#basically my fav chapter 1 creatures

[amongrascals]

told you

deltarune doodles

very epic

[juqtier]

₊˚╰ 𖣠 MERCY ✧.* SPENCER REID

SUMMARY: During one of the most detrimental and devastating outbreaks this world has ever seen, the BAU had spent countless hours trying to bring in the man responsible, dead or alive. When they seek help from a minacious mercenary, and personal feelings somehow get involved, the situation quickly becomes much more complicated and difficult than anticipated.

GENERAL WARNING: ANGSTY and horror (somewhat), weapons, violence, descriptions of viruses and diseases, death, kissing of course, zombie like creatures, apocalypse, outbreak, descriptions of mutations

CHAPTER WARNING: descriptions of violence and viruses, reader is kinda an asshole. THIS CHAPTER MAY SEEM BORING BUT PLS the story will get interesting as it progresses! just gotta explain the basic concept!

A/N: the first chapter, yay! this is clearly inspired by resident evil (my fav game series). i thought it’d be interesting and unique to combine my two fav hyperfixations. i made the virus names and effects, and im clearly not a scientist so if they are scientifically inaccurate ignore it or im gonna cry. also, I wrote this with early spencer in mind (3-5) but if you imagine him from a different season lmk! ALSO sorry if any of the writing is bad, my english is terrible!

ACCOMPANYING SONG : SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT, NIRVANA

. . .

CHAPTER 1

January 15th, 2009

- 985 days since the outbreak

You had been caught. You had finally been caught.

Of course, you were well aware of the risks that came with being a mercenary, being caught was one of them. Yet, this didn’t diminish the anger you felt, sitting in a dingy, dark interrogation room, cuffed to a table.

It felt as if days passed by. Your eyelids felt heavy, you couldn’t manage to find a comfortable position to rest in. A metal folding chair would quickly prove to be a poor place to even attempt to relax in. Sitting in silence for so long, your ears could perfectly hear the buzzing of the flickering bulb above you, and it drove you crazy.

Just before you could drive yourself insane, focusing on each bothersome aspect of the interrogation room once more, the door opened.

Two men, two entirely different vibes.

One was an older, tall, stoic man wearing a suit practically devoid of color.

And while the man that stood beside him wasn’t wearing the most colorful outfit, his blue shirt and purple tie were a stark contrast to the other man’s outfit.

His long, wavy brown hair stood out as well. A part of you wanted to just stare at him, he was so pretty. But the other part of you, the majority of you, wanted to knock both officers unconscious and attempt to run away.

“I’m Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, this is Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid. We’re with the Behavioral Analysis Unit.” The older man explained as both of them took a seat across from you.

The words practically went unnoticed by you, your mind had been more focused on the discomfort caused by the tight cuffs around your wrists. Your eyes met Hotchner's, and he could tell exactly what you were feeling.

Angry.

“Wanna take these cuffs off?” You request.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that until you cooperate with us and give us the information we need.”

“What information?”

Your eyes naturally rolled, gradually growing more annoyed by the second. Even with how frustrated you were, you weren’t going to cooperate easily. You were a mercenary, and the FBI was well aware you had only ever been motivated by payment.

It sounded selfish to everyone else. It was selfish, but to you, it was the only way to survive.

Hotch extracts papers and files from a manila folder, spreading them out onto the table in front of you. Your eyes watched his hands as he displayed each paper for you.

“For the past seven months, me and my team have been observing your every move.” Hotch’s eyes are glued to you. “Several times in these past months, you’ve been employed by Luca Ansaldo.”

The name has been drilled into your ears by this point.

Luca Ansaldo, a wealthy, ‘brillitant’ virologist and CEO of the virology company SynX. And, unbeknownst to you, the creator of the Lazarus Virus.

Ansaldo had employed you many times before, and with the pay being more than generous for a seemingly easy job, you didn’t think twice about accepting his offer.

But now, just hearing his name was enough to enrage you. Yet, you remain calm, returning Hotch’s eye contact. You barely even noticed Reid beside him, merely observing the interaction between you and Hotch.

“He paid me well for a simple job, is that what you wanted to hear?” You mutter.

You knew that wasn’t what they wanted to hear, but you also couldn’t tell what they wanted.

The past officers that had come in, aggressively interrogating you, never made it clear what exactly they wanted from you. All you could really understand was that they wanted his whereabouts, and you couldn’t tell them that. You didn’t even know.

“What jobs did he pay you for?” Hotch inquires.

“Easy jobs. I’ve done that plenty of times before for others, why does it matter now?”

Hotchner adjusts in his seat, probably finding it just as uncomfortable as you were in that moment.

“It’s important because we’re not currently after the other individuals you’ve worked for, we’re after Ansaldo.” He explains, sliding a document toward you.

Your eyes quickly scan the words on the paper, taking in all of its details.

“Under SynX, Ansaldo has managed to manufacture one of the deadliest viruses known to man, the Lazarus virus. You can see the results of his work walking in the streets.”

“Lazarus Virus?” You question. “Like, from the Bible?”

You clearly knew about the outbreak, every human did. You just had never been able to put a name to the virus responsible.

Reid took this question as an opportunity to share every bit of knowledge he had about the virus.

“Yes, actually. The name derives from Lazarus of Bethany, mentioned in the Gospel of John. The story claims Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, only four days after his death.” He hadn’t even noticed your eyes locked on him as he rambled. “We believe the virus attacks the brain stem, destroying the brain's basic functions. However, while mental capabilities deteriorate, physical capabilities are enhanced, explaining why they’re rather strong and violent. Those infected by the virus are called ‘Revenants’.”

You couldn’t help but be impressed at his ability to speak for so long without even losing his breath. He had spit out each word with urgency, as if he had been waiting to share this information with you.

“You seem to know a lot about the virus, why am I here?”

“We don’t know enough.” Hotch replies. “Without a sample of the virus, we won’t be able to produce an effective antidote. Ansaldo is currently the only man we know of that has any samples, and you know more about him than any of us. You may be our only chance at finding him before it’s too late.”

He leans forward, an even more intense stare accompanying his statement.

For a moment, for a brief moment, you allow yourself to absorb his words. It was as if a switch flipped in your brain, allowing yourself to prioritize others before yourself.

And again, this sounded so incredibly selfish. You could recognize that, of course. But you couldn’t blame yourself. And quite frankly, neither could Hotch or Reid.

The outbreak was and is devastating. Major cities were overrun and filled with chaos, with millions dead or missing. Trusting people wasn’t as common as it was years ago. Especially for you. You had been alone, fighting to survive, for years. It was all to protect yourself. You had the right to protect yourself, right?

“How much?” Hotch’s words bring your attention back to him, back to the situation you were in.

You weren’t sure if you misheard or misunderstood him, and it seemed as if Reid shared that same thought. His eyes widened as he snapped his head towards Hotch, questioning him with his eyes. Hotch, however, doesn’t even seem to notice Reid’s shock.

“What?” You stutter just a bit, clearly confused.

“How much do we need to pay you for your cooperation?” He repeats.

“You want to pay me to work for you?” You reply, skeptical about the offer.

Reid visibly shared the same sentiment. It was as if he couldn’t close his mouth. You didn't expect this, and neither did he.

“You are the closest connection we have to Ansaldo.” Hotch ignores the shocked faces of you and Reid, “If we have to pay you for your cooperation, then we are willing to do that.”

His expression shows that he’s serious. You consider the offer a bit longer before spitting out the first number you can think of.

“Two hundred thousand.”

You wait for any change in his expression, you wait for him to simply refuse. But he never does.

“We can arrange that.” He gives you a small nod before rising from his chair, Reid following. “I will assign an agent to keep an eye on you. You will be kept under supervision at all times as you work alongside my team. If you even attempt to betray our agreement, I promise you will not see a single dollar.”

“Wait.” You blurt out before they can even make their way to the door. “Can I choose what agent gets to follow me around?”

The way you word it makes it sound like a privilege, like it was an honor to have to watch over you. In reality, it most likely wasn’t.

The FBI considered you a dangerous, difficult mercenary. Asking you for help was a last resort, one they tried to avoid. But as they watched the virus spread across the country, unable to stop it, they knew they had no other choice.

“Do you have an agent in mind?” Hotch raises an eyebrow, confused by your question.

You nod in response, your eyes landing on Reid.

You couldn’t explain why, but his quiet, shy demeanor drew you to him. He wasn’t standoffish like the other officers and agents, he was actually quite the opposite of you.

Reid furrows his eyebrows. Neither he nor Hotch had expected the request; their looks expressed that. Hotch looks over at Reid, as if he were contemplating whether he could handle such a job. It was a silent conversation between the two; you were just an observer in that moment.

“Reid will watch over you as you work the case with us.” Hotch proclaims.

“Hotch, are you sure?” Reid whispers, just loud enough for you to hear him. He sounds nervous as he speaks, causing you to smirk.

“If she causes any problems for you, I will assign a different agent for the job.” Hotch responds, going for the door. His hand lands on the door knob, twisting it and pulling the door open with Reid behind him.

“Can you take these cuffs off me?”

Hotch and Reid turn their attention towards you once again before Reid digs in his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. Hotch watches as Reid walks over to you.

Your gaze remained fixed on Reid as he fumbled with the keys. You observed his shakey hands, finding all of it almost humorous.

When he finally managed to remove the cuffs, he let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding in.

You stand up from your seat, rubbing your wrists where the cuffs had previously been.

“Thank you so much.” You say with a teasing, playful tone.

His eyes never meet yours as he steps back, allowing you to stretch, glad to be free from the metal chair you were held down to.

