#to admit that it isn't working out

[starcollectorsilas]

In regards to the soulmate detective agency, the sequel/spinoff to the (not so) perfect pair

I haven't updated the sda for quite a while, and while I was working on it, and do have a third chapter mostly written, I've made the decision to discontinue it for now. Every time I've tried to work on it I've ended up unsatisfied with the result and end up stressing myself out over trying to ensure it lives up to the original.

Maybe with the lack of pressure I'll find it easier to write it, and maybe I'll be able to pick it up again at some point and finish/rewrite it. I genuinely hope that I can revisit the premise at some point, since I had some rather interesting plans for how I wanted it to go.

I'm really sorry that I'm not continuing it (again, for now. I may pick it up again eventually) but it really isn't worth how much it's upsetting me and stressing me out to try and continue it. I hope it was fun while it lasted, and that if I ever do finish it, it'll be received well :3

[theresa-draws]

at least she's alive, at least she doesn't have to see what he's become, at least she hasn't given up on him

[tabl3]

One of many reasons I (personally) prefer Kaz and Oliver being platonic is the absolute rarity in media to have close, emotionally open male friendships. like they're both allergic to toxic masculinity as individuals and as a friendship, which is so important

[chaos-in-one]

It's probably been said before at some point (if it has, sorry for repeating stuff, I don't remember any posts saying it offhand) but

Some of y'all care so goddamn much about having whatever initial opinion you formed on something be the "correct" one that you are willing to go into blatantly anti science & sometimes even slanderous territory about anything that disagrees with that opinion.

It is okay to be wrong.

It is okay to change your mind on something.

It is, in almost ANY situation, 10 times better and less harmful to just listen and admit you may have been wrong about something than it is to reach so goddamn far and/or just stick your fingers in your ears, shut your eyes, and refuse to listen, to 'prove' yourself right.

[crossdressingdeath]

I genuinely think the only people even slightly surprised by Caterina naming Lucanis as her heir were Illario and Lucanis. Lucanis from what we see and hear is more skilled (or at least puts in more visible effort, and at the level these two are aiming for not being seen to make an effort isn't all that much better than being seen as incompetent; the First Talon has actual work to do, it's not a figurehead position that can just be filled by a pretty face and a silver tongue), better respected (and no, there's no actual evidence that that's because of anyone sabotaging Illario's reputation or the Crows looking down on people using seduction; I think the Crows just generally value action over words), and just in every way except maybe charm seems to be the better choice out of the two of them. There's a reason why Wigmaker Job, which sets up this conflict, also shows Lucanis doing the planning and prep work (including finding secret ways through the city and making allies with useful skills and knowledge—hey, what was that about Illario being "the charming one"...? This combined with Lucanis seeming to be better liked and respected among the Crows really does feel to me like Illario's better at superficial charm used on strangers or acquaintances while Lucanis is better at winning a level of loyalty and trust from proper allies, the latter of which is more useful for a leader—to help him get close to the target) and thinking of the future (see things like him paying off the innkeeper who likely leaked their location so she and anyone she tells about this will be more likely to back the Crows over the Venatori in the future, a point that Illario didn't think of) and handling the vast majority of the killing and dealing with the abominations after while Illario mostly complains and follows Lucanis's orders! I genuinely don't see how anyone comes away from that story (which is the only direct comparison of the two of them at work that we get and so all we really have to go on regarding their individual skills as Crows) thinking Illario's the better choice! Gang please, don't read a book from a series known for Books That Lie To You (well in-universe book excerpts mostly, the codex lying to you my beloved, but you know what I mean) and come away just assuming that the things the characters say out loud are the truth over what their actions show. Lucanis having a heart emphatically is not a dealbreaker for him being the better choice for Talon (see: Teia, and also the dialogue between her and Viago after the servants are killed in Eight Little Talons which makes it clear that a given Crow's opinions on collateral damage and level of effort to avoid it are generally considered a matter of personal taste rather than something to really be judged) and... yeah, keeping that in mind there really isn't anything suggesting Illario would be the better choice.

Lucanis isn't perfect and Caterina absolutely should be training him specifically as First Talon (it's also entirely possible there are better options elsewhere in House Dellamorte that she isn't considering because of the nepotism angle), but he is better than Illario. In fact I firmly believe that Illario only had any reason to believe he was even being considered for First Talon because... he's Caterina's grandson and she's favouring her own family over unrelated Crows. But that's what makes me want to dissect him in a lab, because he's aware that favouritism is playing a part in the selection process—note that I'm not saying Caterina doesn't prefer Lucanis, just that he is objectively the better choice outside of that; sometimes the favourite legitimately is the better option—but doesn't seem to have any awareness that he is... also benefiting from that. And quite possibly benefiting more than Lucanis is! There's just something so tasty in Illario complaining about the thing that is also as far as we see the only thing putting him in the running, and that's assuming he was in the running and isn't just... assuming Caterina would favour him as her grandson.

