#yes this will affect whose pov i write it from

[anachronistic-falsehood]

question for tidalwave enjoyers. i think theyre both stupidly oblivious 2 the fact that they like each other but who do u think would realize it first. yeah im making a fucking poll yes i am writing a post s2 tidalwave oneshot

[the-fictional-wife]

Finding Happiness (Itachi Uchiha x reader)- 1

This is the start of a series of scenarios for post-war Itachi (yes he lives) finding happiness with you! I miss fluff in Itachi's tag so why not make my own.

I want to mainly focus on the relationship but some chapters down the line will explain more plot also the chapter sequences might not end up in chronological order^^

This will be fem reader heads up so she/her pronouns!

Even though this isn't nsfw, some things in this series won't be exactly appropriate so imma still say MDNI!

////- means pov switch

Word count: 2.0k+

Chapter 1- Grocery Shopping + Cafe Cuties Next Chapter?

“I want to help.”

“You should want to take it easy instead,” you sigh. Itachi was up...yet again to help despite being on mandatory bedrest to help his body regain its strength back. He’s restless; it’s easy to understand; he’s banned from missions, and staying home is rather dull, but...

“Tsunade strictly said you were to rest while on house arrest. That’s the whole point I’m here.” You rest your arm on the cool kitchen countertop to grab a pen and begin writing down a shopping list with a huff.

“....”

At the silence, you turn around with pursed lips to face Itachi only to stifle a laugh when you see his face: eyebrows furrowed, lips just slightly jutted-

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he’s pouting.

“I would argue three weeks of nothing but bed imprisonment is adequate enough rest, don’t you agree.” Itachi huffs. 

After weeks of being detained right alongside Sasuke, Kakashi made the executive decision that Itachi deserved something better than a jail cell: temporary house arrest. 

With a babysitter. 

You glance at Itachi’s mildly annoyed face, momentarily taking in the sight.

You’ll spare him...for today.

“hm...fine, the sun would do you well anyway.” You finish writing the list and hand it to Itachi, whose eyes blankly rake the paper, then folds it into his pocket.

“Well, let’s go,” You stand at the doorway where a large black seal awaits, designed to trigger the alarm around Itachi’s ankle. Weaving the signs, you both squint at the burst of light before ushering him out the door.

As the two of you walk out of the Uchiha compound, you ponder over the last few weeks with Itachi. You can’t count the heart attacks you’ve gotten from seeing an empty bed and surprise; he was admiring the fish. 

He is a quiet, stealthy patient, somewhat akin to an 87-year-old senior citizen. On the more serious end, you think back solemnly; his eyes had often reflected his concession to emptiness. Sunken in and soulless.

‘But now…’ You peer at Itachi from the corner of your eye.

His eyes sharp and attentive; the color is back in his face; sunkissed pink cheeks, his short sleeve shirt giving view to his lean muscles-

‘He’s actually kinda...’ 

////

Itachi can’t tell if it’s the heat of your gaze or the sun flushing his cheeks.

Your gaze washes over him, a captivating light he yearns to forever bask in. Domesticity is a variable of life he is unacquainted with and…undeniably undeserving of. 

And yet, the further you expose him to gentleness, affection, and peace, the more he greedily deludes himself into that he belongs.

Encompassed in a life of peace he’s desperately craved, peace he’s found with you.

Within the shinobi existence, emotions, relationships…living. All become an unforeseeable luxury.  

It’s unsettling to desire. To be human.

Itachi silently shifts his eyes toward you, observing as you conceal your face, abashed from being caught. He finds himself smitten. 

“You were looking a little pale. If you feel weak at any time, don’t be afraid to lean on me.” 

A lie, of course. An utterly endearing one.

‘Perhaps, in this life…’

He capitalizes on the chance anyway. 

‘…I can be selfish.’

////

As you head into the village, you feel something creep around your arm. 

Neither of you acknowledge it.

+++

Your arm is still intertwined with Itachi’s as you both find purchase in a decently sized everything market. Waving to the cat perched in the front, you read the aisle numbers with its affiliated products: ‘Household items- 1, Toys- 2, Jewelry- 4,...Fruits & Dairy- 5’. After detecting where you wanted to begin, you guys head to your destination, avocados. 

Itachi lightly tugs your arm, signaling your attention.

“It’ll be quicker if we split. The potatoes are within eye range; I’ll only be a minute.” Your face scrunches in; reluctantly, you let go with a poorly concealed pout.

“... don’t trust me? I promise I’ll return to you shortly.” With that, Itachi saunters, leaving a lingering graze against your skin. 

You pause, leaving the way your heart palpitates unavowed. ‘A kiss would have sufficed,’ you snicker and return to your dilemma with hunched shoulders.

You’re on your fifth avocado before you give a groan of defeat. “I can’t tell which ones are good or not; they all look the same,” you mumble, distracted enough to miss the figure peering closer.

“May I see?”

His gentle whisper tickles your ear, you force the quiver down your spine to still- even when you feel his careless lips making one too many brushes to your ear, you wordlessly nod yes.

His broad chest and feather touch of his hair against your cheek overwhelm your senses as he reaches his arm around your waist to probe at the fruit you have in hand.

You pray he can’t feel the way your heart beats.

“Hmm...this one is ripe. You can tell by the dark color and firmness...good eye.” Within a blink, the weight of Itachi’s presence vanished, and he pulled away.

Ah. That.

“R-right, thank you,” you fumbled over your wording and rushed to the edge of the aisle. “Okay, let’s split from here to make things easier; I do the first half of the list, you do the last. Capeesh?” Fingers bend into a okay sign; you give a shaky grin and rush down to the next aisles, leaving Itachi to fend for himself.

“...” Itachi blinks, idly standing before he lets out a defeated puff of air.

 ‘...It appears I’ve made a mistake.’ With furrowed brows, he peers down at the list with a harsh, focused stare.

Your mind hasn’t left Itachi as your heart physically pains in guilt; it’s his first time out in weeks, and you flat leave him. Putting your final item in your shopping basket, you haul it down Itachi’s direction, only to find him in the exact same position as before.

Tilting your head, you ask befuddled, “Itachi, what are you doing?...” Oh. 

You steer closer, and the pitiful sight in front of you makes your shoulders pull straight; Itachi’s eyes strain, glaring down at the paper an inch away from his face at a poor attempt at reading the words.

He can’t see.

‘How long has he been-’ you quickly shuffle in your bag and call for Itachi’s attention. “You should’ve said something! I had brought your glasses with me, but I completely forgot about it-” Itachi takes it with a grateful upturn of his lips.

“Thank you..” He mutters, drawing his attention back to the list. “We are still missing the tomatoes and bread; I passed them earlier on our way in. Follow me.” Itachi gingerly takes your wrist in hand and leads you down the correct aisle.

Soon after you paid, you’ve collectively decided to grab a bite to eat. “Itachi, you smell that?” You sigh out an exhale; an alluringly sweet smell wafts itself above all the open markets along the sides from a small corner amongst the buildings. A mini cafe.

You brush against the roughness of Itachi’s calloused fingers, only grabbing his pinkie to lead him down.

You’ll pretend like you didn’t see the way he flushed. 

+++

Slouching in the seat across Itachi, you flex out the ache in your fingers from the weight of the bags as you wait for your shared order of dangos.

“I’ll assist you with the baggage on our way out.”

Looking up in disbelief, you scoff,  “Hell no- you’re still in recovery.”

