#worldbuilding isn’t a strength of mine

[tsurugis]

I had been starting to worry that while I had been thinking that my story was probably gonna end up a trilogy that I actually didn’t have enough to do that lolll bullshit I’ve got 42,000 words of just Fenriel and Ozadius alone with no time jumps, and 13,000 of just introducing Atreyu and Ithiliel. So a short novel already and it’s just barely getting to where they even meet up the first time and there is soooooo much more so I think I’m good

I’m not worrying about word count or anything I’m just gonna write the whole thing as one and then edit the crap out of it, I just get curious

[hamliet]

Love (is) blood screaming inside you to work its will

(The title is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer but that’s not what this review is about. Mostly not, anyways). 

*clears throat, dons fandom oldie glasses* BACK IN MY DAY WHEN YA WAS GOOD--

No but seriously, in light of the upcoming Vampire Academy TV series, I took the plunge and reread these classic young adult vampire romance novels--both the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. I’d read them the first time like... eight years ago? Seven? I don’t even know. It’s been a while. 

And, in doing so, I was reminded why I love young adult literature in the first place. But that’s for the end of this review. For now, let’s get on with it, starting with the Vampire Academy series. 

Vampire Academy

I think VA gets a bad rap for being derivative of Twilight (vampires and romance) and Harry Potter (a boarding school setting). But it’s really got a lot more in common with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in that it is firmly young adult, uses magical worldbuilding as metaphors for the real-world struggles of teenagers, and actually has character arcs (sorry Twilight). In many ways it is more successful than BTVS in terms of its metaphors (it avoids a lot of the icky subtext of Buffy, particularly around sex), if in general less successful in its character arcs. 

But? Vampire Academy is also incredibly fresh and unique in some ways. 

To start with, in any other YA series, protagonist Rose Hathaway would be the sidekick, and Vasilisa Dragomir would be the protagonist. I mean, think about it: Lissa is the quintessential YA heroine. She’s the last survivor of a royal lineage, has a super secret and dangerous power that could destroy her or save the world, is destined to become queen, and her love interests (and a favorite character of mine, Christian Ozera) is a bad boy with a heart of gold.

Rose is even literally Lissa’s textual sidekick: as a dhampir, Rose tells us from the first chapter that her purpose is to stick by Lissa’s side and protect her life no matter what. Rose is bold, brash, doesn’t think, and has a very casual attitude towards physical romantic encounters. These are all typical traits of the YA Protagonist Sidekick.

But, Rose is the protagonist, not Lissa. It’s an interesting subversion, helped by the fact that both Rose and Lissa are characters with genuine flaws: Lissa is genuinely selfish at times, and Rose can be a jerk who uses people. Their love interests also have real flaws: Christian may have golden intentions, but he has a genuine cruel streak too (and a fascination with fire). Dmitri’s self-sacrificing nature winds up just hurting everyone around him, including Rose.

Which isn’t to say the story doesn’t have issues. It does, and in many ways you can tell Vampire Academy was the author’s first story. The climax in the first book is pretty much entirely told to us rather than shown, to the point where I’m surprised an editor okayed it. Frostbite introduces a bit of creepiness (the tunnel scene is genuinely chilling) and complexity, but doesn’t ever really let the setting and premise breathe because it’s too busy arranging characters to where they need to be for book 3. It’s really not until book 4 that the story really allows its characters to take a breather, and with their inhalation digs deep into the core of what makes Lissa, Christian, Rose, and even Dmitri who they are. Book 5 nails the emotional climax (Lissa and Christian restoring Dmitri’s soul), and Book 6 is an exciting finish. In other words, the story improves with each book, which is exactly what you want to see when reading.

That said, the story’s best strength was, as said before, its characters. They have flaws and strengths, are likable and unlikable each, and have their own unique dynamics with each other. The romance is very present for Rose/Dmitri and Lissa/Christian, but Rose and Lissa’s friendship manages to also pack a major emotional punch, as does Rose’s friendships with Christian, Sydney, Mason, Jill, and Adrian. The overall story’s biggest flaw is that it didn’t spend as much time calling the characters out for their flaws as it could have--it really could have gone deeper in a lot of ways, but as the author seems to settle into her groove, the story winds to a close. Adrian’s question to Rose at the end really cuts to the heart of her character flaws, but the story ends only a few chapters later; we know approximately where she’ll go from there, but it would have been nice to see it. 

"Not just me, little dhampir,' he added quietly. "There's been a lot of collateral damage along the way while you battled against the world. I was a victim, obviously. But what about Jill? What happens to her now that you've abandoned her to the royal wolves? And Eddie? Have you thought about him? And where's your Alchemist?”

Speaking of the romance, Dmitri and Rose are essentially Buffy and Angel, but done well: shown, not told. Also, despite Dmitri also losing his soul right after sex with Rose for the first time, it is clearly not because of sex that he lost his soul: if anything, that helps him hold on in some ways. Hence the metaphor is much more on the sex positive side. That said, yes, it’s problematic that a 24 year old teacher is in love with a 17 year old (okay a week from 18) student. It makes me uncomfortable, and that’s actually usually a huge squick for me. Yet for some reason it works in this series, which is odd and a testament to how the author writers it. 

On metaphors, I loved how at the start of the series, Rose’s automatic “they come first” (with “they” being Lissa for her) isn’t questioned, but is thoroughly unpacked later on. Her friendship with Lissa heals and kills both of them; Lissa can share some of her darkness and mental struggles with Rose, but the toll it takes on her is agonizing to read. When separated, the girls both struggle; they clearly need each other in their lives. Yet depending on each other so intensely is also detrimental to both of their growths. Their shadow-kissed bond is a metaphor for codependency, and it is very well done. 

Speaking of mental health... 

Bloodlines

Bloodlines is honestly where the author knocks it out of the park. Technically a sequel spin-off series, you might think it was trying to recapture the magic of the former, but it becomes both a perfect continuation and a gem in its own right. 

Adrian and Sydney are constantly called on their flaws, with both being challenged to grow throughout the series. Empathy drips off the pages, but their flaws aren’t ever excused either. 

Adrian is a great character, flawed, fun, and lovable at the same time. He’s also one of the best portrayals of addiction and mental illness I’ve ever read about. He is an alcoholic, but he is never defined by his alcoholism. When he falls off the wagon, you feel for him. When we’re finally allowed in his head in book 3 of Bloodlines, we feel his agony, and we too long for release for him. 

It was pretty clear from back in VA that Adrian’s mental issues were metaphors for bipolar disorder (just like Lissa’s was depression), and Bloodlines isn’t afraid to confirm this by giving Adrian the actual diagnosis. Not only that, but Bloodlines goes further and gives Adrian actual psychosis in what is a fairly realistic portrayal according to what I’ve read/seen in real life, yet never, ever defines Adrian by his psychosis. His story is one of learning to live with mental illness, and it’s important. It’s important because it takes a very different approach to mental illness than do most modern books: it doesn’t tell the story from the perspective of “it’s all better now.” Even in the happily-ever-after epilogue, it’s still a part of Adrian. His mental illness is still part of him; not the totality, no, but it’s not not him either.  And it does this without glamorizing it or diminishing the toll (I’m very sick of “mental illness isn’t actually something people suffer from; it’s just different”--for many, it is suffering). Basically, we need more stories with characters and struggles like Adrian Ivashkov. 

Which brings me to a really neat metaphor in the book; at one point, when Sydney refuses to accept Adrian’s feelings for her, she sees Catcher in the Rye on Marcus’s desk. She then thinks to herself how it means Marcus must be “self-absorbed and pretentious.” Marcus then calls her out on this, telling her she is misunderstanding the entire story, and how it’s actually a beautiful book. The Catcher in the Rye is here a symbol for Adrian: rich young boy who pretends to be self-absorbed and pretentious, but is actually a trauma survivor with some serious mental health struggles and a lot of love in his heart. Like Holden, too, Adrian’s future is in protecting the children... but more on that later.

Sydney is a pretty great combination with Adrian: they’re an unlikely couple (opposites attract is a good trope) but beyond that, they actually are fairly similar. Sydney also has an addictive personality--her caffeine habit, eating issues, and her devout faith and morals which she never entirely loses are all dealt with in honest ways. The “reeducation” center they send her to is a very unsubtle metaphor for conversion therapy. Some of the tactics used by the evil Alchemists in the books (like the nausea association) are very real and very much used in conversion therapy for LGBT+ people. It is really effed up, and this story captures the trauma and evil of such a place. 

Adrian and Sydney’s relationship is just hot. It’s passionate, but not melodramatic. It challenges both of them to grow each and every page that they’re together. It could destroy them, but because of their love for each other, they keep choosing to become better people--even when it means pain. It’s hopeful, fun, and everything YA romance should be. Also, the makeout and eventual sex scenes should be examples to all writers about how to write sex scenes that use emotion to perfectly convey the physical, without being gratuitous. They’re explicit about what’s happening without being graphic (or even being erotica; they’re not). 

The “happily ever after” ending is largely earned. There are a million hints from the very first book that the story will end with Adrian and Sydney having a kid--there’s the baby name book, the Callistana recognizing them as its parents, and more. Where the story loses it a bit is in Book 6, which is a shame because while Book 6 was the strongest of VA’s books, it’s the weakest of Bloodlines’ books. Olive, Nina, and Neil were really just introduced to give them Declan, and to make it clear that Rose and Dmitri could have children some day, too. 

To which I say: just do it. Seriously, you’re already going the fairy tale route (like Buffy, VA and Bloodlines are very much fairy tales). So don’t just hint. Do the fairy tale. 

I almost do wonder if that was the initial plan: Sydney and Adrian having a biological kid (even though it’s implied they will, and Declan is very much their son). It fits a little too perfectly with Sydney’s body image issues and her eating issues (particularly around craving foods and denying herself them). There’s also a moment in reeducation where she fears she’s carrying Adrian’s child, but then isn’t, and I honestly wonder if the author flirted with such an idea before scrapping it because a 19-year-old wife and mother might be a bit too much. But the angst and character development potential would have made for a much more satisfying Book 6, honestly. 

But again, I say, wrap up this fairy tale without any apologies. That is my taste, anyways. We have so many beautiful couples, the main ones being Rose and Dmitri, Lissa and Christian, and Sydney and Adrian, but then we have Jill and Eddie, Angeline and Trey, Jackie Terwilliger and Malachi Wolfe, Sonya and Mikhail, Marcus and Carly... it’s an explosion of love, and we even then find out Dmitri and Adrian are cousins (and it works). Just go the whole way. 

Lastly, on the family situations: both series’ show the nuance of broken families. Lissa’s family was whole and happy, but her father still cheated on her mother. Janine Hathaway and Abe Mazur are terrible parents to Rose, but by the end they start redeeming themselves, working to form a good relationship with their daughter--it will never be a typical parent/child relationship because that ship has sailed, but they can make something of their relationships anyways. Daniella Ivashkov and Adrian also fall into this, working together to find a way forward after trauma. 

On the other hand, Sydney and her father, Jared Sage, and Adrian and his father, Nathan Ivashkov, will not reconcile. It seems unequivocally clear that this is not possible, and the story supports this narrative just as it supports the more reconciliatory narratives. This is a nuance stories struggle to hit, and it does it very well.

Along these lines, I would liked some more closure on Dmitri’s family--I’d have liked an update on Viktoria, for example, and I’d have liked an update on Sydney’s mother. Where we left Zoe is very realistic--she loves Sydney and is maturing, but can’t break free from the cult of the alchemists just yet. As someone who left a cult-like religious environment, Zoe’s narrative really resonated with me. 

Final Thoughts

Where I bring it back to YA. 

The whole reason I loved YA, and the reason I write it in my own time, is that it used to be the best combination of plot, themes, character development, and romance--but best of all? 

It asked the questions. 

Nowadays it's all become the genre that has all the answers, and to its detriment. It’s hard to imagine VA not getting Twitter cancelled nowadays. I can’t even defend parts of it as not problematic. And yet it is honest and has an aim as a story that feels real, raw, in a way that contemporary YA of the past few years does not. 

Honestly, and again speaking as someone who grew up in a fundamentalist Christian place, most modern YA is just Christian/inspirational fiction, but with with performative wokeness as finding Jesus. I say this as someone who is still  religious and very much pro-social justice person. But it’s more concerned with purity than the messy reality of struggling to navigate a complex world. “Empathy” is lauded, but the word is meaningless, because it's not really empathy. What contemporary YA calls empathy is really a method of seeking power, and comforting readers with instructions on how to be a good person rather than discomforting and challenging. I'm all for tearing down the social structures that have oppressed for millennia. Burn it all. But, without empathy/love... is it even going to change anything? 

I'd like to see this question explored, and reading is such a powerful tool to exercise empathy, too. Especially in stories aimed at teenagers, because teenagers are able to understand complexity but are not yet burdened by the same depths of cynicism that adulthood can bring with it.  

Rereading Vampire Academy and Bloodlines reminded me of the reasons I love YA. I’m very excited for it to get an adaptation and reenter the public consciousness. 

[ageless-aislynn]

Okay, frens, I’m about to probably be a lot less available once NaNo starts tomorrow. Which is kinda saying something, given how I’ve been pretty absent lately. Being sick sucks rocks through a straw. 😕

However, the exceptions will be if:

I’m stalling (despite the fact I’m probably panicking that I’m not writing at the same time 🤷‍♀️)

I’m blocked (in which case I might ask for prompts just to try to get something short going again)

My writering muse* is being a little jerk (there’s no cure for this 😣😛)

(*I just caught this weird typo and left it because “writering muse” felt appropriate for some reason, lol, kinda like she’s wandering around, maybe gonna write eventually... 😛)

Again, depending on how I feel/how things are going, I may start editing and posting things just to give me a much-needed serotonin boost. We’ll see!

I’m hoping going to write “The Price” (Frosthunter, The Flash, NSFW) in its entirety because I have a total of one (1) person at AO3 who has politely asked me about it a couple of times over the past - what, year? Two years? - since I first mentioned wanting to write it. Just when I’m about give up on it, this lovely person writes me a sweet note saying how they hope I’m doing well and that I’ll still write it one day. And that gives me the strength to keep fighting on, lol!

Despite the fact that, well, Zoom isn’t usually a laugh riot, “The Price” is intended to be rather explicit smut with a humorous slant. Just how explicit and how humorous... we’ll find out together! Even if it’s just me and that one lone person over at AO3, lol!

(If you ever wonder if your comment will make a difference, then I can promise you that yes, it definitely does. Just knowing that somebody cares is SO important. 🤗)

Secondly, I want to finish “Cupid’s Kiss” (Snowells, The Flash, NSFW) and “Guardian Angel” (Snowells, The Flash) at long last. 🤞😣🤞

This will probably close out my Flash fics for now. I wish I could’ve gotten them done sooner but... Life, right? 😕 I hope that anybody who still cares how they ended will get the chance to see them.

“Try” (aka the Big Beast of ReverseSnowThawne) still might randomly appear one day, despite being a thing that exactly zero (0) people probably want to read, lol. But I still want to see how it all works out and it has worldbuilding and there are already 3 chapters written so... We’ll see. It definitely has enough mileage to it to give me the 50k for this NaNo.

Over in the world of Halo... “15 Minutes” chapter 6 (John/Reader) and “Recreation” chapter 3 (Kai/maleReader) are in pre-planning. (“15 Minutes” is the rare beast of mine in that I actually have so many events still in store for it that I’ve done an outline. As a long-time pantser, that’s saying something, lol!)

“Choices” (tentative title, Noble Team x Reader, Halo: Reach) is something I’m still very excited about! It starts with the premise in chapter 1 where the reader meets Noble Team. At the end of ch1, you’ll choose who you’re going to go with and there will be links to the appropriate chapter that will conclude the story with you and either Carter, Kat, Jun, Emile, Jorge or Six (male and female versions).

I’ve always loved Choose Your Own Adventure type stories and after reading @lialacleaf​‘s awesome and super fun Master Chief x Reader interactive fic “The Medic,” I was inspired to try my own variation (mine is, of course, a very simplified version, you only make that one choice of who you’re going with but still! Similiar if simpler! 😁)

If you’d like to be tagged for any of that, just let me know. 😉

Flash Masterlist

Halo Masterlist

Anyway, that’s where I’m at right now. I have only a really basic NaNo playlist done but that can fall into place as we go along. 🎵💃🎵 I just mainly gravitate to songs with a good beat to type to, lol! This one is already on there...

“Sing Along” - Sturgill Simpson

Noble Team is kinda running to the beat in my GIF, lol! 🤷‍♀️😂

Anyway, it’s helpful to me to spell out my goals, hence why I wrote all of this. 😉 Good luck to those who are also participating in NaNo and happy November to those who aren’t!

🤗💖

[iam93percentstardust]

Prompt: tony can’t get enough of Steve’s strength and Steve loves it bc he’s still quite self conscious of his body? 💚

I realized halfway through writing this that you probably meant for a canon-compliant fic, but I was already so deep into the worldbuilding for this little science fiction fic (seriously, you don't even know how much unnecessary worldbuilding I did) so I kept with it

Also on ao3 here!

~

“Steve!” Tony hollers through the communicator. Steve glances up from the board game he’s playing with Natasha and Clint and over at where the communicator hangs from the ship’s wall. He still doesn’t really understand the technology behind the communicators even after a year of being awake, but they’re hung all over the Avenger’s Shieldand he won’t deny that they’re useful.

“I’m here,” he says at a normal volume, knowing that JARVIS will easily pick up what he’s saying and transmit it to Tony. Tony’s just being loud because he’s always loud and because he’s down in the engine room of the ship with all its noises from the conversion of stardust into energy.