“The team is gathering to discuss our next steps in the case. You’ll be joining us, since you’re working alongside us now.”

He explains the situation quickly as he leads you out of the room, still avoiding any eye contact.

“Exciting.” A smirk was still plastered on your face as you walked behind Reid.

While Reid was more nervous about the situation, and you clearly found it amusing, there was one thing the two of you had in common at the moment.

You had no idea what you were getting into.

. . .

pt. 2

a.n. : again sorry if the writing is bad, but i’m excited for this series to play out! it’s a concept i haven’t seen done before so i wanted to make something cool with it! i believe even if you aren’t a fan of resident evil, criminal minds x mercenary is still kinda cool. also, if you want to be on tag list im more than happy to add you!

[ramblingsfromthytruly]

could u recommend me some marauders fics?

I was in the fandom for a month like a few years back, but i had somehow stumbled upon the most toxic part of the community..and got scared away immediately.

Ive got some prejudice, but i really want to give it another chance after the enthusiasm i saw in your blog ;)

totallyyyyyyyy

(im sorry but im lazy to link them but um they're all on ao3.. also fair warning im a bit biased cuz these r some of my own personal favs.. at least among the ones i can actually remember lmao) (also i didn't include atyd cuz i figured if u were looking for marauders fics, that one was prolly the first one anyone mentioned to u..)

the cadence of part-time poets - motswolo

wolfstar (remus/sirius) centric. muggle band au. the ocs own my heart, especially tonya<33 also remus & marlene's friendship in this is so ugh<333 plus i love how the writer characterized remus in this one (i've been so sick of reading that whole angry alpha remus stuff so this was a welcome change)

alice, look at me - rollercoasterwords

14-15k words of just FULLY nobleflower (alice/narcissa) centric canon-compliant. angst. lovely<3

the hand that feeds - rollercoasterwords

dorlene (dorcas/marlene) centric 23k longfic. again, lots of angst, i.e., the lesbians gotta die :( there's an emmary (emmeline/mary) fic in the same series.

heroes in the seaweed - rollercoasterwords

(yes im in love with this person's writing) this one's about mary macdonald's time at hogwarts. with marylene (mary/marlene). oneshot.

as the worm moon dies - rollercoasterwords

this one's really interesting.. it's sorta set in the canon universe except no... it changed a couple major aspects of the history but the universe's mechanisms (the magic, the creatures, etc) are the same.. wolfstar centric. but there's a few interlude chapters with other characters' povs too. the most recent one with lily made me sob :(( the mcs (remus, sirius, james, lily, reg) are all in their mid-late 20s ig. horcrux hunt with james being the harry equivalent, i.e., the chosen one of the prophecy. discusses quite a few heavy themes so mind the tags..

dear moony - barneylove

muggle boarding school au. mainly focuses on the friendship and found family aspect. sirius centric, especially with his family (parents, cousins, brother). all the characters are incredibly fleshed out. this is year 1-3. the author is gonna write the rest of the years in another work. it's part of a whole series of various other works set in the same universe. very very wholesome and fluffy and hurt/comfort with emphasis on the comfort. maybe feels a bit unrealistic with how harsh the real world but it seems intentional

seasons in desire - dykesiriusblack

a dorlene oneshot i love very very much<33 tis incredibly poetic

maroon - arakhnee

a marylily (mary/lily) oneshot i like the vibe of very much

if we survive the great war - arakhnee

another oneshot by the same author whose vibe i just really enjoyed<3 pandalily during the war. tw: infidelity im pretty sure

shooting stars, falling objects - nyx_21

prongsfoot (james/sirius) centric. ongoing work. basically sirius died just before graduating from hogwarts.. except he didn't, he was taken.. and he's found again. but he has memory loss.. yeah it's cool. divorced jily (james/lily) & adorable toddler harry.

im really sorry but these are the only ones i remember off of the top of my head (if u hate them all pls just never tell me because i will not be able to handle that)

[magpod-confessions]

question for YOU, admin!!! What are your favourite fanfics if you have any?

You rly want to do this anon?

Anyways LETS GO I have a hoard

^ Best fic I have ever read in my life. Also the only one thats made me cry. Basically Jon gets kidnapped by the institute when hes 8 and just oh man the horrors GOD. Fav fic love it sm

I have others but due to the horrors (anxiety horrors) I dont want to share them (anxiety horrors are weird)

[scott-mccall-the-hot-girl]

my ultimate guide to thiam fic !!

( as a new teen wolf stan )

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the classic post war, long ass (multi chapter) fic !!with great development that genuinely made me laugh out loud, they have the best friendship in this & i love it very much. ( like theo teaches liam to drive and i just *happy sobs* ) a fundamental in thiam fanfiction !! all stans have probably already read it but if you haven’t this is in fact a threat ,, go show this vv iconic story some love !!

Airplanes - Captainmintyfresh

Summary: After the Anuk-ite and the hunters are dealt with Liam needs a break. Cue Theo and a road trip that Liam should know better than to think will be peaceful.

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Completed, 43/43 Chapters, Words: 236,875 (236k)

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okay okay so this one is also post 6B !! but ,, now we introduce fighting monroe & the hunters again ,, so we get the boys & a new mission !! so if you like an intresting plot 11/10 would recommend !! just to be clear this ISN’T complete ,, if that turns you off i understand but definitely give this one a read !! it litterally have theo doing crossword puzzles & fighting zombies

Vacancy Signs - LovelyLittleGrim

Summary: Theo and Liam are in Manhattan negotiating a pack allyship when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Now, the two of them have to find their way back to Beacon Hills without getting eaten by zombies or killing one another.

Rated: Explicit, Graphic Description of Violence, Not Completed, 15/17 Chapters, Words: 89,605 (89k)

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Royalty AU !! I REPEAT ROYALTY AU !! a fantastic au where i stan their moms more than i stan them !! genuinely so good at the childhood rivals to lovers trope !! i’m genuinely obsessed with this one. has made me cry more than once ,, hurts in a good way <3 the ending is just *chefs kiss* also one of the tags is genuinely: # theo and liam make bad choices for over 130k straight !! if that doesn’t sound appealing i don’t know what does !!

Artificial Love - songbvrd

Summary: Prince Theo and Prince Liam are forced to spend every Summer together from age five onwards. They hate each other, and usually find ways to make each other miserable as much as possible in their six weeks together. But when they're reunited because of intended unions as adults, things change. They're both supposed to be married to noble women, but neither of them is as interested in anyone else as they are with their childhood rival.

Rated: Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, Completed, Chapters: 32/32, Words: 172,935 (172k)

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so if you are in the mood for a crack fic that’s not explicitally a crack fic this is for you !! okay so i’m really hit or miss with AU’s ,, sometimes i feel like they don’t quite capture the characters right but this story have the BEST dramatic liam i have ever seen in my life !! basically they all live in the same apartment building & it’s fantastic !! i saw this one floating around a lot but the summary didn’t really unrest me until i have it a shot !! so go read it rn !! also nolan & brett are genuinely fantastic and make me wheeze ,, LIKE ACTUALLY VERBALLY LAUGHING !! all i’m gonna say is that my fav characters are scott & the beetles but that won’t make actual sense until you read it !!

The Neighbors Song - TheodoreR

Summary: “I always hear you singing on your balcony every morning, but suddenly you’ve stopped?”

Or the one where Theo annoys Liam every morning with his awful singing until he doesn’t anymore and Liam is even more annoyed. Liam hates every single thing about his mornings -the fact that they happen in the morning alone is enough. The thing Liam hates the most about his mornings though is the terrible voice of the guy who lives below him. He can’t sing for shit and Liam tried to politely let him understand that by throwing flour and water on his balcony, and also by shouting it to him, you can’t sing for shit!, and then by writing it into a note he proceeded to attach to his door, but this Raeken guy just keeps doing it, every single morning, like a fucking rooster. Liam did nothing to deserve this. He probably didn’t do anything to deserve better either to be fair, he doesn’t expect to open his window and be welcomed by some angelic voice singing him good morning, he’d just be happy with nothing. Silence. That’s something Liam can appreciate in mornings. Just some bark from his dog and the sound of his misery and that’s it. But no, god forbid the new guy lets him have that.

Rated: Explicit, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Wanrings, Completed, 8/8 Chapters, Words: 42,814 (42k)

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me: i’m not a big fan of AU’s ,, proceeds to talk about ANOTHER au… OKAY BUT THIS ONE !! it’s not complete but the author has been updating regularly ,, vv slow burn !! but in a REALLY intresting way !! i lOVE LIAM IN THIS SO MUCH ,, he is such a diaster of a person and it’s wonderful !! they have a great dynamic & i’m sucker for general puppy pack content ( and erica reyes being a badass ) !! also theo plays lacrosse in this & i really like it ahhhhh ,, also liam is just being an artic monkeys stan the whole time & theo is like *que confused repressed gay noises*

Inglorious Roommates - honeyscape

Summary: A roommate is defined as “a person with whom one shares a room.”

Theo would say a roommate was more along the lines of, “The person who's the bane of his existence. The weirdo that sleeps for days. The spaz that exercises at 3am. The guy with a revolving door of annoying friends. An insufferable human being that Theo has no control over living in his room.”

Example: Theo hates his roommate Liam.