“Don’t overwork yourself for my sake....”

Hypocrite.

You open your mouth to respond, only to suppress yourself at the sight of the waiter approaching.

The waiter smiles while serving your drink and food, then turns over and carelessly drops Itachi’s tea, droplets splashing onto Itachi’s lap.

With a twitching smile, the waiter laughs, “Oh, how clumsy of me, you should get yourself clean. You mutt; should be easy for a traitor, always covering his dirt.” Your mouth is agape, eyes shifting from Itachi to the waiter.

Itachi remains unfazed, his gaze fixed on the waiter with an air of nonchalance. It’s almost patronizing. The waiter scowls, turning away from the stare-down, muttering his pitiful complaints about Itachi’s mere presence.

“Geez, what was their problem?” You scoff side eyeing the waiter. Itachi sits silently, sipping his tea, looking down at his plate with a vacant stare. “...Itachi, you okay? I’ll go backhand a bitch for you, they had no right to treat you like that.” 

Itachi’s eyes shift to you at your aggressive demeanor. “Don’t. I’ve made peace with my past; their hate will only torment themself.” 

A lie. For a brisk moment, you noted how his mug trembled under the tension of his grip. You make a tsk noise, propping your head onto your hand, reluctantly letting the situation go.

Glancing up, Itachi discerns how your lips are still pulled into a snarl, glowering in the general direction of the offender. 

‘Hm, that won’t do.’

Rolling back the ache in his shoulders, he figures he could relieve your tension. If it’d make you smile,

“…besides…”

He’d be a fool. 

You turn back over with an inquiring hum.

“...they just aren’t sigma enough to control themself.” He returns to sipping his tea.

“…”

“....”

“Pfft- WHAT” You break the silence, convulsing with laughter. “I-Itachi, don’t ever say that in your life again- I’m not a good influence on you.” Still unable to break the giggles, you look at Itachi’s soft stare and slowly compose yourself under his unwavering gaze.

You cough in your hand and shift your eyes away.

“Let’s eat.”

You fall into a rhyme of chewing and idle conversation. 

“See, now you’re lying! I never laughed when you put your glasses on-” The table shifts from the weight of your knee. You firmly dangle Itachi’s wrist away from his glasses as he attempted to remove them a few seconds ago.

“...you couldn’t even catch your breath.”

“I was just surprised! I’ve never seen your eyes so…beady.” You tremble, holding back a cackle. His prescription, unfortunately, made his lens the size of a brick, but thankfully, Tsunade aided in making it more suitable.

“So now my eyes are beady,” His voice barely whispers, he looks off to the side. A look of dismay washed over your face; you cusp his face between your hands, pulling his gaze back up to you.

“Hey- don’t get all mopey; you know I think you’re cute with the glasses on.” You softly look to reassure him, guilty over your tease...until you notice the subtle twitch in his lips, a poor attempt at maintaining his stoic facade.

He was joking. 

Itachi shifts his weight into your palms, eyes closed in total serenity. “Do I?...”

‘Absolutely full of himself.’ You express your annoyance with an eye roll and flop back into your seat, leaving Itachi’s head to hang.

‘...did I displease her again.’ Itachi looks down at the final dango stick and holds it to you.

“Here, a truce for forgiveness.”

“But, that’s your favorite…and we bought that with your budget-” you sheepishly add.

“Please, I insist, I...don’t think I can finish this.” Itachi gives a light smile as he hovers the stick to your lips.

The blood rising to your face makes you dazed as you brush aside bits of your hair and savor the first dango ball on your tongue with a hum.

You swear it tastes sweeter from him.

“Thank you, Itachi; consider yourself forgiven.” You say before opening your mouth for the next one.

+++

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

“All done,” you brush your hands off proudly after putting away all the supplies and produce. When cleaning up the bags, you notice a mini bag that looks different from the rest. 

‘Could this be Itachi’s?...’ You gently spread open the bag, eyes widening in astonishment; a beautiful crystal necklace sweetly lying in a small box with a small note tagged onto the front.

It reads,

‘I hope it’s to your liking, I noticed you wear this color frequently. Let this be a mark of our friendship ~ Itachi.’

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

Note: Heyyy haven't wrote anything since like 2021 but I might be back probably, probably not- This is pretty self-indulgent but hope yall still enjoyed ^^

Do I think Itachi would say "sigma" if it meant you'd laugh for him after feeling like he depressed the mood? YES. Live with my canon.

Do I think Itachi actually likes physical touch but is just touch starved? YES. I'm projecting.

Any sort of love is appreciated don't be shy to say hi and good luck to everyone during finals week!

*Also-If you have any tips on writing + writing Itachi please let me know!

[stromuprisahat]

Though compared to other characters and ships in the books, do you think that darklina could be called toxic from both parties (Aleksander + Alina)? Sorry if this offense anyone I only read the first book.

First of all- fuck offending people. Fiction is written to be discussed among other things and asking a question without ill intent should never be something to be afraid of.

As for the matter at hand- yes, absolutely.

There's plenty written on how did Aleksander wrong Alina and although most of it could be chalked up to caution, strategy and having to deal with mentally damaged girl necessary for his plans alongside more pressing matters like war and incompetent leadership. It's undeniable his feelings got involved, so he hardly remained simply cold and calculating.

He's also a petty bitch, who won't let an offense against himself and his goals slide, if he is in position to take revenge. (See: Genya's punishment, Nikolai's volcralization, partly burning that Saintsdamned orphanage..) Plus he knows words don't cost him anything, but often could work as well as actions (threatening to skin Alina, kill Grishenka etc.).

The main issue is that neither Alina, not plenty of readers see the difference between Alina as a person and her as a strategically important figure, later a leader and figurehead of part of his opposition. Or cannot grasp that a single action rarely has just one purpose with the Darkling.

For example burning that orphanage isn't necessary to prove how far he's willing to go- Alina already sees him as evil incarnate-, but it:

Destroys symbol of the past Alina keeps clinging to, even though it's holding her back.

Destroys one of few things she truly cared for.

Lures her out of hiding, so at least the Civil war can end.

Frees Alina from her shitty mother figure.

Settles the score of dead horrible women that kept damaging their "children" even from afar. And no, I won't cry for Anne Cunt any more than for Ol' Bags.

The other way around is often overlooked. Partly because Aleksander's viewed as a heartless monster by plenty of people, partly because he's the bad guy AND a ("white powerful") man, so he "cannot be abused", especially not by the heroine, from whose POV we see the story unfold.

Aleksander's only role model regarding long lasting relationships is his toxic mother, so he treats harm as affection, therefore we never see him complain, but let's be fair- if he were the one promising Alina to join her, only to proceed trying to kill them both through her powers, he'd be judged for it even more than he already is.

Alina from the first book never saw him as a human being. She found him attractive- yes-, but denied him something as basic as ability to have feelings. and once a salvation in a form of older female figure with puritan attitudes appears, Alina embraces her lies as a word of God, and immediately flees from him, never to stop and think about wider consequences of her sudden disappearance. Her dehumanization of him in the tent scene is quite something.

Alina from following books has fleeing moments of empathy, only to slide back into her "Evil man-needs to be destroyed" attitude. She feels ashamed of wanting him, she finds funny the notion he might've been sexually assaulted, she never considers his points or losses. There's probably more, but this already got longer than I intended, so I'll drop a link to my tag on their interactions I write as I go through the books.