“Great! I need your muscley goodness down here like yesterday.”

Steve hides a smile and stands, passing his pieces off to Clint, who’s losing worse than either Steve or Natasha. “Here, you can have mine. Not sure how long I’ll be down there.”

Clint’s eyes narrow and Steve tries not to fidget under the cybernetic enhancements. When he went into the ice nearly three hundred years ago, mankind didn’t even dream of space travel, at least not realistic space travel, and now they’ve got colonies on galaxies as far away from their own, it makes his head spin. Humans have peace treaties with over two thousand alien civilizations. And mechanical body enhancements, meant to augment humans for travel and work and sometimes sheer entertainment, are as common as breathing. But Steve, with his serum-induced enhancements, is somehow still the odd one out.

“You know,” Clint says, “you don’t have to help him out if you don’t want to. Tony means well but that doesn’t mean he can’t be abrasive sometimes.”

“I don’t mind,” Steve says truthfully. Everyone else on this ship seems to dance around his non-cybernetic enhancements—and around the fact that he’d been frozen in the ice caps, now stretching as far south as Florida, for three hundred years—but Tony never once seemed to care. He’s thrilled about Steve’s enhancements—no one else on the ship is quite as strong as Steve is, not since Thor joined the crew of the Milano—both because of what Steve can help him with and because of what the serum means for scientific advancement, though Steve hasn’t let Bruce or Yinsen take any of his blood yet.

He heads down into the belly of the ship, pausing once at one of the portholes to look out at the stars flashing by them. It still amazes him that humans have achieved all of this (and horrifies him that they achieved this but left their own planet behind).

Tony’s “lair” (as Clint calls it) is located at the very bottom of the ship. It’s here that Tony holds his court, making sure that the engines that run the ship are still intact and running smoothly, tinkering with other projects that the other crewmembers give to him, and designing improved systems for the Shield, whether that’s comms, mechanical, or even medical. Tony does it all. According to Natasha, Tony, who’s one of the few nonhumans on the ship, was once a member of high society on his home planet, Aur’a, but left it all behind to join the Shield and travel the galaxy.

Steve opens the door and is immediately met with a wave of heat. It’s always hot down here. Tony says it’s because of the celestial energy, that stars run so hot that even residue energy is still too hot for unenhanced humans to handle. Fortunately, neither Steve nor Tony are unenhanced, and Steve would be willing to bet that the reason it’s so hot in the engine room today is because Tony is working with raw stardust.

The copper pipes running the room are too close to avoid bumping into for someone as large as Steve, so he doesn’t even bother trying to avoid them, letting them brush against his skin as he follows the sound of Tony humming. When he’d first joined the crew, he’d been worried about Tony complaining that Steve couldn’t move around the engine room without knocking something over, but Tony has never once complained, only just made easygoing jokes about bulls in china shops and told him that the pipes are built to withstand forces a lot stronger than Steve. It had gone a long way toward helping him feel comfortable in the space and now he spends a lot of time down here, talking with Tony about the mechanics of the ship, even though a lot of it goes over his head.

He ducks underneath one of the pipes and rounds a corner to find Tony sitting on a bench, carefully chipping at a speck of stardust on the benchtop in front of him. Tony once told him that it only takes a miniscule amount of stardust to power the ship for an entire week, which is good because stardust is difficult to mine. Tony’s goggles are perched on top of his nose, giving him an owlish appearance. Steve finds it adorable, but he waits until Tony is done with the chisel before walking over to drop a kiss on top of his hair.

The rest of the crew doesn’t know that they’ve been seeing each other for a month. After their first kiss, Steve had asked if it would be okay to keep it quiet a little longer. Steve’s brain is still firmly convinced at times that they’re in the forties, so the idea that he can date a man and have it be as accepted as dating a woman is still a little foreign to him. Tony had been more than accommodating though, which is only one of the reasons Steve loves him so much.

“Oh!” Tony exclaims, clearly startled. “Didn’t realize you were already here.” He turns, pushing his goggles up to his hair. “Did you get even more muscley since the last time I saw you?”

“Tony, you saw me this morning,” Steve says amusedly.

“Right you are, Capsicle, but I still stand by what I said,” Tony shoots back with a cheeky wink. He runs his hands over Steve’s biceps, making a low purring sound under his breath. Steve just barely manages to hear it over the sound of the engines, and it makes him smile.

Sometimes, he still feels self-conscious about his size. Spending most of his life looking and feeling one way only to change in only seconds had been disorienting, and he hadn’t had much of a chance to get used to his size before he’d been thrown into the war and then frozen in the ice. Tony’s always good to talk to though when he needs someone to remind him that this is okay, that he isn’t taking up too much room just by existing. Somehow, he always manages to get to the heart of Steve’s insecurities and allay them.

He indulges in Tony’s warm touch for a little longer before asking, “So what did you need me for?”

Tony perks up, spinning on his heel and picking up the speck of stardust with his bare hand. “I need your help opening the converter door so I can toss this in. Something must have gotten damaged during the battle with the Hydra’s Scales, because it’s not opening for me.”

“Huh,” Steve says, following Tony through the warren of copper pipes toward the energy converter. He has no idea how Tony knows where he’s going without a map. Steve still sometimes needs a map and he’s lived on this ship for a year. “That’s not something you can fix?”

“Not with what I’ve got on ship. I’ll ask Fury if we can stop in Knowhere later this week. They’ve probably got what I need.”

“Wow, Tony Stark admitting he can’t jury-rig a solution from his lab. Hell must have frozen over,” Steve comments, grinning when Tony turns to scowl at him.

“You shut your mouth,” Tony growls.

“Or what?”

Tony’s eyes turn dark and heated. He slinks closer to Steve, runs his fingers up Steve’s chest, and purrs, “Or I’ll shut it for you.”

Steve’s brain shuts down. “Uh…”

“But not right now,” Tony says abruptly, tweaking Steve’s nipple through his shirt. He spins back around and marches off, leaving Steve floundering in his wake. He gapes after him for a second before hurrying to catch up.

“You,” he says, carefully bumping Tony’s shoulder with his—he doesn’t want Tony to drop the stardust after all—“are a menace.”

“That’s me: mechanic and professional menace,” Tony says cheerfully.

They stop beside the energy converter. Steve can immediately see what Tony means by there being something wrong with it. The converter is made out of some sort of transparent material—Steve doesn’t know what—so he can see right in to where something is twisted in the converter itself, partially fusing the door shut. Even Tony, with all his abilities as an Aurum, can’t reach into an active energy converter without burning his hand to ashes, and the converter has to stay active or they’ll be dead in space, so they’ll have to stop somewhere where he can make the necessary repairs.

“See?” Tony says. “I need someone who can muscle that open for me.”

“Well, I’ve definitely got muscles.”

“Mmm, yes you do,” Tony murmurs. Steve wonders if Tony’s thinking about the same thing he is: that time he pinned Tony to the walls of their shared bunk and—well, now’s not the time to be thinking about that.

He grabs onto the wheel and wrenches it to the left. Tony sure hadn’t been kidding; the wheel doesn’t budge at all. He applies more of his strength, muscles bulging. Under the squeal of metal, he hears Tony’s breath catch, and he grins saucily at him. Tony sticks his tongue out and gestures at the wheel again.

“Come on, Captain Crunch. Put your back into it.”

Steve, having no idea what Captain Crunch is supposed to be a reference to, makes a mental note to ask Tony about it once they’re done here. For now, though, he uses all of his strength and slowly—so slowly—the wheel turns, protesting the entire way. Eventually, he gets it open, letting another blast of heat into the engine room. Tony tosses the stardust in. It flares in the heat of the converter, setting off beautiful gold and purple sparks. Steve closes the door. It closes a lot easier than it opened. Tony hums thoughtfully at it.

“Well, that narrows things down,” he says, once the door is fully closed.

“What, that it was easier to close than it was to open?”

“Mmhmm. Only a few things that could be. Probably need to tell the One-Eyed Pirate though that we have to stop on Xandar instead of Knowhere. I don’t think Fujikawa will have what I need. Steve, don’t let me forget to tell Fury the course change.”

“Got it.”

“And thanks, by the way. Definitely couldn’t have done it without you.”

Steve glows at the praise. Maybe it’s silly, but it’s nice to be reminded that even in this oversized, clumsy body out of time, he’s still able to do some good. “Happy to help,” he says honestly.

They head back to Tony’s little work area, Tony eagerly chattering on about the project he’s working on for Natasha. Steve listens, fingers itching for the drawing tablet he’d left in the galley with Natasha and Clint. Tony is lovely when he’s animatedly talking about his inventions. Steve has half a dozen folders saved on his tablet, filled with nothing but different poses of Tony.

Tony leans up against the workbench and pulls Steve in, looping his hands around his neck. “Now, where were we earlier?” he hums, eyes dark.

“Careful,” Steve warns, bracing himself with hands on either side of Tony’s body. “I might crush you.”

“You might,” Tony agrees, though he doesn’t sound concerned at all. “And I might like that. All that coiled strength pinning me down? Oh, honey, yes.” He shivers, a small delighted smile curling his lips up.

“You just like me for my body,” Steve accuses. It isn’t the truth and he knows that. Tony loves him for many reasons; Steve’s strength is only one of them. But it’s fun to tease his lover and Tony is always happy when he does. He frequently worries that Steve is too serious.

“Yes, darling, that’s exactly it.” Tony kisses him lightly. Steve lets himself lean into Tony’s body a little more, grinning when Tony shudders against him.

He pulls away, tucking his head against the curve of Tony’s neck. “Thank you,” he breathes. He doesn’t know how Tony always knows when Steve is feeling self-conscious about his body, but he somehow does and he always comes up with something that’ll help.

Tony strokes his hair. “Anytime, darling. Anytime.”

[eyrieofsynapses]

y'know, I've been reading a lot of books lately from a few different authors, all of them good. but there's this thing I can't help but notice, now. their styles differ. in many ways they differ vastly--some with beautiful broadness of worldbuilding that feels like I could walk into it, others with dialogue to kill for, others with figurative language that bowls me over with laughter. sometimes they have a bit of all of them, but the way they deliver it is unique. characters make their own journeys. plots unwind with twists and turns like no one else's. it's all so varied. I've seen it in my peer's writing in classes, too, and often in fanfic. each and every one of us have some distinctive focuses and strengths.

and I think, as someone who is learning to write (though aren't we all always learning, no matter how much we've written before?), this is something that's important to remember, y'know? because so often we strive to be good at everything. perfect dialogue that sounds natural as anything. worldbuilding that is so sweeping and truthful that it feels deeply real. rich, deep wordplay, full of metaphors and onomatopoeias and dissonance and assonance and all of these fancy terms for figurative language. characters that reach through the pages and touch your heart. always just the right tension, always just the right plot, always just the right thing that will make this the best book of all...

which is totally unrealistic to expect of ourselves.

see, I'm not ever going to be perfect, and there's always going to be some parts of my writing that aren't as great as the others. but that is what makes my writing mine. that's what I'll learn to work around. it's about finding my strengths and using them as pillars, building my stories around them to create worlds and characters and ideas that ring as uniquely mine.

this doesn't mean it isn't worth working on learning the other areas I'm not as good at--it's always important to try to learn new things and broaden one's horizons--but it means that I don't have to put pressure on myself all the time to build my weak spots up to the same strength as my talents. it means I have the freedom to be my own self in my writing.

stiffer dialogue is made up for in details in a character's actions, in their choice of clothing and appearance, in how they fit into the world around them. weaker worldbuilding is made up for in strong characters or tense plots that the audience will follow till the end. the language itself--well, some people like it plain and straightforward, others love flowery and flowing poetic prose, yet others prefer humor and biting commentary. it can serve different purposes for each story. Ray Bradbury's wondering imagery in his dystopic and reflective writing is not Jane Austen's more practically direct prose and examination of women's roles in society, neither of which is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's descriptive and dialogue-heavy voice in Sherlock Holmes' legendary mysteries. but we love all of them all the same, do we not? they are still beloved through the ages, are they not?

so just... when you're writing next time, maybe don't beat yourself up for the bits that don't sound quite right, or aren't so well-written as everything else. take a good hard look at your favorite works and you'll find that even the best authors had to play to their strengths. and we love it! you are a storyteller, and your voice on paper will be equally as unique as the voice you speak with aloud. don't be afraid to make your tales sound like you.

[pillage-and-lute]

Hi, this is a Monday Evening Prompt: How about Jaskier coming to Kaer Morhen and bringing little presents for all the wolves? Could be his first visit or not. Have a nice evening!

Hi Petrificustotaluss! I really did some worldbuilding here.

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Geralt could smell the anxiety rolling off of Jaskier in waves all the way up to Kaer Morhen. The bard was practically vibrating out of his travel cloak. On the few stops on their way up the mountain he didn’t sing, choosing instead to pluck repetitive tunes on his lute. 

Their last stop before the keep was in a cave, long used by witchers returning home. This last haven before home always brought out something deep and maybe even proud in Geralt’s chest. 

The cave was not large, but deep enough that the weather didn’t permeate. Geralt lead Roach to the back, where centuries of hooves had worn a groove, and threw her blanket over her. Jaskier rubbed her nose affectionately, looking around in wonder, despite the fading light.

Geralt began setting a fire in the ring of stones left behind by one of his brothers. Two slashes were carved into the side of a larger stone. Lambert then, a sign left for whichever of his brothers cam behind.

Fire flared and Jaskier gasped. Every witcher who had stayed in the cave, since its presence had been discovered, had carved their name into the wall. Jaskier stepped immediately to the back of the cave, tracing names almost worn away with trembling hands. 

Geralt took his hand and guided his fingertips and his feet closer to the mouth of the cave. Jaskier brushed his thumb over the V in Vesemir. 

“Your name...?”

Geralt found it for him.

“I couldn’t read yet,” he whispered, when he found the marks he sought. “You know how the letters switch in my mind. Eskel told me what to carve.” 

The names were right next to one another and Jaskier pressed one hand against them, as if he was trying to reach into the past. 

“Lambert’s is here,” Geralt said, voice almost a whisper. It felt appropriate here. 

Jaskier traced it gently, too. 

They sat down to eat without much talking, unusual for the bard, but this much history could be oppressive for anyone. There were drawings among the names and Jaskier kept glancing at them. 

After dinner they huddled together, backs against one of the walls.

“That one,” Geralt said, pointing to the back of the cave, “That’s the first version of the wolf on my medallion.” He had smelled the anxiety rising on Jaskier’s scent again, and hoped talking could keep it at bay. 

“There,” he pointed again. “That’s Gawain of Ymlac’s  name, almost faded. He’s famous, bards wrote about his fight with a knight, Bertilak the Green.”

“I know the story,” Jaskier said, eyes wide. “But the way it’s always told, Gawain is a knight.”

Geralt shook his head. “Gawain was considered one of the best of us, but he was no knight. Bertilak visited here too, but he could not write, few could in those days.”

“So his name isn’t here?” Jaskier sounded disappointed.

“It is, the rough carving of the tree, beneath Gawain’s name, is his. It was the sigil on his shield.”

Jaskier’s eyes were so round he looked like a child at Yuletide.

“There,” Geralt pointed, “is the name of another famous visitor. I wonder if you know him.”

Jaskier stood and walked over. “Here?” he asked. “Taliesin, I’ve never heard the name, was he from another witcher school?”

“No,” Geralt said, walking to Jaskier’s side. “A sorceror and a bard. I think you would know him better by another name.” He couldn’t resist the dramatic pause. Jaskier looked up at him, hanging on his words.

“I believe they call him...” Jaskier leaned in. “Merlin.”

“Never!” Jaskier cried, hopping back. “Geralt you’re pulling my leg!”

“I am not,” Geralt said. “He wrote notes in some of the books in the library.”

Jaskier was no longer nervous, hopping about in excitement. 

“Which ones? Do you know? I have to read them all. Geralt can you think of the stories!”

Geralt chuckled. 

“This one,” he said. “Is Aiden’s signature.” It was hard to read, the rock was soft, but carving was still difficult work.

“Lambert’s friend?”

Geralt nodded. “From the cat school. I think you’ll like him.” The pair of them would probably manage to burn the keep down.

Jaskier looked around him with a stunned grin. Geralt pulled out the heavy work knife he kept at his thigh and offered it to Jaskier, hilt first.

“What?”

“Well you need to carve your name, don’t you?”

Jaskier’s eyes filled. “Really?”

“Of course, someday someone will point out the name of Jaskier, the Continent’s famous bard.”

Jaskier grinned bashfully. He sat at the wall of the cave and scratched out his name. It was slow going for a human, without magic or mutant strength, but he did. Then he began a new carving.

Geralt didn’t ask yet, but restocked the fire and waited. 

At last Jaskier pulled back, there was the carving from Geralt’s medallion, a lark, and a flower. 

Geralt felt his chest tighten, but in a warm way. 

That night, beside eachother in their bedrolls, Jaskier tossed and turned.

“Stop,” Geralt said. “Sleep, it will be alright.”

“The ground is hard,” Jaskier said. 

“They’ll like you,” Geralt said. “You’re my-” friend, he wanted to finish. The word couldn’t seem to break from between his lips. 

“Bard,” he finished lamely. “They know that, they’ll respect it.”

Jaskier gave a little twitch that was maybe a shrug under the layers of fabric.

“They’ll see what I see,” Geralt said.

“A fillingless pie?” Jaskier said jokingly. Some of the anxiety had gone, though. 

Geralt huffed. “Everyone knows the crust is the best part, anyway.”