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okay okay i hate myself but i have another WIP for y’all !! this one is jUST FANTASTIC. i’m genuinely so upset it’s most likely not going to updated again *incoherent screaming ensues*. for this story ,, it’s very theo-centric bUT thats bc it ends right before liam becomes a concrete member of the story !! ANYWAY: basic plot = theo & acquiring not one but two children ,, so #dad theo but he is still crusty & homeless and i love him very much. it’s just so GOOD !! just read if you want to experience my fav theo coming out story & him etching high school musical

Look who's talking - Captainmintyfresh

Summary: Theo had been labeled many things in his life. Evil, failure, monster. He'd never thought Father would be one of those things but as he looked across the table to a six year old with blue smears of bubble gum icecream across her face trying to coax the first words out of her sister. Finger jabbing towards Theo's face as she repeated 'Daddy' again and again he couldn't bring himself to dispute the label.

(Theo accidentally adopts two young werewolves)

Not Rated, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Not Completed, Chapters: 16/?, Words: 48740 ( 48k )

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so here me out: post-canon ( poetry like angst ) summer get away !! just the boys doing cute little domestic things together whilst pining !! theo’s guilt in this is just so powerful & aGjffkgkkfkvkdlv !! i think it’s so interesting to see how they interact in this one, it’s just very heart warming !! and it features one of my favorite niche teen wolf tropes of theo being great with like seven year old girls- it’s just so good ,, very much a wonderful little one shot that just makes your heart happy.

(next time i see you you'll show me) a hundred different ways to say the same things - cherrysprite

Summary: “...You deserve good things,” Liam says eventually. He makes sure not to look at Theo even though he can feel his eyes turn on him. Somehow he can already tell that Theo doesn’t believe him.

Liam instantly makes that the goal of this summer - making Theo believe him.

Rating: Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, Chapters: 1/1, Words: 28875 ( 28k )

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okay so this next section of fic recs is a bit different !!

two of my favorite authors !! and a compilation of fics i’ve read by them both !!

for context: these two have written some genuinely gorgeous fics, like pure poetry, they explore the real gritty & scary side of our boys relationship in such a wonderful way. they’ve both used some of my favorite tropes & i love them very much !!

whenever i need something soothing but so genuinely intresting & enticing these are my go to !! ( also they both write a lot of good nolan angst & some vv good fics with hayden )

go check out:

eneiryu

as well as fallingforboys

here are some of my favorite fics by them ~

darling i want you here in my arms (kiss the pain away, i know you can) - fallingforboys

even before you touched me, i belonged to you (all you had to do was look at me) - fallingforboys

memories linger like tattoo scars (but your touch on my skin is just as permanent) - fallingforboys

skin, bones, a stolen heart, and an ugly creature lurking underneath -fallingforboys

i don't know how to breathe in the place i called home - fallingforboys

whisper your gossamer truths into the shadow, maybe you'll find the answers you're searching for - fallingforboys

between the mountains and the valley we built a monument to our regret - eneiryu

cracked the hinges of the cage and waited for you - eneiryu

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okay and finally: since i am a self centered whore

my own fic: an rendition of the # elevator scene

it’s basically my version of post canon if we did get the kiss in the elevator. we got a classic liam pov in which he is has 12/10 for extreme bi diaster energy even whilst being shot at !! so go him ig…

Fuck Off, Fuck This & Fuck It! - nefelibata_peach

Summary: Liam thought to himself heart rate climbing, they were bound to be dead by morning. So he thought with everything but his brain and he kissed him.

Where Liam Dunbar is very confused, slightly traumatized, and just a bit scared but hey, aren't they all! Bad decisions ensue as two boys fight in a war they never did sign up for.

Rating: Teen and Up, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Chapters: 1/1, Words: 3558 ( 3k )

[thatmexisaurusrex]

Promo Monday Again!

Since this event is happening again, and since Bucky Quest is ending soon (tomorrow), I thought I’d make a post about more fanfics I rec as well as talk a bit about my own. So, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO - 

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, SOME FICS I REC:

1) gossip about the weird guy who just showed up by abhorsenbranwen (T, 631) - “In between fixing the boat, some neighbors do some speculating about who the fuck this guy who may or may not have a metal arm but possibly mentioned running errands for Wakanda is.”

This text group chat is just so much fun. It’s not necessarily a romantic story by any stretch of it, but it’s just a fun story about people figuring out who the hell is Bucky and why he’s helping Sam fix the boat. It also has an amazing podfic version read by blackglass, GoLBPodfics (GodOfLaundryBaskets), Ravin_Pods (Ravin), Tipsy_Kitty

2) fanboy - a sambucky AU by dei (N/A) - “bucky is a journalist with the biggest crush on the new captain america, sam wilson. he accepted that he won't ever get a response from the beloved superhero... but what if one day he does?”

This twitter AU is AMAZING. It actually makes me want to try my hand at a twitter AU at some point, it’s just this beautiful multi-media story about two awkward guys who like each other trying to figure out if the other guy likes him too as well as the ramifications of a public reactions to relationships. Ugh, I just love it so much and I just learned there’s a sequel so excuse me while I read that lololol

3) behind everything that we do by cm (mumblemutter) (M, 5,617) - “Bucky takes care of Sam, in a way.”

There’s something just so good about Bucky taking care of Sam after he did something dumb that landed him in the hospital, how they interact as Sam recovers from his injuries. It’s sort of about the value of life, survivor’s guilt, the need to strive towards breaking points and how that can break a person. IDK I like it and it has a fantastic podfic read by  Tipsy_Kitty

4) i close my eyes until i see (i don’t need hands to touch me) by notcaycepollard (T, 2,257) - “Every month or so, there’s this recurring thought that runs through Sam’s head.This is your life now.

Which is why, he thinks bleakly, it’s utterly fucking typical that as they’re investigating something weird and probably janky some civilian called in over on Rockaway Beach, Sam looks away one minute and when he looks back, Bucky is a tentacle monster.

'Uh,' Sam says. ‘Dude. You.’

Bucky - it’s still Bucky, Jesus Christ - waves a tentacle.”

I don’t know why, but I find fics where people turn into animals are fun in the “Oh wow that’s a kooky but stressful situation” sort of way, and it’s always hilarious when it’s a tentacle creature (and I always appreciate when nothing weird goes down because of that lol). It’s a fun fic and it has a great podfic read by sisi_rambles

5) body language will do the trick by elizabear (E, 1,549) - “ ‘There’s no way you’re going to win this,’ Bucky tells Sam. ‘I am going to love language the shit out of you.’

Sam gives him a considering look. ‘You do seem like you’d be really good at that.’

Bucky’s cheeks flush with heat. ‘Thanks, pal, I—’

Sam smirks, and Bucky’s eyes narrow. He shoves his elbow into Sam’s side and stalks off, leaving Sam cackling behind him.

'Your ass looks great today!’ Sam yells.Bucky reaches up to flip Sam the bird, and he definitely does not feel grateful that he wore his good jeans today. Bucky’s ass looks great every day.”

Fucking. Therapy. Goats. I don’t know what to say, just the idea of them got me cackling, I love how this is the basically two idiots trying to aggressively love each other enough in healthy ways to somehow win therapy 😂 It’s very good.

Those are some of my fav fics, but let me also promote myself a bit at the end. I write something called Bucky Quest!

While it’s not completed (the last chapter comes out tomorrow!), it’s a fascinating tale that starts at the end of Captain America: the Winter Soldier and continues past The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, telling the story in between what happens in both the films and the series between Sam and Bucky. I try my best to keep canon compliant throughout the parts that are within canon, and try to see a fun branching timeline that could be possible in the MCU in another reality once I start writing past the canon. Definitely check it out if you think that’s your thing! 😊

[scribeofred]

Thanks to @onereyofstarlight for the tag!

 1. What fandoms have you written for?

This is embarrassing but I actually had to look at both FFnet and AO3 because I couldn’t remember all of them. TRON: Legacy, Assassin’s Creed, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Sherlock, Final Fantasy VII and XV and Kingsglaive, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Merlin, Skyrim, and, of course, Thunderbirds. I have a couple other fandoms that crop up in various wips, including a Tom Swift/Thunderbirds crossover that I really should finish.

2. How many works do you have on AO3 &/or FFNet?

FFnet has 45, and AO3 has 41. There’s also a couple stories lurking on tumblr, notably a final chapter for Reflection.

3. What are your top 3 fics by kudos on A03 &/or Favs on FFNet?

AO3 dominates in this area, if I can use a word like “dominates” for stories that have less than 125 kudos each haha. Oh well, the numbers don’t matter!

1.     118 kudos on tell the shades apart (my world is black and white)

2.     94 kudos on Reflection

3.     91 kudos on The 43rd Hour

4. Which 3 fics have the least kudos & Favs?

Again on AO3:

1 kudos on I Am You (And You Are Me)

5 kudos on The Dragonborn Chronicles

6 kudos on cynosure

5. Which Fic has the most comments and which has the least?

Reflection has the most at 29 threads, and I Am You (And You Are Me) has the least at zero.

6. Which complete fic do you wish had gotten more attention?

Lodestar, definitely. Sure, it’s for something of a rarepair, but they aren’t that rare, and I just really really like the way the story came together. On the other hand, of course my unfinished Merlin fic has gotten probably the most attention, because that’s just the way it goes, eh?

7. Have you written any crossovers?

None that I’ve published! I have various crossovers lurking in mostly unfinished states, including the aforementioned Tom Swift/Thunderbirds crossover, and an Assassin’s Creed/Thundeerbirds crossover that is very good and I should also finish. There’s an Expanse/Thunderbirds fic lurking in my brain that I may or may not ever commit to paper, who knows. I’ve also very vaguely toyed with a Batman/Thunderbirds crossover, in the sense that “nebulous” is too strong a word for the kind of toying I’ve been doing.