While his unhealthy treatment of her is a combination of centuries of losses, damage caused by narcissistic mother and desperation of a cornered leader, hers of him is about bigotry, shame and will to be responsibility-free no matter the cost.

It's rather ironic, that he keeps trying to teach her- even though it's often the "tough love" he was taught at Baghra's knee-, while she uses "wisdom" of the same woman as ear plugs

Actually, the only truly nice action from her side I can think of is her honoring his last wish.

[blessedmulligan-blog]

So after letting the brainrot ferment for a few days I think that TJ is just really underutilized as a character. [ECHO SPOILERS] Part of that is an unavoidable consequence of his personality: he's extremely reserved, and he internalizes his problems. Since he's never a POV character outside of sidestories, the audience only sees of him what he lets other characters see, and that isn't much. Even in routes where the town's influence gets to him, he's either still in control of what he expresses (most of his route) or too far gone to communicate anything at all. Compare him to, say, Leo, who acts on thoughts and desires he would otherwise keep hidden because of how the town affects him.

None of that is a storytelling mistake, I think. It's not like we're entitled to know everything about a character. But it's aggravated by the fact that the big thing we do know about him, that he's a Christian, is just handled really poorly? Like, it's kind of his whole thing. It's his presenting characteristic. The game does not let you go three seconds without reminding you how religious he is. But the story doesn't do anything with it. In a game all about examining how people are shaped by their histories and beliefs, we see that TJ's Christian upbringing leads him to...chide people for swearing? Be naive about sex? Be generally nice?

Do we see how his faith and his principles affect how he reacts to the crazy things that happen in the game? Not really. Do we know how they make him view Sydney's death? Not really. Do we know how what he thinks about gay people? Well, of course we do, homosexuality is like the central topic of the game, they couldn't just gloss over that, so we know he's fine with it. "Judge not lest ye be judged." Okay, that's a little unusual, so in that case, do we have hints about how TJ went about separating his own beliefs from those of his family and community? Not applicable, his family is also seemingly chill with gay people and they were lucky enough to find a church in a small city in 2010s NotUtah whose whole congregation apparently agrees with them.

Now, of course, going back to how we just don't know a lot about how TJ thinks, it's possible that TJ actually thinks a lot about this stuff and just doesn't really show it. In fact, that seems like a pretty reasonable assumption to make about his character. But I kind of struggle to believe that the writers were just deliberately not writing anything about Christianity, as opposed to not having anything to write about it. And that's fine, obviously, they're not obligated to have profound insight into Christianity. But it strikes me as kind of hacky to have one of your main characters be extremely Christian, to make it one of the few things you actually clearly show about that character, to call that character "the kind of Christian other Christians say they are," and then not have anything to say about Christianity and Christians beyond "it's cool when they're not homophobic."

Still love TJ though. ultimate babygirl...

[khaleesiofalicante]

Ah, here we are! 

This is your mandatory post about my new fic and next fic ‘L’appel Du Vide’ (LDV) - also known as the mavid rwrb au. As usual, I thought I’d share some info about the fic so you guys know what you’re getting yourselves into. So, here you go. 

Is this fic based on the Red, White, and Royal Blue movie or book?

I’d say both. But it’s primarily based on the book because I like the book better and there is more material for me to work with. 

2. Do I need to watch the movie/read the book to read LDV?

Not at all. If you’ve not read/watched rwrb, you don’t have to. It won’t affect your reading experience, I promise.

3. Does the fic have the same plot as rwrb?

Yes and no. This fic is an adaptation because I have to change the story to fit my characters. For example, Max is not going to have a bi-crisis like Alex did and David’s backstory is different because god knows Albert ain’t no Arthur Fox! So, the characterization and flow are quite different. But since it’s based on rwrb, many of the ‘key scenes’ are there - but they’re just adjusted and changed to fit my characters. 

4. How many chapters and whose POV is it from?

Similar to the books, the fic will be from a single POV - Max’s. But I will include a David chappy because we haven’t gotten his POV in so long and I’m mad about it. There are 20 chapters in total - this might change slightly if I decided to experiment with the outline. 

5. Is it true this fic has smut? 👀

Apparently so 👀 Look. It’s in the outline. I intend to write it. But this is my first time writing smut and some of you know I struggle with it and am self-conscious about it. I also find it weird to write sex scenes about people I know (I KNOW MAVID OKAY?). But this is a writing challenge and one I’m willing to explore. So, let’s see how it goes. Max and David’s relationship begins as a sexual one as it does in the rwrb book. So, there will definitely be sex scenes for sure. I just don’t know how smutty or explicit it will be. Y’all know I hate saying erection! And trust me, there will be many erections in this story. 

6. What’s the posting schedule?

Ah. This is the tricky part. I’ve decided to do a weekly posting schedule for this fic. In other words, one chapter per week. I’m going to be a bit busy in April and May. So, I know I won’t be able to commit to two chapters a week. I might try to whenever I can. But I’m setting one chapter a week as the target. 

Are you excited to write it?

Very much so! The last few fics I’ve written (TLND, IALS, FMF, LBAF) have been very heavy - both in plot, themes and writing. Even the posting schedule was so intense. While there are definitely heavy themes in LVD, I see this fic as more of a rom-com. So, I think it’d be fun to write! And I love writing Max pov when he isn’t suffering hehe. I really want this fic to be a fun one!  

A gentle reminder that this is not a malec fic, so please do not ask me for their povs or scenes or try to make this fic about them. I’ve seen that happen with my other mavid fics and so I hope it won’t be the case for this one. 

Finally, a quick shoutout to @gospi and @ladyoflilies who have been bullying me and supporting me behind the scenes to write this fic and have been excited as as I am. 

The first chapter will drop tomorrow (it’s already written and was written months ago!). Until then, here are some (theme) songs for you to listen to. See you tomorrow! 

[alatabouleau]

German terms of endearments for your fic

.Now, it's been two years since I've fallen into the X-Men/Cherik-fandom and one thing that I have seen continuously is people trying to find terms of endearment in German for Erik to use for Charles (or his mother for him). (I've lost count of how many times I've seen the word "Liebling" spelled wrong) And honestly, no offense. I know it's hard writing a character who speaks a language you don't. And obviously, you're gonna make mistakes. So I thought I'd share my knowledge as a mother tongue in German and let you know some of the most common ways we described our loved ones. ;) DISCLAIMER: I am but one single person, grown up south-east from Berlin, I DO NOT speak for the whole of Germany, nor do I ever intent to, especially since we are anything but a cultural monolith. Just keep that in mind while reading. ;)

Exclusively romantic terms: - Liebste (fem.)/ Liebster (masc.) : literally means "most loved". Closest English equivalent is probably "love" or "beloved". Bit old-fashioned. Makes you sound like a 20th-century-gentleman. ;) Make sure to write it "I-E" NOT the other way around! It would make the opposite sound. - Geliebte (fem.) / Geliebter (masc.): literally "beloved". Makes you sound even older, like Jane-Eyre-19th-century-old. Again, I before E. - Süße (fem.) / Süßer (masc.): literally "sweetie" (I KNOW this is probably now confusing, but trust me.) This is where we get into the... sappy side of German. Like, there are some mid-forty/fifty-couples who use that, but the rest makes it probably just cringe. (I know I am right now really helpful by starting with those that are not really modern, but I've seen this used because people translating English terms so I just wanted to say it here.)