He rolled over and went to sleep. 

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

They arrived at the gates of Kaer Morhen midmorning the next day. Jaskier was looking around in awe, taking in the crumbling architecture. 

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered.

Geralt was about to respond but was tackled into a snowdrift by his younger brother.

Geralt laughed and tossed Lambert off him, only for Eskel to join the fray, the three of them scrapping and laughing, rolling about the courtyard. 

Vesemir pulled them apart by their collars. Then he nuzzled Geralt before gruffly ruffling his hair. “Welcome back, lad,” he said.

Jaskier was looking on wide-eyed, but Geralt didn’t have time to explain the odd greeting because Eskel was next. 

His brother gave him a rib shaking hug and roughly grated his cheek along Geralt’s, snuffling a little as he took in his brother’s scent. 

Lambert, still a pup, didn’t wait his turn and butted his cheek agains Geralt’s other one, then delivered a bit of a nip to Geralt’s ear. He pulled back looking a little embarrassed, but the brother’s understood, sometimes the wolf instinct was a little strong.

“Um,” Jaskier said. Four pairs of golden eyes turned to look at him.

“I’m Jaskier, Geralt’s bard...should I greet you like a wolf or....?” He stuck out his hand awkwardly.

“A handshake is fine, lad,” Vesemir said, taking the bard’s offered hand. Geralt watched Jaskier almost not wince as his fingers were, accidentally, ground together. “The wolf is just a little stonger in winter for my boys.”

Geralt noticed that Vesemir’s nostrils still flared as he took in Jaskier’s unfamiliar scent, but didn’t say anything.

Eskel and Lambert both somewhat sheepishly shook the bard’s hand. Then the little party unloaded Roach and continued into the great hall.

Jaskier gratefully warmed his hands at the fire before sitting at the table with the rest of the witchers. He began digging in his pack.

“I, uh, I brought gifts,” he said, pulling out packages. “Since I’m your guest and all.”

Vesemir huffed good naturedly “still put you to work, guest or no,” he said.

“Of course,” Jaskier said. He looked around. “I have one for Aiden too? Is he here?”

“Eavesdropping,” Lambert said. A witcher slunk around a doorway and sat next to him, not even bothering to look ashamed. He was of a leaner build than the wolves, more wiry.

Aiden extended a hand to Jaskier, who took it politely. 

“I’ve heard good things,” he purred. 

“Thank you.”

“Heard you’ve tamed Pretty Boy.”

Geralt snarled, mostly playfully.

Jaskier smiled. “I get him to take a bath once in a while, I’m not sure it counts as tame.” It got a chuckle from Aiden, and Geralt felt his sanity slipping away already as he pictured their friendship. 

“Um,” Jaskier said, proffering a package to Vesemir. The old wolf took it with a nod and pulled at the rough twine. 

“Candles,” Vesmir said, looking at the slightly misshapen lumps in front of him. Four of them, in waxed paper, and an odd color, a pale, pale green. Geralt realised it first, but Vesemir said the name before him.

“Strydwen wax,” he said approvingly. “Burns without smoke or heat. Never goes out or melts away. Thank you.” 

The ‘thank you’ was said with a resonance that Geralt had never been able to master. It sort of took up place in your chest and stayed there. Jaskier fairly glowed with it.

“For Eskel,” he said, handing another package over. 

Eskel smiled at him and pulled apart the wrapping to reveal a large, leatherbound book.

“Poetry,” Eskel said delightedly.

“Newly published by a former professor of mine,” Jaskier confirmed. Eskel examined the cover.

“You studied under Rumi?” Eskel looked impressed.

“Six semesters,” Jaskier said ruefully. “He isn’t an easygoing grader.”

The final two gifts were dispensed at the same time, and Lambert and Aiden tore into their packages to find twin daggers, balanced for combat, not throwing. 

Lambert admired the round stone set into the end. Geralt, trained in the same school, figured he was picturing bludgeoning someone with it.

“Twist it,” Jaskier suggested. Lambert gave it a go.

The stone on Aiden’s dagger glowed faintly. 

Aiden twisted his and Lamber’s glowed, both fading after a few seconds.

“To communicate?” Aiden asked.

Jaskier nodded shyly. “I thought...for when you separate on the Path.”

Lambert grinned at him, his smile all teeth. “It’s perfect, I’ll annoy him with it constantly.”

The table descended into cheerful bickering and Jaskier sat back, smiling. He looked at Geralt and a furrow laid itself on his brow.

“I should have given you a gift.”

Geralt looked at his cheerful family, thought of a song that made witchers’ lives easier like a magic spell, a companion. He thought of a cave full of stories, with his and Jaskier’s carved together.

“You have.”

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Some history notes! Because I’m a nerd! Gawain of of Ymlac and Bertilak the Green are of course a reference to the Arthurian legend of Gawain and the Green Knight. 

Taliesin is also a reference to Arthurian legend, being a famous 6th century Welsh bard, one of the first bards we know of who told the tales of Arthur (although many of the stories are based in pagan sun god myth). Over centuries, the name Taliesin sometimes appears in Arthurian legend as another sorcerer, a wise sage, a poet, a demi-godly figure, or another name for Merlin. I picture Jaskier’s story sometime much later becoming something like Taliesin’s on the Continent.

Jaskier’s former professor is  Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, a 13th century Persian poet.

Also, I couldn’t resist having our wolves greet eachother as such. It’s too cute and I’m taking this headcanon as canon. Permanently.

[linkspooky]

what's your favorite currently serializing shounen jump manga and why? afaik you love jjk and mha, do you have one you like more out of those, or any other you like best?

My current favorite manga is Jujutsu Kaisen, because for me, nothing is as crazy or as interesting. If I had to give a reason why I would say that the whole manga is like a toybox where every single toy is fun to play with. I like all of the toys, the worldbuilding is a fun toy, the characters is a fun toy, the politics of the world is a fun toy, the way the power system works is a fun toy, and most fun of all is trying to piece it all together because Gege is cleary trying to use all of these parts to tell a story.

It's rare for me to be equally invested in the lore as I am the character development, but the way the characters use their powers is so well-explained and well integrated, trying to figure out how their powers work is just as fun as trying to figure out the insides of the characters head themselves, and it's also important to understand how cursed energy works, because the nature of cursed energy is a part of the world, and also the main antagonist's schemes revolve around using cursed energy to change the world.

Also, I think like it's two biggest influences Hunter x Hunter, and Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen works really well as an ensemble piece. Let's just make up two categories on the spot, Spiderman is the story of one hero going through a character arc.

The focus on spiderman is the character arc of Peter Parker going on his journey through the world and also the people immediately around him. My Hero Academia is a spiderman type story, despite the enormous size o the cast, what drives the plot is actually the character arcs of a few characters, Deku, Bakugo, Uraraka, Shoto, and also their villainous foils Shigaraki, ????, Toga and Dabi + LOV. The characterization focuses on a few over the many. The second category of story is an X-Men type story, these are ensemble pieces. Ensemble pieces are focused on having a huge cast, and having the cast all work together. Bleach is an ensemble type story.

One big misnomer about bleach is that it doesn't use it's cast well, or that it's characters don't have any development. Incorrect. When Bleach is good, which is, not all the time, but it can be is when it's using its cast as a part of an ensemble. Ensemble piece characters usually have one or two character traits that can be summed up simply. Here let me talk about my favorite bleach character in one sentence, "Gin Ichimaru is shifty, sadistic and can't be trusted." That's all you really need to know about Gin his whole personality is three traits however, the way he's used in the story brings out so much more to him.

Gin Ichimaru is still that same character that only has three personality traits, but also despite being a loner who no one can trust he has a childhood friend who he loves sincerely to the point where he would spend years of his life trying to avenge her after she was violated by a man, however, because of this sadistic side of his personality he believes he is a monster and therefore cannot love her back and chooses revenge over love and trust. And dies for that choice. Gin isn't like a character that gets lots of focus and an arc, and yet there's a lot of rcomplexity wrung out of those three character traits.

And I bring us back tot Jujtsu Kaisen, what I believe the strength of JJK as a manga is that it's able to express really complicated characters with not a lot of screen time because it is constantly bouncing between those characters. It's not a hardcore character development manga because that's not the focus, the world isn't about Yuji's journey because he's not the protagonist of reality like Deku, but a cog in a much bigger game.

That is also why, my favorite four characters are Geto, Gojo, Yuta, and Mahito, three of those are dead or otherwise incapacitated and yet I can keep reading even when they are not onscreen because even if it's not a favorite character of mine, all of the other characters still work. They are interesting enough that I don't feel like giving them screentime wastes my time. Yuji isn't even my main point of investment in the series but I find him interesting enough as a protagonist that I can talk about him endlessly.

So in summary, Jujutsu Kaisen is my current favorite shonen manga because it's the most fun to play with, taking apart and putting back together in my head because there are no characters I find boring, and there are no aspects of the worldbuilding I find boring. I think also what makes me prefer it to My Hero Academia is that while I think MHA does individual character arcs better as a spiderman story, it also doesn't play to those strengths.

IF MHA is trying to be an ensemble piece like X Men none of the other characters besides the main ones are interesting or compelling, or even clear about what their characterizations are to carry the story. So focusing on them is wasted time. if MHA wants to do a spiderman story, it has to buckle down and focus on developing the characters that have arcs, and once again we're not getting that either. We just wasted like a 20ish chapter arc, that barely moved any of the characters forward because it was a whole lot of Deku wandering around. If the focus is on spiderman level character development, then, we should get inside these characters heads and develop them, like we have for the league.

So while I love MHA I believe the interesting parts of the story are, out of focus, where as as an ensemble piece Jujutsu Kaisen focuses on everything at once and you get to bounce around like a pinball between the fun stuff. While it is a mess and chaotic, there are no parts of the story I think is boring, and ultimately that's what is most important because I'm just here to play with the fun toys.

[tvrningout-archived]

2. Name 3 things you admire about OCs. !

a meme for muns | accepting!

2. Name 3 things you admire about OCs. 

1. someone’s very own brain birthed that character! someone woke up one day, and they heard a song or watched a film or read a quote or did who knows what, and became so inspired that they created a whole character with thoughts and feelings and a backstory! it isn’t easy to do; even after many years of creating oc’s, i can still say it isn’t easy bc it just isn’t! there’s so much to figure out from their voice to if they’re a dog or cat person, and there’s always something new to think about. it’s a challenge to create a character from scratch, so i really admire anyone who can do it or simply tries! 2. the creativity that goes into oc’s blows my mind y’all!!! we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and mine tends to be worldbuilding and imagining special abilities :’ ) so whenever i see a unique take on an ability, or i see really well-fleshed out lore, i really admire it and get very excited! once again, coming up with something new and unique isn’t easy, so it’s really cool and really amazing what some of y’all come up with! 3. the possibility for dynamics!!! makes me so excited!!!! how can this oc fit into the story, how do they mesh with this and that character? i think it’s so cool to think about all the different ways an oc can interact with another oc or canon character bc the possibilities are as plentiful as your imagination allows! 

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Sidequests are part of the story so it’s still my ballpark shut up it’s time for

Read Part 1 here!

Part 2 || Part 3

If you’re on mobile, and tumblr hates this post, follow along on this google doc!

Rules/overview this rewrite in the beginning of Part 1

- - - - - - - - - - 

Side quests, side quests, side quests. What are they? And what are they doing here, on an Age of Calamity rewrite? I must admit, game design is not an inherent forte of mine, and I like to think that my only “expertise” would be on writing and storytelling. So what the fuck is a fool like me doing here

Well my dear ladies, lads, and gentlefolk, if your memory does serve, I did say that the format of Age of Calamity was one that served the major plot and story beats for it’s cutscenes, and its worldbuilding and good parts of it’s character development for its gameplay and side quests. It’s actually a concept that can be seen in shows and movies too, although obviously it’s origins are in TTRPGs and videogames. Definition wise, a side quest is any deviation from the main story and plot that serves to flesh out an optional/overseen aspect of the game. So there’s out perfect outlet for worldbuilding, characters, and even a bit of humour. Side quests, by definition, can’t simply be just XP grinders, because otherwise you could…..just make an XP grinder. It’s like saying you’re getting your kids a bike, but then you get them a stationary exercise one. Sure it’s functionally the same and gives the same benefits, but it could be so much more. 

Does Age of Calamity have good side quests? I’d actually argue, yes. I mean sure, it’s not exactly gonna hold a candle to Fallout or Witcher 3, but there are great memorable side quests that do serve their purposes in this game. 

A fan favourite is “The So-Called Knight,” in which Link spars Mipha, Teba, Sidon, and Revali, a conflict of the Sidon’s confidence and belief in Link, with Revali’s skepticism and grudge against him. Not only is it great fandom content, but it explores the carrying POVs of several characters in a fun way. We also have Hestu’s Dance Competition, and the Miss Vai Battle Pageant. What they lack in serious character tone, they make up for in humour and world building. Even the quests that have nothing to do with the main cast of characters, like the Questionable Escort Mission, still provide funny and interesting details about the world, like how the Yiga Clan is still ever persistent in trying to take down Link with monsters and Windcleavers alike. 

It’s not like those side quests were functionally useless either, all of them still provided great amounts of exp and materials. What specifically made them great and memorable was their small little stories and character/world details. Of course, that’s not to say you can’t have the occasional plotless boss rush every now and again, those are fun in their own right and it’s good to have variety. But just thinking about it...what were everyone’s least favourite sidequests? The timed Yiga Escape?  The ones where you sit around defending strongholds? The one hit death Hair-Width Trials? Ah...so all the least enjoyable side quests were the ones that were difficult, with no enjoyable character or worldbuilding to back it up….interesting interesting….interesting pattern indeed. 

So, let’s improve the game a bit further. I do need to pace out my future character arcs somehow. I tried to make use of the existing quests where I could, but it’s just eaaaasier to just not think about it and do it from scratch. Just shove these in place of all those quests whose only description is “monsters have been spotted here! Take Mipha and go to work!” and stuff like that. Alrighty then! Here’s my take on cool side quests for every single character thus far, along with their paired gambit attacks. Prepare for heists! Drama! Simping! And Bananas!

Link: Mastering Stasis

Ok I have no idea when this quest unlocks so just for my purposes assume this only becomes available after Link pulls the Master Sword. 

Engage the hordes of monsters that have been spotted in Hyrule Field. Now is a great time to master the use of the Stasis Rune. Impa and Zelda accompany you, but it seems stasised monsters aren’t the only thing coming to a tense standstill…

This isn’t anything that special, I just want to further highlight this tension that Zelda and Link have, as it’s something touched upon in Botw, but never really mentioned or used ever in Hwaoc. Now more than ever, Zelda has an excuse to have a rocky relationship with him because she could actively see just how far he’s coming in such a short amount of time. Classic “he probably hates me so I guess I’ll hate him” thing.

You play as Link, the game gives you your little prompts on how to use Stasis, you take out a few hordes of Bokoblins and blah blah blah. I wanted to use an earlier level to establish Zelda’s relationship sooner as obviously it’s gonna be important to the story. But of course like all side quests it won’t kill you to skip out. Text dialogue can be Zelda saying science shit like “This will be a good opportunity to test out the full limits of the Stasis rune” and then Impa’s all “Yep! We got your back, Princess! We’ll clear out these monsters in no time.”Then Link the little angsty shit that he is says nothing, and as you play you clear out more and more bokoblins Zelda just says “...” and then we can toss in a Moblin or two in there for gambit voice stuff.  

Gambit dialogue with Impa would be supportive, her usual spunky dialogue. I had two ideas for Gambit attacks with Link: One where Impa does that thing where she cuts a giant laser through the air, but it’s aimed towards Link and he parries it right in a monster’s FACE because I think it’s badass and also a good way to show trust and stuff. The second thing was Impa’s giant bomb barrels, but Link is the one to somehow ignite them, because he is an arsonist after all. He can even have a chaotic Sheikah blue glint in his eyes like blue flame, I can already picture it so clearly given how anime/dramatic Impa’s movements are. Impa sets bombs, Link *teleports behind Moblin* nothin personal, kid. 

Also right at the end of their gambit attacks, Impa and Link should try to fist bump or something (cause the whole “cool guys don’t look at explosions” thing that Impa usually does on her own) but are interrupted by eggbot jumping up to try and join in. And then Impa can be annoyed and try to punt it or something. That’s not just self-indulgent that’s in her character she totally would and I want to make use of the fact that eggbot travels around with Link. The success of her attempts to punt him can vary.

If Link does a gambit with Zelda, her dialogue can just be her usual monotone Princess stuff, “Thanks for lending your strength,” or “There is still much more to do!” just purely professional, we’re not at a stage yet where she’s buddy buddy with Link. Their gambit attacks can still be cool though. One idea I had was Zelda using stasis, and you know how when you use it in botw everything lights up with that sonar effect? So Link stands besides Zelda, and she activates stasis, the first “sonar” light wave reveals the stasised monster, and you see it from the view of the Sheikah Slate. Then with each additional flash of sonar you just see this silhouette of Link going absolute ham on a monster. And then when the stasis “ding ding ding ding ding” is done, everything’s just dead. Can you see my inspiration from Persona 5 yet? Second idea was Zelda using cryonis and makes an ice ramp for Link to shield surf on and ram into a monster. For entertainment purposes Zelda should also be putting frogs on said slide. (Also also the reason I’m putting Link as the main focus for those gambit attacks is because I want to juxtapose it with future gambits where Zelda may or may not be more powerful…)

Anyhow anyhow, so this side quest, you beat some bokoblins, theres a moblin or two. However as you progress Zelda’s dialogue because a bit more passive aggressive, maybe Zelda can be a bit irritated at how quickly Link is defeating everything before she can even contribute. Impa can comment on this like “She hasn’t exactly been warming up to you, has she…” and then the last point of the side quest, Zelda runs off, there’s a...let’s say a big horde of blue or black Moblins. Or a horde of Wizzrobes, I’m not too picky on it. Link can save her and do a gambit or whatever, but the point of importance is that Zelda leaves with the clear mindset off, “You don’t need to keep coddling me, I can handle my own” to Link, but is “Thank you, I’m glad you’re here,” to Impa. 