8. What is the craziest fic you’ve written?

I don’t really write crazy or crack or humor in general, so probably the closest thing to “crazy” is On the Lam, which was the result of wanting to throw Scott and Penelope toward an Egyptian stud farm. It ended up being the host for a bad joke about that, courtesy of one @thebaconsandwichofregret, who consistently gives some of the best dialogue advice I’ve ever encountered.

Actually, the true answer is probably a chapter in Glimpses into a Supernova, maybe the one about blood? It seems bonkers when I think back on it now, but I admittedly haven’t read it in many years. Possibly I am misremembering. Glimpses has some weird ones, though.

9. What’s the fic you’ve written with the saddest ending?

It’s a tossup between The Painting and a place where the water touches the sky. The former deals with a prior off-screen death; the latter is (maybe??) an on-screen death. People seemed upset by it, at any rate. I said it was ambiguous!

10. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

“Happy” is probably a matter of perspective? Depends on the overall reading experience and the ending within that context. Either septet or Three Towels and a Tracy, they’re both pretty fluffy overall.

11. What is your smuttiest fic?

protoinstincts, which I completely forgot I wrote and then rediscovered like a year later and realized “hey, this is actually pretty good” and you know what, despite it not being overly spicy, it is pretty good.

12. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not hate, per se, but someone left a review on Less Than Nothing saying they “didn’t like” that I “wrote the story as a series of drabbles.” Cool, I didn’t write the story for you, random guest reader, and the back button exists, friend 😂 It didn’t bother me on a personal level because I wrote the fic for an audience of one (incidentally, not myself and rather the recipient of a secret santa event), but I was mad because the reviewer had no way of knowing where I was at as a writer, and I know from longtime observation how that kind of comment can crush less experienced or confident writers.

Don’t leave flames, kids, you don’t understand the power your words have. Don’t like, don’t read.

13. What is the nicest comment you’ve received?

The nicest? Goodness. Hmm. I’d have to go hunting to find the nicest, but in recent memory, @ayzrules sent me a couple passages from Spanish texts she’s been studying that reminded her of my writing, and I was honestly so touched by the fact that she even thought to make such comparisons, much less mention them to me. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with someone’s style until you can make comparisons between it and someone else’s work is so much more meaningful to me personally than a basic “Nice story!” or “Loved this!” type of comment ever could be. <3 Ayz <3

14. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of, but I’ve never gone looking on any sort of copycat site or whatever either.

15. How many fics do you have marked as incomplete?

Two. First is The Dragonborn Chronicles, which is a retelling of Skyrim from Lydia’s perspective via her journal, to complement the in-game journal. It’s a slog of a style to write, though, even for someone who loves writing first person and doesn’t really want to write a lot of dialogue, and the outline is huge, and the story will be many times more huge, and just. Some day. Some day.

Second is tell the shades apart (my world is black and white), which has always been unfinished because the outline itself is over seven thousand words and the fully written story would undoubtedly land between 100,000 and 200,000 words, and there’s no way I’m writing that. I’ve always meant to upload the outline, but I got kind of self-conscious about the way I formatted it, and ugh I just haven’t bothered. One day, one day, right?

Moral of the story is I’m intensely a short story writer, and I’ve really found myself settling into that role over the last couple years. Better a clipped, punchy short story than a bloated slog of an epic.

16. Which of the WIPS will most likely be finished first?

Literally no one knows that. I wrote 95% of the observable entropy of a closed system over five years ago, and then I proceeded to pull it out roughly once a year and write and rewrite various endings until last month, which was when I finally figured out how I wanted to end the story. septet, too, languished for about five years before I finally remembered it existed and managed to wrangle an ending. Endings are hard, man. So are those third plot points. Terrible creatures, those, bog me down every time.

17. Which WIP are you looking forward to finishing?

Uh... mm. See. If I were looking forward to finishing any of them, I’d be actively working on them. At this moment, writing fic isn’t exactly high on my list of priorities, but I am also coming off a four-day idle game bender, so I still feel like I haven’t quite reengaged with myself as a living person. Give me another few days and I might have an answer.

(I am always most looking forward to finishing this ridiculous Ignis-drives-the-Audi-R8 fic that’s been languishing in my wips for literal years. As mentioned above, third plot points. Killer, man.)

(oh and also the working-titled the art of murder. Scott and Penny attend a private art auction. Things don’t go to plan. It, too, is stuck at the third plot point. I know, I know I have a problem, shush.)

18. Is there a WIP that you’re considering abandoning?

Any wip has the potential to be revived—this year and the old wips I’ve unearthed, dusted off, finished, and posted have been proof of that. I don’t intentionally permanently abandon anything for that reason, some stories just probably will remain dusty old wips forever because I didn’t actually need or want to write the full story for one reason or another.

19. Which complete fic would you consider rewriting?

Now that’s an interesting question. Hmm! Honestly? None of them. Once I finish a story, I’m not inclined toward rereading it again any time soon, to the point of years in some cases, and I feel like I’ve moved on from the stories I wrote one, two, five, eight years ago in the actual writing sense. They’re finished stories, and on top of that are relics of their time, which doesn’t mean the stories don’t have any ongoing significance on a reading level—I just don’t have any interest in rewriting those particular stories. I’ve gotten them out of my head, to the point of not remembering at least a third of them on demand anymore, and I don’t have any desire to “retell” those exact stories. I do tend to tighten the wording and fix perceived errors/weaknesses whenever I do end up rereading an old story, and I usually silently update the AO3 version if I make any significant changes because AO3 makes it a breeze to update a posted fic. I might do FFnet too if I’m feeling up to it or have the time.

20. Which complete fic is your favourite?

Once upon a time I would’ve said Holding On, but I honestly find it kind of unbearably melodramatic now. the observable entropy of a closed system is equally melodramatic, as it was written in the same era, but at least it has the excuse of being told in second person and via a style that is a half step away from being poetry. Possibly I will reread it in a few years and find it equally obnoxious and overly dramatic, but it received some shockingly positive comments, which I wasn’t expecting at ALL, and I’ve been honestly blown away by the amount of praise it’s received. <3 to everyone who’s said anything about it!

21. What’s your total published word count?

141,000 on AO3, 160,000 on FFnet, but technically the light of my life SS wrote fifty thousand words of each. It’s too late for math.

 I tag @velkynkarma, @lurkinglurkerwholurks, @writtenbyrain, @thebaconsandwichofregret, and anyone else who wants to play!

[wh-wh-whu]

Whumpmas in July 2021 Day 1 - (Re-)Introduce yourself and/or your creations!

Hi! I don’t think I ever made an actual intro post so I’m using this chance!

I am C, 25, and I have been into whump ever since I can remember (though I only learned this word much more recently, and even then I thought it was only about sickfics and stuff for a long time but that’s a story for another day). English is not my first language but I have been reading stuff in English online for over 10 years, and writing for almost as long (though not well, back then) so it’s a language I’m very comfortable using for my writing hobby (it’s even more comfortable than my mother language when it’s spicy stuff).

This blog is probably not older than a few months. I have written and published mildly whumpy stuff for fandoms I’m in before but I felt the need for content that is focused on the tropes rather than on particular characters, and on the way I found some very talented writers and their amazing OC stories. Unfortunately I can’t follow from here as this is a side blog to my fandom account and having a “messy” dash is a nightmare for me, but I check the whump main tag and the blogs of my fav creators + the people on my notes almost daily.

My masterlist is pinned, if anyone is interested. I usually write for a single fandom at a time, so now that I am dividing my time between my main fandom and whumpy stuff, I am still figuring out how to post often in both (how do you multifandom guys do it???), and it doesn’t help that this is a busy year. So my masterlist is currently short, but I hope to expand it soon.

Under the cut I rant about my works that I post here and talk a bit about my fav whump tropes

I am into slavery whump and dehumanization and this sort of thing. I’m not particularly into the “pet aesthetic” part of pet whump but I don’t mind, it and pet whump has a lot of Good Stuff so it’s probably what I have the most of in my reblogs. The part I am the most into is the whumpee having their whole life in someone else’s hand (be it a whumper or caretaker), and being unable to seek help because the whole thing is legal and socially accepted. I’m a big fan of non human whumpees (aliens, robots, clones, fantasy creatures, etc) as long as they look human, like, I want them to mostly look like a regular person but have the added angst bonus of not being one. I think the only whumpee species that is not fully humanoid that I actively search for is merpeople (all because one day I stumbled upon this art and got obsessed with the concept - I have a whole verse based on it that I hope to write soon).

As for my creations, when I was very young I would come up with whumpy scenarios but they were always random, with unrelated original characters I didn’t care much about. One day I got tired of having to come up with world rules every time, and so I made up a verse with well defined rules that I could use for all my scenarios from then on. As time passed, this verse evolved and I grew attached, I started making characters and plots and changing the rules to fit in with my new tastes. I actually started writing this story back in high school (and showed it to people, rip me) and got stuck when I realized making it more whumpy and making the characters be decent people were conflicting goals. I am currently focusing on making it whumpy and posting snippets of it on tumblr since now I know there are people who are into this stuff like I am, bless you guys (both my stories “Ni and Jay and Jane” and “Joy and Henry” come from it, focusing on different characters)

My other story that I post here is focused on my OC Violet, which I made in high school when I was learning to deal with my teen angst. She started as a self insert, but then I made it whumpy and sci fi and gave her self healing abilities and a creepy evil doctor to torture her so I guess it doesn’t even count as self insert anymore. I have three short chapters written of it that I am currently rewriting and translating, but I have a bunch of ideas, old and new, to try.

