission quickly approaching, the members of Shinoa squad continue to work towards fully mastering their weapons, while learning how to improve their teamwork. Yuuichirou must gain the power he needs to slay the nobles and save his best friend, before he succumbs to the demon of the Cursed Gear. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 3/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: It somehow got a sequel... still lacking. Plenty of pretty people though with little substance...

[cross-d-a]

fic tag game

aaahhh @vishcount thank you for tagging me!!! These are so fun and I adored reading about your fic journey~!  ೖ(⑅σ̑ᴗσ̑)ೖ ❤

OH as a note!! For the ppl I tag at the end I don’t expect you to read all of this bc it’s A Lot!!! but I figured you might want to do this game yourself? haha :)

Name: cross-d-a shortened version of my first ever username. unfortunately stuck with it now haha but i’m fond of it :p wish it was cuter tho!!

Posting the rest of this under the cut so it doesn’t eat up people’s dashes!! 

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Fandoms: 

oKAY YIKES there are....honestly too many too name. I’ve got a short and obsessive attention span so it’s either all or nothing with me usually. When I can stay in a fandom for a long period of time it’s a miracle. I’ll name the bigger ones that I’ve all written fic for! Even if I’ve never posted them haha

Right now I’m very firmly into Daomu Biji (dmbj). It feels like it’s both got a crap ton of content and yet barely anything at all haha. Maybe because the English fandom is so small. But at least there are a bunch of dramas and books!!! I really, really, really adore dmbj so much!! And a large part of that is the fandom!!! It's been a really cool and unique experience! Everyone in it is truly so kind and wonderful, and I’ve made some really incredible friends because of it (looking at you vish!! ❤). I’ve got a bunch of wips, but I’ve only posted two fics for dmbj!

Before this I was very into Guardian and mdzs. MDZS was my first foray into cdramas and Guardian’s Zhu Yilong really suckered me into watching more haha I also have fics for both these fandoms!

My very first fandoms were Fullmetal Alchemist, D. Gray-Man and Naruto. My very old ffnet account has fics for these and I’ve got a bunch of newer wips on my tablet. Then Star Trek, Twilight, BBC Merlin, Sherlock, Death Note, Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, Battlestar Galactica, Avatar the Last Airbender and Marvel were a few of my main ones in high school. Plus a bunch of anime (like Fruits Basket! and Kuroshitsuji and Natsume Yuujinchou). 

Then college hit and I renewed my childhood love of Tolkien (mainly lotr and the Hobbit), and Star Wars. I also found Teen Wolf! Then after college it was Stranger Things. 

I find myself in a cycle of mild fondness and complete obsession with these fandoms haha I go back to Star Wars at least once a year!! Then I’m in the gffa hole for a few months. Marvel also reoccurs, depending on how interested I am in new content! Star Trek I always always always go back to. TOS is my comfort show and it will never fade from my heart ❤

But for now I’m stuck in cdrama hell and I love it

Tropes: 

Time travel, found family, whump+hurt/comfort, fairytale-like elements, resurrective immortality (thanks to a “Nine Lives” Hobbit fic), CROSSOVERS

I’m a slut for all these things so they often worm their way into my plots haha

I also just- love weird premises. I think that’s the anime influencing me haha

Fic I spent most time on: 

My series he leaves sand and stardust in my wake (main fic is hurricane on the edge of oblivion), I have...spent five years on now. I have done so much research for this fic it’s insane. 

The premise is force ghost!Obi-Wan getting shunted back into his tiny 10 year old self. I incorporate a shit ton of legends and I try to stay as canon as possible. I basically want this au to feel like it’s 1000% plausible while still getting all my gay shit. It’s chock full of whump, redemption, found family, minor characters turning into major characters, and I’ve got slavery uprising on the mind, too. It’s just- everything I could ever want to explore in the Star Wars universe basically. 

It’s my first big project. I started doodling and scribbling ideas in the margins of my notebook in my Scottish History class. I adore it so so so much. But, because of my hyperfixation and fleeting intense obsession with things it makes it- really difficult to consistently update. I leave it for months at a time and I am constantly guilt-ridden about it. Because it’s my baby and I have a lot of wonderful readers. I fear I’ll never be able to finish it. Especially since I’ve written so much and I’m still only in the beginning of it. ( ; A ; )

Also, I’ve spent so much time with Xanatos, Feemor and Bruck that they just feel like mine now. I can’t read any fics that involve them, it’s too strange. Which is a damn shame because I love them so much haha OH ALSO!! I think it’s the first really big fic to include those three?? So I’m very proud about that haha (I’ve had so many ppl comment about how they actually Give A Shit about these three and are Invested bc of me haha)

Favorite fic(s) you’ve written: 

hurricane on the edge of oblivion (with nowhere to go) (Star Wars)

My long-term passion project. My love-letter to Star Wars, I suppose. Reading it now I feel like a lot of it is clunky or long-winded, but I think it really shows the foundation of my writing today :) Main characters are Obi-Wan, Xanatos Du Crion, Qui-Gon Jinn, Bruck Chun and Feemor. Eventually we’ll get to Maul, Savage, Feral, Shmi Skywalker, (more!) Ahsoka, Anakin and a shit ton of clones ❤

things we hunger for (Guardian)

My Ye Zun self-indulgent fic. It’s a time travel amnesia Weilanzun! Honestly has some of my fav writing I’ve ever done. It’s so soft and really indulges in the hurt/comfort. It gives Ye Zun the friends and family I think he deserves. Also, he gets to grow into a (mostly!) functional person and I adore him.

the beast that slumbers within your soul (mdzs)

Jiang Cheng centric fic!! I feel like all my favourite fics I’ve written are love letters haha. This is one def my love letter to Jiang Cheng. This fic possessed me for two whole days. I wrote 16k in almost one sitting. I went to sleep at 6 in the morning bc I couldn’t stop writing. And when I drifted off I kept thinking of new ideas so I’d whip out my phone and write down lines and notes. I- have never ever ever felt that way about anything. It was- insane. It felt insane. It was so amazing. I’m still riding the memory of that high.

 Basically Jiang Cheng actually finds Baoshan Sanren and it turns out she’s a fox demon and Jiang Cheng is descended from wolves. It’s- okay I said the fic above this had my favourite writing?? That was a lie. This has my favourite writing I’ve ever done. It’s unfinished bc I am in dmbj hell but I am still excited about the next chapter which features Wei Wuxian’s pov!!

the whispers of spirits (dmbj)

My current passion project. In a way it kinda feels similar to hurricane? Bc multiple povs, incorporating different aspects of canon (we’ll get there!! I promise!), shit ton of research, etc. etc. I really really really love it for so many reasons. I’m basically taking all the things I was unsatisfied with in Reboot and Sha Hai and running with it. Found family and whump galore! It’s also a love letter to the women of dmbj who really deserve so so so much better.

Honourable mention to:

One Day (you’ll have given more of yourself than is meant to be taken) (Marvel)

This fic also kinda possessed me. I just- couldn’t get rid of the idea of a trans!Thor. And I mean a mtf Thor! It’s just? So many people look at Thor and go “that’s a Real Man.” Full stop. They never think there could be anything more, and it really really really bothered me. So I wrote out my feelings. I’m not trans. I don’t have that experience at all. I’ve had issues and confusion about my gender but nothing like this. I just wanted to do justice to this idea of Thor in my head. And I still feel a bit nervous having posted it. But I've gotten so many comments from people who really connected with what I’ve written? So I’m very very thankful I wrote it and it has a very special place in my heart. It’s a very cathartic fic.

Fic I spent least time on: 

Probably we rise (Star Wars) and I think it shows haha. I wrote it in response to Dave Filoni posting a drawing of Ahsoka and Gandalf telling her “People thought I was dead, too, and look how that turned out...” So I incorporated Ahsoka (and Din and Grogu and Ezra!!!) into the ending of Rise of Skywalker, kinda explaining how I think they could all still be alive. :)

Longest fic: 

hurricane is my longest fic (159k) but I’m kinda worried whispers will eclipse that.....

Shortest fic: 

Of my posted ones it’s The Five Moments it Took Tony and Scott to Admit They Were Best Friends (and the first time they ever did), currently clocks at 1.6k. It’s unfinished tho so maybe that doesn’t count.... otherwise it’s we rise which is completed and 2k.

Most hits/kudos/comments/bookmarks: 

hurricane overall has the most of all these. Though I don’t think hits counts as much bc it’s multi-chapter. If you discount multi-chapter stuff, most hits goes to my obikin smutfic Homecoming, bc people are horny af haha

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: 

If I had energy I’d like to rewrite the beginning of hurricane bc it feels so so wordy. I’d want to expand on One Day bc I really would like to write a whole series with trans!Thor. And like- I’d really like the focus to finish any of my WIPs.

Share a bit of a WIP: I really wanna share my Guardian/dmbj crossover that I started back in August. Bc I adore the idea of wu xie&shen wei&ye zun triplets! Plus time travel!!! I dunno if I’ll ever finish it tho ( ; A ; ) It just feels like a lot to deal with right now.

This scene takes place during the Mountain Awl arc. Guardian crew and desperado fam run across each other at the village! Wu Xie has recently found out that he’s adopted and he’s searching for answers in the area Sanshu originally found amnesiac!toddler!Wu Xie in :) Gonna pull two snippets bc I’m v excited and this might be the only time anyone else sees this fic haha:

“Oh?” Pangzi focuses on Yunlan now, lips twisting. “You think I’ve ‘got the wrong guy,’ huh?” He laughs, but it’s not a nice sound. “That’s rich! Are you that cocky or are you just stupid?”

Bristling, Yunlan drops his hands and scowls. “Excuse me?”

“Sir,” Shen Wei tries. “I think—”

Pangzi’s eyes snap back to Shen Wei, sharp and blazing. “How dare you fucking steal his face!”

What?

Automatically, Zhao Yunlan turns to Shen Wei, but the professor looks just as shell-shocked as Zhao Yunlan feels which- is seriously something. Since everything about Shen Wei is so carefully controlled, kept to the minimum. Except for those delightful little smiles that bloom across his lovely face, or the startled little bursts of laughter that fall from his lips. Or even when anger and frustration spark across his features, cracking his calm veneer open enough that he can see a glimmer of what lies beneath, the fire in those eyes. Zhao Yunlan delights in those moments, makes a game of making Shen Wei’s control slip.

He tells himself it’s nothing more than a game. Nothing more than trying to find out what makes Shen Wei tick.

Zhao Yunlan’s always been very bad at lying to himself. Or very good. Depending on who you’re asking.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Yunlan splutters.

But before anyone can say anything else, a very familiar voice calls:

“Pangzi? What’s wrong?”

Yunlan can feel Shen Wei stiffen, and Yunlan himself is pulled to that voice like a planet in orbit, like the inevitable plummet to the ground.

Another shadow wavers in the doorway before it steps out onto the dirt. Light illuminates shaggy hair, limning it gold, sharply casting everything else in shadow. But as the figure nears, the contrast softens until Yunlan can see the newcomer’s face properly and- and—

“Wu Xie!” Pangzi growls. “We’ve got ourselves an impostor!”

The man wearing Shen Wei’s face steps up to them, brows furrowed and mouth pulled down into a sharp frown. He glances between them, eyes landing on Shen Wei. His scowl deepens. He opens his mouth, but then—

“Wu Xie?” Shen Wei breathes, all trembly and lost and hopeless.

Heart in his throat, Yunlan turns to Shen Wei again. Turns and flinches at that stricken look upon Shen Wei’s pale pinched face.

“A-Xie?” Shen Wei chokes. “Didi?”

and

Pangzi snorts. “Professor?”

“I-it’s true!”

Startled Yunlan swings his attention over to Jiajia who clenches her backpack to her chest, face screwed up in admirable determination. “P-professor Shen took me and Xiao Quan on a field trip to investigate an archeological site around here!”

“Oh?” Wu Xie drawls all slow and amused. “Well, what a coincidence. We’re archeologists, too.”

“With guns?” Yunlan bites out.

Wu Xie raises a brow, grin full of teeth. “Well, you can never be too prepared.”

“Right,” Yunlan drawls right back. “Are you a professor, too, then? You come here with your students?”

Wu Xie outright grins. “You could say that, I suppose.”

Out of the corner of his eye, one of the men rolls his eyes. He’s the one with sharp features, glasses and looped earbuds. Does he think it’s appropriate to listen to music at a time like this? Yunlan admires the man’s gall.

aahhhh vish thanks so much again for tagging me!! This was so fun to relive my fic memories!! I’m gonna tag @alwaysaslutforshakespeare @jockvillagersonly @tehfanglyfish @lichelleme @undyingsunshine @humanlighthouse  @thewindsofsong I’m curious about your guys’ writing and fandom journey!! As always, no pressure to actually complete this!! I just thought it was fun ❤

Wow if you read all of this I am very humbled and impressed, thank you!!

╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

[bluerosesburnblue]

It’s just now occurring to me that Seren/Talbott makes significantly more sense if you know how I’ve re-written several sidequests to better fit Seren’s personality, which I keep forgetting is not how canon went because half of these quests came out way too long ago and I’m far too attached to my rewrites

The only things that Talbott knows about Seren in Year 1 are that when she was announced for their sorting ceremony a LOT of people started whispering (about Jacob, the Dwyn Family getting kicked off of the Sacred Purebloods list, etc.) and that she sits in front of him during Transfigurations. Once he hears about what Jacob did, his curiosity is settled and he doesn’t think about her at all

I’m putting the Hagrid’s Birthday timed quest to Year 2, after you help Hagrid save Fang. That would make sense of the fact that Fang has a name and Merula’s dialogue about Dumbledore giving MC 100 House Points. And Hagrid’s birthday is December 6, so… that’s when the quest happens! December 6, 1985. (Probably starts a few days earlier, like the 3rd or 4th to account for party planning time)

This is relevant because of the moment where MC is keeping watch of Fang while Merula and Ismelda are teasing Talbott in the background by levitating his clothes and flinging him around. In the canon version of that quest, a Niffler (possibly Sickleworth since the quest came out after he was introduced?) chases them off. But, since I’m putting it in Year 2 before Rakepick is at Hogwarts there’s no reason for that Niffler (assuming it is Sickleworth) to be there

In my rewritten version it’s Seren who goes over and chases them off, because she’s not oblivious and even in Year 2, when she’s still super shy, she’s not just gonna let Merula pull something like this. It’s one of those rare moments in the early years where you can catch a glimpse of who Seren’s going to become, where she gets very assertive and fearless. It’s only because she’s defending someone else at this time, it’ll start to become her default state in later years

Of course, she’s still extremely shy and awkward and so is Talbott, so when she asks him if he’s okay he just... freezes and doesn’t say anything. And Seren doesn’t know what to do so after, like, 30 seconds of silence and just staring at each other she just kinda nervously screeches “OKAY, GREAT,” and jogs off with Fang

This is the moment that Talbott starts taking real notice of Seren. He hasn’t had anyone stick up for him like that. He remembers her sorting, now he’s trying to put together a profile of her. Figure out what she’s all about. He’s so curious, she seems so similar to him sometimes, but then she gets these bursts of confidence. Part of him wants to drop it, he figures it doesn’t matter. But then Penny (who is both Seren’s friend and her roommate) starts tutoring him in Potions and she’s telling him all these stories and he’s just getting even more invested in figuring out “what’s the deal with Seren Dwyn?”

Seren doesn’t remember the incident at all. It wasn’t the first time she’d ever chased Merula off from bullying someone, and her mind was preoccupied with party planning so she just never thought about it again. She won’t remember it even happened unless Talbott brings it up, and her response is just going to be “Wait. That was you? WAIT-”

After that moment in Year 2, they don’t interact again until Year 5. Talbott has been keeping an eye on her out of sheer curiosity for years and Seren hasn’t thought about him at all

So, that brings us to the Animagus quest, which I changed a lot. Not that there was necessarily anything wrong with it, but it was the first Timed Sidequest and was teased for long enough that I’d... kind of already plotted out how I wanted most of it to go by the time it did. Also, a good chunk of it didn’t fit with Seren’s character at all

So, first of all, third year? For one of the most difficult pieces of Transfiguration magic? Uagadou school teaches it to 14-year-olds, so it’s possible, but they’re teaching it professionally and MC is flailing about with just Talbott and Penny figuring it out in the canon quest, so I’m gonna give that year a no. Also, it makes more sense for this to occur after the second Rita quest, otherwise why would Dumbledore have to explain Animagi and the registry if MC’s already an Animagus? Personally, I’m placing the start of it in late November of fifth year (1988 – maybe January 1989)

I’m also not a fan of the fact that we’re doing this just because Penny wants to brew a tough potion. Personally, I don’t see Seren and Penny as that close. They’re friends, but I generally play it more like Penny’s more invested in their friendship than Seren is. Not to mention it completely kills any sense of agency MC has, and I’m really not a fan of all of their friends trying to force a potentially dangerous, potentially illegal life choice on them for reasons such as “I want to brew a tough potion!” and “It would be cool!” If Penny or Seren messed up even a little she could end up as a half-human-half-animal amalgamation permanently! Think of Hermione’s Polyjuice Potion mishap from Chamber of Secrets but for the rest of your life. Seren would make a life-changing, potentially dangerous decision like this for Jacob’s sake only. So the rewritten motivation is looking for any edge on the search because she’s getting frustrated that it’s been five+ years since he’s disappeared and she still can’t find him, but she has found notes suggesting that he was an unregistered Animagus (such as the potion recipe being in his room)

She’s partially trying to figure out what Jacob’s Animagus form is. If it’s informed by your personality and everyone tells her she’s “just like her brother”… then maybe her form would be close enough that she could figure out what his is (or, in a lucky break, exactly the same as his)

She gets the idea after the second Rita quest, and spends the end of Year 4/beginning of Year 5 studying up on the Animagus process and looking for any opportunity to make it work

And, because Year 5 is the year she’s stuck in detention and thus, under intense scrutiny from the faculty, it opens up opportunities to sneak out for the Vault search if she needs to so she sees little downside in trying

Seren would not be open about doing this. So cut out pretty much any friends being told about it or getting directly involved. This is a Secret Seren Project, which is pretty typical of her, actually

She’s also not gonna have Penny just brew the whole dang potion. In fact, she’s not gonna involve Penny at all. (Seren’s capable of doing things on her own, game. She doesn’t need Penny to stand next to her and tell her what to do every time she tries to brew a potion). Because she has no intention of registering (it would defeat the point of using it to sneak around), she doesn’t want anyone involved because then they become accomplices. Also, Seren just likes doing things for herself. I think she’s a little offended every time Penny refuses to let her brew potions for the Vaults

Also, no McGonagall involvement! She’s not planning on registering. Why would you tell a teacher you’re gonna commit a crime?

The only time Professor McGonagall gets involved is Seren asking theoretical questions about the Animagus process under the guise of both OWL studying and because Seren’s just known to ask questions about theoretical magic (“Do potential Animagi keep the leaf in their mouth to absorb saliva from all parts of a biological lunar cycle, or is it more a demonstration of perseverance to focus the soul?”)

So the actual meat of the quest starts pretty much the same. Tulip and Barnaby bring up Talbott at lunch one day and Tulip mentions that he seems to know a lot about Animagi. Seren shows mild interest, but not much beyond that (“What? Seems like a lot of work for not much help, to be honest.”) Secretly, she’s ecstatic because she’s finally got a chance at making an Animagus transformation work beyond what she’s read about it (the potion she could do on her own, but he might be able to show her the spell and probably won’t turn her in to the wizard cops)

She asks Talbott about it at dinner when all of her friends are gone and she’s pretty sure nobody’s around to hear it. Talbott still overheard them, and still references it, but it’s more of an “I heard what you were discussing at lunch” thing. She asks him what he knows, they do their little back-and-forth. Then he brings up that she’s got a reputation for helping people with occasionally sketchy things with no questions asked (*cough*CHARLIE AND THE DRAGON EGG*cough*) and she’s pretty forthcoming about it (“Just keep in mind that I’m both a Prefect and in eternal detention, so request wisely.”)

Secretly, Talbott is very excited. Seren contacted him first and finally gave him an excuse to follow her around and finally get those answers about what her deal is that he’s been craving for years. He’s not even thinking about her as a possible friend or anything, he just wants to figure out what makes her just... act for the sake of others, completely without thinking about damage to herself, and with such wild conviction that every year she seems to outdo herself in wild success with tasks that should be way above the average student’s skill. Part of it reminds him of his parents, but he’s also just found her so interesting from afar (made even worse when Seren goes through her drastic change in presentation at the start of Year 4 and starts acting like she did when she chased Merula off all the time). She’s like the world’s most intricate puzzle

In this rewrite, Talbott is still looking for potion ingredients for Penny, but they’re not for an Animagus potion. They’re for the Draught of Peace that she’s making to help out Madam Pomfrey because she’s being overwhelmed with kids coming in overly stressed about OWLs and NEWTs, and Penny knows what it feels like to be so stressed that you feel you need the potion (but she also respected Seren’s advice to not take it to deal with the Beatrice situation, at least not without Madam Pomfrey’s supervision). It ends up being a “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” between Talbott and Seren. Help me break into Filch’s office to get confiscated potions supplies because Professor Snape won’t let Penny borrow enough to make all of the Draught of Peace that she wants to, and I’ll teach you what I know about being an Animagus. Talbott has them pick up the materials for the Animagus potion while they’re collecting stuff for Penny. He’s tempted to ask Seren about herself, but just ends up staying silent and watching how she handles getting the ingredients

Seren is way less pushy about being Talbott’s friend than MC is in the quest. She still teases him about his use of “we” but it’s more of a partners-in-crime jab. Like, it’s Seren. She can relate to everyone thinking you’re a weirdo. She can relate to wanting to go solo and avoid people. She’s not even sure how she has friends, they just sort of happened. So when Talbott says “I fly solo,” Seren doesn’t tell him “everyone needs friends,” she says “Understood. But I’m here to help if you ever need some.”

They deliver Penny’s stuff and she’s honestly surprised they’re hanging out. Talbott insists that Seren’s only there because he needed to get into Filch’s office, Penny buys it because this really isn’t the first time Seren’s helped someone without question. Heck, this isn’t the first time Seren’s done weird things to get potion ingredients for her. So Talbott gets to teaching Seren about the Animagus transformation (and supervises her. They’re not friends! But he doesn’t want her to get seriously injured doing this. This is the girl that stuck up for him years ago)

Because it’s Seren, she’s got the entire Animagus process planned down to the second. She’s scheduled her leaf-in-mouth thing to overlap with Christmas break, which she plans to spend in Hogwarts and won’t need to talk to anyone during (Wed. Nov 23 –  Fri. Dec 23 1988, with Dec 23 – Sat. Jan 21 1989 as a backup date if she swallows the leaf. She’s praying for luck with the full moons). She’s got an old-fashioned windup alarm and an almanac to get the times for dawn and dusk right (and Christmas break means she’ll have the dorm room to herself, so she won’t wake up her roommates and give away what she’s doing). She’s even got some gum to secure the leaf to the roof of her mouth/under her tongue

Her plans get derailed HARD when Bill and Charlie decide to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas to keep her company because she stayed during fourth year to avoid going home to parents who were going to ignore her or yell at her, and who hadn’t had it in them to celebrate Christmas for years, when at least she gets decorations at Hogwarts (she told Charlie this, so naturally Bill knows). She’s forced to bring them in to what she’s doing (“But you can’t tell anyone! You’re accomplices to a crime now!”)

She actually really appreciates it. She tears up a little. But seriously, boys, this was not the best time to do that

They can’t help her keep track of doing the spell at dawn, but they can totally run shouting at her when dusk’s approaching. She ends up keeping the leaf in her mouth on the first try

Talbott also stayed over for Christmas because he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go

Heck, I could see Seren inviting him to sit with them for Christmas breakfast and the four of them just sharing a nice, happy moment for once. Seren gives out gifts. Charlie is DELIGHTED at the dragon sculpture that she enchanted to move around (and she’s delighted that it actually worked. She jumps up and cheers when it bursts out of the box like she planned). She even gives Talbott some cookies she baked (“Consider them a thank-you for all of your help with that project.”)