Terms for both romantic and parental love: - Liebling: literally "darling". Classic, neutral, always the safe option for every situation. (I before E ;) ) - Schatz: literally "treasure". Again, safe option, though this leans rather to the romantic side, but can be used for children either way. And then of course, some animal pet names may be used for either children or romantic partners, but honestly, I don't know any couples who do that. So, those will go into the parental category, I'm afraid.

Terms for children: -Spatz: "sparrow". That's what we basically use as "sweetie". You can also use the diminutive "Spätzchen" for either toddlers or said by grandmothers. -Maus: "mouse". same thing. Diminutive is "Mäuschen". Tendency in usage for girls, but can work for either gender. (This is what my Mom still calls me sometimes even though I'm already 22! XD) -Motte: "moth". This is now really rather for girls, and rather those whose names start with M. -Krümel: "crumb". Not used by many, rather comes from the North, also rather used for unborn children in the womb. -Fussel: "fluff". Also not that common but can be cute in my PoV. :) -Hase: "rabbit". Diminutive is "Häschen". This one's rather for boys in my experience.

And then again, at the end of the day, expressions of affection are personal and as we get more personal in German, we tend to use our respective dialects. Yes, there are actually quite a many dialects for our relative "small" country. Around 30, to be concrete. Though they are all decreasing in being used, sadly, as we get more and more globalized and mobilized. However, here are some examples that I know, my knowledge being utterly limited as I am only one single person from the region south of Berlin:

-Kleene (fem.) / Kleener (masc.): "little one". If you ever have a character originating from Berlin or south of Berlin, this can be used for children. -Meechen: "girl" in the dialect of the region called "Lausitz" around the border of Brandenburg and Saxonia. Also for kids. -Schätzelein: diminutive of "treasure" in Colognian dialect. Romantic in nature, though it can also be used in a way like hairdressers in American movies sometimes call their customers "sweetie". (please, if there's a person from Cologne here, correct me on that!) -Liebchen: "darling" or "beloved" in Saxonian dialect, I believe. Rather used by old couples. -Min Dern (fem.)/ Min Jung (masc): "my girl/boy". Northern dialect. In the region around Hamburg, if I remember correctly. Used for kids.

That's it for the moment. I will probably add to this list whenever I learn some new, but I hope this is already helpful for some people. Have a great day! :) Also, if to other German mother-speakers, feel free to share your perspective, correct me if I did put something in the wrong region or enlighten me with other words.

[ladysomething]

Oh MY GODDDD. OH MY GOD. THIS LAST CHAPTER IT HAS ME OBSESSED. It's probably my favourite chapter thus far just because of how beautifully it's written besides the actual content. The way the chapter builds is so beaaaaautiful. You feel Charles' anxiety, and you feel his frustration. And the way you write the parallels, Charles' behaviour reflecting what he has accused Max of all these days. The way Charles' insecurities play out alongside and independent of Max's utter dedication to him. It's so SO good. And it reads sooooooo beautifully. Max being taken care is my favourite thing in this fic, because he deserves it so so much, and Charles' natural but unintentional doting makes me feel all gooey inside. He really has been taking care of Max and making him happy in the little ways for a long time, whether it be with handing him Penelope or learning his routine, he cares SOOOO MUCH. In the entire fic he has been complaining about Max being the rudest most cruel person ever but he's been cruel beyond measures to Max, this parallel and this pattern was visible before but it has all come to a semi climax beautifully. I adore your writing, adore the way you build scenes, the monologues and the little but intense ways that establishes the feelings of the other characters apart from the person whose pov we're reading. Yk you made us extremely excited for the Lando chapter, because the previous ones were bomb and this one promised so much and guess what, you've fucking delivered, above and beyond. Also, so glad that you're also a lying liar who lies ( this is about Pierre yes ), I've never been happier about being lied to my face like that!

anon this is so deep and thoughtful and I just really appreciate you thinking about everything so deeply!

Charles truly does care so deeply and intensely, much like Max, but it shows in entirely different ways. While Max has essentially changed his entire life for Charles, Charles is really showing his affection in all the little things: learning Max, anticipating his needs, trying to outmanoeuvre him to stop Max from doing things first. (You could also argue that he's showing his affection by forgiving Max so easily and by trying to meet him in the middle).

anyway I love this ask, thanks anon!

[elskiee]

fic title: Daylight

summary:

As the head of the family business, Tommy always told his siblings to stay away from trouble and play clean. So imagine his shock when he found out that his baby brother, Finn, had been stealing things from Alfie Solomons, the leader of a notorious gang from London. And imagine his shock, when said gang leader asked Tommy's hand in marriage to compensate for the amount that he had lost to Finn's behavior, completely rejecting anything else that was offered.

chapter: 9

word count: girl idk i lost count

status: on-going

notes: FINALLY, after nearly two months of NOT WRITING, i came up with this chapter. at this point i don't even know what to add to this story i just want to see tommy and alfie being happy and in love is that too much to ask [jk i have plans]. is it 1,6k words less than other chapters, u ask? yes it is. why? is that a problem? officer get them out of the building NOW! anyway as u can probably see i bombed the smut scene. it is not the most flattering, toe-curling, jaw-dropping smut i ever produced but hey i tried! and at least tommy and alfie is getting somewhere! <3 [i need someone to smack the shit out of me and throw me to the ocean istg]

and CAN I BE REAL FOR A SEC???? i LOVE writing alfie's pov because that means i can project the shit out of my cuteness aggression for tommy. like watch me write alfie as a bewitched, infatuated man whose whole personality is showering tommy with affection. yeah that's gonna be tumblr user elskiee projecting [contrary to popular belief, i am not fucking crazy!!! <3]

[tending-the-hearth]

Are one-shots really underrated?

First, second, or third person?

Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of?

"This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

Are one-shots really underrated?

YES SO MUCH YES

granted, this is coming from someone whose works on ao3 majorly consist of one-shots, but i just... hate having to break between moments, like my longer one-shots would just feel sort of cheapened if i broke them into chapters? i have a few ideas for multi-chapter fics, but overall, i just prefer writing one-shots because i feel like i can get out my full thoughts!

First, second, or third person?

third person always, writing in another pov gives me hives. people who can do first or second pov are actually so talented.

Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

Oreius, however, would run a knife through the shoulder of the next person who dared to suggest that Lucy was the most tame of her siblings. The amount of time he had to spend convincing his youngest queen that no, my lady, you cannot go running through the marketplace barefoot. Because you may cut your feet, my lady. Because the stones are uneven, my lady.

What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

Serafina's Story, mainly because of my mental/emotional state at the time when i was wrapping up this fic and posting it. within that fandom during that time, there was some stuff happening that was affecting me directly, and i was having a pretty shit time. like, it was a "having panic attacks every day and being this close to deleting my tumblr and my ao3 and never come back here" type of time. This fic almost didn't get published, but I did get it posted, and I'm happy I did.

because of that, Sera's become a really important OC to me

How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of?

a lot of my fic titles are just lyrics from a song that i think best fits the fic or the characters!! i LOVE using song lyrics as titles lmao

i also sometimes use quotes from the media i'm writing a fic for! i've done that more with my star wars fics, especially my echo-centric ones!

"This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

"this happened but" fix-it fics, mainly because i love angst, but also, when it comes to bigger events that cause a character to have canonical trauma or long-term affects, it just feels wrong to completely act like those moments didn't happen? like in all of my fives/domino lives fics, those things did happen in canon, but instead of dying, everyone survived. they're still affected by what happened, but they have the support of their family now

[tessiete]

HI TESS🥹🫶 3,7,13,35,57 for the ask pls?