Now I stole was inspired to use this based on this comic by @novellanova, and you should check it out here. But basically, at the end when all the monsters are dead and the last few text boxes are rolling, Impa says something like “Gee, at this rate I might have to protect you from the princess! Hmm…. you know, maybe if you two had the opportunity to hang out more and get to know each other, she’d warm up to you! Ha! That’s it! I’ve made up my mind. Listen up Link, from now on I’m gonna let you man the wheel when it comes to protecting Zelda. So with me out of the picture you better take the opportunity to be the nicest, most helpful, and most effective body guard there is. I know you already are, but still, if I hear that one little Chuchu so much as splat in her direction I will take you down...got it?” And, that’s that.

Side quest done. Fun Link gambits with Impa and Zelda, some little character POVs on the situation, plus an explanation as to why Impa doesn’t accompany Zelda everywhere/nods to the cutscenes of Botw as to what happened to Impa. Alright, that was probably the most boring one so let’s move on to

Daruk: A Rumbling Stomach

Alright I’ll be honest...I have no idea what to do with Daruk. Especially when Yunobo’s not here, I got zip-zero to work with considering his character is non-existent. Further down the line I’ll certainly try to give him more nuances and the like, but I’m afraid the majority of my character efforts have been towards Astor, Revali, Zelda, and [REDACTED] so this is my apology ahead of time, rock fuckers.

This is my take on how to make those timed quests more fun. So basically, the premise of this stage is that Daruk was just happily hanging around trying to enjoy his rock roast, when a monster surprised him and he dropped it, and now it’s rolling down the hill. This is based on my real Breath of the Wild experience where I had to trek up that Volcano path to bring a rock roast for that shrine quest, but at the very top I dropped it and had to chase it down before it fell into the lava below. 

Daruk is eager to chow down on the finest rock roasts this year has to offer! It’s too bad things go downhill when monsters start to ambush. Defeat key enemies and rescue Daruk’s tumbling meal before this year’s wait goes to waste!

So, that’s what this is. The stage opens and Daruk says “NOOooOO! My rock roast! Damn monsters!” and you have to defeat baddies and catch up to the rock roast before the timer runs out and it falls into lava. And then when you finish and get back the rock roast that’s pretty much it….except SIKE no it’s not. Because a lot of these timed quests usually have a “surprise! There’s more!” thing at the end so I’ll do that here too. So Daruk has saved his rock roast and he’s talking about how he’s going to enjoy it in all its deliciousness, when he’s cut off by a random Goron’s scream. Turns out, Daruk’s yelling at the monsters about desperation to retrieve his lost lunch has attracted monsters to some traveling civilians, and now you gotta go beat a Talus, or a couple of Moblins, or something...Again I don’t really have level set or idea when these side quests unlock so just use your imagination. Once Daruk defeats the monster(s) the Gorons can thank him, and then one of the Goron kids can be like “Ooo! Is that a super special rock roast?!?” And Daruk is all:  “Ah! Well all the best Goron heroes eat plenty of rocks! This here is the gourmet stuff. You can only get it once a—” And the kid’s like “Woah! I’ve always wanted to have one, that’s why I’ve been training hard so I can explore more of the mountain. Where’d you get it??” And Daruk can sputter a bit, before finally sighing and giving into his instincts. “Ah….well, why don’t you have it? You’re probably really hungry after running around with those monsters…”

“Woah really?? Are you sure—”

“YEAH JUST TAKE IT ALREADY GO”

“Woah, thank you!” and then the Goron kid and co run off. Cue Daruk crying to himself in the background. Daruk may have an appetite, but I like to characterize him as the Goron Hero first and foremost.  

I’m sure that doesn’t stop him from mourning his rock though.

Mipha: Stronger Sentiments

Mipha and Daruk talked a whole bunch about training together so that Mipha can grow stronger, and Daruk was catching on to her crush on Link and it was a nice interaction in between them except for the fact that we never see them do the damn training so that’s what this is.

I think this is as good an opportunity as any to make this a Hair-Width quest, the ones where you can’t take one hit. The difficulty of a level is one of the most effective ways to put the players in the boots of a character to experience the same struggles they do. If the player works hard, then they automatically associate that with the character working hard. So, yeah, let’s have Mipha kicking ass and working to be strong enough to protect Link.

Mipha is determined to grow stronger. Daruk and the other Gorons are helping out with an intense training session by Gut Check Rock. Prove yourself by defeating all the enemies you encounter!

So Mipha is sparring with the Gorons, you fight through them and the captains and blah blah, the final boss is fighting Daruk without getting hit. 

“I promise not to hurt you more than I’m capable of reversing.”

“Ha! Give me all you’ve got, princess!”

You fight, cue the special music or whatever. I mentioned that gambit dialogue/attacks could also work to be custom for the character that you’re fighting, so I’m thinking something like this. Daruk slams the ground and rocks and magma sprout up around him like jagged pieces of glass, but Mipha is no where to be seen. Daruk’s kinda huffing and puffing, “Where’d you go Mipha…” and then FWOOSH, giant geyser right behind him. [yes I KNOW I overuse the *teleports behind you* “nothing personal, kid” thing but I think it’s COOL and you can’t stop me] So anyhow, you know that thing in Avatar where Pakku is just riding at the top of a whirlpool and destroying everything? That’s Mipha.

Daruk turns around and scratches the back of his head. “...huh….that’s not good.” Cue Mipha swooping down to deal the defeating blow. 

So Mipha wins, she can mention how wonderful it was and how much stronger she feels. And she can thank Daruk, and he’s all “No problem!” but he mutters something like “And I thought Gorons hit hard...now I know how Link feels.” End side quest….SIKE it’s another surprise boss at the end. A Goron captain suddenly reports that an Igneo Talus has appeared nearby. 

Mipha goes up to fight it, but wow! Link is already there. They both fight it, but it’s clear that Link didn’t need her help that much. You can defeat the Talus with a Mipha/Link gambit. It’s similar to Link’s usual “swing sword in a giant circle and become a death windmill” but Mipha kinda enhances it with water or something and it puts out the Talus. I wanted this ending with a focus on how strong Link is just to show that while Mipha is improving, she’s still not yet where she needs to be. 

Daruk: “Sorry I wasn’t much help at the end there, I was busy, uh, stretching.”

Mipha: “Oh it’s quite alright, Daruk. We were both quite tired from today’s training.”

Daruk: “Well I dunno about that...seems to me you were quite lively and active as you fought beside Link. *wink*”

Mipha: “Huh!?!? W-What is that supposed to mean??”

Cue laughter from Daruk. Mipha is flustered. And Link is just...confused, as always. 

Urbosa: Mighty Thunder of the Gerudo

So in the game this is just some normal outpost capturing, stronghold defending side quest, but we’re gonna spice it up just a bit. 

An important excavation site is being overrun by monsters, and Urbosa has set out to engage them. Defend and capture the outposts, in order to prevent this valuable place from falling into enemy hands…

So you fight as Urbosa, defeat some enemies and blah blah. When you first arrive there, I want one of the Gerudo Captains to be like “Lady Urbosa? Where did you come—What are you doing here? Aren’t there areas of greater importance for you to be at right now?” Urbosa says something like “Nevermind that now, let us focus on achieving victory over these rotten beasts.” 

As the battle goes through, it is revealed that this excavation site is where Zelda’s mother would often work and hang out with Urbosa. Urbosa says some stuff like “Her Majesty would not be happy to see all these monsters heading here!” *decapitates Moblin* and then she can say other dramatic stuff at the end like “We have fought well...for her memory” and other classic lesbian pining. Some guard at the end can say “Perhaps you should move on and help out somewhere else, Lady Urbosa. We can handle the clean up from here.” 

“Sure,” Urbosa replies, “Just another moment.” And then cue reminiscing. “She always did love these machines…”

And just other sentimental stuff like that. If you’re gonna be a coward and hold out on the Champion death angst, then you best be pumping that angst and emotion from somewhere, you know?

Also yay for worldbuilding! At least in my rewrite, the Guardian excavations and stuff were overseen by the Queen. Could be a reason Zelda hangs out with Sheikah tech so much...who knows who knows... who knows what other implications this has, it’s just a side quest after all.

Revali: Anti-Ice Training [get it??? Cause in this one, Revali’s gonna break the ice with some other characters?? I’m funny I swear]

Ok so for this one, I want to pull Revali’s character away from just “the birb that doesn’t like Link” and give him some other stuff to stand on. Obviously, there would be other side quests in a fully fleshed out game that did even more to characterize him, but for my rewrite I’m only dedicated this post and one other future post to sidequests, so I gotta really bring out what I can for the few side quest stories I have time to tell

Revali sets out alone to deal with some monsters by the Hebra trail. Although intended as an isolated moment to hone his skills, he finds himself with unexpected company. Defeat key enemies.

So you play as Revali and at first you’re alone, taking out Ice Lizalfos and the like. Revali’s text dialogue can say stuff like “Hmm...not fast enough” “My current needs to be stronger” “*mutters* Can’t compete with lightning and magma with aim like that.” Just stuff that establishes that he’s working hard to really prove himself as the best, but is still a bit insecure about his position. He thinks he’s better than Link, sure, and he certainly thinks that being a princess or a chief doesn’t automatically make you the best. However by this point, Revali has battled alongside the other Champions and seen their skill in battle, and has developed some respect for them. Afterall, Champions were chosen in some part for their skills, unlike Link or Zelda who destiny just thrust greatness upon. 

So Revali has this slight insecurity that compared to lightning, and magic healing, and magma, with chiefs and princesses and titles of heroes, he and his efforts will be overshadowed and forgotten, unfairly deemed the useless one. Thus, here he is, training in solitude, not wanting anyone to see the imperfections and mistakes until he is absolutely perfect.

Except for the fact that after you beat a Wizzrobe, the other three Champions show up. 

Revali: Wh—Huh?? What are you all doing here?

Urbosa: Well, we all have to travel with the princess to that Tower in a few hours, so I recommended we find you and hang out until then

Mipha: And a good thing too! Look how many monsters there are

Revali: I’m actually doing very well on my own right now. Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold or something, so why don’t you head on back and let me handle this.

Daruk: Aw, it’s not that we think you can’t do this. It’s that you’re hogging all the fun! Urbosa: And that it would be more efficient if all of us went to work

Daruk: That too

Revali: Look it’s not—you all can’t just—this is not just about—AUGH, look, I’m just trying to train myself at the moment, and I don’t need you all to mess with my drills

Urbosa: Training, hm? Well how about this...you let us continue helping you with these monsters, and after, I’ll let you in on a good Gerudo training technique

Revali: Hmph. Fine, whatever gets you out of my tail feathers faster

So Revali and the Champions clear out the monsters. Revali can have gambit attacks/dialogue with each of the other Champions. This is already incredibly long so perhaps I’ll save specifics for another time, feel free to use your imagination. Urbosa teasing Revali and they make a thunderstorm, Mipha and Revali swimming in the sky and kissing—wait that’s— 

When all the monsters are cleared, which honestly isn’t tooooo many, Revali speaks again.

Revali: So what’s this oh-so-holy technique you had in mind, then?

Urbosa: Ah yes, well really it’s quite simple. It’s called…

Urbosa: One-on-one combat

Now Revali fights Urbosa. It think it’d be really fun if your allies on a stage could swap to a boss, and I wish hwaoc had a bit more freedom with the interactions as a whole, but ah well, that’s what I’m here for I guess.

So when you/Revali defeat her, it’s a good accomplishment! Not only for you the player, as Urbosa would not be the easiest to beat, but also because match-up wise, Revali prevailing over Urbosa is a big feat as their styles are quite opposite, arguably with the strength in favour for Urbosa.

Revali might at first have the mindset that Urbosa is overconfident and thinks she’s got an easy win on Revali, but that mindset is quickly proven wrong when 1) the difficulty of the gameplay itself shows how they’re both doing their best and 2) Urbosa with her Gerudo qualities is probably shouting stuff like “give it your all!” and things.

And so, as you beat her...

Revali, kinda huffing and puffing, but just a bit:: ...you….held back

Urbosa: Come now, do you really think of me as someone who’d do that? I’m almost insulted.  

Revali: Hmm...perhaps not then....

Mipha: Wow! What a wonderful fight from both of you. 

And then insert some other dialogue from Daruk or something that shows the Champions acknowledging the training and hard work Revali must have put in to be so skilled. Perhaps it’s not so bad, when you train with others and your skill is fully appreciated by your frie—GAH. Perish the thought, they’re all just a bunch of royal fools who can’t hold a candle to the skill of a Rito Master….probably…

Revali: Well unlike you lax fools, I tend to take my job seriously. I don’t have time to longue and banter when the princess is still expecting me in an hour or two

Urbosa: Oh alright, let’s get to it then. What’s the expression? “The early bird gets the w—”

Revali: Gross. No. Don’t finish that sentence, I beg you. 

Urbosa: Oh? Well why don’t you fly off to escape my dreadful tones then?

Revali: ...Heh, don’t be absurd…

Revali: Without me, you’ll all probably get lost. So, I suppose I should stick around for that sake Great Fairies: Dress to Oppress 

The Great Fairies are holding a fashion competition and rating people’s outfits. Poorly judged outfits gives them the right to compensation combat. Defeat all your less than fashionable allies.

...

...yeah.

It seemed funny in my head, alright? cOme on, just imagine…

Revali, fully expecting to win: Well?

Great Fairies: Hm...I don’t know dear, all the colors are very clustered. Perhaps if you were taller—?

Revali: bWHAKT!? *other angry bird noises*

- - - 

Daruk: I brought my BEST out today! :D

Great Fairies: Is that a….chain?

Daruk: TWO chains, actually. :D

Great Fairies: Oh honey…

- - - 

Great Fairies: Ooo! Our little hero is about to come out! Wonder what he chose...a knight in shining armour? A handsome desert voe? Ooo!! And those Snowquill braids always made him look so cute…

Link: *comes out in the Tingle Outfit*

Great Fairies: …

Great Fairies: …………..hm…..

At the end of the side quest, after you beat everyone, the Great Fairy wins because of course they do. 

Great Fairies: Oh my! What an unexpected outcome...but it really couldn’t have gone any other way. I declare the judges the winner! I mean just look at me, I’m as dazzling as a jeweled desert flower, because I am! Ohohohoho…

This side quests unlocks the Tingle Outfit

Hestu: Forest Dance Festival

Alright this quest was already pretty perfect, BUT, I just want to use this opportunity to say that all of Hestu’s gambit attacks makes his allies and enemies do special dances. Absolutely abSURD that Hestu can only make the lesser smaller enemies dance on occasion, nonononono, my guy Hestu is making everyone dance. You can’t stop this. Nothing I say will ever top the imagination, so just take my word that this is a good thing. [Reluctant Revali doing the macarena against his will in sync with Hestu and they bash someone’s head in...ah the possibilities.] 

Maz Koshia: Links to the Past

Ok so before I get into this, a few things. This quest takes place well after the tower activations in Akkala. Age of Calamity leaves a whole lot of plots holes as to why a Monk is just...here, and what the point of the shrines are, and personally my first reaction to all this was just a five minute extended “huuhhhhhh???” 

So here is my headcanon, explanation, thing, canon to the world of the Kip Cut story. Ones all the Sheikah Towers were activated, that officially woke up all the Shrines, because we know that the Towers and Shrines are all connected to the same system. [See Great Plateau Tower activating all the Shrines and Towers, and Creating a Champion explanation on the system] But when all the monks were in their little altars and noticed how Link hadn’t dont a single one, they were like “what the fuck.” Monk Maz Koshia, who is kinda the head honcho of the monks and probably the only one powerful enough to go out in the world anyhow, sets out to see what the deal is, and after many a teleportation and telepathic communication, he figures out that Link is just running around with the Master Sword already. This kinda confuses him, because the whole point of the Shrines was to test Link and give him the spirit orbs so that he could grow strong enough to get the Master Sword, but he somehow already has it...so hmmmm something fishy is going on in this timeline. So Link technically hasn’t proven himself at all, Maz Koshia ambushes him, they do their little combat trial, Link passes, and Maz Koshia’s like “ok cool so you’re not useless.”

So now Monk Maz Koshia has cast aside his old monk duties of waiting around for a couple hundred years, in favour of just hanging out with Link and continuing to train him combat wise. Shrines are still explored by Zelda and co because they are important areas to establish teleportation pads, and whenever they’re there, Maz Koshia forces Link to get in a shrine to get a spirit orb, which is not only useful in general for health, but since Link already has the Master Sword, the other characters can get the spirit orb too. (So all those little heart upgrades that you see on the map, those are all just in the real Botw Shrine locations, rather than just scattered around randomly. Also I’m ignoring the stuff about talking to Hylia in order to exchange for stamina or heart containers because the game never talks about her, or stamina, and I’m not about to create an entirely new custom gameplay feature for this game, fuck you.)