Also, Seren starts singing Christmas songs at breakfast and Professor Flitwick overhears. He IMMEDIATELY starts trying to get her to come back to the Frog Choir after she joined briefly in Year 4 and then quit at the end of the year. But, oh man, professor, she quit for a reason and now she’s a Prefect, too, and there’s just no TIME…

Gobstones with Talbott in the courtyard still happens, but this time it’s over winter break and there’s no one out there to hear him confess his backstory to her, and no one around to see him transform into an eagle and fly off. It’s a huge show of trust to Seren now, and not one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen bird boy do

Seren hides the Animagus potion at the top of one of the abandoned towers that she walks near during her Prefect patrols (probably the Lookout Tower due to the open area) and uses her patrol schedule to go hide it. Do Prefects even need to patrol during winter break? I mean, probably. There’s still kids there and likely a shortage of Prefects

Choses a thundersnow storm at some point during the break to complete the ritual. It is freezing, and very dramatic. Bill and Charlie are there just in case something goes horribly wrong

Seren transforms into a raven and it’s the happiest she’s been in a long freaking time. She perches on Bill’s arm, she perches on Charlie’s shoulder. She changes back and she’s laughing and crying and just so happy that it all worked so well and it’s like, a tangible thing. It’s physical proof that she’s getting skilled enough to get Jacob back. And it’s the best Christmas present she’s ever given herself

The three of them get caught by Professor McGonagall leaving the tower, but do a bit where they pretend that Seren heard something up there during a patrol and called them over to help her investigate it just in case, but it was just the wind knocking the loose door around. Bill does an excellent performance miming the door swinging back and forth while Charlie nods enthusiastically. It’s very convincing, I assure you. McGonagall does let them go, assuming they were just getting up to some Christmas fun

At some point a particular golden eagle hanging out in the Owlery gets his day rudely interrupted by a very loud and excitable raven. He can hear Seren giggle out a “thank you” when she leaves. He’d never admit it, but he found it charming. And then immediately tried to convince himself that he did not think that about her, because it’s dangerous to get attached (but it’s already begun to be too late for that)

(Side note, but Rowan eventually finds out by accident late Year 5. She stumbles into Seren transformed in their dorm, freaks out that there’s a bird in there, and Seren has to transform back and tell her everything to calm her down. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier!?” “I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO BE AN ACCOMPLICE!”)

After everything that happens in the quest, Talbott’s started developing a friend-crush on Seren. She’s quiet and respects his space, she’s pretty damn smart (he’s particularly impressed at how much she knew about the Animagus process without him telling her), and there’s something about how dedicated she is to whatever she decides to do that interests him

Seren kind of thought that at the end of the quest, she and Talbott already were friends. And she was really happy to have a friend with the same sense of humor as her, who she could have some really interesting discussions with. But...

After worrying that he’s starting to like her too much, Talbott kinda ignores Seren for a couple of months, which makes her upset but she doesn’t know how to bring it up with him. Then Flying Solo happens around the beginning of April. It’s 80% the same, minus MC being pushy about being Talbott’s friend. Other minor changes are:

When learning Obliviate from Flitwick, Seren insists that both of them do the spell as it’s only fair, and she catches on easily since she’s started Legilimency training by then which gives her an edge with mind-based spells

Instead of telling Talbott some big secret, Seren goes on a five minute rant about how much she hates potatoes (”You’ll never forget how much I hate them when I’m done!”). Talbott tells her that he’s wanted to talk to her since their second year when she saved him from Merula but he didn’t know how. This elicits the above “Wait, that was you?” response before he Obliviates her

Seren ends up being really shaky and mumbling a bit after Talbott Obliviates her, and he’s terrified that he messed something up before she gets herself coherent enough to say that she felt this exact sensation earlier in the year (Pettigrew Obliviating MC). This relates to my headcanon that as a Legilimens, Seren’s more sensitive to mental spells like Obliviate. Flitwick recalls the incident and assures Talbott that Seren will be fine, Seren thanks Talbott for finally proving to her that she was Obliviated that night

Talbott and Seren agree to tell each other what they Obliviated. Seren tells him about the potato rant at the fountain that night when they’re waiting for Merula to show up, and Merula shows up just before Talbott can tell Seren about when she helped him in Year 2. He never does tell her, Seren forgets that he was supposed to entirely (though I think he will when they’re adults)

The thing about Year 5 Seren is that she’s... uh... constantly about to snap at any given moment, so the idea of Merula finding out about not just her illegal Animagus status, but Talbott’s (which, funny enough, is even better blackmail material because Seren prioritizes others over herself) sets her off. Bad. When it comes time to Obliviate Merula, Seren just tells Talbott to follow her lead, he already did his part getting Merula there

Seren successfully Obliviates Merula and then, less than a second after, Depulsos her into the wall. Talbott is just... stunned and confused as Seren walks up to Merula ranting about how she can’t do anything without Merula following her, makes a show of reluctantly apologizing “but you really startled the shit out of me!” and drags her up by her sleeve

The goal was to overwhelm Merula so that she wouldn’t even have time to process what was happening or that she could have been Obliviated. It works. A very disoriented Merula asks what happened and Seren pointedly pulls a notebook from her bag and slams it into Talbott’s chest “I was trying to help Talbott catch up on our Tranfigurations work when you came up behind me shouting! If you need Rakepick so bad, she’s not here. Can’t even do something as simple as this without you getting involved, can I!?”

Merula leaves after questioning what Seren even has to do with Talbott anyway, which lets both of them know that the Obliviation worked. Talbott’s kind of confused about his feelings because that whole display was both very smart, but very aggressive and a little intimidating. When he asks her about why she even helped him at all she tells him that she “wasn’t about to let Merula put you in danger, especially since it was my fault anyway.” It really clicks for him in that moment that Seren will genuinely go to any length she needs to to protect others, and that what’s been driving her though the Vaults is her loyalty to Jacob, that unstoppable sense of determination, and this overwhelming feeling of responsibility for everyone’s safety. He’d always though she was clever enough to be a Ravenclaw, but now he sees that the core of her is Hufflepuff ideals taken to the extreme. There’s a new sense of respect there. And then the “oh no I’m getting attached” fears kick in again

He tries to give Seren her notebook back, she insists he keep it. It’s actually just a copy of her notes that she made using Geminio that she was planning on giving him anyway to help with the classes he missed. Talbott still insists that they’re not friends. Seren doesn’t fight it. After all, she just almost exposed his secret. Even if she set it right, she knew that the breach of trust alone was probably going to be the end of things. Besides, she’s been pushing away everyone all year. What’s... one more? Especially if he’s going to push himself away

She wasn’t planning to pursue it anymore until talking with Penny over lunch and realizing that even if she kept Talbott’s secret from getting out, something’s still bothering him. And dammit, even if he doesn’t want to be her friend no one else seems to care that something’s up with him and no one deserves to be just left to struggle alone the same way that she was when Jacob went missing. So she talks to McGonagall, finds out about the necklace, firmly informs Talbott that she’s going to find it, no, she’s not leaving, just tell me where you were you don’t even have to come with me, but I am finding that necklace

The necklace search goes the same as it does in canon

During their talk at night after finding the necklace, Talbott asks Seren why she was so determined to find his necklace out of nowhere. She pulls her locket that she keeps under her clothes off and holds it in her hands for a few moments before responding “Because if I couldn’t bear the thought of losing mine, I can’t imagine what you must’ve felt.” She opens it up and hold it out for Talbott to take

He’s the first person at Hogwarts to see the enchanted picture inside that locket. Two kids, one as young as three years old, posing in front of an ivy-covered wall. The little girl is holding a plush baby seal in front of the bottom half of her face. Her brother tries to get her to smile and accidentally knocks the plush out of her hands. She looks like she’s about to cry before he scrambles to pick the plush up and starts tickling her face with it, saying something that can’t be heard. The little girl starts giggling and her brother hugs her before indicating the camera for her to smile at

“That’s him.” It’s not a question; Talbott can tell by their resemblance exactly who the boy in the photo is. Seren moves to stand next to him to look at the photo, too. “Yeah. That’s the boy who started it all. Jacob.”

After four years, Talbott finally gets what the deal with Seren Dwyn is. They talk a bit, he becomes one of the few people to learn that her father’s a Squib, her mother’s a Muggleborn, and her grandmother’s a Pureblood supremacist that hates all of them. She figures it’s only fair to share since he told her all about his parents. Seren admits that she’s jealous; she would’ve rather had parents that she believed loved her for a time, even if they were gone, than parents that she knew would never want her and that could easily come back to remind her even if she did leave. It’s a conversation that illuminates all of their similarities and differences. The mutual respect they have for how strong the other must have been to deal with the suffering, the appreciation for each others’ wit, the realization at how naturally they work together...

Talbott can’t deny that he thinks of her as his friend anymore. But to his surprise, she tells him no.

“Talbott, I’m going to strongly advise against that.”

“What? You can’t go to all this trouble and tell me we’re not friends now.”

“I just- I’m not- I can’t really stop you, but I get involved in dangerous situations every year and I don’t want you to feel you have to- to care about...”

“It’s a little late for that.”

“...I know.”

He thinks she’s cute when she’s flustered. Oh wait no oh no is this a crush???

After this it’s a little more flimsy. Not sure what exactly I want to do with them for Year 6 because I’m not entirely sure how much of Year 6 I’m going to want to rewrite. I know that I definitely want Talbott to find Seren, who still traumatized about the Portrait Vault, sitting on the ground when waiting for the Hogwarts Express. She clearly hasn’t slept and is only partially responsive. Even though she’s supposed to go in for a meeting with the other Prefects on the ride over, she ends up falling asleep in a quiet cabin that she got with Talbott. He doesn’t wake her up and hides her from any Prefects that come looking for her (which ends up just being Charlie and the other Hufflepuff Prefect in their year)

Full disclosure that I haven’t finished the Festival sidequest yet, but I’m considering keeping it sans Talbott revealing himself as Seren’s secret admirer. Not wholly sure where to slot that in, though it would probably be just after Flying Solo but before the Portrait Vault putting it... late April/early May of 1989 or so?

[thebladeblaster]

If you have any investment in my Arc V fics or au idea which will eventually become fics please read this. (Note: This is also on Archive Of Our Own)

This includes:

• Wings of Salvation(the protag Yugo au)

• Arc V x Vanguard crossover

• Arcronpa (Danganronpa Arc V au)

• Etc. (In case I’m forgetting one.)

I have a plan for Wings of Salvation, but I want to change a few things. For those who have read the Fanfiction.net version have probably noticed it has had quite a few retcons. It is because in the year that I have been on hiatus I have changed my mind on how I want to do something things in this fic. I have honestly considered just rewriting the the fic from the ground up because I don’t really want the previous protagonists to be in it anymore. When thinking of the eventual finale of the story I found that it has been hard to balance their role in the story with the bracelet girls. With them in it kinda makes the bracelet girls irrelevant unless I nurfed them. And I don’t really want to do that to them. Not to mention I have had to write a reason for them to suddenly show up and not be there in the original Arc V. Honestly, the Yuma and Judai explanations are flimsy at best while I honestly don’t have any for Yugi. He’s just extremely hard to right for because of his whole King of Games thing. Because of that I can’t really make him lose when he would eventually show up and that would be broken. Yusei is honestly the only one I ever had a solid plan for and because I had him I felt obligated to include the others.

So, I propose a choice for you all since I honestly can’t decide and I need to make a decision before I continue writing this and start writing any Arc V fics.

First choice: I continue the fic as it is.

Second choice: I completely rewrite it without the protagonists in it. And use the explanation that they were fused with the fragments to create the Yu boys.

Your probably asking why is this important? Because this fic is going to be the foundation of my future Arc V fics. The idea of this fic which would be eventually revealed is that Arc V is in a time loop. It is because using that explanation I can use the same continuity and explore multiple what ifs or other ideas. Though, how does this timeline loop idea apply or effect Wings of Salvation? The first and most obvious is that it is how this fic happens to begin with. To summarize the original timeline of Arc V ended horribly and with nature power she turned back time. A important thing to know is that the original timeline is not the Arc V anime it is the second one. In the original timeline the Dimensional War never happened, but something else did. While, the conflict starts later it is arguably worse.

This eventually leads to Wings of Salvation which is one of the irregular timelines where the Crimson Dragon decides to get involved. It actually finds Yugo and Clear Wing by complete chance and Yugo becomes a signer. Wings of Salvation is the foundation because it is the last loop and the one where everyone finds out their in a time loop. And everything mentioned here is explained in much more detail.

I do still plan to make a fic for the original timeline to but I need to hear from at least a few people before I write it because the questions I posed will affect it.

So, hopefully you stuck through this far because this is important. I’m not writing anymore non complete au Arc V fics until I get at least a few answers since it would be weird to go off one. This basically affects any in universe fic like a what if scenario like Wings of Salvation or a crossover that takes place in Arc V this includes the Vanguard crossover that I have been working on. I’ll work on other projects until get a answer. So, please if you have any investment into the fic leave your opinion in the comments. This story will either continue or be rebooted based on your decision after I receive at least 10 suggestions obviously from different people. Consider two choices the fic continues as it is or I rewrite it.

I don’t know how to make polls so I’ll just do this. I’ll have hashtags for each choice. If you reblog this you can pick one, but if you don’t want to choose you don’t have to.

Choice 1: #Bananaandcrabboyrideon

Choice 2: #Braceletrangers

Because ultimately it’s either the protagonists or the bracelet girls choose wisely. If the protagonists are removed the bracelet girls can be more useful if not I can guarantee they at least won’t be as useless as in Arc V. Though, that’s not saying much.