[itsmistyeyedbi]

I've finally got the time and energy to carry on with the rewrite and I am... stuck.

I've reached the part where I need to make the kiss obvious now, Zuri can't skirt around it anymore. Not in her own head, at least💀

The problem is, the body language that Zuri and Bobby exhibit is important to the dialogue they exchange and the kiss (especially since I'm writing around the "unwanted kiss" version in the books, I'll go into detail about that a bit in the tags) but a full on flashback isn't going to work with the way I've already written this.

So... do I just keep the dialogue and leave the details out and up to imagination? Or do I keep them by having the memory be in italics and split up between her current thoughts + anything else happening around her?

[alongtidesoflight]

i swear my stepdad is so illogical AND stubborn it hurts

[novelconcepts]

Do you ever just lay awake at night, turning over in your head the stark difference in delivery between Hewson's Van saying--steadily, unshakably--"it's just something that's happening to you...happening to us" and Cypress' Taissa saying--imploringly, whiningly--"this was not just my dream, this was our dream"?

Do you ever just turn it over and over, how often Tai tried to scare Van away, and how it only made Van set her feet more firmly? How Taissa's first love was this person who saw a problem fall into Taissa's lap, a problem that was quite literally trapped inside Taissa's body, and decided unflinchingly: No, that's an us problem now? How she refused point-blank to walk away even with blood in her mouth, how she flatly informed Tai "I'm never gonna be scared of you", and promptly turned a moment of pain into a declaration of love? And how this would etch itself into Taissa for the rest of her life? How she'd take these things that worked with Van--with the person Van was, with the bond they shared--and try so hard to run through an identical script with Simone?

Except Simone is her own person. A completely different kind of person. A person who hasn't been offered any of the context, any of the realities going on inside Taissa. So: naturally she doesn't respond the way Van did at eighteen--and will go on to do all over again in her forties. Naturally, she hears our dream as the excuse it is, not as a plea for connection. Naturally, she is scared away when Taissa pushes, and shouts, and begs. Because there isn't blood in her mouth, not yet, but there will be. And they have a son to worry about. And she isn't eighteen and a special kind of immortal, a special kind of romanticized. She's a grown woman with responsibilities, with priorities, with an understanding that you can't fix someone just because you love them. And Tai can't just perform a revival of the play she and Van had memorized twenty-five years later with a whole new performer in the works, and expect it to shake out the same.

Of course it doesn't work. But look at Taissa trying it. Look at Taissa trying to reframe her first love through a new lens. Trying to recast it. Trying to play it through again. Van taught her love was sticking out the blood, shaking off the pain, making a you problem into an us problem. Does it ever just eat at you, how tragic it is, watching Taissa try to shape her marriage around a woman who isn't even wearing a ring?

[al-mayriti]

going back to my roots (i got selected for oposiciones in la mancha)

[pixelatedraindrops]

Yuma Month: Day 23: Hand Holding

“The more I held hands with Halara…the more tired I became…”

Prompt based on yet another fic of mine.

[nenoname]

always lamenting the loss of the stan+wendy crime bonding b plot.... it would've been so good for both of their characters.....

[crossdressingdeath]

Y'know, I know they never would've done it but god damn the redemption ending should've failed. That should've been the bad ending, it would've been so good as a bad ending.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

I played romance Louis/save Violet for the first time (and last) in my life some days ago and I really didn't expect the game to feel so different without him. Not is his absence only extremely notorious but to quote one of your old posts, the game won't shut up about him.

EVERY SINGLE TIME. They didn't mention Violet even half the times they did with Louis, and it just feels. Awful. Constant reminder that you left him get taken, that he's being tortured and traumatized. It really did hit different, I wanted to think about all the details for Violet's route but I couldn't. THEY KEPT BRINGING HIM UP LIKE OK !! I GET IT !! I KNOW, IM COMING TO HIS RESCUE

and in the end I ended up getting mad Violet suddenly forgot about his existence. I remember you talked about that a lot but since I hadn't experienced it I hadn't realized how bad it was.

When she didn't mentioned him even ONCE, not in the cells, not in the walk home back to Ericson, nothing.