I also have in my future plans the mer verse I mentioned earlier, other characters from my big whumpy verse that I would like to write about, and a couple of fics from back when I read catboy AUs in fandoms I’m not in anymore that I want to rewrite and make whumpier. I’m basically dumping here a lot of old stuff that I see in a new light since I learned what whump is and that never reached its full potential back then because I thought no one would want to read a story only about a character suffering lol

[deadfor13sluttysluttyyears]

MDZS Fic Rec List 2/∞

Just some more of my fav fics. Sorry I keep putting WIP fics on these lists but I love making myself wait for updates. 

Part 1 

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

to victory belongs by yonaka_tan (T, WIP, Wangxian & MXY/LJY) 

Oof. This fic. I love MXY so much and I think he deserves so much love. And that is what this fic is doing for him. Giving him the love he deserves. This author is doing a fantastic job keeping everyone in character and even the few OC characters they’ve added just feel like they belong in the MDZS world. There are a few trigger warnings but the author has them all tagged and also mentions them in the notes on the chapters that require them. Just read it okay. 

Until It’s Dark by suzvoy (M, WIP but almost finished, Wangxian) 

I’m a sucker for any fic that has the whole golden core issue at its heart and this one sucked me right in. As I read this one I began to worry that I wouldn’t like the direction the author was going with how they characterized LWJ but I fell in love with his character development. This fic has a little angst but also so much fluff it almost suffocation (but it’s not. I love it). 

Something Yet to Learn by Glitterbombshell (T, Complete, Wangxian) 

Teacher WWX. Another weakness of mine. LQR having to rely on WWX for help? another weakness. This fic hist all the right spots for me in terms of a lighthearted fluff fic with a lil bit of angst sprinkled on top, as a treat. Only 4 chapters long its a quick read but oh so satisfying. I really do hope the author comes back to this or writes a sequel. 

Eldritch!Lans AU Series by syriala (G, Oneshots, JC/LXC, Wangxian, LJY/LSH)

Oh my goooooooood. These fics. So so so amazing I could die. I didn’t realize how much I needed some good LXC/JC content in my life until these fics and damn if the author didn’t deliver. Also, Eldritch creatures? Definitely something I didn't know I needed until I read these fics. And now I just want so much more of this universe the author has created. So far there’s 8 parts of this series though almost all of them can be read as stand alones. The only one I haven’t read is the JingYi/Sizhui pairing one as that is not a ship I particularly like though I have no doubt that one is just as good as the other 7 fics. The author is here on tumblr, lurking. 

Just the sight of you (is getting the best out of me) by Ibijau (E, WIP, Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui, background Wangxian)

This one I read when it was just a wee one shot and then the author gave us a gift of another chapter. This one can still be read as a one-shot as the rest of the chapters are kinda just extras and a look into other characters POV’s during the main events. It is a A/B/O fic and i have to admit, I basically never touch these fics. But this one? Killed me. Lots of pining and the author lets Sizhui bottom which I don't often see in this pairing (which is really weird to me considering their personalities but that’s neither here nor there). This fic is mostly in the POV of Jin Ling and I loved his character growth and all the interactions he had with not only Jiang Cheng but Wei Wuxian as well. All in all a good solid read if you're in the mood for a bit of pining and angst. 

[space-robotcookiee]

So uh fave symbrock fics

@mushroomsandteeth

1)"Home is where the symbiote is" by HowdidIgetUpHere.

Just a guy, his symbiote husband and their six symbiote children. (It has like 33 chapters already and ongoing)

2)"Everyday Guardian" by Jedtree. (an AU)

Basically Eddie lives with his abusive grandad and is also constantly bullied by a classmate, but then suddenly said classmate starts to care and, u can figure out the rest (5 chapters and ongoing)

3)"How I Met my Brother and Regretted Everything" by Prince_of_Trash.

While exploring the cosmos, Sleeper comes across a monstrous creature heading straight towards Earth, the home of their beloved parents.

Remembering a face from their parents' nightmares, they quickly hatch an easy scheme to keep Eddie and the Venom Symbiote safe:

-Find Carnage.

-Make Carnage fight the space demon by any means necessary.

-Be sure he dies in the process (8 chapters and ongoing)

4)It's Easier, If You Share It by grubbies.

W-what are you?” He wails. Dylan would like to think at this point he wouldn't be so scared by an alien or a monster or… or whatever this thing is but…

“What are you?”

Dylan can't tell from their tone whether or not… whether or not they mean that as an actual question or a joke.

Either way, he laughs. A little hysterical. A little in shock.

They laugh too. Or, it's kinda like a laugh, anyway. Their surface ripples and when they smile, the two strange, extra little mouths on the side of their face open up and smile too. Weird. 

“My name’s Sleeper”

“Oh” he says, and then, “do you - do you want a quesadilla?” (just one chapter)

5) literally every fic where they get kidnapped/separated. I Love to torture myself with some good angst.

6) every single fic with them and Sleeper/dylan being cute together.

7) I have waaay too many nsfw favs lol, dm me if u want to know those too!

[waterfallwritings]

11/11/11 Tag Game x3!!

I was tagged by @sunlight-and-starskies @eldritch-hollow and @maple-writes AGES ago, so here’s answers to 33 questions!

1. What are your characters theme songs if any?

My characters don’t have theme songs or songs at all attached to them, it’s not something I do.

2. What inspired your WIP?

My love of the ocean, and of mythology, a bit of @quilloftheclouds ‘s wip OSS, and idk I just really wanted to write a sea creature ocean pirate-y WIP.

3. Who is your personal favourite OC? Why?

Ughhhhh I don’t know!! This is such a hard one for me and the answer changes all the time. I love Lorelai cause there’s so much to her, but Adrian is my loveable not a dumbass dumbass, and Morgan is awesome and full of ‘tude.

Yknow what? My *new* fav OC, maybe not absolute favourite but definitely my new favourite, is Nicodemus Galanis!! He’s pompous and smug and fancy but has a secret soft spot and a secret of his own and he gets a wonderful complex story arc and I enjoy his backstory and just ugh. I love him.

4. What’s your favourite line of dialogue from your WIP?

“Next time, don’t disturb a witch’s things.” Cause it’s such a dramatic moment in context but she just suddenly gets a sarcastic sugar coated voice and it’s just such a great scene and this line is my fav.

5. When did you start writing?

In general? Elementary school. Seriously? High school. This WIP? Like idk a month or two ago??

6. What is your favourite book?

Dont have one, can’t choose. Too indecisive and I don’t read enough these days. #cop out answer

7. Which OC has the most tragic backstory?

Lorelai, easily.

8. What about your writing are you most proud of?

Oof. Uh. I’m pretty proud that I basically finished a whole novel (Scarlet Secrets) at 17years old and I’m proud that despite everything I keep writing. I keep coming back to it, always, eventually. No matter what. And I enjoy my flowery descriptions :)

9. Favourite type of setting to write about?

Hmm. Maybe forests. Or. I mean c’mon. Oceans alllllllllllll the way, and seaside towns.

10. What is your favourite word?

I. Don’t. Have one?

11. What do you do when you have writers block?

Take a break, do other things, write other things, talk it out with a friend, brainstorm ideas with someone.

———————

1. What was your favourite childhood story?

Anything Magic Tree House.

2. What is one book or story you’d like to see made into a movie?

I’m pretty obsessed w @brynwrites Our Bloody Pearl atm, so that.

3. What is your ultimate goal as a writer?

To really love my finished products and see a published book with my name on it on a bookstore shelf.

4. If you could live in one book universe which would it be and why?

Uhhh. Idk. God I need to read more. Sorry!

6. Have you ever abandoned one of your works? Why?

Oh yeah. Yup. First that comes to mind is the first several chapters of a zombie apocalypse story where all of the main characters were based on me and my friends. I lost interest, and all of those friends either drifted out of my life or betrayed me so like. I didn’t really want to write them anymore.

7. What time of day or night do you write?

Literally whenever I have the motivation to do it. So any and all times or never.

8. What is your fav genre of fiction and why?

Fantasy!!!!! Realistic fiction is also pretty good. I just love dragons and mermaids and mythical creatures and magic and just all of it YES.

9. What genre do you hate/avoid and why?

Romance novels. I need more to the story than just pining. Romance plus other things is great but not nothing but romance.

10. If you could meet any publisher author who would it be?

Erin Hunter.

11. What do you listen to while you write or do you like silence?

Silence if I need to focus, my high energy music if I don’t want to write and need to push through, music that matches the mood if it’s sad or creepy or angry.

————————

1. How long have you had your WIP idea for?

Not very long. Basically since a few days before I started writing it.

2. If given the choice would your OCs choose time travel or teleportation?

Lorelai: time travel definitely. She got shit she’d want to fix.

Morgan: time travel

Adrian: teleportation

Miles: teleportation

Nicodemus: teleportation

Adva: time travel

3. Are your OCs more extroverted or introverted?

Morgan is an introvert, Lorelai is on the fence probably introvert but hides it well, and everyone else is an extrovert.

4. Do your OCs prefer sweet or savoury foods? Can they make any of these foods themselves?

Hmmm....

Sweet: Lorelai, Miles, Adrian (he’ll go crazy the first time he has sweet human food)

Savoury: Morgan, Nicodemus

Miles can cook and bake! And Nico can cook some things, but not a lot. The rest can’t cook at all.

5. If they could take any vacation/trip anywhere, where would your OCs like to go?

Ahhhh. I think Lorelai and Nico would *adore* a trip together to tour either Greece or Rome. Adrian would pick the Caribbean, Morgan is a toughie though. Maybe Australia? And honestly Miles would just choose to go back and visit his mom.