[gimmeyoon]

Iron World: 3

✰ pairing: Yoongi x Reader

✰ au: Cyberpunk

✰ word count: 3.8k

✰ warnings: explicit language, major angst, mentions of death and violence

✰ summary: ❝Welcome to Iron World, the latest virtual reality online game. Choose your class, join a guild, and explore the depths of this planet. As one of the first 20,000 people to explore this brave frontier, how you enjoy this immersive experience is up to you. There is so much to do and see, you’ll never want to leave.❞

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     73 days. Taehyung didn't think often about how long they had spent in the game, but Chimmy had made a comment about it today, so it was all he could think about. 73 days since the game changed. 73 days since Taehyung's beast lord had gone from medieval times to cyberpunk. 73 days since the creator had given him two lip rings on his bottom lip, that he still wasn't used to eating with, and runes down his neck that symbolized connection, strength, and speed. 73 days since Jugeum had gone from looking like the hound on Taehyung's neck to a half-robot concoction.

     Gone was the friendliness and loyalty in his eyes, replaced with the cold technology that Taehyung used to explore the cityscape. This was his job now, every morning he went up to the roof of the apartment building Bangtan called home and he watched the city through Jugeum's eyes, looking for clues to the next quest in the game. So far, the guild had only beaten one level of the hotel that sat in the middle of the city and supposedly housed the creator, though who could trust him anymore. It was hundreds of stories tall. Taehyung wished Chimmy hadn't made mention of how many days it had been.

     It wasn't exactly a fair assessment. The game play in this world was different enough that the guild had to figure out how to play well again. It was ground zero, and it took some time to get used to the differences. Not to mention, they weren't getting much help from the other players. Sure they supported them, Bangtan rarely paid full price for anything, if they paid at all, but it seemed that the game change had discouraged the rest of the players.

     Agust D perhaps had the biggest learning curve. He was a spell-caster, yet he hadn't done any magic since the game changed. Mono had come to the conclusion that his powers had been turned off in the code rewrite. Something about necromancers not being cyberpunk.

     Taehyung knew that wasn't it though. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but Jugeum could sense the necromancer's magic, and the connection rune on his neck meant Taehyung could too. If anything, Agust D was filled with magic, it scared Jugeum, he didn't want to go near him.

     But Agust D didn't use that magic, and sometimes Taehyung wondered if he was afraid of it too. He never asked though, and he didn't tell anyone what Jugeum sensed, because he knew that would make Agust D mad. It wasn't his place to pretend like he understood what his friend was going through.

     To pretend like he knew what it was like to narrowly escape death.

     Jugeum suddenly stopped in front of a building Taehyung hadn't noticed before. Taehyung urged Jugeum forward, but the hound stayed put. He couldn’t help but smile as Taehyung realized this must be the start of the next quest.

     Good boy, he sends down the bond between himself and the hound, and he can feel the dog's excitement sent back. Taehyung calls Jugeum home before switching his sight back to his own. He heads back inside, pausing momentarily to enter the code installed into the dilapidated building.

     A red light greets him.

     Taehyung curses as he realizes he must have entered last weeks code. Mono insisted that it be changed every week to keep them safe. While most other guilds tried to help Bangtan in any way that they could, some guilds had turned bad in here. Some were intent on staying in this world, where they felt powerful. Not to mention the game created characters that they fought to make it out of here. No one was sure exactly how much they could interact with the players.

     Despite this, Taehyung thought changing the code was overkill. The change in the game had come naturally to Mono. The wizard seemed born to be a hacker, and so far no one had been able to beat his skill.

     No matter how many times he beat the other players in the hacking competitions held every Tuesday and Thursday, Mono still worried that someone would find a way into the base. He'd been even more anxious than usual since the game changed. Everyone had been.

     Two tries later and Taehyung finally entered the code of the week.

     You stand up as soon as V reenters the base. You had been sitting in the large middle room just waiting for the beast lord to return. The new version of the game made you wait much longer than before. The original game play had been straightforward, but this cityscape was an open map with no true clues on where to go next. You had spent days looking over the notebook that the creator put in your inventory, but it meant nothing to you. You think it might have been a trick to make you wait even longer.

     You made the mistake of expressing your hatred of stasis to the cleric once. Now, Chimmy always insisted that you just needed to relax and take advantage of the waiting. You had no doubt that he was alluding to the various men and women that he brought back to his apartment below the base. You regretted ever choosing to live next to him.

     You weren't sure how he could bring back so many players. You could never sleep next to a stranger. Not in here, probably not ever now. Not since the first in-game murder.

     You made a point of reminding Chimmy that not everyone wanted to get out of here, but he always reminded you that the apartments were safe zones. To which you informed him that you could slip a virus into someone's mainframe while they were in a safe zone and set it to go off once they left.

     He never asked how you knew that. You tried not to think about the day you learned it.

     The memory makes you look over at Agust D. He was there that day. He knew how you figured it out.

     He sits slumped against the wall, and for a moment you let yourself think that he still looks weak. You shove the thought away quickly, reminding yourself that he's the one who made you keep going that day. He knew his limits, he was an adult, and he was still fighting. He wasn't weak, no matter how pale his skin looked or how deep set his eyes were.

     He hadn't slowed down. He always kept up with you on supply runs and missions, but it was in these moments when he wasn't moving that you thought his body looked too heavy for him. Like he might break under the weight of whatever it was he was carrying.

     You never mentioned that he hadn't used magic since the game changed. Instead, he had joined the tanks, not officially, but when you went to the gym to practice hand to hand combat he joined you. When Cooky went to the shooting range, Agust D was with him. He seemed determined to get his skills as high as possible, yet when the casters practiced spells, he never joined them.

     Agma stalked around the room, the tiger the only reminder that Agust D was still a caster.

     "Jugeum found the next quest," V smiles as he grabs a soda from the fridge. "It's this old looking building down by the market. I swear I've never seen it before."

     "Sounds like the kind of shit the creator would do, keep the building hidden until he's ready for us to entertain him again," you grumble, instinctively grabbing for your pack. You are always sent on recon before the rest of the group goes out. You wouldn't have it any other way, and you're sure Bangtan doesn't mind having it be you and not one of their brothers. They never said anything like that, they wouldn't, but when the first group went out they seemed relieved that you volunteered.

     You didn't blame them. If you were them you would rather it be a new guild member than one of your best friends. The change in the game had required all players to belong to a guild, or some buildings wouldn't let you in. Begrudgingly you got tattooed with the rest of the guild. And now your wrist matched seven others so that you could get into the shooting range for practice.

     Agust D follows your movement, reaching for his own pack. You weren't surprised. The player that jumped in front of a dragon to save you, also never let a recon mission go out without him.

     "So we need a plan," Mono spoke up, taking the conversation by the reigns. V sat on a couch behind him, looking up at the leader.

     Your leader. You still weren't used to that, and had to stop yourself from fighting against him when he came up with an idea you didn't like. You worked better alone, but you were intent on making this arrangement work so that you could get out of here.

     "I've got recon," you said, though it was probably obvious as you pulled your pack on and reached for your gun.

     "Me too," Agust D added.

     "Thanks for stepping up," Mono nodded. "I want one more person to go with them and check out the area. See what we might be up against, get a feel for what the quest might be. Preferably a caster." Mono looked at Agust D, but didn't say what you knew he was thinking. That there was no caster currently going.

     "I'll go," J-Hope spoke up, reaching for his recorder as he did so.

     "Great," Mono said. "the three of you know the drill, don't do anything stupid, and get back here as quickly as you can."

     You nodded, turning to look at Agust D after doing so. No longer did he seem weak, he seemed determined. It was deceptive you thought, how moments ago he had seemed like standing would take more strength than he could muster, but now he seemed ready for whatever was hiding in that building.

     His eyes met yours, and for a moment you let yourself believe that the fire behind them meant he was back to his normal self. You let yourself believe that this time he wouldn't look so tired once the mission was over. That he would go out with the guild instead of going back to his apartment alone.

     You let yourself believe everything would be okay from here on because you had to believe that.

     You had to believe that Agust D would be okay because if he wasn't it would always be your fault.

     Yoongi knew the way that they looked at him. He knew that J-Hope only stepped up for recon because he was going. The bard was many things, but he wasn't a spy. He got spoked too easily for recon, yet he kept volunteering. Conveniently, so did Yoongi. He watched as Worldwide and J-hope silently decided between the two of them who was going. They never let Yoongi so much as piss without one of them going with him.

     He wasn't sure what it would take to convince them that he was fine.

     He wasn't so sure he was fine.

     He didn't know what was wrong exactly, but he knew something was off. His chest felt tight all of the time, a blaze inside of him, and the last time he had used magic it had gone horribly wrong.

     The other's didn't know about that, they were convinced he couldn't do magic anymore, but he could.

     He had decided to try something small, knowing that something wasn't quite right about him since the change, so in the alley between the apartment building they lived in and the No Tell Motel next door, Yoongi tried to light a candle he stole from Chimmy's apartment.

     He'd set the whole alley ablaze. The robo firefighters put it out before any of his guild members saw it.

     Whatever it was, whatever was wrong with him, it was too much. He didn't trust himself anymore, not after that. He didn't have time to figure it out, they had to beat the game, so he started working with the tanks. He was half-tank anyways, so the shift wasn't that difficult.

     No one ever asked him about it, and that was the way he preferred it. He knew they noticed, he could see the way they watched him, but he didn't know how to explain it. He was pretty sure they'd make him sit missions out if they knew the truth. It was better like this. Better that they all just pretend things were okay.

     Yoongi knew he was still an asset. If for a second he thought he was hurting the guild because of whatever this was, he would step down. He had faith in them, he knew his friends were the best in the game.

     Maybe he felt like he had something to prove, but every time he had the chance to help his friends, he took it.

     J-Hope had taken the task of driving to the market, leaving Yoongi to his thoughts as he sat in the backseat of the car. Phoenix never spoke on the way to recon missions, though she had opened up since the game change.

     Yoongi couldn't help but note that she seemed particularly more willing to talk to him. He wasn't stupid, he knew it was because of the dragon, but he liked talking to her regardless. She still hadn't shared anything personal about herself, but that was to be expected. At least she knew their names now and could joke around.

     He could tell she was watching him like the rest of the guild, but she seemed to be the only person who truly trusted his strength. She never made him feel weak when they went on runs together.

     J-Hope pulled to a stop outside the market, and Phoenix was out the door before Yoongi could even grab his pack. He joined the two members and followed them to the building V had described. Someone called to J-Hope as they walked down the street, and the bard smiled widely at his admirer.

     Yoongi could hear the stranger whisper about him and the Phoenix. Everyone talked about them after the dragon, but no one dared talk to them.

Zombie. They called him. That's why he never does anything other than missions.

    Word on the street was that Phoenix raised him from the dead as her name would suggest. And being an undead Necromancer was pretty on-par for the character type. No one cared enough to disprove the rumor, especially since none of Bangtan really knew what happened that day. Yoongi should have died.

     But he didn't.

     The building in front of them was in worse shape than the one Bangtan lived in, which was saying something. Mono had worked hard to make their building the least appealing. Less intruders he had said.

     Like an old and run-down building would hide the lead guild home to a zombie and Jesus-like raiser of the dead.

     "J-Hope, can you play that invisibility song so we can get in undetected?" Phoenix asked as she observed the building.

     "Sure," he said, pulling his recorder from the bag slung across his chest. "It's what I'm here for anyways."

     "We get in, see what we're up against, and get out. Yeah?"

     Yoongi and J-Hope nodded, confirming the Phoenix's words. Recon could go south quickly if they got caught. The three of the them were likely not enough to take down whatever was inside.

     Though he would bet money that Phoenix wouldn't go down without taking whatever waited for them with her.

     J-Hope plays through the song two times, before motioning for Phoenix to open the door. The Bard motions for Yoongi to go in after her, which is unsurprising. J-Hope can cover him from the back but also probably feels slightly less scared with two human shields ahead of him.

     The hallway that greets them is narrow, giving them no choice but to walk in a straight line. Phoenix walks past the stairs, and Yoongi recognizes this as a silent command to clear the first floor first. He thinks it's unlikely that the quest will be so easily accessible, but he agrees with her thought process.

     They can't leave this level until they're sure nothing can or will follow them. They cannot rely on J-Hope's spell to keep them covered. They cannot leave any corner unsearched, because the game required that of them. They had made the mistake of underestimating the game before, they were not going to do it again.

     They made it to the fourth floor of the building, when Yoongi felt the air change around him. It surprised him, as he had never sensed anything like that before, and as he watched Phoenix, he knew that she didn't get the same feeling that he had. The one that made the fire in him burn stronger than before. He turned to J-Hope, his eyes betraying him, as his friend looked back at him worried.