But back to Louis– the game says Louis' name over and over and it makes me feel guilty and I don't like it

That route haunts my nightmares.

When I used to stream, we called the romance Louis/save Violet [+don't trust AJ] route The Despair Route.... you can probably guess why. You're right, the whole thing hits differently when you've built up Clementine's romance with him, only for him to be taken away. Plus, when you do that, your relationship with Violet isn't as strong so not only do you miss out on a lot of Louis content, you miss out on Violet content for not romancing/best friending her.

And yeah, the game will not shut up about Louis when he gets taken. It's actually so fascinating, because Violet doesn't get mentioned nearly as much, so that begs the question of why? Y'know? I mean, we can look at Louis getting captured and conclude that they keep reminding us about him so that we're extra hurt and guilty when we find him in the cells.

But then with Violet? Louis is the one who brings her up most of the time, except when Ruby pulls out her file. But it's odd that the others don't make more comments like they do with Louis. I think we are kind of meant to forget about her? Well, okay, not forget about her but like... The fact that they don't talk about her as much makes her feeling pissed off, forgotten and abandoned all the more powerful, no?

As for Violet forgetting about him, in my opinion that's just a genuine flaw with the writing... because Violet would ask about Louis. I've played her romance route. I believe that in my heart of hearts that she would, and when she doesn't, I'm like ?????

Sure, you can say she's got her mind on other things, or that Aasim already told her what happened to Louis so she doesn't ask when they're in the cells... except she would ask if he's okay.

They're different characters who react to things differently, and that's not inherently good or bad.... but you're seriously going to tell me that the only thing Violet's says to Louis is a sad little, "Lou..." when meeting up with him on the beach? and then she only makes a minor mention of him when talking about pushing people away on the walk home?

No, sir. I think not. I think that's an oversight, especially if you're trying to sell their friendship in her route.

But I suppose in her defense, if you're a Louis fan, you're more likely to be angry about it. We're used to Louis mentioning Violet and then to see her not do the same isn't great. Whereas a Violet fan who prefers her route is more likely to justify why and how it makes sense, y'know? In fact, if a Violet fan plays Louis' route, they probably get mad that she's "forgotten" about a lot prior to the cells so I suppose it balances out?

Also, can I add for both routes how much I side eye the fact that captured Louis/Violet say nothing about the other if they died on the bridge? I get they didn't want to be a downer on the happy ending, and that time has passed so they probably already mourned......... but c'mon. I know Louis can't verbalize but he can write, he can stand by Violet's grave, something. Violet could've said something. Listen, if you're gonna make me suffer through that, give me some of the angst I actually want.

[dangerous-advantage]

(Image description below 'read more' line.)

[Image ID: A four-by-four alignment chart on a white background with text descriptions to the left and to the top of the squares.

The top left description reads, "seems like they'd be good at parenting." The top right description reads, "seems like they'd be bad at parenting."

Then, from the top down, to the left of the squares, the other set of descriptions reads: "excellent child rearing instincts," and "never trust them with a child in your life."

Each of the four squares contains an image of a different character. At the top left is an image of Lan Wangji of the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua. He sits between the descriptors "seems like they'd be good at parenting," and "excellent child rearing instincts."

In the top right square sits an image of Wei Wuxian, also of the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua. He sits between the junction of "seems like they'd be bad at parenting" and "excellent child rearing instincts."

In the bottom left square is an image of Xie Lian from the Tian Guan Ci Fu manhua. He occupies the square with the captions, "seems like they'd be good at parenting" and "never trust them with a child in your life."

Finally, in the bottom left square, sits an image of Hua Cheng from the Tian Guan Ci Fu manhua. He occupies the junction between "seems like they'd be bad at parenting" and "never trust them with a child in your life". /End ID]

[veryaren]

Hello! I'm quite new to the idv fandom, and I was wondering why luchinini is so popular among many? No hate or anything like that towards it, I'm just curious!

welcome. it is batshit in here be prepared. AS FOR YOUR QUESTION.... I actually don't know. for me it's the character dynamic. I think they fit together well as far as complimenting eachother. antonio is a romantic hedonist who lives to love and be loved. and luchino is. WELL. other than being a freak for reptiles. a logistical sort with a great curiosity and an even GREATER penchant for sating that curiosity. other people might have different reasons!!!!!!!!!! I just think personality wise they compliment each other well. It's popularity (i say that lightly) could honestly potentially be attributed to the fact they're both Italian. WHICH IS KIND OF FUNNY. a lot of ships are very random here anyway so I wouldn't be surprised lol