HI @lightasthesun THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE! They're so interesting! I love pulling things apart and looking at all the mechanics, so thank you for inviting me to do so! SO MUCH LOVE TO YOU, AND I HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE LAST RAYS OF AUGUST!

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Okay! See, these questions get me so excited because I *love* process. It's taken me absolutely forever to figure out what mine is, and honestly, it's not always consistent, but in general:

If I'm writing a one-shot, I decide on the theme. The idea that I want to explore in the chapter. For example, I had to write a story based on the prompt "I wonder what's inside your butthole" (the song. It was the Spotify Top 100 challenge. Yes, that song was in my top 100. #69, I think. Of course)

So, early on, I decided that the closest thing to a butthole in SW was the sarlacc pit. It also has a bunch of stuff inside it. And what do we know about the sarlacc? You will be digested over the course of a thousand years.

So, I thought this fic should be about the passage of time, immortality, and the things you miss.

Then, I go to someone's inbox (usually @treescape or @pomiardve) and spam them with a summary of what I intend to write with all the important beats.

Then, a couple days later, I go to the Google docs and I write it out as I remember it. Generally, I don't refer to my summary. That just helps me mark it out to make sure it makes sense.

For longer fics, I do generally the same thing, but I'll refer back to the larger skeleton so that I can keep the events trekking in sort of the same direction.

Whatever I'm writing, I think "What am I trying to say with this story? What is my perspective?"

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

I choose the perspective of the character who learns the most. Whose growth is the story focused on?

If it's a multi-chapter story, I consider who learns The Thing in each chapter, and who I specifically do not want to let the reader in the head of.

For example, so much of Only Hope relies on the fact that Obi-Wan cannot, for the life of him, be objective about Qui-Gon. This actively influences the way I frame Qui-Gon's actions in Obi-Wan chapters (ex. Obi-Wan tends to only notice physical affection in passing, and never in explicit interior thoughts, and gives absolutely no weight to mentions of care -- I can think of one instance where Satine mentions Qui-Gon was tired because he stayed up all night waiting for Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan assumes it's because he inconvenienced his master, whereas the reader is meant to see between the lines that Qui-Gon was worried).

It would have given the whole of the game, and much of Obi-Wan's growth away if I'd ever given Qui-Gon a POV chapter.

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

I think, actually, in these past couple years I've thrown out all the common advice I've been told. It just clogs things up for me.

But the one thing I *really* do try to do, which is very common screenwriting advice is to make each scene accomplish at least two things at a time.

IE. A scene should advance the plot AND explore character. Or create conflict AND interrogate theme.

This, I find, is super helpful in allowing you to do a lot of interior work while keeping the pace up. Makes everything more likely to be integral to the story.

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

Ohh, the same thing I remember when playing one: The villain is the hero of their own story. They think they're justified. Why? Whatever it is, they want it just as much as the hero does. 

Even if it's something as simple as them wanting to cause chaos -- they are DEEPLY convinced they deserve to cause that chaos. It is justified to them.

57. Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished? 

Um, lol I do not edit at any point. I generally post it as it comes out of my head. Occasionally, I will go back into posted works and change a couple things here and there. More rarely, I'll change significant things.

Typos I usually catch (if I *do* catch them) as soon as I hit post on AO3!

[grasslandgirl]

multiples of 12 for fanfic asks!! (w binxhera au)

MWAAHHH DEAR LUKA XOXOX

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

not really!!!! i've spoken on this before, but for the most part outlining- especially in detail- tends to make me lose my inspiration and motivation for whatever i'm working on, bc a large part of it comes from like. the discovery of figuring out what's going to happen next as i'm writing!!

of course there are some exceptions to this general rule- noble pining being the most glaring of them, i have an extensively detailed outline for that- i'm usually forced to outline a little when it comes to really longform/plot heavy fics, just to keep track of all the moving pieces, but generally i tend to limit outlines to just like. beats i have ideas for that i don't want to foget about

24. How do you choose whose POV to write in?

vibes mostly!! sometimes what's narratively required to move the story forward? sometimes pacing dictates POV if it's a fic with muliple pov changes, but by and large i tend to write in singular pov or back and forth dual povs and those are chosen by like. the framing direction i want to take of the narrative <3

36. What fic are you proudest of?

torn between slasherfic and noble pining for different reasons! slasher is one of the strongest, most cohesive things i've ever written imo; but noble pining is over three years in the making and is the longest thing ive ever written by a HUGE factor and i'm really proud of that, too !!

48. Who is your favorite character to write for?  Has this changed since you’ve started writing for that fandom?

oh my god it changes so much!! i take what i think is kind of an actor/theatre approach to writing? in that i try to find something of myself in every character i write or vice versa- i try to find something of the character in myself- and that really helps me find a solid foothold in how to write and find the voice for the character i'm focusing on!!!! so i don't know if theres one favorite character to write of all time, but it shuffles around depending on who im writing for the most and feeling the most comfortable in the shoes of in that moment

(right now it is, unsurprisingly, fig and gorgug <333333)

60. In [binxhera au], what inspired the idea for the plot?

i wrote this post back in october as acofaf was still airing !! and the idea really stuck with me <3

72. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa this is hard bc im rich in compliments and affection and support so like. top three off the top of my head:

1) there's this one anonymous comment i got on a ye olde american vandal fic truly like. five years ago? saying that they (the commenter) was high but they really enjoyed my fic and that it made them feel like "that one vine of the lawn mower flying up into the sky while whiteny houston sings" and then commented a second time with a link to said vine to make sure i knew what they were referencing. and i thinki about that so much

2) i just messaged jack @kingfisherkink about this but he left me truly a NOVEL LENGTH comment on the first installment of slasher fic last year and its so <33333333333 i just become the human version of the heart emoji when i think about it bc it was such a kind and thoughtful and enthusiastic comment from someone whos opinion i think really highly of an di still have it open in a tab on my computer now months later

3) casey @aberfaeth has said multiple times that my great pretender fic (keiko fic, for those in the know) that i wrote for her bday last year is the best gift she's ever gotten in her life (now tied w the binxhera fic i wrote this year) (HER WORDS NOT MINE!! <33), and every time she says it and every time i hear it she makes me melt and go "noooo 🥹" for real in real life <3333 looove uuu

send me fic asks from this list!!!!

[imhereforscm]

hi can i request Karno x goddess reader angst? Karno realizes that he is in love with the human woman he is protecting. Please write this from his perspective.

"What's left"

Genre: angst

Warnings: none

A/N: (H-name) is for the name of the human and (G-name) is for the name of the goddess 💕🌼 I'm posting this at a time I should be sleeping 🤫

(Karno's POV)

The mansion was quiet during this time of night, all the gods having retreated back into their rooms for tonight, which left (H-name) and I alone in the parlor.

"You think it's going to rain?" She asked, looking outside the window and up at the starless sky, the thick clouds covering every bright trace of her lovely stars.

"It seems like it." I replied honestly and my gaze rested on the melancholic profile of her face. Something in me awoken at the sight of it. A sense of protectiveness, wanting to wipe that frown away and gift her a nice smile, like the ones she usually wore and made her look so kissable.

'Wait... Kissable...?' I thought she looked... Kissable...?