I like to think that Maz Koshia is very selective about the Shrines he encourages people to try out. “Oh nonono, don’t bother with Qukah’s….lazy ass, only set up one little mountain that you have to blast through with lightning and that’s the entire puzzle! Disgraceful...Here, Kaam Ya’tak has set up a wonderful Trial of Power for you. I’m sure you’ll find the level design quite thrilling. They spent a lot of time on the critical thinking aspects so have fun!”

“I should warn you that this one was made by one of the millennials...yes, those youngins who were only initiated 1000 years of age. Honestly, they lack so much experience. Ms. Agana over here was experimenting with something called ‘motion controls?’ Pretty lazy if you ask me. Traditionally I would just stick to combat and block and switch stuff...but ah well, variety I suppose.”

Right, what was I talking about? Oh right! This is a sidequest. So Monk Maz Koshia doesn’t really have...a character??? Or a personality??? So I don’t really know what to do with him other than use him as an outlet for world building. Apologies to the Monk….fuckers? Stans? Feel free to leave me a comment about how I missed all the nuances of his character or something I’m all ears.

On an expedition to mark more Shrines and establish more teleports for the Kingdom, a large horde of monsters is spotted, seemingly with the intention to destroy these Ancient relics. Link and Maz Koshia use this opportunity to sharpen their combat skills. Protect the stronghold and defeat key enemies.

And then that quest would just kinda echo the stuff I said earlier about the world. (As Maz Koshia defends a Shrine, somewhere Qukah Nata is smugly shouting “Bet you wish ALL of them were protected with a giant mountain now, do ya?)

Also Link and Maz Koshia’s gambit attack involves the Master Cycle. I don’t have the specifics, but damn if I want some call backs to Botw while also having fun.

Impa: Steal Yourself [Yiga Clan Escape]

In an act of pure hatred and malice, the Yiga Clan has snuck into Kakariko Village in the dead of night…and stolen all the Swift Carrots! Impa sets out to get them back, as well as taking something else as a form of swift revenge...Escape before the time runs out.

Ok I can explain.

So you know how the Yiga and the Sheikah have kiiiiinda been murdering each other a bunch in Botw, going as far as to kill a deserter’s wife and threatening to murder his kids, and also people on both sides were sorta massacred for no reason? And alsoooo one of those people who literally lived during that time of the massacre is just kinda floating around now?  And you knooooooooww how the Yiga Clan just kinda joins Zelda’s side later on and we’re not supposed to think about the implications of that too hard because they’re the funny banana ninjas, haha? Yeah well neither Age of Calamity or I really have time to explore the moral grey areas of an alliance between two warring factions, one of which has a leader who doesn’t really seem to remember the reason why they hate Hyrule which brings into question whether the lackeys even know their clan’s history, and brings about the moral dilemma of criminalizing the ignorant, and also there’s the whole other dilemma of depicting the side that submitted to their oppression as being “in the right” and the topic of a race of people being pitted against their own by a higher power is really brushed over sO WE’RE JUST GONNA TOSS ALL THAT OUT THE WINDOW AND MAKE THEM ACT LIKE RIVALLING HIGH SCHOOLS, OKAY? OKAY! This is fine this is fine— 

So I have dubbed the High School mascot of the Sheikah, the Swift Carrot. And although there does seem to be some internal debate about whether the carrot should be replaced by the Fortified Pumpkin, the hero of Hyrule Link favours carrots so that’s that. Then of course, the mascot for the Yiga Clan is the Mighty Banana. The two sides hate each other and steal their food symbols to be petty. I’ll be covering the side quests of Kohga and the other later characters in another later post, but just know that Kohga will have his banana heist sidequest too. 

So anyhow, you play as Impa. Maybe she can say a piece of dialogue or two about how she has to uphold the image of her people as she has to lead them one day. And then, this side quest is just her retrieving the carrots and running off with the Yiga’s big banana supply before she’s caught. This is based on that “Escape the Yiga Clan” quest if you couldn’t tell.

Custom gambit defeat of Impa vs Kohga: On one hand I think it would be badass to see Impa’s Sheikah skills go up against the Yiga Clan tactics. Kohga summons a giant metal ball to throw, Impa teleports behind him “nothing personal, kid” nO fuck I’m doing it again away goes to swing a blade at his face. He blocks it with his little energy shield thing, but not before an entire conga line of Impa clones start slashing at him until he’s defeated by a giant explosion. So yeah, that’d be badass and cool. But on the other hand…

Kohga, stomping his feet and having a fit: I cARROT believe you would do something this terrible! Give us back those bananas right now! D: ….please? You can keep the gross orange sticks.

Sooga: He asked nicely. You wouldn’t deny the wishes of the most polite and charming Yiga Chief there is, would you?

Impa: No can do, Yiga scum! I’m afraid this cruel action wasn’t veggie nice of you so I must exact justice! Now it’s my time to split. *Impa clones gather and throw Kohga into a giant frog’s mouth. Impa runs off with a sack of fruit [fruit (derogatory) if you will] cackling into the horizon*

Zelda: The Path She Laid For You

The King has order Zelda to head to the Temple of Time, in order to see if anything there could help awaken her powers. Zelda sets off quietly, with minimal company, as not to attract too much attention lest the Town’s folk be hit with another attack. It seems, however, that these precautions won’t be enough...Defeat key enemies

So this is a pure Zelda sidequest, with no other characters except for eggbot because I said so. Starts out normal when SURPRISE! Bunch of monsters appear and Zelda has to whip out her iphone and fight them. 

Also!! Good time for the Hollows to show up, and you know, tell her what a failure she is and all that. Convince her that she's useless and gonna doom everyone. All that good stuff!! It’s just nice to catch up with the villains and see how they’re doing, you know? ‘Sup Hollow Urbosa, last I saw you were barely spitting words in the Lost Woods, and now you’re giving full hard-hitting insults to Zelda’s character and ability? Good for you, Queen, good for you.

So Zelda and a handful of guards are fighting off monsters, and Zelda has to beat the Hollows too. Her gambit dialogue when she defeats Hollows can be stuff like “You’re not the real ___” or something idk, I don’t have a lot of experience with the evil clone trope, I’ve never played Ocarina of Time. But one specific I DO want to highlight is that Zelda uses the nearby Sheikah Tech to defeat the enemies. I find it a bit weird how Zelda just knows how to use those random water canons in the Faron region in later chapters, so we’re just gonna at least set up a pattern so that it makes a bit more sense later. Plus! This is in front of the Great Plateau, AKA Gate Post Town/Garrisons AKA oh lOOK it’s that area where Link and Impa and eggbot first meet in that Impa introduction scene of my rewrite so we have already established that Sheikah Technology is being stored here and ready to use! Continuity in world building! Nice.

So Zelda uses her knowledge of Sheikah Tech to defeat the Hollows, when...dun dun dun! Astor appears. But you don’t fight him...

Astor: Have you listened to one word spoken to you today? Why are you still resisting? Let me help you.

Zelda: And what exactly is your plan? You wish to kill me, then?

Astor: Not quite. I mean, if you do die, there are ways I can manage, so if some stray Yiga blade happens to strike you I’m not completely doomed.

Astor: But no, the most optimal outcome for everyone is the one where you live yet. You must see the truth as I do, and let me fix this. I can undo this terrible knot destiny has thread for you. [and insert other fate sisters and sewing metaphors here]

Zelda: But how? What’s your game here, if you’re truly claiming to be in everyone’s best interest then why all this secrecy?

Astor: Ah...ever the one to look for the facts and logic, hmm? Can’t blame you, you get it straight from your mother.

Zelda: …!

Astor: But...I’m afraid even if I did tell you now, you’re in no state to truly grasp it. No...the only way this works is for you to truly understand the position you're in, and the stakes that hang in the path before you. 

Astor: And if I have to kill every King, Champion, or knight to get you to understand…

Astor: Then so be it. 

[dun dun dun]

Zelda: No! I won’t let you hurt anyone, I swear it!

Eggbot [just pretend eggbot can have dialogue boxes too]: *chirps* 

Astor, suddenly noticing eggbot: ...You…you’re one thing I still don’t—

Eggbot chirps again beside Zelda, both seeming to be angry at Astor’s words. Eggbot releases a glowing flash of light. Kinda like a...flash bang? [is that the right word idk]

Astor: Ah—! *and he teleports away to escape* Astor: Until next time then...Princess

And that’s pretty much the sidequest. Zelda can question what exactly eggbot did, but he’s not exactly the most verbal in responses. Finally it ends with Zelda going home, “He was still right though...I’m still sitting in failure, with not a hint of my powers awakening. All I have is some Sheikah tech, some exhausted shoulders….and well, you, I suppose, little one.”

“Come, it’d be a waste to continue forth in this condition. Let’s go back to the castle.”

Eggbot: *happy whistles and chirps*

= = = = = 

Tune in next time folks, as we dive back into the main event! Needless to say, Chapter 4 is where the shit starts to go down...

[ragdollrory]

I admit I'm delighted to see someone shipping such LOK rarepairs as Linko and Bumiroh and Mavira. It's going to sound weird but it's so... wholesome, I guess? to find someone willing to dedicate time and energy to these tiny pairings and, from what I've seen, treat them very seriously. Maybe wholesome is not a word most would use here but anyway I love it. So, with zero obligation, any headcanons you'd like to share about any of these ships? Or if not, just imagine the sound of my claps and keep doing what you're doing.

Hellooo new friend!! I'm so so delighted to see this ask, and the lovely feeling behind it! Love the word wholesome to describe shipping, especially with rare ships that I know are mostly a rowboat of like 4 people!!

I can't explain how much joy it brings me whenever someone enjoys these ships, be it actively or on the side! And I saw you ship Irosami! Awesome ship!! I haven't indulged in it much, but I love the aesthetic of it! (Will stalk your account when I have a moment to sit comfortably on the laptop!)

As for taking then seriously, I think it's fun and a great worldbuilding and writing excersise to try and find ways to make them work. Think about their dynamics, how they would meet, what brings them together, and how their lives would weave into a nice little cozy romance! Even when I make them struggle a bit 😅

Let's see, some HCs...

Linko - I think Mako and Lin are both very workaholics, so that makes it that one of them is constantly trying to pull the other out of it to do some fun, relaxing activities. I like to think Mako looks up to Lin because of her strength and resilience, and because she sees the struggles he had to overcome in his youth.

Before they get together, Lin tries her best to put some distance, let Mako find someone else, maybe someone closer to his age, even when he assures her there isn't anyone like her anywhere in the world.

After they get together, Lin makes sure to take days off of work to spend time with him, and even when she's not the best with people, she comes to enjoy their nights having dinner with Bolin and Opal, Korra and Asami. Bolin is very upset that Pabu takes to Lin very quickly, especially when she makes him little stone and metal jungle gyms for him to play!

Mavira - This is a ship that has its struggles. Mako is not one to hold a life-grudge, but Kuvira did many wrongs in her life. On Kuvira's side, I think she's not one to easily trust anyone, especially a law enforcement worker.

When I picture them together before the Red Lotus, I think they come together quite easily, both of them bonding over their childhood issues, and their want to be better, do more.

After canon, I like to think Mako could be one of the people in charge of accompanying her to trials and stuff, and even the one to slmewhat push her into recovery. First through means of spats and squabbles, and then slowly turning into deep conversations of what went wrong, and how to move forward from there. I think she's very grateful for his help.

Bumiroh - Well, this is honestly OTP material, alongside Linko, so I have many many thoughts on them, but I'll share one from my modern verse.

I like the idea that both Bumi and Iroh are very good friends with each other's sisters, and that they often go to them to share their pining woes, and panics.

Kya and Iroh love to share their more philosophical takes about life over a bottle of wine, or a walk on the beach, while Bumi and Shiko (an OC of mine, you can check some more of her under that tag in my blog) are the kind to make slumber parties where they bake cupcakes and take a million selfies, half of which are blurred.

When Bumi and Iroh get together in modern verse, they waste no time in leaving the navy and getting married, after all the years they spent pining over the other. They move to a sailboat, and they spend their life travelling the world and taking odd jobs wherever they dock.

Hope you enjoy these, and whenever you want to talk about ships, my DMs are open, and you can always leave another ask!

[galacticlamps]

Tagged by @the--highlanders​ ! Thanks!

How many works do you have on AO3?

13

What’s your total AO3 word count?

76,200

(oh what a nice even number - I should try to mess that up as soon as possible, shouldn’t I?)

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Aw man is this intentionally worded to be really hard to answer? I get that it says ‘written’ and not ‘posted’ but then what constitutes a ‘fandom?’ I definitely wrote fics for stuff I was interested in long before I even knew the word ‘fic’ - I did it throughout my childhood, and then in high school, and while I didn’t do it as much in college, it still happened from time to time. So a lot of the books/movies/tv shows/plays/musicals I wrote things for aren’t really fandoms, and frankly, I had to check my old folder just now to even remember some of them existed. I’ll just list the ones that I know for sure had fandoms, since that’s more fun (and embarrassing), right?

Obviously Doctor Who, classic and modern, Torchwood, Sherlock Holmes (ironically more of these seem to be about the books, but yes, I will admit, some for that tv show too), Les Mis, a couple different Marvel comics & movies, Good Omens, hell, I even found a Night Vale fic in there just now.

And I know there are other older things not even in that folder, some of which never made it to a computer at all, so if I had to ballpark a number I’d probably say around 25ish but really, who knows?

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Across the Gap

On the Spot

Expectations

Shards of Memories & Fragments of Glass

Itemized

(this was fun, I’d never noticed Ao3 even had a stats page until now lol)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to! Sometimes I take a long time to do so but for the most part, I usually get around to it. The rare exception would be if I first saw the comment when I was super busy/distracted and then felt like way too much time passed before I noticed it again, that it might be awkward if I said something at that point.

I do genuinely enjoy hearing what people think, but I’m also weirdly terrified of making anyone feel like they have to reply to my comments. I know that’s probably a little strange, but it’s actually a large part of why I made this Ao3 account in the first place - my original one, from high school, is followed by some long-time friends of mine who aren’t interested in this fandom, some of whom are involved in art & writing professionally. The thought of anyone like that reading something I wrote out of friendliness or even just curiosity and potentially having to pretend they liked it for the same reasons stressed me tf out, so I like having this virtually anonymous one because I can relax knowing that anyone who reads or interacts with something I wrote has probably done so only because they wanted to, rather than feeling obligated, and there’s no pressure on them to be nice to me about it if anything I write or post annoys them - so I really hope nobody who does just know me as an anonymous blog has ever worried about offending me by not replying to something, trust me, I’m perfectly happy with it!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t think I’ve really written any angsty endings? I guess the answer would have to be Reckless just because it involves the characters arguing about sad/weighty things and there isn’t really any solution to those issues - but even then I think I ended it with a kind of acceptance that stops it from really qualifying as angst? I also set it in the the same universe as other fics, so maybe that doesn’t even count as an ending? Am I that bad at ending things on angst? Lol

Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Obviously none of the fics I’ve posted are crossovers but I’m trying to think now if any of my WIP’s are - I’ve definitely poached setting/premise ideas from other media, but in terms of actual crossovers . . . I’ve got a few cross-era or cross-Doctor, a few involving Torchwood, but that’s already the same universe, so the only thing that’d qualify as a true crossover would be some vague pieces of a fic where Jamie, Zoe, and Two end up on the Enterprise, since I think the 60s series of Star Trek and Dr Who feel kind of compatible, don’t they? In fact, aren’t there like officially licensed crossover comics or something? Or did I make that up? Idk, and the ideas are very loose, so it’s not much of a WIP either

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope, never

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I’ve never written smut, but I’m wondering if it’s possible that could change soon. There’s a longish multi-chapter fic I’ve been working on for a frankly embarrassing amount of time, and the plot does call for a sex scene at one point towards the end, but I can’t seem to make up my mind on how - uh, I guess the word is explicit? - it should get. I know I could easily do a fade to black/implication thing, but it’s kind of a source of contention and anxiety for the characters, so to skip over writing the actual scene and just revisit them afterwards rings of “and they slept together and now everything’s fine!” which feels kinda cheap to me - in this context, anyway - and not the right payoff for a long fic that’s otherwise more of an interpersonal drama/slightly a period piece, if I had to place it in a genre. I feel like my aversion to actually writing the scene might just be prudishness I should get over, or maybe just self-doubt, because I know I’d rather have a well-written, funny, character-development-supporting sex scene than nothing at all, but since I’ve never had any interest in writing a scene like that before, I don’t know if I can do it well, and I also don’t want to ruin a fic I’m otherwise proud of by doing it badly... ugh I have to figure this out

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I seriously doubt it

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I mean, it’s gotta be Two & Jamie. I’ve shipped things before with varying levels of investment, but I’ve never been able to use the term ‘otp’ in a literal sense until I came across them, and now it’s already basically gone out of fashion, go figure!

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I’m not sure if I have one? My WIP doc is huge, but I don’t actually intend to get around to finishing everything in it, so I’d like to think that anything I’ve currently singled out to complete can actually get done.

That said, I do have a few AU’s that I don’t really plan to finish, but it might be cool if I could. Two of them are for all the main + some supporting characters of the Second Doctor’s era - one’s a modern day school teachers AU, and the other is a typical fantasy/fairy tale AU. Another is just Two/Jamie, based on Doctor Faustus (specifically the Marlowe play version) but right now there are two different versions of the ending coexisting in my head. I’ve written parts of scenes & some gen. backstory for all of those ideas, but I don’t know if I’ll ever try to finish them, or what form a finished product would even take - a series of one-shots set in the same universe? one long multi-chapter fic with some kind of overarching plot? And the amount of context/worldbuilding a big AU like these would require might not make them very appealing fics for people to read, so maybe it is better if I just keep them to myself, since in my head I already know what’s going on in those worlds lol.