     "What is it, are you okay?" he whispered.

     "Something’s here."

     "Very good, Agust D."

     Yoongi quickly turned in the direction of the new voice, reaching for his gun as he did so. They were supposed to be invisible, yet the man stared right back at him.

     "So much for your spell," Phoenix hissed, her own gun aimed at the man before them as well.

     He was big, Yoongi noted, though he figured the three of them could handle him. He wore a suit, which contrasted sharply with the state of the building he was standing in. His dark hair was braided away from his face, and the longer Yoongi held his gaze, the more certain he was that one of his eyes was robotic.

     "His eye surge," Yoongi noted, the man breaking into a chilling smile.

     "Works against magic," the man said, finishing the explanation.

    "Fuck," Yoongi cursed, looking back at J-Hope to ensure his safety, but no one else approached them. He returned his attention to the man.

     "Please, there's no need for guns," he started, though none of the guild moved to drop their weapon. "I don't want to fight you. I want to hire you."

     "How considerate, but I think I'll keep my gun right here for now," said Phoenix.

     "Very well," he smiled. "I guess I should expect nothing else from the lead guild."

     "What do you want?" Yoongi asked.

     "I want you to get rid of a problem for me."

     "What kind of problem?"

     "Have you heard of Babylon?"

     "The ancient city or that bar Jimin goes to?" Phoenix asked.

     The man smiled again. "The bar. The owner, I need you to take him out. He stole a piece of tech from me, and I'd like it back."

     "So, we have to kill a man for it?" J-Hope asked, his voice rising in shock.

     "A man and likely his goons," the man shrugged. "I want his tech and his property as payment for stealing. Get it for me, and I'll give you the key to the second level of the hotel."

     Phoenix, dropped her posture slightly at this. "Show us the key first and then we'll talk."

    "Of course," the man reached into his suit jacket pocket, and pulled out a gold key. One that looked very much like the key they had gotten to the first floor of the hotel.

     Yoongi's heart quickened at the sight, and for a moment he let his posture drop as well.

     "So, do we have a deal?" the man questioned, as he returned the key to his pocket. "I think we could become mutually beneficial allies."

     "We'll tell the others," Phoenix said, which Yoongi was grateful for. They couldn't make any calls until they got back to Mono. "I'm sure you'll know what we decide."

     He smiled at this. "Clever girl, though I hope you know that having Jax Moon as an enemy is not the way that you want to play this game.

     "Jax Moon?" Phoenix said with a small laugh. "God, the creator really tried to make you tall, dark and scary, and gave you a stripper name."

     Yoongi couldn't help but laugh even as the man looked back at Phoenix with anger.

     "Tread lightly," he said, as he walked closer to the guild. Yoongi raised his gun at the movement.

     "Sorry, Jax," Phoenix smiled. "We'll be on our way safely, and get started on your greed mission."

     "Yes," he started, stopping short of approaching the group. "the sooner you leave, the better for all of us."

     Yoongi refused to let his guard down until they were back in the car, and even then he kept his gun in his hands. You never knew when you truly were out of the game play in this version. And while J-Hope and Phoenix laughed about Jax Moon, Yoongi found himself looking over his shoulder and making sure that they had left without being followed.

     "Agust D," Phoenix said, drawing his attention back to her. "thoughts on your stripper name."

     "Sorry, what?"

     "Come on, keep up," she laughed, which calmed Yoongi's nerves enough to look towards the front of the car again. "J-Hope and I were saying that his stripper name would be The Suck, based on his government name and I'm sticking with Phoenix, because location and exotic animal."

     "Same," Yoongi started. "Agust D already works, because, you know, D."

     "Amazing," she laughed. "We really made fun of Jax Moon and we too have stripper names."

     "At least your's is a fake name," J-Hope laughed. "Mine’s based on my real name."

     And as their laughs filled the car, Yoongi allowed himself to sink back into his seat and relax. He and his friends were safe, and they were going to make it back to the base. They were going to have to do something really difficult in the future, and they might not all make it out, but for now they were together and they were laughing.

     Yoongi tried to ignore the way his chest tightened further and the flames burned brighter as he watched Phoenix talking animatedly with J-Hope. He tried not to think about how he felt his magic burn brighter when she was around. He tried to convince himself that it didn't scare him and that if it did, which it definitely did not, he had no reason to be afraid.

     He was fine.

     But as the flames burned hotter inside his chest, he had no choice but to acknowledge them. So he closed his eyes, and tried to calm them, though he wasn't certain that he could. He had no other choice than to try, because being away from Phoenix wasn't an option. And for a moment, he considered that maybe the flames knew that too. That maybe the flames weren't a bad thing.

     That maybe she made him stronger.

     He hoped that was the case, because the alternative terrified him. That maybe everyone was right and he was a zombie.

    That he had died that day and the flames he felt were the proof of that. That he was burning alive inside himself.

© gimmeyoon — all rights reserved. reposting, modifying, or translation onto other sites even with proper credit given is not permitted.

[nicole-queen]

Not to be bitter, but... the NAS anime Yu-Gi-Oh is a failure of an adaptation.

Random Shadow Game between Yami Bakura and Atem during Duelist Kingdom, random Duel between Jonouchi and Atem during Duelist Kingdom, Otogi’s motivation being changed and removing his father, Otogi vs Atem at DDM being a thing and Atem using LITTLE WIZARD, random Duel between Jonouchi and Kaiba when Mai’s life is on the line, the complete rewrite of the origins of Duel Monsters and so on...

But still, nothing compares to the butchery the Millennium World arc suffered.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

some things that the anime completely fucked up:

A: Yami Bakura, for absolutely no logical reason, goes against Kaiba in a Shadow Game, where his Diabound monster (not to be confused with the Diabound Ka) copies BEWD’s Burst Stream of Destruction ability. Yami Bakura also gives Kaiba the Millennium Eye so that Kaiba could take part in the Memory World for absolutely no logical reason. THEN in the Memory World, Thief King Bakura’s Diabound uses Burst Stream of Destruction to stalemate Obelisk. ...

M: Yami Bakura gives the Millennium Eye to Yugi because all 7 Millennium Items are needed to open the Door to the Afterlife, as well as the Door to Darkness. Diabound also stands up to Obelisk by his own power.

-------

A: a lot of BEWD focus and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon facing off against Zorc

M: Seto seeks the power of the White Dragon which supposedly is greater than that of the Gods, but the White Dragon doesn’t actually fight against Zorc or is measured against the Egyptian Gods

-------

A: Bobasa appears in the Memory World as comic relief that seemingly has no relevance to any actual plot, until he finally! takes Yugi and Co. to Atem’s tomb.

M: Bobasa appears right before Atem and Co. enter the Domino Museum and is immediately revealed as guarding the Millennium Scales and Millennium Key; Bobasa explains everything the group needs to know about the Memory World

-------

A: Thief King Bakura has some weird goons with glowing eyes and enters the royal palace with Akhenamkhanen’s sarcophagus

M: Thief King Bakura is acting entirely on his own and drags in Akhenamkhanen’s actual mummy

-------

A: Thief King Bakura in the Memory World is actually Yami Bakura who calls the Pharaoh “Yugi“ and is aware that he is playing a Shadow Game

M: Thief King Bakura is a legitimate remnant of his 3,000 years old self, has no awareness of Yugi’s existence or the Shadow RPG, only cares about getting his revenge for the Kul Elna massacre, calls Atem “Pharaoh“

-------

A: DIADHANKS DIADHANKS DIADHANKS DIADHANKS DIADHANKS (literal Duel Disks in Ancient Egypt that are worn by Millennium Items wielders in order to summon their Ka and gauge their Ba level................)

M: .........

-------

A: Yugi and Co. aimlessly wander in mind-boggling filler

M: Yugi and Co. quickly realize they have to find out the Pharaoh’s lost name

-------

A: Seto is less assured, has everyone convincing him not to join his father or be manipulated by him

M: Seto is far more antagonistic then his anime version, he is willing to torture people and talks about “shadow politics”, while Akhenaden is trying to reason with him so that he doesn’t commit the same sin he did

“A small sacrifice of the people… isn’t even worth a pebble from the Valley of the Kings.“

“I will make the White Dragon my servant, no matter what… even if I must sacrifice the life of the wielder…“

------- 

A: Seto saves Kisara when they were kids, Seto sees the White Dragon

M: Seto meets Kisara during his Ka hunt and he has just heard about the White Dragon minutes prior

-------

A: Diabound slices Saint Dragon of Osiris in half after Akhenaden harms the stone slab of SDoO

M: Saint Dragon of Osiris is weakened from Diabound’s attack but otherwise unharmed

-------

A: Yami Bakura is in Thief King Bakura’s body from the beginning of the Memory World

M: Yami Bakura possesses Thief King Bakura’s body when the latter gets taken out by Atem and the Winged Dragon of Ra

-------

 A: natural disasters starts happening all over the real world because of the events in the Shadow RPG

M: the Shadow RPG takes place within the Millennium Puzzle and doesn’t affect the outside world

-------

A: Yami Bakura has Kaiba enter the Memory World so that he can use his Ba to restore his power, just like Yugi did for Atem. (He invited Kaiba BEFORE he knew Yugi and Co. would change the events through the soul transferrence, so continuity makes no sense...)

M: Thief King Bakura has enough Ba to sustain two Ka at once, as well as take on all the Priests + Pharaoh while they quickly drain their Ba

-------

A: Yami-Bakura-in-Thief-King-Bakura’s body believes the Pharaoh’s lost name (+ the 7 Millennium Items) is needed to unseal Zorc, which is why he hijacks Honda

M: placing the 7 Millennium Items in the Tablet of Lost Memories is all that is required to unseal Zorc

-------

A: Yugi and Co. fed a hungry Bobasa with grapes so he will take them to the Pharaoh’s tomb................

M: Bobasa turns into Hasan, who says that his role is to take them to the Pharaoh’s lost name when Zorc is unsealed

-------

A: Yami Bakura uses his freezing time ability on Yugi and Co.

M: Yugi and Co. are NPC that aren’t affected by the freezing of time

-------

A: Yami Bakura says he would be in trouble if Kisara doesn’t go to Seto...........

M: ?????? Yami Bakura doesn’t know or care about Kisara/Blue-Eyes White Dragon

-------

A: Kisara and Kaiba run into each other

M: ...........

-------

A: Atem fights with Seto before the final fight with Zorc

M: Atem fights with Seto (joined with Akhenaden) after Zorc is defeated

-------

A: Atem fusions himself with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon into Master of Dragon Knight......

M: ......... KAIBA WASN’T PRESENT.

-------

A: Zorc defeats the Egyptian Gods

M: Zorc never faces the Egyptian Gods, Atem just merges them into Horakhty

-------

A: during the Ceremonial Duel, Atem summons all 3 Egyptian Gods and too much time is spent on them

M: Atem summons Obelisk which Yugi immediately takes out, Yugi cancels the summon of Saint Dragon of Osiris, Winged Dragon of Ra makes no appearance

-------

A: Atem runs all 3 God Cards relatively early in the Duel, and even has them out simultaneously, which makes the revival of Saint Dragon of Osiris underwhelming.

M: Yugi guesses Atem would probably run 1 God Card due to the Tributes required. At the end, Atem cheats Saint Dragon of Osiris into play with Monster Reborn. Turns out Yugi predicted that all along and countered it.

-------

A: Atem has to encourage Yugi not to give up during the Duel.

M: Yugi is already resolved to fight.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

some things the anime completely fucked up by NOT showing:

ATEM STRAIGHT UP SHOVING THIEF KING BAKURA AWAY FROM HIS FATHER’S MUMMY AND CRADLING IT AND THEN TELING THIEF KING BAKURA “I’M GOING TO DESTROY YOU.”

Seriously, the entire scene of Atem carrying his father’s mummy in his arms, “I can still feel your love...”

far better action in the Diabound battles

Atem and Thief King Bakura being far more badass

the Priests and Pharaoh having mock battles to train their Ka

Atem defeating a cocky Seto with a Kuriboh Ka, in order to teach him that power isn’t everything

“This tomb is yours, Bakura!”; “This is our grave.”, “Do you honestly think you can defeat me?”; Mahado not using part of his Heka in order to keep the evil in the Millennium Ring suppressed

far better action in the Thief King Bakura vs Mahado battle

the group places their hands atop one another, thinking about Atem and Bobasa immediately goes “THE POWER OF THE MILLENNIUM PUZZLE IS THE POWER OF UNITY” (because Shadi already witnessed the power of their friendship) and Yugi is “THE DOOR THAT YOU CAN SHOW, BUT YOU CAN’T SEE…”; THEIR FRIENDSHIP LITERALLY OPENS THE DOOR TO THE MEMORY WORLD

Thief King Bakura killing everyone in the tavern as he enjoys his food

far better action in the Diabound vs Saint Dragon of Osiris battle

”I’ll fight until the end!! That is the duty of the Pharaoh!”