Rising from my seat, I made my way to her side and joined her in trying to predict tonight's weather. "(H-name)..." I whispered her name and I liked the feeling of it on my tongue and lips.

She hummed her response, turning to face me with her eyes, whose eyes were still the brightest even among the darkness filling up the living room.

"You know why there are no stars in the sky?" I asked.

"Yes, it's because it's cloudy." She was correct, but I didn't really want logic right now. Right now... All I wanted was feelings.

"No no no." I moved my index finger from side to side and I chuckled softly, seeing how her eyes followed its movements. "It's a secret though, don't tell any of the other gods, alright?" I said, my tone making her appear serious, believing I was about to say something shocking worth to be speechless about.

"I won't tell." She said, leaning in close to hear me and at this action, my heart raced, her scent so lovely I realized all that affection wasn't because of the past I had with her younger self.

"It's because..." I leaned in too, bringing our faces only inches apart. "They're in your eyes." I said and finished my sentence with a smile.

At first she nodded seriously, her brain not having processed my words just yet and I watched her carefully as she did, her eyes widening and the apples of her cheeks pushing at her lower eyelids as a big grin spread across her face. "I really thought it was something of high need to be hidden!" She scolded me quietly, so we don't get the attention of any other gods. "You can be a really sneaky crab if you want to."

I chuckled and shook my head from side to side. "You've always said cute stuff like that."

"Always?" Her eyebrows rose a little and I internally cursed myself for that slip of my tongue.

"I meant-"

"I guess I've called you a sneaky crab before, but I didn't notice." She interrupted me and I was thankful that she was blushing now and didn't ask further into what I said, but instead assumed I was talking about my days guarding her.

That night, (H-name) fell asleep on my shoulder as we were seated on the sofa, talking with calm and quiet voices.

I heard footsteps from outside the parlor coming closer and sensing divine aura, I assumed it was one of the gods.

The door opened and instead of one of my colleagues, a face it's been a while since I've seen last made its entrance into the faint light of the room.

"(G-name)." I breathed and she smiled, walking closer.

"I missed you so much, Karno." Her footsteps made a halt and she looked down at the human sleeping on my shoulder with a slight surprise. "Ah, she's here."

"I can't leave her alone for a second during those dangerous times." I admitted. "One misstep and who knows what could happen?"

"You're right." She nodded in acknowledgement. "Also..." (G-name)'s voice was low as she sat down beside me. "I heard the king has promised a reward for the god who gets to successfully protect her."

"Indeed."

"What will you do with the reward?"

I looked down at (H-name)'s sleeping and peaceful face and a gentle smile grazed my lips. "I don't want it."

"Excuse me for being nosey, but..." She blinked a few times, thinking over my words. "You don't want it?!" She winced, having accidentally spoken too loudly. "You don't want it...?" She repeated, quietly this time.

"No." I let go of a breathy laugh through my nose at her surprise. "My goal is not the reward."

"Then... What is it?" (G-name) asked, curiosity colouring her voice. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be doing this for her too, of course! It's a life we're talking about." She rushed to fix her previous statement, even though she didn't really need to. I knew how kind she was and was obviously not greedy.

The smile on my face was probably beyond lovestruck, since her eyes widened as soon as I smiled. "Her happiness is what I'm aiming for."

I watched her growing uncomfortable and I raised a brow at her.

"Is something the matter?"

"N... No...! No no no, nothing's wrong!" (G-name) shook her head in denial, but I could see the tears peeking at the corners of her eyes.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me." I refused to believe that lie and pressed on for answered in the nicest way possible. "I'd hate to pressure you or beat it out of you, so if you want to talk about something, I'm here."

(G-name) stared deep into my eyes and then tiny sniffles came out... And then tears. A lot of tears.

"(G-name)-"

"I'm late. I'm so late." She managed to utter between sobs.

"Please, explain further." I pleaded, not making sense of anything, but wanting to comfort her to the best of my abilities.

"You love her, don't you?" She fisted her hands on her dress and addressed me with shinning eyes both from stars and tears. "You love her like I love you."

My breath died in my throat. I never saw her in such a way, only as a friend, but hearing her chocked out words, I felt guilty for what I had done. "I'm so sorry for not noticing earlier... I..."

"That's okay." She hushed me, getting up from the sofa and turning to me with cheeks stained with tears as more kept flowing from her eyes. "I just have one request to ask of you."

I nodded slowly, careful not to wake (H-name) up. "Tell me, I'm listening."

"Make sure she makes you happy, because even if it's going to kill me, knowing you're not mine... At least..." She was sobbing and fighting to get the words out at this point. "At least, I want to know you're happy for both of us."

"I will." I vowed to her honestly. "I will be happy. But please... Please, find your own happiness as well."

(G-name) looked at me with a broken and devastated smile that only depicted sorrow. "I don't know what's left for me... I honestly don't know..."

[thereadingmoon]

@sluttynfemme’s tags!

i’m glad you’ve been inspired by tazmuir to explore new writing styles! she’s written harrow very compellingly through the use of the second POV and i know lots of people have probably discussed how the second POV is a blend of Harrow’s disassociation, the inherent plot twist of a passive viewer-narrator, and stylistic choice.

but also i want to point out it’s also very likely a holdover of tazmuir’s career in homestuck fanfic 😭

pushing humor aside, though, i would love to analyze how homestuck has affected tazmuir’s writing in this series because as a homestuck survivor, it’s like i have this extra series of footnotes that i can read The Locked Tomb through the lens of. other than blatant references to the work, i feel like her writing has become richer and more experienced with it. you’ve pointed out how the second POV enriches the reader and writer’s understanding of character motivations, but to me, it also signifies someone whose will is not fully their own through the homestuck lens. they are a pawn in a great game whose moves may not be based on free will.

i also see it in the way muir writes character relationships—the complexity between augustine and mercy, between cam and pal, between gideon and harrow. these complex layers of trust, loyalty, distrust, and hate between several characters are compelling and real-feeling despite their animosity or codependency. that is a very homestuck trait due to an in-universe relationship system in one of the alien races involved in the story. it’s like she’s gained a mastery of understanding intricate human connection and relationships based on either love or hatred or both because of the work she’s done in her previous investment in this fandom.

And there is so much more—to me, this is very heartening. It’s like saying: yes, write! Write your silly short story no one will ever read! Yes, write and publish your cringy fanfic! Yes, write that 200k novella that has a lot of plot holes! Because in the end, the work is still work and you will learn from it and you will grow. Whatever you end up sending out in the world will be resplendent with your previous experiments and you will never know unless you WRITE! Augh.

I feel like Muir isn’t afraid to tell a story. In the sense that she writes like she doesn’t care what a reader thinks of her.

When I first read GtN, I found it as very average SF/F fare and my heart was barely in it. I felt like the ending was messy with its battle royale aspects and I wrote Gideon off as a standard edgy YA-style protagonist. The narrative sounded so simplistic and I didn’t feel attached to the cast of characters. On its surface, GtN is a very standard high-concept story with a stereotypical summary on goodreads. I was ready to write Muir off as an ok and middling debut writer.

Then I picked up Harrow.

It was like Muir was a sleeper agent and just blew my mind. I could see her skill in her craft and my investment did a complete 180. I had to reread GtN and realized all the things I missed and all the things that were planted from the start that were hidden by Gideon’s ignorance, flippancy, and naivety—the reasons why I wrote the book off. I underestimated Muir because I thought Gideon’s voice was her voice.