What are your writing strengths?

I honestly don’t know. I haven’t had a creative writing class since middle school, and since then I’ve only ever shown creative writing to others in a fandom context, so it’s been a while since I’ve discussed it or gotten critical feedback. I suppose when I work in other arts or even academic writing contexts, people usually say I’m kind of insightful or at least detail oriented, which might just be another way of saying I overthink things, but I like to imagine I’m decent at finding little points of interest to expand upon.

What are your writing weaknesses?

If you’ve read this far I feel like you must know what I’m about to say: I do not know how to be concise.

Usually when I’m writing a fic, I put down the dialogue first on its own, leaving out the action of the scene and whatever plot/context led there, even if I’ve already figured all of that out. But then when I go to add those things in, they’re always longer than I wanted them to be. I don’t mind writing something long, but I don’t want my fics to be a slog to get through either, and there can be a point at which the stuff I’ve added for context overwhelms the stuff that I wanted the fic to be about in the first place, so it becomes a structural/proportion issue too. I haven’t completely given up on any fics because of this yet, but there’s one I’ve been struggling with for a couple months now - probably because I’m even second-guessing myself on which scenes need to be written out and which can just be referenced like a recap. Hopefully I figure that one out soon.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

((this is karma isn’t it? i posted a fic last week with two words of gaelic in it and was worried about that and now this is karma))

In general, I don’t want to do it. I feel like you’ve gotta have a really good grasp of a language to write dialogue & speech patterns for someone who’s a native speaker, and since I’m far from fluent in any language the characters I write for are, I wouldn’t feel confident writing any significant amount of dialogue in, say, Gaelic.

As a sidenote, though, I kinda love it when other people do it, particularly for Jamie. Irish (Gaeilge) and Scottish (Gàidhlig) are both languages I’ve wanted to learn for a long time, because my family’s fresh out of living speakers of either & I think that’s a shame, but I started with Irish and at the moment I’m still very much learning it. As different as they are, it still helps me understand parts of lyrics or texts that I come across in Gàidhlig fairly frequently, so when it comes up in a fic I get to feel like I’m being responsible and practicing, and it’s great when I can actually understand what’s being said.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I’m gonna go with Harry Potter even though that’s probably not a perfectly accurate answer - it’s almost certainly the first thing that has a fandom that I ever wrote for, but it was in a notebook when I was a kid and never something that I even typed on a computer, much less posted online or shared with other members of a fandom. But even then, I’m sure it wasn’t the first pre-existing fictional universe I ever set an original story in, because I did that a lot when I was a kid, it’s just hard to remember those clearly or on any kind of timeline.

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I’m very partial to Across the Gap, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that ranked first on the kudos thing above - but I’ve also got a soft spot for So Merrily We’ll Sing. It’s so self-indulgent it feels silly saying ‘it was so easy to write!’ but I guess having a fic that’s already just 100% headcaonons and fluff tied together by a song you really love does prevent it from being much of a labor (I also managed to refrain from making that one unnecessarily long, so that’s another win there)

tagging @terryfphanatics and anyone else who wants to do it - sorry I’m bad at remembering whose tumblr goes with whose Ao3 account, but I really would be interested to read this if anyone else feels like answering them!

[bedlamsbard]

Writing tag game -- tagged by @lessattitudemorealtitude

how many works do you have on Ao3?

Discounting podfic on which I’m listed as a co-author, 24.  My concept writing doesn’t go to AO3 and the vast majority of my Narnia fic was never cross-posted there.  (Or reposted there, actually, I think most of it pre-dates the AO3.)

what’s your total Ao3 word count?

1,050,810.  oh, huh, I didn’t actually realize I’d passed the one million word mark (probably with Crown).

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

all of these ended up being Star Wars, which is not a huge surprise.  Morning will probably reach Dirt in the next couple of updates, I’d guess.

Immutable, or, Five Times Obi-Wan Kenobi Compromised His Jedi Ethics for Anakin Skywalker -- this is not the oldest Star Wars fic on there, but I think it’s the second oldest. people just really like 5 times fic.

Wake the Storm - did you know that when I started Wake I assumed it was a very niche trope in what was, at the time, a pretty dead fandom? the kudos count on Wake actually outnumbers Gambit by more than 1600 kudos, so the number of people who go from Wake to Gambit is a lot lower than you might think.

Queen's Gambit - a significantly lower kudos count than Wake or Immutable.  Gambit’s such a weirdo of a story, tbh, I can’t be surprised by anything about Gambit anymore.

On the Edge of the Devil's Backbone - about 600 kudos less than Gambit, so less difference between Gambit and Backbone than between Wake and Gambit.

Dirt in the Machine - another older fic.  I’d rewrite this one if I cared enough to do so, because it’s not at my current standards (Immutable isn’t either, for that matter) and I kind of wince every time I get comments on it.  this is the first one of the top five to have below 1K kudos.

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I’ll usually respond to direct questions, but I very, very seldom respond to comments in general.  This is an old standing policy of mine that’s now more than a decade old -- it used to be I’d wait twenty-four hours before responding, then I’d respond right before the next chapter went up, and for a while I’d only respond to comments on the first few chapters of a story.  Now I just mostly do not.  The reasons for this are: (1) many, many years ago, I lost my temper pretty badly at a comment on a fic of mine (this was pre-AO3, this was back in my LJ days), and after that I moved to the “wait twenty-four hours” response so I didn’t say anything without thinking about it, (2) I do go back and reread comments but I hate rereading my own responses, (3) I prefer to know the comments numbers on my fic are all from actual comments and not from me saying “thanks for reading!”, (4) I can’t take that kind of responsibility for answering every single comment, man.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Of stuff I’ve written in the past ten years? (I can’t really remember before that.)  Maybe Backbone, because it ends on that pretty upbeat “yay team we’re going to be rebels now!” note.  or Devil’s in the Details (other side part 1), though I don’t really want to consider it a finished fic even though it’s technically finished; it has another “yay team we’re back together (minus Ezra)” ending.  I tend to end on complicated and reasonably open endings, not like...happy endings.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

probably Gambit for the “everything is super fucked up” factor and also the fact that I never wrote the sequel. plus it ended with the entire Wake trio split up in a whole new universe, plus back in the Gambitverse Amidala not able to go back to Naboo, Ahsoka shunned, Palpatine’s new empire, Rex trapped in the Gambitverse, etc.

do you write crossovers?

I did in my Narnia days. I don’t anymore. Working in widespread fandoms like Star Wars or the MCU is basically like writing crossover fic within the same universe, anyway.

have you ever received hate on a fic?

*hysterical laughter*

...yes. yes I have. it’s the reason every time I get a comment notification on Gambit or Wake I freeze in absolute terror. people HATE Wake and Gambit.  I hate to say never, but I will probably never write those characters or in that series again.

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

not really?  I’ve done relatively non-explicit sex but it’s not something I’m super comfortable writing, especially in recent years. I’m much more likely to do a fade to black.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

I think Gambit got scraped once when it was still in progress and my response was something along the lines of “good luck, bro,” given the whole “still in progress” thing.

have you ever had a fic translated?

I’ve gotten a couple of translation requests but I can’t recall if anything’s ever been translated.  (Or if I responded to them...I know a few I forgot to respond.)

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, back in my Narnia days.  Some SW concept writing and that ended so badly that I’ll never co-write again.

what’s your all-time favourite ship?

Kanan/Hera, of course!

what’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

gods, Dust in the Air, my Narnia Last Battle AU.  Back when I started it in 2008 or so I didn’t have the self-control or discipline I do now, even if I had a lot of the worldbuilding ability and the ability to conceive of if not execute long plot arcs, and I broke off more than I could chew.  If I ever went back to it I’d probably have to do a complete rewrite and it has the unique problem among my WIPs of being the last major fic I wrote in present tense -- I now write exclusively in past tense.  The bones of the story are good, I’d just have to go back to the bones and not just pick up where I left off.

what are your writing strengths?

Plot, worldbuilding/environment, action.  I also do genuinely think I’m very good at characterization too, but I think they’re all inter-related.  (Except the action, that’s me alone.  I love writing action and I generally get a lot of compliments on my action scenes.)  look, I know it’s conceited, but I’m good and I know I’m good, and I’m good in a pretty well-rounded way for the genre I write.

what are your writing weaknesses?

brevity. can’t do it.

honestly, there are others, but I don’t write stories where they’d come up.  I think I have a tendency to get to bogged down in dialogue in a way that I’ve never quite solved.  I also let my emotions take over too much and not in the good fannish way, in the “I’m having a fucked up relationship with canon or fandom and it’s affecting my ability to work” way.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

please stop having your Asgardians speak Latin for magic, man, that’s my feeling on it.

okay, my feelings on it for me -- I’ve sprinkled bits and pieces of Huttese, Twi’leki, and tee-tiny bits of other stuff here and there in fic.  I’d not be comfortable doing more than that because the only other language that I really feel comfortable doing anything significant in is Latin, and even then I’d hesitate. also, like, Latin! not a language that comes up in the fandoms I write in.  even then, like -- any extended dialogue should be intelligible to the audience, and I don’t expect my audience to be able read anything other than English; I’d rather just say “they switched to Twi’leki to say” or something similar.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

like, online? Harry Potter. for things that I didn’t post online because I didn’t know what fic was yet? probably either The 10th Kingdom or The Mummy.

what’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

On the Edge of the Devil’s Backbone.  I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written, I think it’s the most tightly plotted, I think it’s got the best worldbuilding, I think it’s remarkably consistent thematically, and it was, at the time, a fic that I was very devoted to finishing or dying trying, because I was going through it at the time and some of it was connected to the fic.

I don’t tag people, but please go for if you want!

[anotherkpopvictim]

Into a New World (Through the Gate) - BTS OT7 Fantasy Story Chapter 8

(Edit is mine, but here is the pic source)

A/N: Hello again guys!! Thank you so much for all the love that the last chapter got, it really makes me smile and motivates me. As you can probably tell, I take quite a while to write any story, but all the support really helps me do better, so thank you :)

This chapter was originally going to be a shorter/filler one, but it ended up being just as long as the others, oops. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Happy Birthday to our Park Jimin <3 <3 <3

Relationship: BTS X BTS

Rating: T

Words: 4590

Hurt/comfort, fantasy

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Chapter 8: To the Lagoon

Worldbuilding Note on Magic: As stated before, witches and fairies have nearly identical means of magic. While some other creatures, like demons for example, can only use their magic for mischief and harm, or shapeshifters, whose magic is only shown through their enhanced senses and technical immortality, witches and fairies both have the most extensive means of magic of any creature. Witches tend to lean towards specializing in body focused magic most often in the form of potions (i.e. strength potion, energy potion) referred to as inner magic, while fairies tend to lean towards manipulating outside forces using charms or spells (i.e. plant growing, building) referred to as outer magic. However, both fairies and witches are capable of using both types of magic. To be clear, though, these types of magic are not easy. They take practice and concentration and use up a lot of magic energy if one isn’t careful enough. If a spell is powerful enough, it will require an incantation to complete.

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

Minho had given them the general coordinates to the place he’d met the Dragon, so Jimin was in charge of navigating them through the expansive forest and kept looking down at his phone every once in a while. According to the pink fairy, they were about two hours into their twenty-three hour journey.

Hoseok was piggybacking on Taehyung’s back, made easier for the witch who took a strength potion he’d made earlier with Jimin. Now, he was able to carry the ill fairy through the rather difficult terrain without any issue.

Eunji ambled alongside them, her coat glistening almost golden in the sunlight. She had their few bags strapped to her back, refusing to let Jimin carry them earlier and giving a little growl when he attempted to pick them up.

The orange fairy had fallen asleep after they’d left the house, and only woke up a few minutes ago, as the sky above them became more grey than blue.

“That strength elixir must be working great,” Hoseok commented with a sleep-raspy voice. “You’ve barely broken a sweat.” The witch didn’t appear tired at all, though they had been walking quickly for a good two hours now.

Taehyung smiled, glancing back at him momentarily before focusing back on the forest ahead of them so he didn't accidentally trip on anything. “It’s one of the potions I make best, though it only works for witches and humans.”

The orange fairy hummed, “I always forget that you witches are technically human, what with your magic and all. I always wondered what it was like being human. Not being immortal.”

“Being human is...well, it’s just different. I’m sure Yoongi and Jungkook would agree that humans still have a fear of any supernatural being, even if we’ve all progressed in relations over the years. Human lives are short and we face many hurdles of injury and disease, so we savour each and every moment that we have with our loved ones.”

Jimin glanced over his shoulder at them with a little pout, “That’s sweet, but sad too.” A thought seemed to come to his mind then and he continued, “I guess that we’ll have to help Jungkook when his human friends and family eventually pass away.”

Hoseok hadn’t even thought about the fact that Jungkook was still a young vampire and anyone he knew when he was human was aging without him. He wanted to ask more about these friends and family, but he also knew that it wasn’t really Taehyung or Jimin’s place to tell him.

Instead, he leaned his heavy head on Taehyung’s shoulder and asked the man, “So, when did you know you wanted to become a witch?”

Taehyung chuckled, “Oh, I've always known. Even in my earliest memories I remember being closely connected to magic, wanting to reach out to it but not being able to. My family...wasn’t the greatest. They had a deep-rooted hatred for witches, so I never told them about my...special abilities. One time, when I was seven or eight, I purchased a spell book with my saved up allowance and practiced spells in the woods near my house for weeks. Verbal spells didn’t come easily to me then, so I tried potion making, and that was where I thrived.”

“Your family hate witches?”

The man nodded, making his soft, chocolate brown hair tickle against Hoseok’s cheek. “My great-great grandfather was said to be killed by a witch’s spell, but no one seems to know the full details so I’m not sure it’s even true. Needless to say, when Eunji found me and I began keeping myself young as they continued to age...they found out what I was and they weren’t happy.” The large wolf trotted over and nudged Taehyung's hand - that was holding Hoseok’s thigh - with her black nose. The witch smiled at his familiar. “My two younger siblings didn’t really care, but the rest of my family, my parents and my grandparents, were disgusted by me. That’s when Eunji and I left them and never looked back. I occasionally check up on my siblings, though. They’re rather old now, and probably have only a few years to live, but they seem to appreciate it when I visit.”

“Of course they appreciate it, Tae,” Jimin said, “They love you very much. Your parents didn’t understand you, but they do.” The pink fairy turned to Hoseok with a smile, “Hopefully, you can meet Taehyung’s brother and sister one day, hyung.”

“How’d you meet the others then, Taehyungie?” Hoseok inquired.

The witch made a thoughtful noise and smiled, “Well, it was quite an interesting encounter to say the least…”

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

July 3490

Taehyung had been searching all over the city of Seoul for some arbay flowers. The flowers were few and far between but they were an extremely good binding agent for mixing two or more potions together without having it explode in one’s face (Taehyung may or may not have had some bad experiences in that area). Just when he was about to give up his search, Baekhyun told him that there was one place he could go to get some arbay flowers.

“It’s on the edge of a pack’s land,” the older witch warned. “I’ve heard that they’re rather lenient on people entering their territory since they own such a large area, but I would still be careful so that you don’t anger them.”

“I won’t!” Taehyung exclaimed excitedly. “Oh, thank you so much Baekhyun-hyung! You’re a lifesaver!”

Baekhyun smirked smugly, “I know.”

Taehyung stuck his tongue out childishly at his hyung.

The location was about an hour’s drive away, on the outskirts of the city, but it took an extra half hour thanks to traffic. Taehyung sang along to the music blasting through the speakers, Eunji howling along every once in a while from the backseat.

Taehyung reached the end of a paved road and made a left turn onto a dirt road that he drove on for a good forty minutes or so. Eventually, the sparse houses petered off completely and the rough road became more and more uneven. He came to a stop when he reached a large dirt lot at the end of the road, with an unmissable wooden sign with chipped red lettering.

Entering the Mysterious Forest. Proceed with caution.

Taehyung hadn’t even known that this place existed before Baekhyun told him about it, and the older witch explained the phenomenon behind the vast forest. “The further one goes into the woods, the more unsettled they become. Strange things begin to happen, and eventually everyone turns around to leave.”

It was rather intriguing to Taehyung, but despite his curiosity, he had no plans to venture that far into the forest today. The patch of arbay flowers was supposed to be only eight or so kilometers in, just on the edge of a pack’s territory. The witch planned to get in and out within a few hours.

Of course, things don’t always go exactly to plan.

With his backpack secured to his back, Taehyung set off into the woods, following a faint foot trail Baekhyun had indicated. Eunji growled playfully and nudged his hip before taking off down the path, the witch laughing and chasing after his familiar.

He eventually reached a small stream, listening to the sound of the water gently running over the rocks that lined the bottom. Eunji immediately hurried over and began lapping up the cool water, while Taehyung scoped out the area.

Despite Baekhyun insisting that arbay flowers grew decently right near this stream, Taehyung couldn’t seem to find any. But he’d come all the way here and he wasn’t going to give up yet. The witch wandered the area for a while more, a disappointed pout making a home on his face as the minutes ticked by and he still didn’t find what he was looking for.

He did a double take when his gaze ran across something with a very distinct purple color a little ways in the distance. Before he could get too excited, he realized that it was on the other side of the stream.

Baekhyun had warned him about entering the nearby pack’s territory, but he also mentioned that they weren’t said to be especially mean, and while weighing his options, Taehyung was focused on that.