High Priest of Darkness appearing to Akhenaden following Thief King Bakura’s assault on him

more in-depth talk of the Millennium Tome, Shadow Alchemy and the creation of the Millennium Items

”I was able to resist the evil power of the Millennium Ring…These spirits are nothing before my Heka!”

Atem and Yami Bakura/Zorc playing the Shadow RPG in the Domino Museum, as well as Ryo Bakura having created the Ancient Egypt diorama

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There were far more examples, but I’m done with this trash.

Only redeeming thing this anime arc had was that Atem as a kid was super cute.

[angelsfalling16]

Fic Masterlist

All of my fics together in one place. There are a lot, so I’m putting them below a cut.

Snowbaz

Chaptered Fics

A Fairytale Love (4k)

Penelope tells a bedtime story to her children about a dragon named Simon and a boy named Baz.

Part 2 | Read on ao3

A Terrible Idea (13k)

Simon and Baz live in neighboring apartments, and one day, Simon smells something burning in the next apartment over. When he finds out what is going on with Baz, he offers to be Baz’ fake boyfriend when he goes home to visit his family. This is obviously not a good idea because we all know how this will end.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Read it on ao3

Beautiful Stranger (25k)

Simon's car breaks down during a storm, and he gets stranded in the middle of nowhere. Deciding to seek shelter, he comes across a large, seemingly abandoned house. It isn't abandoned, though, and he is almost certain that the boy inside is a vampire, planning to kill him.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Read it on ao3

Friends Don’t French-Kiss (30k)

Simon and Baz have one of their many arguments, but this time, it ends with them going on fake dates and trying to compete to see who would make a better boyfriend.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Read it on ao3

Friends Don’t Get Engaged (13k - in progress)

Plans are well under way for Simon and Baz's wedding, but to Simon, it feels as though everything is spinning out of control. The engagement was supposed to end months ago, but instead, Baz and Penny are planning the most extravagant wedding he's ever seen. What happens when Simon has had enough of all of it? Will Simon and Baz be able to make up, or will this be it for them?

Sequel to Friends Don’t French-Kiss

Chapter 2  |  Chapter 3  |  Read it on ao3

Home Is Wherever You Are - aka the farmer!baz au (130k)

Baz and Simon grew up in neighboring farms and were best friends as kids. But one day, everything changed. Baz quit talking to Simon, and he still doesn’t know why. Now, they’re about to start their senior year of high school, and neither is sure whether they will make up before they graduate.

Chapters: 2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  Bonus Scene | Read it on ao3

Impulse (4.8k)

Baz gets angry at his father and does something impulsive, taking Simon by surprise.

Parts 2 & 3 | Read on ao3

I’m Not the Queen, Snow (2k)

Baz is a dramatic gay, and he kisses Simon first.

Part 2 | Part 3 | Read on ao3

Roller Diner (33k)

Simon gets repeatedly stood up by Agatha at a diner where Baz happens to work. Baz begins to take pity on him, and he isn’t completely sure that the girl really exists. Then, Baz starts to fall for the cute lonely boy. One day, Agatha finally shows up, and nothing goes as any of them would have expected.

 Read on ao3

Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down

Rating: E

Simon keeps running into Baz at various bars, and even though he knows that there is no way that it will end well, he can't keep his hands off of him.

Read on ao3

The Thin Line Between Pretending and Actually Loving You

Baz needs a fake date so that Dev and Niall will stop setting him up, and who better to be that date the guy he hasn't seen since they graduated college several years ago?

Simon and Baz struggle to fool Dev and Niall, but it seems like they're great at fooling themselves. Will they be able to work through whatever this is between them before their planned "break up"? Or are they destined to be separated again?

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Read on ao3 

Tyrannosaurus? Like the Dinosaur? (11k)

Simon enters a bookshop where Baz works, and they start talking, both clearly attracted to each other. They start to hang out together, but neither of them know whether this thing between them is more than just friendship. Then, they get snowed-in and have to spend the night together.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Read it on ao3

Walk A Mile In My Shoes (22k)

Simon and Baz switch bodies, and the only way to switch back is by finding a way to work together. It isn’t easy at first, but the boys find that there is more to each other than they know.

Read it on ao3

Series - 20 First Kisses

20 different ways that Simon and Baz could have had their first kiss. These can all be read alone and in any order that you want.

It Was Just A Dream (1k)

What happens when Simon wakes up and everything that happened in Carry On was just a dream?

Read it on ao3

It Was Just A Dream (rewrite) (2k)

What happens when Simon wakes up and everything that happened in Carry On was just a dream?

Read it on ao3

In Pieces (2k)

Baz is hurting, and all Simon wants to do is help him in any way possible.

Read it on ao3

Almost Gone (1.9k)

Warnings: self-harm/suicide attempt

Simon Snow doesn’t want to be the chosen one anymore, and Baz doesn’t know how to help him.

Read it on ao3

Fifth Year Feelings (3.6k)

Simon and Baz have just gotten back from Christmas break during their fifth year, and Simon hasn’t started dating Agatha.

Read it on ao3

Love’s a Game (2.6k)

Simon and Baz are dancing around each other all morning with gentle touches, but neither one knows why the other is doing it. Simon thinks Baz is plotting something, and Baz thinks Simon is just messing with him.

Read it on ao3

Secret Writings (6.4k)

Baz is writing constantly, and Simon thinks he’s plotting.

Read it on ao3

When the Smoke Clears (1k)

Baz and Simon have gotten rid of the dragon, and Simon is glad Baz is safe.

Read it on ao3

Let’s Not Fight (2.4k)

What if that conversation between Simon and Baz before Baz left for break went a little bit differently?

Read it on ao3

Proof of Your Love (7k)

Baz asks Simon out, but Simon thinks that it’s all a trick and that he is plotting something. Baz has to figure out a way to show Simon that his feelings for him are real.

Read it on ao3

What I’m Trying Say (509 words)

Baz tries to tell Simon how he feels.

Read it on ao3

Just a Taste (994 words)

Simon wants a taste of Baz’ chapstick.

Read it on ao3

Happy Birthday, Baz (4k)

It’s Baz birthday, and Simon can’t keep his eyes off of him or the new makeup that he’s wearing.

Read it on ao3

You’ll Always Be My Princess (7k)

Simon wants Baz to stop calling him ‘Snow’, so Baz comes up with a bunch of other names to call him.

Read it on ao3

Talk Too Much (3.9k)

Simon thinks that Baz talks too much and decides to do something about it.

Read it on ao3

The Touch That Heals (2.8k)

Your soulmate's touch can heal any wounds/scars that you have. With Simon and Baz always fighting, it takes them a long time to realize that they're meant to be.

Read it on ao3

Heated Gaze (3k)

Baz dreams of a future with Simon but knows that he can never have what he wants. But when Simon starts acting strangely, Baz begins to wonder if he was wrong.

Read it on ao3

What Happens in the Dark (4.6k)

Simon and Baz are locked together when the power goes out. Will they find a way to get along, or will the night end with the two of them worse off than before?

Read it on ao3

"I think I might be gay.” (2.7k)

Simon figures out that he has feelings for Baz, and he decides to act on it.

Read it on ao3

The Family You Choose (2.5k)

Baz is hurting after something that his father said to him, and Simon is there to comfort him.

Read it on ao3

First Kisses (1.3k)

Just before they kiss, Simon and Baz think about what they always imagined a first kiss would be like.

Read it on ao3

One Shots

A New Year and A New Beginning (2k)

Penny sets Simon up with a blind date on New Year's Eve. What happens when Simon kisses the wrong person? Will they turn out to be the right person?

Read it on ao3

Acting Up - Simon’s POV (5.9k)

Simon and Baz are actors on a tv show, but they can’t seem to get along. They are given the weekend to learn how to get along or one of them will be fired.

Read it on ao3

Acting Up - Baz’s POV (5.5k)

Simon and Baz are actors on a tv show, but they can’t seem to get along. They are given the weekend to learn how to get along or one of them will be fired.

Read it on ao3

Baz Loves Snow (1.8k)

Baz has a notebook with 'I love Snow' written all over it, and Simon thinks that he means actual snow.

Read it on ao3

Baz Met a Bloke (1.7k)

Someone requested a fic where Fiona and Simon interact, so I decided to rewrite that scene in chapter 56 when Baz visits Fiona. Simon is also there, which Fiona isn't happy about, but not so unhappy that she isn't willing to embarrass Baz.

Read it on ao3

The Best Man (2.8k)

Baz is the best man at his aunt’s wedding, and Simon is his date, who can’t seem to keep his eyes off of him and who is impatient to get back to their hotel room.

Read it on ao3

Can’t See Straight (2k)

Baz spends the night at Simon's flat, and Simon finds out something about him.

Read it on ao3

Carry On, Simon (3k)

Set not too long after Carry On takes place, Baz and Simon are happy boyfriends.

Read it on ao3

Coffee and Flowers (3k)

Simon thinks Baz is up to something (what’s new?) so he follows him to try to find out what he’s up to. It turns out that the thing Baz is doing isn’t bad at all, and Simon’s even decides to help him.

Read it on ao3

It Doesn’t Mean Anything, Right? (1k)

It was right next to the lips, so it doesn’t mean anything. Right?

Or, Simon is oblivious and thinks Baz is plotting something. Again.

Just Relax (4.3k)

Rating: E

Baz gives Simon an oily massage to help him relax.

Read it on ao3

Kisses and Blood (1.6k)

Warnings: Major Character Death

A fic based on this quote from Carry On: Those were my fifth-year fantasies: kisses and blood and Snow ridding the world of me.

Read it on ao3

Kisses and Blood (alternate ending) (1.9k)

This is the alternate (happier) version of another fic that I wrote with the same title.

A fic based on this quote from Carry On: Those were my fifth-year fantasies: kisses and blood and Snow ridding the world of me.

Read it on ao3

Not Like This (4.1k)

Simon and Baz are playing a game, and their friends are forcing them to kiss, but Baz doesn’t want to kiss Simon. Not like this anyway.

Read it on ao3

Returning to Watford (3k)

Baz returns to Watford after winter break, and he has to figure out how to be in their room without Simon there. He’s lonely and misses Simon.

Read it on ao3

Rolling Around (2k)

Simon is covered in leaves and grass, and Baz is curious about what he was doing.

Read it on ao3

Scrapbooking (1k)

Simon collects tickets, photos, and other various items but never gets around to doing anything with them. They just sit around in a drawer until one day, Baz surprises him.

Read it on ao3

Snowbaz in Rome (1.8k)

Simon and Baz hide their relationship in ancient Rome. Simon wants to kill his father, but Baz has to save him before he gets himself killed.

Read it on ao3

The Spark (1.6k)

The first time that Baz kisses Simon it’s because he lost a bet, but after that, he’s chasing a feeling, and neither of them can seem to stay away from each other.

Read it on ao3

Together Forever

Inspired by the song Forever and Always by Parachute. Actually, this fic was built around the lyrics.

Read on ao3

True Love Mistletoe

(Technically, this is a Dev x Niall fic, but snowbaz is in there, too.)

It’s the annual Christmas party, and two people are brought together by a magical mistletoe.

Read on ao3

(Wishing to be) The Friction in Your Jeans (3k)

Rating: E

Inspired by the song “Sugar We’re Goin' Down” by Fall Out Boy

Read it on ao3

The Worst Has Passed (1k)

The Humdrum is gone, and the Mage is dead. This is what happens immediately after. (I tweaked the events of the book just a bit, but it's still the same. If that makes sense.)

Read it on ao3

5 Pranks That Go (Almost) As Planned and 1 Prank That Doesn’t (4.4k)

Baz and Simon pull pranks on each other. None of them go completely as planned, but there is one that doesn't go at all as planned.

Read it on ao3

<1000 words

Better Than Fighting (195 words)

Call Your Girlfriend (777 words)

Baz wants to be with Simon but not like this. He insists that Simon talks to his girlfriend before anything can happen between them.

Read it on ao3

Carry On - Alternate Ending  (884 words)

Warnings: Major Character Death, depression

Just imagine for a moment that things in the woods that fateful night went just a little bit differently..

What if Baz is the one who kisses Simon first and then succeeds in spelling Simon away?

Read it on ao3

Good Morning, Darling (484 words)

Happy Birthday, Simon (848 words)

Here’s a short fic for the Worst Chosen One Who’s Ever Been Chosen’s Golden Birthday!