6. How do your OCs feel about animals? Do they have or want any pets?

Morgan and Adrian originally lived with and around marine animals and ate fish. Adrian is fascinated by land animals and Morgan doesn’t care for them. Neither would ever keep a pet. Miles loves animals and would LOVE to have a big dog as a pet. Lorelai? .... She’s a bit too busy, yknow, being a sea witch, hunting monsters, plotting revenge.. she’s neutral on all fronts here.

7. How do your OCs feel about pineapple on pizza?

Loves it: Adrian, Miles

Hates it: Morgan, Lorelai

Thinks it doesn’t belong on pizza: Morgan

8. There’s a $20 bill on the sidewalk. What do your OCs do?

Miles: pick it up and find the owner. Can’t? Give it away.

Adrian: not even notice it

Morgan: doesn’t care

Lorelai: snatches it and keeps it for herself

9. Do your OCs like children?

Miles: YES

Adrian: YES

Morgan: secretly, yeah a little. If we’re talking about humans. Love love loves seal pups.

Lorelai: not really

10. What kind of stories/genres do your OCs like?

Lorelai: action. Secretly? Romance and comedies.

Morgan: fantasy

Miles: fantasy, realistic fiction, romance

Adrian: documentaries and like basically everything

11. Would your OCs lie to protect someone else’s feelings?

Morgan: yeah, she actually does very early in the story. She has to really care about the person tho, which is kinda rare.

Adrian and Miles: YESSSS

Lorelai: early in book? Nope. For no one. End of book tho?... yeahh.

And sorry but I’m not tagging 33 people!

[sunalsolove]

Outlining is good advice. Do you have any advice on outlining?

I could go on well past the point of putting everyone but myself to sleep ;-) 

This is for longer fics, I usually don’t outline a one-shot unless I’m having some kind of issue with the flow. 

Two common criticisms I’m going to brush aside:

1) It forces me into a set in stone story...nope. If your fic suddenly develops something like an unexpected side pair relationship, you just go back to your outline and rework the story to accommodate the change. 

2) It sucks all creativity out of everything and now you don’t want to write the fic because you already know the plot. I hate to break it to you, but if your idea isn’t interesting enough for you to want to read it multiple times...then why the hell are you inflicting it on the rest of us? A long fic in the 80K range is going to take months to write unless you’re doing nothing but writing it. You have to be committed to your idea because you’re going to be deep in the swamp of it for a while. If you’re sick of it after writing a quick skim outline...may try a different idea. 

Outlining

You can have something as simple as beginning, middle, and end. Three chapters. The three-act story structure is tried and true. Most blockbuster movies follow the format. You can just jot down a few things for each point. 

Or if you’re comfortable with your writing style, you can dive a lot deeper. How long is your typical chapter? How big of an idea do you have? What scene is in your head? The one you think about over and over? Is it the thing that starts the entire story off, or the middle when the balance tips? Or the climax where everything explodes and The Rock is dangling from a helicopter. Or building. Or giant creature? 

I follow the basic plan of a starting inciting incident, 3 major plot points (at 25, 50, and 75% through the story) a climax, and a fairly quick denoument. (Ten novels later and I’m still working on the very last part. I usually don’t want to leave my world and I end up dragging the happy end part out) (No, really, I wrote chapter 15 of 28 the other day of a 100K fic and cried because I was more than half way done).  I toss in pinch points (times when things look rough) at around 33% and 66%.  

I like to write smutty, shippy, plotty fics, so if the rating is E the sex is going to be at one of those plot points!

It ends up looking like: 

1. Inciting Incident (&hook) 

2. plot point

3. Pinch point 1

4. 

5.plot point

6. Pinch point 2

7.plot point

8. 

9. Climax

10. ending

....which is how I end up with 10 chapters not being much wiggle room. If I want to be meatier I’m going to need 20-40.  (my chapters average 3.5K) 

Once I have the bare bones I’ll start to fill in the rest. Is the inciting incident a meet cute? At 25% (first plot point) does the hero realize he’s in love? At 50% they boink, at 75% the heroine (or other hero, or whatever floats your boat) figures out they’re in love, at 90% they get it and finally say the love word to each other. The last chapter is a marriage. 

Being me there’s also probably some other plot going on because there’s not a lot of will they won’t they? If I click on a fic marked MY FAV/MY OTHER FAV and it’s not tagged as an unhappy ending or angst, I’ll toss rotten fruit in your general direction. That other plot might mean they realize they love each other like idiots in the middle of a giant firefight or alien invasion. 

Include your point of view and how many scenes are in a chapter. Are you writing only one character’s take? Switching back and forth each chapter? Or from one character to the other when the scene changes within a chapter? 

Fill in the blanks. How do we get from scene a to scene b? Is everything balanced (i.e. enough “screen time” for each character you’re showing?) These can be really rough at first. I’ll have scenes that are just: character a) SMUT. 

But then I add in more and more details to the plot. I indentify holes and patch them. I know the details when Im writing that way. I sit down and say: this is the scene when my ship eats ham as part of Thanksgiving dinner while sitting in a hospital room after getting back together, and twenty chapters later the pay off is a knock down drag out fight with a mysthical boar (it makes more sense in the fic).

I even go back and layer in things like: communication is a theme! When did someone last listen to the radio? What station? Or my current issue of OMG...did I mention the Roomba enough?? I’m making a pass through my outline for appropriate Roomba mentions. 

An outline is like watching a movie on fast forward. You know the general things. that will happen, but not the specific details of each and every scene. You can identify research you need to do ahead of time and look up references for that posh apartment in France your OTP is sharing while you’re on the bus to work. 

The goal is to know where you’re going while you’re writing. The story is there, you’re not trying to fight the plot while also falling into the emotions and setting of a scene. And your characters won’t always behave. And then you go back and reoutline. 

You can save a lot of time if your story fizzles at chapter twenty of thirty in your outline instead of writing 60K and then going...well, CRAP. It also keeps your readers from wanting to tar and feather you. 

Also, a story works best when you hit the expected marks, like having something major happen at 50% in a fic. Out brains go YES! This is where that goes! It gets happy. You want your readers to feel that, even if they don’t know what it is. It’s a leg up. 

tl. dr Outline, outline, outline. Trust me, I know when someone doesn’t because the story *feels* wrong. 

One last piece of advice, don’t over outline either. If you’re not stopping to actually write the story, then you’re doing it wrong. 

I hope this helped a tiny bit. Google story structure for much more detailed descriptions and sample outlines. 

Writing a good fic/novel/story isn’t just about inspiration it’s knowing how to tell that story effectively. Don’t stumble around in the dark, grab an outline and use it to light your way!  

[camachameleon]

Cam’s Voltron Fic Rec 3/∞

VLD Rec Lists:  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Here’s a Fic Masterlist for my other fandoms. ( ** =  favorites )

    **Recoil/Release by Cheshyr

Word count:  22,387 (13/13)

Summary:  When Keith is bitten by an alien creature with venom that causes your dominant emotions to be amplified, the team is ready for a day of dealing with an incredibly angry paladin.

Which means they’re not ready at all for what actually happens.

Comments:  The almost stream-of-consciousness writing of Keith’s parts are really gut-wrenching because it’s as if you are experiencing it with him. (Warning for panic attacks- if you are triggered at all by that sort of thing you may want to sit this one out, it gets pretty graphic). A couple good song pairings for this fic to set the tone are Broken Crown and World Gone Mad.

    **Synergy by Kokochan & Spanch

Word count:  74,064 (10/10) 

Summary:  The vines were large, stiff, gnarly, and thick-stemmed, with blue leaves as big and round as dinner plates, but Shiro’s battle-arm was able to sever several long straggles with ease. The vines draped easily enough over the shuttle and hid it quite handily from view. “Good enough, I suppose,” Shiro said, glaring at the empty greenish-blue sky. “Come on, let’s… Hunk? What’s the matter?”

Hunk was staring at something behind him. “Shiro, don’t make any sudden moves just now, but there’s a really big lizard thing standing right behind you. Um. Two of them.”

Surprised, Shiro turned, albeit carefully. He’d never even heard them approach. That was rather impressive, considering the size of the beasts. It was as though someone had taken a pair of Arizonan horned lizards and rebuilt them more on the lines of a tiger without leaving out any of the spikes, then expanded them to about the size of an Indian elephant and added six large, intelligent blue eyes. Understandably, Shiro froze in place.

Comments: OH. MY. GOSH. OK. SO. This bad boy is Part 1 of 3, so far, with a total series word count of 241,404 at the moment. This beautiful titan of a series is named Of The Pack, and it updates with great speed, considering it has two top tier authors working on it. The several OCs in this story are so lifelike and realistic and fit so well into the universe that I forget that they aren’t actually canon and I kind of miss them when I’m reading other Voltron fics. My favorite part is the world-building it does. Everything about this fic is so dynamic and multi-dimensional, from it’s characters to the epic plot - this is the exact opposite of lazy writing. I am so here for badass Pidge, and the matriarchal Galra culture and the dragons. I👏LOVE👏THIS👏FIC👏

Also there’s magic! (with a scientific explanation, of course)

A cool song that I think goes nice with this fic is Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw.

  The Kids Are Alright by pugglemuggle

Word count:  10,430 (3/3)

Summary:   Three Garrison Cadets Missing After Freak Satellite Crash

By Mara Garrett, News Editor | The Guardian | Monday, June 13, 2103 7:40 A.M. ET

Two seventeen-year-olds and a fifteen-year-old went missing Friday night after a rogue satellite crashed into the desert a few miles away from the Galaxy Garrison Training Facility, reports say. Garrison officials were quick to cordon off the area, claiming many of the remaining satellite fragments were dangerous and unstable. Government search parties have been sent out into the surrounding desert areas. Details are forthcoming.