Are you sure about this, Taehyung? Eunji questioned, her voice resounding in the witch’s head.

“It’s just beyond the treeline over there,” he replied. “We’ll be in and out in less than five minutes.”

Eunji hummed, Let’s just hope the pack doesn’t have any super territorial were-shifters then.

“It’ll be fine,” Taehyung insisted, trying to ignore the little voice in the back of his head warning him about trespassing.

In the end, the witch trudged towards the stream and began strategically stepping on the rocks above the water to cross. Once on the other side, he waited for a moment, listening carefully and looking around in case anything was going to happen. It was silent, however, so Taehyung waited until Eunji did her routine sniff of the air before the two made their way over to the flowers.

Taehyung’s cheeks hurt with how much he was grinning when he saw the abundance of arbay flowers growing just into the treeline. The deep purple petals glimmered faintly in the rays of sunlight peeking through the canopy.

Immediately, the witch began carefully picking the flowers and putting them into his backpack. One of his best achievements so far in life was successfully creating a backpack that looked like any other, but actually kept anything inside from getting crushed. The bag could be tossed around or even run over by a car, and the contents would be just as you set them in.

He was so wrapped up in his excitement that he jumped high in the air when Eunji, who had been lounging and keeping watch next to him, stood up on all fours and took a defensive position. A warning growl rumbled in her throat, her eyes and ears alert.

Taehyung looked at her with wide eyes. “Eunji, what is-”

He didn’t get to finish his question because a large, snowy white wolf burst through the trees from further into the forest, coppery-golden eyes narrowed in on them. Their lips curled back as they let out a snarl. (White wolf)

Well, shit.

As his heart raced in his chest, Taehyung noticed that the wolf’s eyes were flashing blue, indicating a shapeshifter omega - and a very defensive one at that.

“This is your property, right? I’m sorry, I just wanted to harvest some of these flowers!” the witch rambled, trying his best to calm the situation. “It was stupid of me, I’m sorry! We’ll leave right now!”

Before Taehyung could do good on his words, the white wolf stopped it’s growling and tilted it’s head curiously. In the blink of an eye, Taehyung heard the faint cracking of bones before the wolf disappeared, and in its place stood a very naked, very handsome man.

The man was tall and had broad shoulders, black hair parted over his forehead. He had an eyebrow raised in question as he stared Taehyung down. “You wanted the flowers? What for?” he asked in a smooth voice.

Taehyung was blinking quickly and trying his best not to look away from the man’s face. “Ah, I’m a witch. I’ve found that arbay flowers are a great combining agent and a friend told me that they grew in the area. He warned me not to cross the stream as that was a pack’s property, but...I’m sorry. I thought I would be gone before anyone would notice.”

The man gazed at the witch with a look Taehyung couldn’t quite decipher. It wasn’t an annoyed or angry look, nor was it quite a curious one either. “What is your name?”

“Kim Taehyung.”

The man flickered his gaze back over to Eunji, who stood protectively in front of the witch. “And this wolf is your familiar?”

“Yes.”

The man hummed. “Quite a unique animal for a familiar.” He stared at Eunji meaningfully for a few moments before she backed down from her defensive stance, surprising Taehyung.

He won’t harm you, was what Eunji gave as an explanation. When the man moved forward and gave her a gentle pat on the head, she nudged his wrist thankfully.

Before Taehyung could even think to question his familiar further, the man began walking towards him, holding out a hand. “My name is Kim Seokjin.” As Taehyung took the man’s hand in his own, rather dirty one, he watched the other’s eyes light up with something that looked like confirmation. “And you are my packmate.”

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

September 10 3501, Present Day

“Hyungs were very cautious meeting people in our territory even back then,” Jimin explained. “For most of us magical beings, territory means property, but to shapeshifters, it’s something that they feel the instinct to defend.”

Taehyung chuckled amusedly. “I remember that Seokjin-hyung and Namjoon-hyung were very surprised to meet a wolf familiar. They’d never met one before so it was kind of a strange situation.”

“Hmm,” Hoseok hummed with a tired smile. “Definitely strange. I know that shifters are able to communicate telepathically with each other, are they able to have that connection with Eunji?” Said wolf trotted by Taehyung and rubbed her face quickly against Hoseok’s thigh before continuing on ahead of the group once more.

“They can’t speak with normal wolves, but since Eunji is attached to me, they are able to speak sometimes.” Taehyung answered, “But they explain it as being more difficult than with a shapeshifter, though. Like searching for the right radio signal so you can hear properly.”

“Interesting,” the orange fairy mused.

Taehyung hiked Hoseok up higher on his back from where the older man had been slipping down. “When I met the others, Jimin basically attached himself to my hip and never left.”

The pink fairy turned in their direction with a beaming grin. “We all are undoubtedly packmates, but Taehyungie is my soulmate. My best friend. I’ve never met anyone who understands me as well as he does.”

“How cute,” Hoseok murmured, his eyelids drooping like there was lead weighing them down.

Jimin and Taehyung share a knowing look before the fairy goes back to checking the GPS and the witch turns his head just enough to plant a kiss on Hoseok’s temple. “You can sleep again, hyung. We still have a long way to go.”

“M’kay,” the orange fairy mumbled, finally allowing his eyes to shut completely. His lips pouted out cutely. “‘M sorry I can’t keep myself awake.”

The older man was out like a light before Taehyung could tell him he didn’t need to apologize.

After a little while of more walking, Taehyung and Jimin began to notice that the sounds that normally surround the place - the birds chirping, the crickets playing their tune - were dying down until they sounded far away. The clouds in the sky continued to get darker and darker until the daylight was almost completely hidden. The eerie aura of the place didn’t go unnoticed by the two men, but they continued on despite beginning to feel extra cautious.

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

It was quite early into the next morning - a couple hours before dawn - when the three finally decided to stop for a rest. They’d made better time than expected, and the strength potion only worked so well.

They found a small, uninhabited cave and took shelter there from the soft but biting wind blowing outside. Despite the chill it gave them, they revelled in it because it eased the eerie, hair-raising feeling that encompassed the atmosphere and the otherwise silent forest.

Jimin started a fire easily with a snap of his fingers, and they all laid down to rest for a few hours after eating the meals Seokjin had packed them. Hoseok had slept on Taehyung’s back for almost the entire journey, only waking up every few hours to take a leak or drink some water. The witch was becoming increasingly more distressed at the orange fairy’s state, so Jimin cuddled up against his back from where they laid next to Hoseok on a thick blanket.

When Taehyung and Jimin woke up three hours later at the first light of dawn, Hoseok was still fast asleep and didn’t appear like he was going to be awake for a while. So, the two of them ate a bit more before they began preparing for the next step of their journey.

The plan was to leave Jimin at the cave while Taehyung took Hoseok the last hour and a half hike to the coordinates Minho had given them. That way if they were in danger, the pink fairy would be close enough to assist, but far enough to leave the meeting with the Dragon - if he was even there - to the only two required searchers. If the man did exist, he was reclusive and cautious around people, so the less people the better.

“There,” Jimin said, taking his hand away from Hoseok’s shoulder. “I’ve put a tracking charm on you, so I can find you if you don’t return on time. And a breadcrumbs charm so you’ll be able to find your way back to me here without any trouble.”

“Thanks, you’re the best,” Taehyung replied.

The pink fairy gave a smug, beaming grin. “I know.”

The witch snorted in amusement at his lover’s cocky response as he went about maneuvering the still sleeping Hoseok onto his back. With the strength potion it took little time or effort at all. Jimin adjusted the orange fairy’s large, warm coat to make sure it still covered him completely.

“Taehyung, I’m proud of you, you know,” Jimin announced as he reattached a small bag of essentials onto Eunji’s awaiting back.

“Why’s that?”

“Because you’ve never quite been the commanding type, or someone who likes to take charge,” the pink fairy explained. “But you’re the most likely to help Hoseokie right now, and you stepped up to the role. I know it’s not easy.”

It wasn’t easy. Taehyung was an independent person, obviously, as he’d spent many years on his own before he met his packmates, but he’d always been more comfortable as a follower. Namjoon was the one that usually took charge in important situations, no doubt thanks to the alpha wolf instincts ingrained in him, but Taehyung fell into the role of follower much more naturally. Even the others, who also admired and respected Namjoon’s leadership skills, asserted themselves more often than Taehyung. Well, except maybe Jungkook, but that little vampire had always been happy and go-with-the-flow.

“Thanks,” the witch replied, adjusting the fairy on his back. “It feels strange, I’m not going to lie, but I’ll do anything for someone who needs help, especially the ones I love.”

Jimin smiled softly at the witch’s words. “You love Hoseok-hyung?”

Taehyung didn’t hesitate in his answer. “Even when I didn’t know he was our packmate, I knew in my heart how I felt about him.”

The pink fairy was so insanely enamoured with the younger man, that he couldn’t fight the urge to grab the taller by the face and pull him in for a quick but passionate kiss. Taehyung smiled into the kiss but responded in kind, nipping playfully at Jimin’s bottom lip.

With a little yelp, Jimin pulled back and slapped him on the arm, feigning annoyance. “Get going, you little shit.”

Taehyung laughed heartily, “But you love it when I bite you.”

The fairy smirked, “Exactly.”

After Jimin left a gentle kiss on the corner of Hoseok’s mouth, Taehyung set off even deeper into the woods. He grieved the loss of the pink fairy’s presence almost immediately, as the unsettling and quiet nature of the forest made him feel so unbelievably uncomfortable. It felt almost like the trees were watching him, and the absence of any animal sounds only added to the creepiness. The witch was sure that if Hoseok’s body wasn’t so exhausted, he would be feeling the same way as well.

It was truly like the forest didn’t want them there. The further Taehyung went, the more his instincts were telling him to turn and run back the way he came. However, he pushed on, for Hoseok.

The early morning was cloudy and grey again, clouds looking like they could drop rain onto them at any moment.

Taehyung tightened his grip under Hoseok’s knees, trying to take some solace in his presence, even if he wasn’t awake. At least he had Eunji by his side.

Taehyung, I’ve never felt anything like this before, she said, trotting along close to him. Everything in me is telling me to run.

“We can’t stop,” was all he replied. What could he say anyway? He too felt his heart beating out of his chest and his natural instincts heightened and yelling at him.

What if Minho purposefully sent them into danger? What if he’d read the other witch wrong and he had malicious intentions? What if Taehyung was walking straight to his, Eunji’s and Hoseok’s death?

Taehyung’s feet came to a sudden stop as his throat tightened up. His eyes were darting around him, searching desperately for whatever was making him so innately terrified. Run away! Danger! You have to run away, his mind screamed at him.

Taehyung? Eunji called, sounding just as cautious as he felt.

“Minho said that he felt this way when he came as well, but this is so much worse than I was expecting. It’s difficult to get myself to even move a few steps forwards,” he explained.

“Are you sure we should go on?” The sound of Hoseok’s groggy voice startled Taehyung, not realizing that his hyung had woken up.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the orange fairy’s eyes were still droopy with sleep but darting around nervously nonetheless. “We have to try, hyung.”

Facing forward once more, Taehyung took a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm himself before forcing his feet to continue moving through the woods. He felt vaguely like he was walking through quicksand, his feet and legs heavy and protesting. The witch was shaking with how much energy it took to go against his instincts, despite the second dose of the elixir he’d taken before they separated from Jimin.

Just as he thought that he might actually collapse from all the feelings bearing down on him, they all stopped. Halted. Just like that.

Taehyung blinked and found himself gasping in deep breaths as his body untensed, trying to gather his bearings now that he didn’t feel so on edge. He felt normal again, like absolutely nothing was wrong. Confused, the witch glanced at his familiar, who only appeared just as bemused as he was. Then he looked back over his shoulder at Hoseok once more and saw him gazing around them in awe.

Now that he could concentrate on more than just the overwhelming feelings that had taken over his body before, he followed the orange fairy’s gaze.

Before them was a lagoon - undoubtedly the most beautiful lagoon Taehyung had ever seen in his life. Sunlight beamed down from above them, making the blue-turquoise water glisten and sparkle. A few foot wide waterfall poured into the lagoon from the rocks above them, and the entire place was surrounded by bright, luscious greenery. Flowers of pinks and yellows and oranges and purples brought a variety of colour to the area as well. The overflow of the pond trickled into a small stream that they’d been following for the last few minutes but had paid little attention to whilst being overwhelmed with fear. The joyous chirping of birds could be heard nearby, as well as the sound of small animals scurrying along the branches in the trees. This place was the definition of paradise.

The whole thing looked completely out of place in the middle of their woods. While the Mysterious Forest was abundant with full green trees and bushes, they were mostly in a darker shade of green and only had patches of flowers dotted throughout.

Not to mention that just a minute ago, the sky was full of dark, looming clouds and not a single animal sound could be heard. It was like they had teleported, but Taehyung turned around to face where they’d just come from and found the familiar forest a few feet behind him. It was like they were inside a bubble of utopia.

“This must be magic,” Hoseok breathed out, expression still full of wonderment. “It’s like...like nothing I’ve ever come across before.”

“It must have taken a powerful person to create such a place,” Taehyung said, his heart beating faster once more, but this time in excitement. “It has to have been him. It has to have been the Dragon.”

Eunji’s grey-golden fur shone in the sunlight as her body fidgeted, unable to contain her anticipation. We must pray for the Dragon. That is what Minho-ssi said, right?

“Pray,” Taehyung parroted, attempting to blink himself out of his daze. “Yes, yes. We have to pray!”

Just as the witch set Hoseok down on a soft patch of grass and was about to drop to his knees in front of the lagoon to pray, a new voice rang out. “No need for that,” it said.

Taehyung, Hoseok, and Eunji all whipped around to see a figure standing leisurely on one of the fifteen foot cliffs to the left of the waterfall. It was a man with sharp features and pale skin. He had a lithe body that was draped in a red and gold robe, his hands held behind his back in a casual manner.

The aura emitting from the man was so powerful and dominant that it caused Hoseok to gasp audibly, and Taehyung to feel the urge to bow at the man’s feet.

Speechless, the witch watched open-mouthed as the man tilted his head in curiosity at them. “The Dragon,” Taehyung breathed, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

The man apparently didn’t have any difficulty hearing him, however, even from a ways away and over the sound of rushing water. He gave a mysterious smile. “That I am.”

With a kind of grace that captivated anyone watching, the Dragon walked along the edge of the cliff, closer to them, before jumping off and landing easily on his feet next to the pond. He looked up at them with cat-like eyes, “Kim Taehyung. Jung Hoseok. I’ve been awaiting your arrival.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

A/N: I'm really excited to write more of this story! I hope to update once more at the beginning of November, but depending on how things go, the next chapter might be released on Jin's birthday. Fingers crossed I get my shit together and can update sooner!!

[twixtandshout]

Tagged by @pidgeonpostal! And not tagging anyone else because I have SOILED the original template (soiled it!!) in deference to my [brushes off skirt] mostly clean public-facing appearance.

...I’ve been making a lot of Spongebob memes lately for someone who has not seen Spongebob.

How many works do you have on AO3?

71!

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

...306,834. Jesus.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Uh. Many! I do a lot of one-offs (and/or start long things I never finish) in many different places. My top three fandoms by fics written are RWBY (29), Undertale (25), Gravity Falls/Transcendence AU (4).

Bet you can’t tell where my hyperfixations have fallen. 

I’ve also got some Pokémon and Sonic the Hedgehog fics back on my ff.net account, or I think I still do, anyway, but let’s never go back there pls

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Sweeter Than Honey (Undertale): Taking a Completely unsurprising first place, with over 600 more kudos than the runner-up, the haphazard Underswap fic featuring a post-college self-insert I wrote just after high school! I shake my head some at how overblown and ridiculous the gap between this and all my other stuff is (c’mon, guys, I’ve written way better fics), but this is also the fic which prompted me (and at least one other person!) to start using they/them pronouns. I’ve gotten a lot of really sweet comments about how seen and appreciated it’s made people feel, so I can’t get down too far about it.

2. To Be A Hero (BNHA): I don’t count myself as part of the BNHA fandom, for a number of reasons, but for something that’s arguably the main motivation for the entire plot, Midoriya’s quirklessness is something I’ve never thought has been handled well. This fic marked the first time I (somewhat tentatively) claimed the disability label (thanks again to Sweeter Than for prompting that realization) to hold that lens over canon. It also really shot up my chart, dang! It’s the only thing here I’d consider “recent.”

3. Three-Sentence Shipping (Undertale): Self-explanatory.

4. Brothers Beyond Bonedaries (Undertale): Ah, the way-overcomplicated AU³ I got nowhere close to finishing. One of the things I really like about Undertale is the interface screw, how Toby Fox uses the medium of the video game to pull off crazy things and enhance his game, but most of the fic written for the fandom seems dedicated to explaining it away, grounding it, rather than taking it to the next step and messing with the medium of fanfiction when you keep the story going. I tried to do something cool like that here, playing with questions like narrator and authorship and breaking the fourth wall, even taking the “final boss” fight to a “totally separate” fic reached through the first by link – but, well, then I never finished it, which probably didn’t make anything less confusing for the poor folks who missed the intent.