In the Dark (536 words)

Read on ao3

Just Breathe (481 words)

Light in the Darkness (610 words)

Simon wakes in the middle of the night and seeks comfort from the tree lights.

Read it on ao3

Little Puff (656 words)

Baz gets a Visiting from his mother.

Read on ao3

One Last Kiss as the Sun Rises (838 words)

Baz is leaving on a trip, and Simon and Baz kiss goodbye, neither of them wanting him to go.

Read it on ao3

Snowbaz and Stuffed Bears (465 words)

Baz gives Simon a stuffed bear.

Snowbaz and Paddington Bear (740 words)

Simon gives Baz a gift for Valentine’s Day. 

This is technically a sequel to Snowbaz and Stuffed Bears, but it can be read alone.

[Untitled] (697 words)

Based on the song lyric,  "And I can't change into the person I don't want to be"

[Untitled] (337 words)

Based on the song lyric, “I really thought you were on my side But now there's nobody by my side.”

[Untitled] (904 words)

Prompt: What if sharing magic was this really addictive thing that Baz and simon discovered they loved to do. (I mean baz's fascination for simon's magic is canon, but what if it felt good for Simon, too?) Even when it wasn't necessary at all, like just reheating a cup of tea. How would that go? 

[Untitled] (906 words)

(Another Deniall fic, which might be getting there own section at some point..)

Prompt: ooooh what about a deniall mutual pining but then both being stupid and not picking up on any of the other’s “tells”

[Untitled] (470 words)

Prompt: ficlet based on the lyrics of northern downpour by p!atd (any lyrics, really, but i'm feeling "The ink is running toward the page/It's chasin' off the days/Look back at both feet/And that winding knee/I missed your skin when you were east/You clicked your heels and wished for me" 

[Untitled] (622 words)

Prompt: impulsive/kinda agressive first kiss but without the angsty running away scenes that always come after those,,,, just cute fluff please

[Untitled] (999 words)

Prompt:  ooo, for the ficlet requests could you do snowbaz with the song “Sugar We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy? specifically the line “wishing to be the friction in your jeans” because i feel like that’s just a really snowbaz line considering simon’s reaction to baz in jeans, thanks you!!

[Untitled] (351 words)

A/N: I saw @carryonsnowbaz doing this prompt, and when I saw it, my first thought was deniall, so I decided to write a quick thing.

Song Parody

Pair of Jeans

Parody of the song Fireflies by Owl City

Destiel

All for You (1k words)

Cas proposes to Dean when they're sitting together on a park bench and watching the sun set.

Read on ao3

Anywhere in Time (11k)

Dean is accidentally sent back in time to 1901, where he meets a woman who seems strangely familiar. He and the woman have to find a way to get him back to his time. In the present time, Cas is running from an angel, and he has to find a way to defeat so that he is still alive when Dean returns.

Chapter 2 | Read on ao3

Dr. Sexy? (5.6k )

Rating: E

Cas finds himself in a hospital that looks eerily similar to the one on Dr. Sexy MD. Then, he sees Dr. Sexy himself, except isn't Dr. Sexy. It's Castiel. They have to find a way to get out of here, but the only way is to do as Gabriel tells him to. Dean isn't sure that he wants to go through with it. At least, not like this.

Read it on ao3

Gross Stuff (1k)

Cas and Dean are reorganizing the storage room in the bunker, and Dean keeps labeling things as "gross stuff."

Read it on ao3

Will you be my wingman? (579 words)

Dean asks Cas to be his wingman, and Cas misunderstands what Dean means.

Coldflash

Scarlet Lover (807 words)

Barry Allen and Leonard Snart are in a secret relationship, and this is just a tiny bit of fluff.

[corishadowfang]

WIP Prep Tag Game

Tagged by @siarven--thanks for the tag!

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag as many people as there are questions (or as many as you can).

I debated back and forth about which WIP I’d do, but since I’m going to be entering the rewriting/editing phase soon, I thought I’d do it for On my Heart!

FIRST LOOK

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

A boy named Aiden is temporarily turned into a dragon by his Familiar, Kiru, in order to save his life--something that’s both incredibly illegal and incredibly dangerous.  Now on the run, he enlists the help of a former police officer and a hermit with an unusual amount of knowledge about dragons to help prove he’s not the monster everyone thinks he is.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

I’ve planned the story so that it’ll fit into a single book!  Right now it’s approximately 250 pages, but after rewrites I think it’s going to be closer to 400 pages.  (I ended up rushing through a lot of things to finish this draft, so...lots of additions are needed.)

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

It’s very...blue.  This is probably because Kiru’s--and by extension, Aiden’s--primary color theme is blue.  Most of the time when I imagine scenery there’s a mix of monochrome and blue-tinted colors with a couple muted colors thrown in.

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

The two most notable are the Fate series and Brave Story.  Fate was actually one of the things that initially inspired the story (more accurately, it was a question that came up while I was playing Fate/Stay Night), and Brave Story has a nice mix of fantastical grounded by more relatable problems that I’d really like to emulate.

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

They’re not neatly organized or anything, but there they are.

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

The primary character the story follows is Aiden Cooley.  He’s a sarcastic, adorkable child who really isn’t cut out for the nonsense he’s being put through.

7. Who is their closest ally?

Technically speaking, that would be these three:

Kiru, Aiden’s Familiar, who is something of a trouble-maker but cares deeply for Aiden

Gertrude, a very morally gray woman who would probably be really helpful if anyone could figure out what her motives are

And Jackie, an amputee who helps Aiden out of a combination of pity and worry that turning him in could actually cause bigger problems than helping him out.

8. Who is their enemy?

I joke that it’s himself, but that’s actually not entirely wrong.  One of the biggest problems for Aiden is that he tends to sabotage himself, whether by accident or on purpose.

As far as outside problems go, though, the most immediate ‘enemy’ would be the police.  They’re not really ‘bad guys,’ but they’re the major antagonists considering the position Aiden’s been put in.  The wider-scope antagonist would probably be society at large, though it takes a while for this to dawn on Aiden.

9. What do they want more than anything?

He’d really, really like to just go back home and, you know…not be arrested.  (He had other worries before the story’s start, and they get to be addressed throughout the course of the story, but this has quickly become his immediate concern.)

10. Why can’t they have it?

To give a really brief explanation about how some of the workings of the world: Familiars a readily-available for purchase, and, while all of them have the ability to turn their owners into dragons (should the owners so choose), the act has been outlawed both due to the fact that this would normally kill a user, and because dragons running rampant in the streets would generally cause a lot of panic. Aiden not only transforms into a dragon (albeit against his will), but is completely unharmed by the transformation. Basically, this means that even if he somehow manages to not be arrested, nothing’s going to be the same for him ever again.

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

He tends to have very low self-esteem.  To explain a little, he talks to his Familiar a lot because Kiru has higher artificial intelligence than most Familiars.  However, most kids outgrow this habit by, like…ten, and since Kiru can’t actually talk to anyone but Aiden, the rest of his peers all think he’s pretty weird. This has kind of seeped into his psyche over the years, to the point where he agrees and assumes that no one would actually be interested in being around him and Kiru.  He’s mostly convinced himself that he might be able to live a quiet, uneventful life where no one has to be disturbed by his ‘oddities,’ even though he wouldn’t be entirely happy doing so.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

OH GOSH.  Okay, so, this picture is pretty old, but here’s a rough idea of what Aiden looks like:

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

I’ve obviously already explained some of it for Aiden; there’s a lot about him learning how to move forward after an event that has drastically changed his life and how to find a ‘new normal,’ and also kind of learning to accept himself.  

For Kiru, a lot of the conflict relates to his own sense of self.  How much of him was created by Aiden as coping mechanism, and how much is himself?  What kind of role does he really play in a world ruled by humans?

For Gertrude, a lot has to do with her own past failings…though I won’t say too much on that.

Jackie’s arc actually parallels and ties with Aiden’s.  They complement each other, since Jackie has already started to learn how to find a ‘new normal’ after a life-changing event (the loss of her leg), and slowly helps Aiden come to terms with the situation through her own experiences.  On a more personal note, her views on Familiars and the people who use them are challenged constantly through working with someone who’s so close to them.

14. What is the external conflict?

The biggest conflict revolves around both evading the police and figuring out a way to get Aiden out of a situation where there are no real easy answers.  On a less important note, trying to understand why Aiden wasn’t affected by his transformation is a constant current in the background, and factors into some key areas of the story.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?  

The only remaining support system he has turning their backs on him would probably be pretty bad.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

That’s spoilers.

17. Do you know how it ends?

That’s…actually a good question.  I’ve finished the draft, so I know how that ends, and originally that was the ending I’d always envisioned for the story. However, I know this draft’s going to need a lot of edits and rewriting, so there’s a very strong possibility that a new ending will appear that works better.  So, we’ll see if it stays the same or not!

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?  

A pretty major over-arching theme is what you do when you’re in a situation where there are no good answers—where there is no clear-cut right and wrong, and you just have to try your best to pick the right option.  This isn’t just present with the main characters, either; the police officers—especially Chief Harris, who hates this whole situation—and Aiden’s parents have plenty of their own struggles trying to figure out the right thing to do.

A smaller theme, though, is the subject of humanity—what makes us human, and, to use a trope name, “What measure is a non-human?”

19. What is a recurring symbol?  

…Dragons, I guess?  Or water, maybe, because it plays such a heavy metaphorical role in the story.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

On a large scale, it’s set in an alternate version of Earth where dragons and humans once coincided. The two races ended up fighting, and humans eventually drove dragons to extinction.  A couple decades later, humans decided to try and make the power of dragons their own.  This eventually led to them creating Familiars, which would bestow the power of dragons on humans (with the idea that they’d be less likely to turn on their own kind).  Unfortunately, the dragon transformation was pretty fault due to the fact that it forces a person’s body to change and grow in unnatural ways.  Familiars are still used in every-day life, though—and they’ve been given extra abilities to compensate for the fact that they can’t really be used for their original purpose.

On a smaller scale, the story takes place in the city of Provenance, aka “The Birthplace of Familiars.” It’s a medium-sized city that sits along the bank of a river and used to be the fishing village of White Water. Since the creation of Familiars and Familiar Co. (the primary Familiar manufacturing company), it’s started relying more and more on tourism and Familiar-based exports.  Provenance is kind of this weird mix of historical, tourist trap, and modern city with a lot of weird legends and out-of-the-way places.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already? 

Originally there were several scenes I had in mind, but as for this upcoming draft…I actually don’t? I might once I get through with editing, but right now there’s nothing major.

22. What excited you about this story?  

So you can probably guess from the theme question, but I really like exploring difficult topics and morally-ambiguous situations in fiction.  A lot of times it’s how I personally work out solutions to those problems (at least on a personal level), and exploring those themes can actually be pretty fun!

But I also really love the characters and their interactions.  They’re basically one big messed up family and I love them.

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!  

Honestly, it’s nothing very exciting.  I usually pick out a song to listen to on repeat—most of the time it has some relation to the story, but other times it’s just one that I like a lot.  Then I’ll set it going and start writing.  I usually have a goal in mind.  So, for example, “Get to the end of this part,” “finish this chapter,” or “write this many pages.”  Basically this just makes sure that I actually make a decent amount of progress on it.  And that’s…basically it?  Sometimes to get myself inspired I’ll read world-building or analysis posts, but that’s not every time; it just kind of depends on my mood.

This was a lot of fun!  Now to tag people...

I’ll tag @paladin-andric, @touchingmadness, @moonbow-ink, @diwrites, @sleepy-and-anxious, @fatal-blow, @focusdumbass, @thatsmybluefondue, @junglefae, @feathersandfortunes, @roselinproductions, @forlornraven, @aureliobooks, @maple-writes, @jess---writes, @aleshirewrites, @ad-drew, @nepeinthe, @novelier, @spacebrick3, @infinitelyblankpage, @insertpenname-here, @theta-lee, and anyone else who wants to do this!  (No pressure if you don’t, of course; this one’s pretty long.)

[natsubeatsrock]

The Rewrite of Fairy Tail: Part 7 (History of Magic)

What is the story behind the magic of Fairy Tail?

Remember how I said the magic system is fairly solid? Well, the lore behind it and the lore of Fairy Tail in general, outside of the Dragon King Festival, isn’t very much explored. We don’t have much on an idea as to why magic is treated the way it is. 

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that magic itself needs a definite origin per se. And, all things considered, I can imagine this kind of thing not being very important in Mashima’s mind while working on the series, when compared to the “current” events of the series. Still, there are things that need to be squared away involving how and why magic worked the way it does that involve understanding how the continent got to where it was during the series. 