The writer is a liar, an illusionist, and a conman and I fell for Muir’s game. And that is so refreshing.

[hua-fei-hua]

the main reason i don’t take “i’m a native speaker of the source language” as the be-all, end-all for translation arguments in fandom specifically (as in, between fans who are not professional or even hobbyist translators) is bc, well. sometimes.......... native speakers............ are bad at their own language, too.

[lithopus]

Okay, continuing with my additional thoughts about writing Alhaitham’s POV:

Although I feel like I have a better understanding of Alhaitham’s brain than Kaveh’s, his perspective does have its challenges.

For one thing, even when I’m inside his head, he’s not an open book. He still obfuscates things with that veneer of “rationality”—if you want a canon example, look no further than his character story about Kaveh. It’s not outright dishonest, but Alhaitham certainly lies by omission there.

And while I don’t think that Alhaitham necessarily lies to himself (especially since he’s a person who’s concerned with knowing the truth of things), he does strike me as someone who evades extremely difficult emotions when possible, and who therefore might try to explain away any feelings/urges that seem inconvenient. So, in a fic where I’m portraying that interpretation of him, writing his perspective can get tricky.

Another thing that makes his perspective a bit challenging is that we’ve never really entirely gotten to know him in canon. Even in his character stories, the narration puts things through a “filter” that essentially strips away his emotions and leaves only the facts. The first example that comes to my mind is the straightforward, factual way his character stories report his grandmother’s death. We’re only told that the woman who raised him passed away at some point, and that he organized her funeral and inherited some things from her. And that’s it. There’s nothing in there about Alhaitham’s feelings of loss, or how his grandmother’s death affected him.

Compare that to what other characters’ stories tell us about their feelings regarding a loved one’s death. Just for a quick example, I looked through Diluc’s lore and found that his character stories directly tell us about:

the passion and motivation he felt because of his father’s praise when he was younger

his desire to make his father proud

how his “hopes and dreams” were “extinguished” when his father died

how he completely lost faith in others after his father’s death, and

how he viewed his Vision as useless because it didn’t enable him to protect his father.

I know that Diluc’s loss was more intense and had more of an impact on his development, so I’m not using him as a foil for Alhaitham in that respect—but as you can see, we get a fairly extensive look at Diluc’s feelings about losing a loved one, as opposed to the neutral way that Alhaitham’s stories recount his loss. Alhaitham’s emotions are conspicuously absent from the information that’s conveyed to us; we’re definitely being held at arm’s length when it comes to certain aspects of his experiences.

(And, yes, if we really analyze Alhaitham’s stories, we can certainly infer that his grandmother must have meant a lot to him, given how much she’s mentioned; after all, Alhaitham’s stories wouldn’t waste time focusing on things or people he considers to be insignificant, since that would be contrary to his characterization. But we aren’t actually told how Alhaitham felt about losing her—he’s strikingly silent compared to other characters, whose stories describe their grief to some extent.)

Point being, Alhaitham’s feelings are rarely included in the information we learn about him, even for things that almost certainly had an emotional impact on him. We have a better understanding of him than that of the random Sumeru citizens who keep their distance from him, yes, but we still aren’t completely privy to his inner workings; by avoiding any displays of vulnerability, Alhaitham limits/controls our perception of him.

However, that doesn’t mean that other facets of his personality don’t exist, or even that no one has ever glimpsed a less controlled/more vulnerable version of Alhaitham’s demeanor. Based on what we know, I’d say that Kaveh is probably familiar with those more “unseen” aspects of Alhaitham’s personality—which further lends credence to the idea that those sides of Alhaitham must at least exist, even though they remain unseen by us as players.

From what we’ve seen in the game, it’s safe to say that Kaveh likely knows Alhaitham better than anyone else does. And that makes sense: as Alhaitham’s closest friend of many years, Kaveh has almost certainly seen weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and mistakes that we as players haven’t seen. He was even personally involved in one of the most emotionally charged aspects of Alhaitham’s backstory (the demise of a close friendship)…which, naturally, Alhaitham’s character story handles in the same detached way that it glosses over his grandmother’s death.

Additionally, because Kaveh literally lives with Alhaitham, he frequently sees what the man is like when he’s in the comfort of his own home—i.e., when he’s most at ease, and when he isn’t maintaining a “public image” that makes people wary of bothering him.

And then there’s this line from Kaveh, referencing a side of Alhaitham that doesn’t quite match up with what we’ve witnessed ourselves:

If he ever gives you the impression that he’s […] rigidly logical like a machine, then you just don't know him well enough yet. He definitely has a personality, it's just…too big a personality. Most people wouldn't get it.

So, Kaveh has seen Alhaitham act less logical at times, in a way that “most people” wouldn’t understand (or expect). And, indeed, we do get an occasional glimpse of Alhaitham’s alleged “personality”…when he bickers or argues with Kaveh. Which, again, makes sense: if Alhaitham is close enough with Kaveh to feel comfortable sharing his home and life with him, then it’s not surprising that the few times Alhaitham has slightly deviated from his usual demeanor, it’s been when he’s around Kaveh.

I’m not saying that Alhaitham becomes an entirely different person around Kaveh, but there’s a difference (in terms of intimacy, vulnerability, and comfort) between his relationship with Kaveh and his relationship with others. Essentially, there are certain sides of Alhaitham that he’s pretty much never going to directly show us, meaning that we need to infer those things and fill in the blanks ourselves.

Which, going back to my original point many paragraphs ago: figuring out how Alhaitham’s mind works isn’t really the thing that gives me trouble. What’s difficult for me is conveying Alhaitham’s thoughts and feelings in a way that still feels accurate/authentic (“in character”) to the reader—and even to me as the writer! Because even if we agree “Oh, yeah, Alhaitham would definitely feel hurt by that” or “Yes, he’d absolutely feel happy in this moment”…we haven’t seen him outwardly express those things in canon. So, at least for me personally, it’s very easy for something that is “in character” for Alhaitham to nonetheless feel “out of character” due to the limits of his canonical portrayal.

For example: if I were to write about Alhaitham feeling hurt by his falling-out with Kaveh, there’s nowhere in canon that he’s shown us that kind of pain. There are definitely indicators that it hurt Alhaitham a lot—but when he discusses the subject during Kaveh’s hangout, he acts like he was never bothered by it, and in general, he’s never once admitted to being emotionally hurt by something, even though that must have happened at some point in his life. As as result, any portrayal of Alhaitham internally experiencing emotional pain won’t quite look like the Alhaitham we’ve seen in canon.

And that sort of thing creates this feeling of “Alhaitham wouldn’t do that” or “Alhaitham doesn’t act like that” when, really, Alhaitham has just never openly shown that sort of vulnerability. It exists in his head, which means that we can see it when a fic narrates his perspective—but it can sometimes feel unfamiliar or “wrong” to us as readers and writers because we’ve never really seen a direct portrayal of it.

So, that part of writing Alhaitham’s perspective can be a nuisance. I often second-guess how I portray him in fics that I’m writing from his POV, because it feels like something is “wrong” when you compare that portrayal to his demeanor in canon. That’s why writing from Kaveh’s POV usually eliminates that issue for me, because in those fics, we’re mostly seeing Alhaitham the same way that we typically see him in canon, without the internal feelings/thoughts that can make him feel “out of character” in many cases.

For the ask game! 1! Who is your favorite character to write for and is this the character you find easiest to write for?