—

Her brother is missing. Lance’s sister isn’t about to sit quietly while the Garrison keeps lying to the press. No—she’s going to get to the bottom of this.

(Or: The paladins’ families team up to find their kids and overthrow the corrupt Garrison regime. Told through news articles, prose, the internet, and art.)

Comments:  The format of this is very intriguing and fresh. We get to see scenes of our favorite paladins through the eyes of their friends and families, from before they disappeared and the aftermath. The open ending is still satisfying and leaves you with a sense of determination and hope for these characters that you just couldn’t help but get attached to. If you’re big on government conspiracies then this is the fic for you!

  **Patty Cake by Froldgapp

Word count:  7,829 (6/6)

Summary:  Quiet, aloof, and alone, Keith is distant from the rest of the team. Hunk begins to suspect why, and it’s only when the red paladin pushes himself too far, the Voltron gang realise he’s just as vulnerable as the rest of them.

Comments:  Aaaaahhh this fic. Something about this one has me coming back to reread it all the time even though I always cry. It is just so angsty but in a more poignant, sharp, breathless kind of way. Some of the things the characters say send painful stinging jolts into your chest and you can feel your heart cracking and then you get angry because how dare (I mean ch4 tho holy sh*t). I just want to hug Keith so much ugh. Hunk’s protectiveness of Keith gives me the strength to finish this masterpiece every time. Also, this can kind of be Sheith if you squint (or not, if you don’t).

  The Message by Shipstiel

Word count:  132,787 (45/45)

Summary:  (4:07) okay, but considr this, and hear me out here (4:08) so like, a photobooth u can do with ur pets like there’ll be lil costumes that u can dress them up in, and u can do liek, period costumes and shit with them (4:09) omg, can u imagine, u and ur cat/dog, and theyre in a lil 1800s dress and one of those lace umbrella things omg so cute

(4:15) Why the FUCK are you texting me at four in the morning with this

— 

Keith is texted by accident by some idiot one day, and honestly he’s not even sure why he responds. Or why he keeps responding. Yet somehow he finds himself drawn in, and okay, so maybe this fool is mildly entertaining after all. Who would’ve thought.

Comments:  Slowburn Klance Wrong Number AU. These two are so cute I just can’t. This is the perfect story if you are looking for something effortless and relaxing to read. Even though this contains some softcore Langst, it is still a very cute and heartwarming story about two dorks slowly falling in love. It features Lance’s mother who I fell in love with here, and the kind of supportive nosy best friends that everyone wants in real life (i.e. Hunk, Pidge, and Allura).

  **The Quiet by MilkTeaMiku

Word count:  66,700 (32/32)

Summary:  Does he not realize he’s dead?

Keith can see ghosts. As a part of his Garrison training, he’s sent to a hospital to do one year of medical clerkship - it’s there that he meets a charmingly irritating chose who definitely needs to learn what boundaries are.

Comments:  Modern Ghost AU with eventual Klance. This fic is the most suspenseful story I have ever read in my life. Idk if it’s just me, but I just have this feeling building up paragraph by paragraph of an impending… something. And it has my heart racing which is crazy because it isn’t even particularly fast-paced. There’s just a heaviness to the words that have the hairs on the back of your neck prickling. I literally have to take a breather from reading sometimes to calm down. 

A couple cool songs I think set the mood for this fic is Smother and Mirror.

  Finding Home by spacegaykogane

Word count:  26,966 (6/6)

Summary:  After the wormhole collapses, Keith finds himself stranded on a strange planet. Alone. Until Lance comes along. With their lions dead and resources limited, Keith and Lance need to put aside their differences and work together to get home. Wherever that may be, now.

Comments:  Klance. I love Stranded fics where they have to work together to survive and bond over that. So yeah this one has some whump obviously, bc you know, crash landings aren’t very fun. This one is angsty but its balanced out by the fluffiness in the end.

  Cuddle Puddle by nothingwrongwiththerain

Word count:  46,782 (6/6)

Summary:  Unexpectedly, Shiro’s hand landed on the top of his head. Apparently with Lance and Hunk taking up all the shoulder real estate, Shiro would settle for ruffling Keith’s hair.

Keith was fairly certain his soul was about to detach and abandon his shaking body on the couch. He was surrounded, in the complete and total sense of the word, by other people. Not once before, not in his whole life, had he dealt with a situation like this one.

Or, five times Keith found himself too close for comfort and one time he couldn't get close enough.

Comments:  Klance featuring ace!Keith. Don’t be fooled by the fluffy summary, this is a very angsty fic with lots of Keith whump. Basically, as stated by the author, this story is about ‘Keith struggling with physical contact and learning to accept people care about him’. I love touch-starved Keith stories, like this one. I love the scenes with Kidge bros, featuring a super supportive Pidge. 

  At the Beginning by Sakuraiai

Word count:  64,203 (12/12)

Summary:  Inspired by Anastasia

King Zarkon of the Galra empire lost his only way in to the Kingdom of Altea. In his anger, he put a curse on the royal family. The young, adopted half Galran prince Keith disappeared when the palace was overrun, never to be seen again -- or so it seemed. The only surviving princess, Allura, grieving for her child, offers a reward for Keith's safe return.

Con artists, Lance and his best friend, Hunk plan to pawn off a phony to the princess, hoping to reap the rewards. They hold auditions and choose an orphan man who has a remarkable resemblance to the missing prince -- all the way down to his fluffy Galran ears.

Comments:  Can anyone say Anastasia AU?! I waited with baited breath for each chapter to come out and I was not once disappointed. I love the integration of the different alien races in this timeless story, it all works out so well. Keith just wants to find his mommy and I just want to cry. Also Kidge bros are still my fav as always.

  out of orbit by rbillustration

Word count:  78,135 (19/19)

Summary:  Dragged apart by Haggar’s attack on the wormhole, the paladins and Alteans struggle to survive and find one another again. Luck has placed them all within the same galaxy… but their fortune ends there. Lance is stranded with a badly-injured Shiro and his relief at finding their leader still accompanying him soon turns to terror. Keith may be the only who can rectify the situation - but the Galra have him in their grasp, and they don’t want to kill him. They want him as one of their own.

Comments:  ANGST. SO MUCH ANGST. A brainwashed Galra!Keith plus a Possessed!Shiro. This is the perfect recipe for disaster if I ever saw one. If lots of blood bothers you proceed with caution. I love stranded fics.

A good song rec for this one is Darkside.

  VLD Rec Lists:  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Here’s a Fic Masterlist for my other fandoms.

[comicteaparty]

May 2nd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 2nd, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Moonlight Apparition by Janaka Davis (Darkhalo4321).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Moonlight Apparition by Janaka Davis (Darkhalo4321)~! (http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Kabocha

Hello~! Yay Dark! :D Honestly -- my favorite scene is probably the scene where Ker starts teaching Jason a smidge more nicely, rather than just being a jerk about things. I feel like we're starting to get past his gruff exterior a bit... Wonder why he's such a grump? http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2572727/6-4/ Also, his witch eye is super badass, and I am really curious to learn more about it, bleeding and all.

Sarai

I'd have to say near the beginning, when Jason defeats the....thing (i forget what it was called exactly i'm so sorry ) by calmly sending it on its way instead of defeating it with violence

SpazztastiKim

When Robbie jumps on the well. Because it's hysterical. (I am a simple creature)

Darkhalo4321

a shade monster

Sarai

SHADE MONSTER thank you

i need to reread

Darkhalo4321

It likes to throw shade

Kabocha

So, it's a shade monster -- you mean it's just telling Jason all the failings of his friends right there?

Darkhalo4321

probably

SpazztastiKim

nerds...

Darkhalo4321

toby has an expired library boooook

Respheal

Made it o/

Darkhalo4321

yey

SpazztastiKim

Toby no

Sarai

TOBY NOOOOOO

Kabocha

"Yeah, you think it's real good idea to go jumping on well covers... Just you wait, one of you guys is gonna fall through and I'm gonna laugh my ass off."

Sarai

the worst crime of them all

Respheal

Oh yeah I liked the early scene too

RebelVampire

and here i thought toby was the one we could trust

Respheal

Robbie's antics at that point make me laugh

-kick- oh shit

SpazztastiKim

Robbie no

Letter Bee

My favorite scene is when Jason protected Lark.

Sarai

The first scene introduced me into what genre this story was and the monsters these good kiddos would face, but how jason handled it made me realize what kind of story it would be

Kabocha

Discord blocked my doodle....

SpazztastiKim

rude

Respheal

Rude!

Darkhalo4321

nuuu

discord play nice

Kabocha

[image: Shade monster: You guys think you're hot shit, eh? Too bad Sunny-boy isn't here to enlighten you! Jason: stop](edited)

SpazztastiKim

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Darkhalo4321

meanwhile Lark sneezing off screen not wanting to be involved

crimsonangeltears

haha (and hello I made it )

RebelVampire

my favorite scene is the one where antonio fights the spying hunters and is basically like "im cooler than you now gtfo my property"

Darkhalo4321

yay! thank you! ovo/

SpazztastiKim

that is a GREAT scene

Darkhalo4321

that was probably my favorite scene to draw

Sarai

HOW COULD I FORGET THAT ONE

Respheal

Antonio: Get off my lawn!(edited)

SpazztastiKim

basically

Sarai

his SMILE as he makes his weapon appear

SpazztastiKim

all he's missing is a cane to wave around threateningly

Darkhalo4321

he's not THAT old yet-

SpazztastiKim

lol

Sarai

the face of a man who hasn't been in a fight for a long time and is looking FORWARD to it

SpazztastiKim

ya'll f-ed up

Darkhalo4321

>:3c

RebelVampire

hey you dont need to be old for a cane. you can get one for the aesthetic.

also it can be used for blunt force trauma

Sarai

and for beating people!

see Rebel gets me

Darkhalo4321

XD

Sarai

using canes is a Legit martial art form you know

Kabocha

The only thing that hurts worse than getting cut by Antonio would be the emotional wounds he can inflict.