So, we’re actually going to be doing the opposite of what I did in the last part. Instead of describing what, for the most part, is part of the canon series, I’ll be working with things which already are in canon to see how to best interpret them and figure out how they can be made to make sense. In doing so, I’ll start to give a rough outline of the timeline of events before the series starts.

Keep in mind that this does intersect with a few different ideas I want to get to in future posts. Even doing this singular part has taken a lot of thought and going back through the series to check through ideas and I’m afraid that I’m forgetting something. These issues are important and many deserve separate devoted attention to them as they affect the entire series.

What do we know that can be used?

Let’s start with two big dates: the aforementioned Dragon King Festival and the establishment of the first guild. 

Yes, even as this moment is from the sequel, it matters. Remember, any part of the Fairy Tail universe is fair game for this, especially the canon sequel to the original manga. Thanks to the sequel, we know that Magia Dragon, the first guild in the world started at x633. I’ve gone back and forth about if that should mean anything more specific. For now, I feel as though it should stay as is.

As for the Dragon King Festival, we don’t know when it exactly ended. According to FT Wiki, the war started at x391, but the end date was not given. A good argument could be made that it never really ended until x792 when Acnologia was beaten. That being said, it makes sense to cap the actual fighting before Acnologia starts his killing spree and technically ends the war would have to be somewhere between 150-200 years before the first guild forms.

In addition, Precht mentions that his research in magic led to the realization that magic was found in the dark arts. Of course, this led to the founding of Grimoire Heart. However, it’s not quite accurate. The One True Magic is actually Love. While Mavis and Zeref know this and that makes (some) sense, we hear this first as a possibility from Lucy. And this isn’t necessarily her own idea. It’s something that she remembers from her mother. 

So how do I explain the history of magic from these points? Again, keep in mind that this is mostly me making things in order to connect dots left by canon. I’m not describing stuff that I believe Mashima absolutely to be considered as the lore of the series. Also, some points will need a bit more explanation than I can give in this one post. That being said, here are some of the issues that I want to address, in no particular order: 

Where would Precht get his idea from the origin of magic? 

How does lost magic fit Precht’s study of magic? 

Where do Zeref’s study and research on life, death, and resurrection lead him to the concept of the origin of magic? 

How would Layla know about this origin?  

What is the reason only 10 percent of people on the continent are able to use magic?

What does the Magic Council do?

Why would they set up Etherion and Face?

And how does the Dragon King Festival affect the history of magic worldwide and specifically on the continent of Ishgar?

Here’s what I got.

Again, I don’t think we need to know exactly when the discovery of magic started. All that matters is that by the time the Dragneels get attacked, it has been known about for a while and people have started to try and understand it. People have started to get together in magic academies and universities both to teach and research the concept of magic. The only one that really matters is Mildian Academy in Ishgar, or as it was known Dragnof, where Zeref studied. This is where the origin of the One Magic as Love is originated and taught.

The entire Zeref incident involves that I haven’t entirely squared away just yet. However, an important change that I’m making is that his research leads to him getting expelled right before he would have been cursed. Which means that the Academy is allowed to exist for a while longer. Before it gets closed down, the school has two special teachers whose names would have to come in the history of magic eventually: Anna Heartfilia and Irene Belserion.

Anna’s place in the school isn’t that big of a deal. But Irene is royalty, right? Well, her status as nobility may not necessarily disqualify her from work in the school. All that really needs to happen in her case if for her to work at the school for long enough to deal with the Dragon King Festival. After she gets married, she can take up the mantle of Queen of Dragnof. The fact that she is nobility can work both as a reason for the school to want her and a source of tension for a family that marries her off to royalty. That being said, I don’t know that Irene and Anna will spend too much time as teachers together. They just have to spend a few years together so that they both know of each other.

Once the Dragon King Festival starts, the school gets roped into helping find ways to help win the war. Irene comes up with the idea Dragon Slayers just before she gets married off. The fact that she came up with it while she was a teacher, in addition to putting her in trouble, gets the school shut down. If the Zeref stuff could be brushed aside as only affecting a few, Dragon Seeds resulting in Acnologia can’t be ignored.

But before the school is shut down and Acnologia “ends” the Dragon King Festival, Anna pulls some people together to get the Eclipse Project off the ground. Of course, Anna has to get in touch with Zeref for help to make the plan work. He helps them with Eclipse, gives them Natsu and we all know the rest. Anna starts a notebook which gets passed down the Heartfilia line. One of her most important notes is that of the Origin of Magic as Love.

With the war over, the noble bloodline killed (Irene not killing people, even accidentally, while a dragon is too much of a stretch for me), and the Dragnof kingdom in ruins after the war, various different nations break off to form their own kingdoms. However, they all decide to completely ban and outlaw all forms of magic on their kingdoms as a safeguard against a similar event happening in the future. Sometime before guilds form, the continent goes by its new name, Ishgar. 

As a result of the bans, magic users leave the continent. Some end up going to the northern continent Giltena, but most go to the western continent Alakitasia, explaining their high count of mages. Of course, not all magic users leave the continent. Less than 1 percent stay. Many simply don’t use magic and do their best to remain hidden. However, some mages who stay end up trying to continue the tradition of Zeref and, by extension, the Mildian Academy. Of course, I’m referring to the followers of Zeref and, as you can imagine, they’re not welcome by the governments of Ishgar.

By virtue of being researchers, they become responsible for the creation of magic forms. While some are simply better versions of pre-existing forms of magic, others become the Lost Magic. While they still come with terrifying side effects, this origin gives two additional reasons for being lost: their existence before magic becomes legal and their connection to Zeref. The governments of Ishgar definitely wouldn’t want these abilities widely available, especially after magic becomes legal.

Speaking of which, what causes the change of tone on Ishgar? In the decades before the first guild, there start to become arguments for the legalization of magic. The arguments against boil down to a matter of precaution - not wanting another magical crisis like the Dragon King Festival. The arguments against it boil down to a matter of practicality - recognizing that banning magic hasn’t entirely stopped its use on the continent.

Obviously, the latter side wins out, due to the existence of guilds. While there have clearly been groups of wizards in the past and guilds aren’t mage-exclusive, the idea that a group of wizards would formalize themselves as a guild provides a great model to prevent future magical mistakes. If the government has regulation over the guilds and guilds keep track of their members, they can stop crazy things happening.

As an aside, if you need a reason for why Fairy Tail is specifically a large threat to the Magic Council - no doubt a necessary factor/sign as to the success of this argument - here it is. It isn’t a good sign that the top guild of Fiore doesn’t pay attention to the restrictions set up by the council. Worse still, getting into fights with other guilds, legal or otherwise, is a great way to start another magical crisis.

Obviously, this debate plays itself out on an individual country-to-country scale. But, while different countries do what they do at different speeds, they ultimately reach the same conclusion. (Grant me this as I work with a fictional series.) In addition to the existence of Magic Councils which (theoretically, in some cases) keep the guilds in check, some governments make secret extra efforts to prevent something worse. For Fiore, those things happen to be Face and Etherion.

One thing that everyone absolutely does is bury as much of the history and magic connected to the Dragon King Festival as possible. This feels like an obvious next step for them. They keep the secrets of the Festival as a close secret known only to special circles within the nobility of the government. Considering the government structure of choice seems to be a monarchy, where rulership is passed down by royal line, this kind of thing is feasible. 

Well, that’s definitely a lot of information. Even painting with a broad brush, it’s clear that this affects much of the series. This took months to get together in a way that made sense and worked with the canon of the series. In some spots, I had to make some rather interesting changes to canon.  

Thankfully, how this will be learned throughout the series is an easier issue to deal with. Obviously, I can’t just include a version of this post as an addendum to the series as required reading before I start getting to certain points. However, we learn about much of these aspects during arcs like the Grand Magic Games and Alvarez. Some of the aspects behind the history of magic are hinted as early as the Tower of Heaven or Lullaby. Heck, the manga starts with a discussion of Fairy Tail’s antics in a magic council meeting. A meeting which, as I mentioned in part 1, gets adapted into the anime’s second episode.

Will I need to tease at some of these issues? Not too much more than is already presented. I do think some attention can be given to the gap in the history and magic that would be filled by the Dragon King Festival. But, I don’t think that there is too much that needs to be hinted at within the series in regards to magic.

Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 

[monochromatic--stains]

I ended up rewriting ME3 on Reddit, and someday I’d like to expand on these ideas:

Get rid of the starchild. Get rid of the stupid kid and his terrible voice acting. Get rid of those cringy dreams, or at least keep it to one dream.

Give the Tuchanka plotline more outcomes, and make it less black and white. For example, you could completely cure the genophage, get a ton of krogan war assets, but get an ending slide explaining how there will be more krogan rebellions in the future. Or you could modify the genophage by making the birth rate higher but still not close to pre-genophage levels, still gaining some krogan assets but not as many, but having a more stable future for the krogan.

Make Eden Prime a main story mission, and have it take place right after Tuchanka instead of the Cerberus coup. Use it to develop Cerberus's powers more, and give Udina more of a plotline so his betrayal isn't so sudden. Have this be the VS's first mission as a Spectre taking orders from Udina, and have them join up with you at the end.

Make the quarian/geth conflict less black and white. Explore the atrocities of both parties in more depth, while at the same time making both parties sympathetic. Make the geth more than just "I wanna be a real boy".

Redo Thessia. Make it be more than an asari pity party and Kai Leng circlejerk. Actually explore the faults of the asari for withholding vital information. An interesting thought I had (based on story drafts) was to have the VS be manipulated by Udina and have them turn against you, and to have the big fight at the end be against them instead of KL.

Have the Cerberus coup happen right after Thessia. Give them a reason to be there (finding out the catalyst has something to do with the Citadel). Have the VS show up in the middle of the mission, being manipulated by Udina into believing you're working with Cerberus. If you talked to them a lot before, you can convince them that Udina's the real traitor, otherwise you're forced to kill them. You can now have them in your squad again, as you fight through more Cerberus troops to reach Udina.

During the coup, Thane (who has a more active role in the story and is on the Normandy) is in the final stages of Kepral's Syndrome, is on a lot of pain medication and knows he probably doesn't have more than a week to live, but he feels like he should do one more selfless deed before his death. So he helps by guiding Shepard from the shadows, and during the final confrontation with Udina, he appears and uses the last of his strength to save Shepard and kill Udina. However, he's mortally wounded and is rushed to the hospital, where he has one final goodbye with Shepard and Kolyat.

If Kai Leng absolutely has to be in the story, give him a very minor role and maybe have him only appear on Thessia and TIM's base.

For the last mission on Earth, you will get a certain number of specific troops you can summon during different parts of the level, depending on how many war assets you have. If you played Dragon Age Origins, this is similar to the final level where you can summon troops to fight the archdemon. Different groups are suited to different parts of the level, and will suffer less casualties if you assign them to the right roles (krogan troops for a frontal charge, salarians for a sneak attack, different options for a biotic barrier, etc.), and it would almost be like the suicide mission on a larger scale. All of your choices will affect your military strength at the end of the mission.

Have the final push to the beam feel like an actual boss fight. Maybe have Harbinger summon forces and speak to you.

The starchild won't exist. Instead, the catalyst will take the form of one of your dead companions, depending on your choices. If you romanced Thane, he'll be the catalyst and promise that he'll be waiting across the sea for you. If you romanced the VS, the person you left behind on Virmire will be the catalyst, and they'll tell you they have no regrets dying. It could also be Mordin, Legion, Wrex, the VS if they died during the Cerberus coup, or anyone who died during the suicide mission.

I've honestly only thought about the destroy ending in this version of the story, but it would have different variations depending on your military strength. I'm fine with it being similar to the extended cut ending, but with more variation. For example, if you saved the geth and have a high enough score, certain AI personalities will be saved with the possibility of being rebuilt. Once again, Shepard will only survive if your military strength is extremely high.

I'd like some actual ending slides, similar to Dragon Age or Fallout New Vegas, showing what happens to your party depending on your choices. If you survived, the final slide is a picture of Shepard recovering at the hospital with their LI at their side if they also survived. If you died and romanced Thane, the final slide is them reuniting across the sea.

Have more squad members available as actual party members at some point in the story. Give every single romance the same level of content. For example, Miranda and Jack could have easily been recruitable, and stayed on the ship for the entire story.

Speaking of which, give Thane an actual romance arc. His was the most beautifully written in ME2 and they forgot about him in ME3. If I were to rewrite it, I would make him a squad member for the first part of the game, but have him be unable to fight after a certain point in the story, but still be in the ship's med bay. I'd give him several romantic cutscenes, including a climactic sex scene earlier than the typical one.