5. Spirit and Such (Gravity Falls: Transcendence AU): A whole fic written to line out a particular image I had, which, naturally, never made it to the page. I consider it a bit of a cautionary tale for myself when it comes to writing (near-)original content; there’s a lot I look back on and cringe. I still love the characters, though – well, the important ones – and I think just stepping away from the tried-and-true Mizar formula nets it a star sticker here.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

>w>; I try, but a lot of the time I just don’t have anything to say? Like, oh, you liked it? Neat. There’s not much to respond to in comments like that, and then I’m weighing falling down on an ~obligation~ to respond to every message in my inbox vs annoying people with copy-paste fluff responses all down the page. Plus I know I make more of an effort to comment on things that didn’t get the attention I feel they deserve, so if I’m driving up my own comment count with nonsense, am I preventing myself from being in a position to receive more comments later? And then if I do comment, am I being too effusive or running people’s ears off explaining things they don’t actually need to know? Sometimes people just want to express interest or admiration and don’t necessarily want a whole peek and guided tour behind the curtain.

Can you tell I have anxiety? x3;

Anyway, I do respond when I can. And I keep most of the comments I’ve gotten to go back and reread. 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hm, hmm. Lots of stuff in the TQ Nonsense series would probably qualify! I’m thinking of Unfixable, Wolfsong, and Ethanol. And there’s Bursting Through A Blood-Red Sky (I Can Live, I Can Breathe), of course, but that was always intended to have a fix-it epilogue. It’s just that I wrote it in a couple of hours day-of, stared at it, and decided I didn’t wanna just then. But now that’s As Long As You’re Still Burning Bright (I’m Still Awake), and that’s probably the best romance I’ve written, so that one worked out.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Now and then! When the urge strikes. Uhhh, I’ve got a series of Doctor Who x Undertale crossovers I actually made a whole dang verse for that never made it to print. Get a couple great comments on that every few months or so. I think the World Trigger x Undertale crossover is probably weirder, though, by virtue of WT being a very small fandom. My enthusiasm kinda sputtered out on that one.

Mostly I just daydream crossovers with whatever happens to catch my eye at any given moment. I have a lot!!!! Though odds are out on whether I manage to remember any of them once the initial thought’s passed, lol.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Gotten a couple eyebrow-raising comments, but I think mostly I’m just too small a writer to draw that kind of attention.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t? think so? Think my tastes are a little niche for most people to bother ^^;

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had someone apologize once for any language mistakes in their comment cause they had to run it through a translator! That’s not what you asked (the answer is no), but it’s very flattering to think that someone liked my fic enough to read and comment despite the language barrier.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! :D @pidgeonpostal was gracious enough to agree to co-write Five Nights at Denny’s with me off an idea about shoes. This has fulfilled a long-held dream of mine (collabing with someone, not the shoes) and also introduced me to some lovely people.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Who has time for just one? ;3c Honestly, I care more about the characters and how the relationship – any relationship – between them changes them than I do about ~A Ship~ as a solid, bounded noun-object. I’ve got characters I like more and less and feelings about who does and doesn’t have chemistry in which directions with whom, but finding anything that agrees with those preferences is hard, harder when you take alloromanticism into account. I’ll play in any sandbox with cool toys, especially if other folks have already built sick sandcastles there.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

[kicks every single unfinished fic further under the bed] What nooo no WIPs here, everything on my account is either finished or does not exist

I’ve got a couple extra chapters of Sweeter Than floating around unposted, but 1. that fic’s a mess 2. high school Twixt and post-college Twixt are different people and trying to contort myself into three other me-shapes just cause people Like this fic is not something I’m super interested in 3. it’s headed for an emotional dip and I’d rather leave it where it is than post two chapters, stall out again, and leave folks with a bad end.

As for other fics... it’s looking more and more likely that v7 of my Yellow Brick Road AU will never actually make it out. >w>; I’ve got some really great ideas, but not enough to make me feel like I know what I’m doing, and that’s a big roadblock. Plus trying to engage with RT’s Atlas-Mantle worldbuilding in any serious capacity is... a headache. I can’t recommend the Happy Huntress Cinematic Universe enough, but it leaves some pretty big shoes to follow! And I’ve got small feet. <w<;

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue’s fun, probably as an extension of characterization. I love tearing into what makes people tick, especially against the backdrop of their environment, the story they’re in, and the people they’re up against. Voice is a double-edged sword; I’ve been told my writing is really recognizable and individual, but on the other hand, I’ve been growing frustrated with with the limits of my narrative ability. There’s a strong rhythm I keep when I write (you might notice it here, even) but that leaves me feeling predictable and stale. I’m not sure I’m great at setting as a matter of course, but I’m pretty good at describing setpieces where the need comes up; that comes from my background in poetry, as does the fun I have with sublimating and abstracting complex imagery. And I think I bring some needed nuance to the universal. For good or ill, I don’t do what “everyone else” is doing.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Well, writing, for one thing. If I don’t know how something’s going to go and don’t have the urge to write it, it isn’t getting done, which means there’s a billion things that will never see the page and a few hundred more that are never getting finished. I lose momentum easily and have a hard time getting started, and I put way too much standing on finding a foothold with other people; as critical as I am of my work, I have high expectations for the stuff that passes muster, and it never seems to measure up. I’m also really uncreative. Yeah, I can mix up elements and extrapolate events, but coming up with things wholesale is really hard, which is why I avoid it wherever possible and steal/reskin stuff from other places instead.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Something along the lines of “Hoo boy, I am Not qualified for this but hopefully it’s decent anyway.” Maria’s Spanish lines haven’t been a big deal – I’ve used it sparingly and, as a Latin language, it should be easy for English-speaking audiences to pick up on the gist – but I’ve had a harder time with Tai’s Chinese, both because I have Even Less background there and because it is, of course, an entirely different language system. If I write it out in English or Romanized italics, am I colonizing it or changing the meaning? If I write it out in the presumed-original characters (presumed because it’s Google Translate and who knows if I’m even barking in the right forest), am I confusing or alienating my presumed-majority-English-speaking audience? Where should I put the translations? Should I put the translations? And for Frisk’s sign language, thinking back, are the brackets I used instead of quotes alienating/infantilizing? I like that different characters give the text between a different feel, but I’m not an ASL speaker – and I’m pretty sure the word is “speaker,” which would only reinforce that that demographic would rather I didn’t do that. It’s important for all these characters, I think, that they use non-English language where it makes sense; it’s part of who they are. But as a white monolingual English-speaker, I don’t think I can really weigh in.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Thaaaat’d be Pokémon, followed closely with Sonic the Hedgehog. Whether those fics are still on my ff.net account or not (pretty sure I’ve purged them, but you never know) I’ve still got a couple saved to a folder on my current laptop, ostensibly so I can look back and see how far I’ve come and more practically to allow for the possibility of furthering group cohesion through public shaming.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I still like the idea behind The Man Who Is Atlas, and Burning Bright (Still Awake) gets props for being my current fic, though it’s currently in that spot where I’m excited to get new chapters posted but also quietly marking everything up in red pen. I think Harbinger gets the crown here, at least for now.

[lantur]

Hey,

For starters, I just want to say that I love all of your FMA stories, and the way you write your characters.

I know your stories are usually Roy/Riza, but I was hoping you’d have some advice on writing Ed x oc. I was hoping to write a character study similar to ‘delicate’ that delves into the fma world and focuses on the oc I’ve created. Romance isn’t the main focus, but it will develop as my oc gets older.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Hello! Thank you so much for your kind words :)

It's interesting that you ask this, because one of my long fics way back in the day (2014 - 2016?) was an Azula x OC fic. I never thought I would write a canon character x OC fic, but the I couldn't shake the idea and it was an interesting one to explore.

I think an important thing when writing a canon character x OC fic is to make the OC a compelling character both in their own right, and as they complement the canon characters. The one that they're in a relationship with, and the others that surround them, and even the other OCs in their life. If the OC is compelling and complements and supports the canon character (Ed in your fic, Azula in mine) in a way that helps the canon character grow, that's interesting to read.

Regarding developing the FMA world and focusing on your OC, I think just letting your imagination really run wild with regards to worldbuilding in the FMA world is really fun and interesting. With focusing on your OC, it was helpful for me to imagine what my OCs core personality traits were, what his strengths and weaknesses were, what he wanted from life, and what his life was like before the story began. I've seen some great character development guides on tumblr as well, and elsewhere online, even though regrettably I haven't saved them to be able to link them easily.

I hope this was helpful! Best of luck with your writing endeavors on this project!

[smolawkwardkidlat]

ikaw ba ulit?

in which there is zero worldbuilding and pure self-indulgent crack.

inspired by many late nights, two Spanish songs, and one Discworld book. I’ll probably never post this to AO3 for personal reasons, but this is going to remain on my Tumblr for all my desperate brethren. I gotchu fam. 

fandom: Noli Me Tangere | pairing: Elias/Crisostomo Ibarra aka Elibarra | other: alternate universe, a bit crack, super self-indulgent, canonical character deaths, (i have no idea how to explain this), very fantasy-ish, somewhat supernatural character?

By the time he has reached the old balete, Elias doesn’t know what the difference is between hunger and exhaustion and agony. What he knows is that they’re eating him alive and yet that he is so terrified it barely matters. It is December—the chill in the air mingles with the heat off his feverish skin and it burns without burning. 

There is a boy. He didn’t expect that. There is a boy in the tomb of Ibarra’s grandfather. 

Elias doesn’t know what to do. 

The boy is alive, that much is clear from the way he’s carrying on. The blood on his head has dried and his leg must be on the mend. So—wounded, but not seriously. Once he goes home and gets tended to he will be fine. The woman he’s moaning over, though… 

Sisa. When the boy raises his head Elias asks, “Are you her son?” 

His voice is so low and rough he doubts the boy heard him, but he gets a nod in response. 

That is truly unfortunate. “What will you do?” 

The boy’s eyes aren’t especially big, but they still seem to fill half his face. No child’s eyes should have that kind of sadness in them. “Bury her.” 

“In the cemetery?” 

“I don’t have money,” says the boy miserably. “And besides, the kura wouldn’t allow it.” 

Elias resists the temptation to reach out and steady himself on the gate. He closes his eyes, opens them again halfway. “Then…?” 

“If you would like to help me…” 

“I’m too weak,” he says, and the moment he says it he knows it’s true. He can’t even stand up straight anymore. The boy’s eyes follow him to the earth, as if unaware of the streak of blood across his own forehead. 

The words he explains with drag at his lungs and his throat. The boy’s eyes follow them as well. 

It must be the older son, Elias decides, what’s-his-name, Basilio. He looks too tall to be seven years old. That means—is he nine or ten? Nine—or ten—and an orphan. Nine—or ten—and left alone with his mother’s corpse on Christmas. 

Ibarra must have infected him with his bleeding heart, Elias thinks sourly. 

At the very least the boy shouldn’t see another death tonight. 

“Listen!” he says, and damn it, his voice falters faster than ever. Nevertheless, Basilio startles to attention and stares at him anew. “Before the day comes I will be dead too. There’s a pile of firewood twenty paces from here, on the other side of the brook. Bring it here.” Basilio starts to get up, but Elias splays his fingers and he stops. He listens to the instructions with an expression going glassy from grief and lack of sleep. 

Elias is happy to see him go; he has no comfort left in him for Basilio, as much as the boy needs it. Hopefully Ibarra will understand the message he has no strength left to write. 

There are stars above him and songs on the wind. There is a dawn coming and freshness on the leaves. There is a thought gnawing at his heart and he only speaks it because he is desperate. 

Before the numbness reaches his lips Elias murmurs one last broken prayer, and it is not the one you think. 

He says, Please, God, let me—

And he is awake. 

“You should have studied at the theater,” says a familiar voice, in a tone that is not at all familiar. “You’d have been brilliant.” 

Everything is blurry and feels like mist. “Ibarra?” he whispers. 

“I’m afraid not,” says the voice. He didn’t know a timbre like Ibarra’s could resonate like that. There is something on his head that tingles like touch. “Take your time, your death was nasty. Infection, exhaustion, and starvation all at once—not enjoyable.” 

“I’ll say,” he rasps, and coughs to clear his throat. Strange, that he still has a throat. “So I am dead.” 

“Yes, you are,” says that voice that still sounds uncannily like Ibarra. 

His nose catches a cool, dry, musty scent like an abandoned room, with just a hint of aged leather. Then he tastes the cold, then he hears a rustle that isn’t quite cloth but that he can’t assign to anything else. He knows these things mean something, but he doesn’t know what it is, yet. He’s dead, and that means something too. 

“You are—Death.” 

“Not quite, but close enough.” 

It stands to reason that if he can smell and taste and hear and think, then he can see, so Elias opens his eyes. What surprises him is not so much that the figure bent over him is wearing all black with a silver brooch at their throat, but that he’s still in the forest, where he died, with the ground under his back and his head resting at the foot of the balete tree. 

Now that he can think about it, it was a horrifically ironic place to die. 

“Are you better now?” asks the figure. 

He is, in fact, better. The ache that was eating away at his insides has faded almost completely—his head is clearer than it’s been in days. “I suppose so,” he says, and finds that his mouth isn’t quite as dry anymore. 

“Good,” says the figure. “Can you sit up?” 

Elias tries. For the most part it is exactly as it has always been, except for the sensation of passing through his own body, which makes his stomach squirm, despite the fact that he doesn’t have it anymore. He appears to still be wearing the dirty, bloody clothes he died in, which is somewhat humiliating. “I suppose so.” 

“I’m afraid we need to wait a while,” his companion says. “You awoke almost as soon as I reaped you, but the poor woman over there will take some time.” 

Ah. 

That’s just as well. Even the dim lights from the town are starting to hurt his eyes now, and it is much easier to focus on the figure in black than on anything else. Easier, and more comforting. 

Christmas dawns slowly, especially when waiting. His companion sits perfectly still, except for the movement of breathing, and he’s seen the way they sit before, somewhere. Around them even the forest seems to be preparing for Christmas, coming alive in striking contrast to the still, dead air beside the tomb. 

Christmas dawns slowly enough that when the movement in the trees makes them raise their heads, the light is only bright enough to make it out. Just when Elias thinks he might recognize the step, Ibarra limps into view and braces himself on the gate. 

The past two days have clearly not been kind to him either. He wears the two days on his grimy face heavily; his entire body slumps with their weight. But even with that, he moves like a hollow banana leaf, fraying with each unsteady step. His staring eyes burn under their hooded lids, so fierce and yet so fragile that Elias wants to look away. 

He does not. 

He watches as Ibarra takes in the sorry state of the two human shapes in the clearing. 

He watches as Ibarra falls to his knees with a sharp rustle of grass and cloth. He watches as Ibarra wrestles himself to his feet, staggers forward, and collapses again by the side of Elias’s body. 

The sky is alight now. 

Ibarra looks up at it. His eyes are dry, catching fire with the clouds and blazing, blazing—his eyes are closing. 

Elias turns to the figure in black. “What did you do that for?” 

They shrug their shoulders. He tries to imagine what their expression might look like; what he imagines is Ibarra—chin raised high and skin stretched paper-tight over rounded bones. “He’ll have enough to do when he wakes.” 

He frowns. “He startled you?” 

“He did, rather.” 

He can hear the curl of the mouth in the voice, and though he has no living memory of it, he remembers it regardless. The identity of his companion is dawning on him with Christmas Day. “I think, after all’s said and done, you’ll startle him quite a bit more.” 

“You never know. I didn’t startle you much, did I?” 

“No,” he says, and he’s only lying a little. “I don’t think you ever did, except that first time.” 

“Hm? What do you—” The guide freezes, as if struck by a bolt of lightning. He doesn’t need to breathe, so he does a better impression of a statue than anyone Elias can think of. “Oh, heaven, it’s you again, isn’t it? So soon?” 

He smiles lopsidedly at the hint of a whine. “I almost made it to thirty this time.” 

“Almost is only almost, soldier mine, and you don’t get any consolation prizes.” The memories are getting clearer—he can just about picture the expression under the cowl. It’s stranger, somehow, now that he has a living memory to compare it to. “I said when you live past thirty, and not before.” 

The word comes readily to his tongue, although he rarely said it in life and can still only vaguely remember saying it in death. “Ay, you’re cruel, querido.” 

The guide snorts, and Elias imagines, vividly, an impish smirk. “And yet you’re so eager to return to me that you get yourself killed just when you’ve finished having growth spurts.” 

“I don’t die quite that young,” he protests. 

“Time off isn’t easy to get, you know.” 

“Nowhere does it say in your contract that you’re required to wait with me.” 

To his satisfaction, his companion doesn't quite have an answer. “Speaking of waiting,” he says instead, “what on earth happened to that woman? This is an absolutely terrifying amount of time to wait for a soul to awaken.” 

Elias doesn’t know very much of Sisa’s story, but he tells what he does know, and the guide’s silence lapses into bleak horror when he finishes. “Well, I was almost right,” he says at last, evenly. “That’s absolutely terrible.” 

“I shouldn’t have told you.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous—I’ve heard worse, and from you, no less.” He twirls his knife thoughtfully, showing off both the sharp, shining blade and the quick, decisive hands. “Would you mind if I dealt with her alone?” 

“Not at all.” Elias has always been bad at talking to the dead, despite—and perhaps because of—having so much experience with death. 

The guide casts him a doubtful look. 

“As long as you return for me afterwards.” 

“There it is,” he laughs. “I was afraid I’d mistaken you for a moment. Don’t worry, I will—and then I’ll be all yours for nine months afterwards, if we’re lucky.” He gets to his feet. “Nearly ready now. May I have a farewell gift?” 

“I have a bullet. Do you want that?” The palpable disappointment just about imagines the pout for him. “Oh, very well. Take your cowl off for a bit.” 

He can feel the triumphant smile against his lips, sparkling as bright as the starlit eyes as they disappear again into shadow. “If you end up not having to take a step out of that gate,” he warns, “you’re getting this bullet too.” 

“If I misjudged that badly, I deserve it!”