Thank you for the ask!

I guess for fanfiction, I pretty much only write Alhaitham and Kaveh’s POVs—although, actually, I’ve also written two (unposted, sfw) fics for my friends that contained Xingqiu’s POV, and he’s really fun to write for 😂 Now that I think about it, he’s probably the easiest perspective I’ve written. I enjoy his chivalrous and overdramatic way of speaking/narrating, and the guy is such a simp for Chongyun that it cracks me up. I definitely have a lot of fun writing him.

But, going back to Alhaitham and Kaveh…it’s difficult for me to choose! I like writing both of their perspectives for different reasons, and both of them are easy to write in some ways and challenging in others.

I’ll answer the question about whose POV is easiest first.

Technically, it’s Alhaitham’s—his way of thinking is a lot more accessible to me, whereas I sometimes struggle to relate to Kaveh’s perspective on things. It’s kind of similar to how Alhaitham “knows” Kaveh’s philosophies on a theoretical level, but doesn’t emotionally “understand” them the way that someone who personally shares Kaveh’s beliefs would. I more or less know how Kaveh’s mind works, but since I don’t usually approach things the way he does, his attitudes and ideals sometimes aren’t personally familiar to me. There are times when my brain has to work a bit harder to figure out how he views the world.

Because of that, though, I think that it might be easier—counterintuitively—for me to write stories from Kaveh’s perspective. Since I “understand” Alhaitham more, I can more easily convey what he’s thinking/feeling whenever I’m outside his head. Conversely, being inside Kaveh’s head allows me to get a closer look at how he’s processing things, which then makes it easier for me to work through his thoughts and figure out how to portray him.

So, Alhaitham’s POV is the easier perspective for me to write, in a vacuum…but if I’m writing a story about him and Kaveh, writing from Kaveh’s POV often makes things easier for me.

As for my favorite POV to write…if I had to choose a perspective to be stuck in, I think I’d choose Alhaitham’s. I love the unspoken depth of his love for Kaveh—like, his devotion is clear even from Kaveh’s POV, but being inside Alhaitham’s mind lets us see just how much he cares, even though he often hides it behind his sarcastic/detached attitude. I like being able to explore that side of him; it’s kind of like “looking behind the curtain” in the sense that we still see Alhaitham’s usual attitude with the way he speaks and acts, but we also see the contrasting tenderness he feels toward Kaveh (although, when I write him, Alhaitham’s narration does often try to bury that tenderness, lol).

That said, I do also like the idea of leaving Alhaitham’s unspoken affection…well, y’know, unspoken—so, being stuck in Alhaitham’s POV all the time wouldn’t be ideal for me.

It’s also interesting to get inside Alhaitham’s head and dismantle the “rational” barriers that he constructs around some things. That is, he’s clearly capable of caring deeply about certain things—like Kaveh—and I love writing about that kind of quiet intensity. And while I do believe that he’s the calm, logical person we see in canon, I also know that he can’t be invulnerable; he’s human, which means he’s capable of being hurt, and I like seeing how he processes those types of emotions.

But there are things that I enjoy about writing Kaveh’s perspective, too. For example, Kaveh’s artistry and ways of thinking give me more opportunities to be poetic with narration. When I’m writing Alhaitham’s POV, his analogies are usually more practical and functional; they tend to focus solely on explaining a concept, so while they might be creative sometimes, they won’t necessarily sound pretty. With Kaveh, though, I can let loose and be more indulgent with metaphors/imagery to explore a feeling or concept. I haven’t written poetry in a while, but his perspective gives me more room to flex those muscles, lol.

Kaveh’s perspective is also more straightforward, at least for me. Yes, he’s got a lot going on, and his psychology can get complicated at times—but he’s pretty much told us about all of his problems either through dialogue or his character stories, and we’ve seen him when he’s excited, happy, morose, angry, et cetera; he tends to acknowledge his feelings in a more “head-on” way, even when he’s trying to avoid his problems or downplay his emotions. So, I like that he’s a more “direct” kind of character, as opposed to the mental gymnastics Alhaitham performs in order to seem like An Incredibly Chill And Totally Unemotional Guy Who Is Never Bothered By Anything Ever.

(Now that I say that, it’s kind of funny that we joke about Kaveh’s mental acrobatics to misinterpret the things Alhaitham says, when Alhaitham is an Olympic gymnast in his own right 😂)

That’s my main answer, but I do have some additional thoughts about why writing Alhaitham’s POV can sometimes be a challenge for me. I’ll include those thoughts in a reblog, though, since I don’t want my response here to get too lengthy.

[kiwibirdlafayette]

Hello! I just wanted to say that i love your Tom analysis I’ve read it so many times and while I was watching Capsize and Tom interact, your essay of him popped into my mind. And I wanted to connect our points, if that’s alright?

The act of receiving items is something that is very indicative of the personality of both the giver and receiver. When it comes to the gods, Mianite gives a wooden sword and leather armor while Dianite gives considerably great quality armor and weapons in comparison.

You state in your essay that the relationship between Tom and Dianite is transactional. And I think that Capsize is as well with the champions. For instance, for building a ship she gives Tucker a map, for the pufferfish Jordan gets three redstone, and when she transports the mooshrooms to the island she expects payment for that.

But when it comes to Tom she gives him very personal and personalized items. Nemo, her old vessel whose sails she changed to red (used to be white), and a sword with unbreaking 20 expecting nothing in return for any of them. In fact he never has to fear her taking any of that away because she states that “ye can’t be claimin’ a gift back! That be rude!” (she says this to Jordan when he asks for his gold back). She even comes to his defense when Jordan mistakes the ship to still be hers.

In the beginning Capsize is adverse to Jordan not only being a captain but at the thought of being co-captains together. Both Jordan and Tucker are her subordinates, but her and Tom are on an equal standing because she named him captain of her old vessel! She knowingly did that, seeing how the sword she gifted is named Captain Syndicate’s Cutlass.

Someone who holds no expectations from him, respecting him, and going out of her way to be kind to him must be such a breath of fresh air for Tom. So unlike his god and even his fellow champions at times, once you get a taste of that it’s hard to fit back into an old mold of yourself.

Crazy how season one ended with the both of them being best friends.

(I hope I articulated that well. Anyways I also wanted to say that I love the way you use colors in your art. I think you make the colors really pop and it’s always a pleasure to look at when it shows up on my dashboard)

YOOOO HOLY FRICK oh my gods yes this is more than alright this is absolutely awesome! :OOOO I'm so happy u liked the analysis and had come to mind while you were watchin the eps like thats geniunely so cool! :D I honestly love that so much for them, you're makin me wanna go and watch the capsize eps from Tom's POV since I've only really watched Jordan's POV I NEVER REALLY. ended up catching a lot of this like. im actually gonna start sobbing /pos The idea of Capsize contributing to Tom's realization and shift from seeing affection and care as a transactional, conditional thing into something that has no expectation tied to it makes so much sense, it fits so well, it explains a lot of what i was picking up Im so sad I hadn't caught more of that earlier when I was writing like man. man. from Jordans POV all of the tom-capsize dynamic is framed as a negative thing bc of the chat shippers but!! no it makes so much sense why it never hit that way for me

moreso reason to be big sad about her like dying like what I literally would do to have seen more of their friendship what the f u c K

thank you so so much for this incredible brainrot /pos i am going to be thinkin about this for the rest of time actually (and awe yo tysm! ;0; <3)