Darkhalo4321

>_O ooof yeah.

Sarai

or the emotional wounds you'd get just from the fact that you forced him to hit you

RebelVampire

wait if the shade monsters throw shade, is this how antonio fought them? he just learned to throw even more intense shade?

Kabocha

Not only can he kick your ass, but he will make you feel bad about making him kick your ass.

Darkhalo4321

I mean ... look at how well Crow does later on

SpazztastiKim

hmm

might not be the BEST example X'D

Darkhalo4321

:0

I love crow

SpazztastiKim

(yes, I'm teasing crow shhhh)

Kabocha

Honestly, looking at this scene, Crow is lucky that Antonio didn't just maim him right there.

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2290462/4-11/

SpazztastiKim

truth

crimsonangeltears

I really liked when Jason sparred with Toby, it's still one of my favs

Sarai

kabo coming in clutch with those links

Darkhalo4321

I imagine 40 tabs open on kabos computer

Sarai

when Jason rolled with his niece to keep her safe

Darkhalo4321

this was such a fun page to draw :D

Respheal

Later that week, Antonio looks at his socks and has a moment of "like the old days" and "dammit we're out of bleach"

grass staaaaaaaaaains

Darkhalo4321

just make ker do the laundry

SpazztastiKim

HA

RebelVampire

jason sparring with toby was cute but also made me more curious about toby. like jason makes sense for why hes have secret fight knowledge, but why did toby feel compelled to learn.

Sarai

((then he'd get sad because that would be the moment Adelaide would tell him "use vinegar and water))

RebelVampire

i feel if ker did the laundry hed mix bleach with all the chemicals youre not supposed to mix bleach with

fill the house with poison

Sarai

KER NO

KER THAT'S THE ONE THING YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO

crimsonangeltears

I just figured that was an activity toby learned when he was younger. my hubby did taekwon do as a kid (did I spell that right xD)

Darkhalo4321

Probably mixes his red socks with his white shirts...

SpazztastiKim

Piiink

RebelVampire

ker would look dashing in pink probably

SpazztastiKim

Totally

Darkhalo4321

It's really blue'd up, but in the scene after the contact with lark, his shirt is more on the magenta/pink side.

Sarai

a nice pink button-up with a navy blue tie? Very nice

Kabocha

[Image: Antonio saying, "Hey Ker, did you see that chore list I left for ya, eh?"]

Darkhalo4321

just a guy, making dinner... I'm sure...

Sarai

hey my dad makes tacos and cuts fruit with his bowie knife, I'm sure Antonio would do the same

OH NO XD

Darkhalo4321

insert Jason handing Ker some form of cross because- he gon' need it for the grave

better find a saint to save ya

Kabocha

You know, Ker sure mouths off a lot to Antonio... I can't wait to see some form of terror pop up at some point. XD

Sarai

St Jude? XD

(patron of lost causes)

Darkhalo4321

OH NO, that's PERFECT FOR KER

RebelVampire

it turns out we were the shade monsters all along.

Kabocha

Dark -- serious question though. This... Terraphate massacre mentioned in chapter 4... How many people were killed?! http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2300366/4-14/

Tenor | Shinavar

“1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?” Lark's introduction because he's my baby anD HE'S DOING SO WELL I'M SO PROUD. :DD (Also I just deeply enjoy like, a lot?? of?? he scenes but Lark's intro had me immediatly adopt him so- )

Darkhalo4321

more than 7

SpazztastiKim

Oof

Respheal

Lark is very intriguing

Darkhalo4321

it was more of a serial murder case

Kabocha

Lark's a troubled sunshine child

Respheal

sunshine

Tenor | Shinavar

(Also HI EVERYONE + I will be limited in typing, bound to my left had today )

RebelVampire

ah so one of those massacres where they pulled out a thesaurus to make it sound cooler

Sarai

OH i get the "more than 7" reference now

Kabocha

Wait, more than 7 reference?

Darkhalo4321

more than 7 killed

Kabocha

also, you know... if it's a small number like that... Sounds like ................................... A conspiracy.

Sarai

Boston "massacre" had only 7 people killed

((or was it 5 oh no i'm getting rusty))

crimsonangeltears

But was it random or a set group of people at the same time? hmm

Kabocha

o_o I have no idea

Darkhalo4321

it was across town- but like...yanno.... it happened all on the same night so... suspicious still

Kabocha

MAGICAL MASSACRE!

crimsonangeltears

Ohhh

Darkhalo4321

Culprit was apprehended- or were they? dun dun dun >:#c

Kabocha

Theory: all the people killed were Apparition users

RebelVampire

how big is the town?

Kabocha

And that's how Jason got his magic

Darkhalo4321

Uhm... I'd estimate around the 12-17k range. ish

Kabocha

It is literally murder magic

Darkhalo4321

big enough to have a hospital at.

Sarai

oh

Darkhalo4321

but like Bandon Oregon has a hospital, so like. Eh, if there's a need people will have a hospital.

SpazztastiKim

Cause you know... death is a thing

Darkhalo4321

I did try thinking in terms of "would a city of this size have this or this?" and did some comparisons for research

Kabocha

@Tenor | Shinavar [Image: Lark -- "This boy needs to be happy" Ker -- "This one needs to get over his grudge"](edited)

Darkhalo4321

he's an AXE Murderer

Sarai

oh come on we haven't seen him kill anybody yet

Kabocha

you know, honestly, the first time I saw Ker and Lark interacting, I could have sworn that Lark was like, some trickster asshole. And that he'd done something awful to Ker to make him THAT angry and grumpy.

RebelVampire

ya know i was going to say that is a bigger town than i thought itd be but then i looked up comparable towns near me and have now changes my thoughts that 12k is a tiny town

crimsonangeltears

xD

Kabocha

Maybe he ran into Ker one morning, on the way in to town, and made Ker spill coffee all over his nice, clean shirt.

Respheal

UM

crimsonangeltears

LOOK OUT

Darkhalo4321

It's big- but small. Big enough to have a few draws- but not BIG enough for some stuff.

Respheal

Wow I sure as heck don't remember seeing that lmao

RebelVampire

I thought it was only me who got that impression

Sarai

The town i grew up in is 32k - 12k is TINY XD

Kabocha

30k isn't that small...

Darkhalo4321

See- Roseburg is like 26k population- and I was doing a sized down version of THAT

Kabocha

....I mean, the town I grew up in had that many people, and it was kinda busy but we only had like, 3 blocks... ...of actual city...

Darkhalo4321

you wouldn't believe it but BEND Oregon is now... like 80K

crimsonangeltears

I think in terms of crime it really depends on many factors and the type of crime. Where I come from we have a lot of people technically, but when I was younger certain...crime that happened was not exactly heard of for our location..

We've had three serial killers now and it still isn't something that would have normally happened..

Tenor | Shinavar

12k ain't big but it ain't small. Town next to me is 4k.

Darkhalo4321

lark probably did piss off ker, we just don't know what he did yet

Kabocha

Also worth considering: When we were younger, the news didn't like to cover small towns all that much.(edited)

Sarai

my town was super small up until a few years before I was born, so it really isn't that city-like

Tenor | Shinavar

"Younger"

Kabo: u funny

Kabocha

Ey, remember, only 20 years ago, the internet was thought of as a fad

Tenor | Shinavar

Oh I'm refrencing something else, no worrie slol

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. Of course, our main protagonist Jason is drenched in mysteries. How exactly do you think Jason’s mother was murdered, and why did the event cause so many changes in the world? Why doesn’t Jason’s dad want to explain the event to him? Who exactly sealed Jason’s memories and for what purpose? Additionally, why are the memories now starting to unravel after all this time? Overall, do you think Jason will learn to control his powers? Does he have a contract as Ker suggests might be possible, or will he have to make one to protect himself? Even if Jason gains control of his powers, how will that change his course in life? Lastly, how will Jason’s experiences with Phates in the future affect his choices?

Respheal

“ How exactly do you think Jason’s mother was murdered”

Horribly

Kabocha

She was stabbed.

Tenor | Shinavar

Dibs on eaten

Respheal

omg

RebelVampire

you know whatever you guys suggest im gonna assume its just all of it

Darkhalo4321

sobs

TENOR

RebelVampire

so stabbed, maybe burned, then eaten

Tenor | Shinavar

What? I'd go into a complete amnesiac trauma experience seeing my mom get eaten in front of me

Kabocha

hold on I have an awful idea

Letter Bee

I feel that the Leader of the Hunters slashed Adelaide to death as part of a plan to demoralize Antonio and keep him from fighting the corruption in the Hunters.

Respheal

And if you're very lucky, in that order?

Sarai

It definately involved Jason somehow, but I don't think he was directly responsible

Tenor | Shinavar

If Jason was responsible I'm chalking it up to "Phrophetic" reasons and mom tried to protect him

Respheal

Jason was a witness at the very least, for sure

Letter Bee

And the Leader of the Hunters also cursed Jason as a further hold on Antonio.

Darkhalo4321

:0

Jason has a hard life

Kabocha

[Image: Crossover joke](edited)

Sarai

DON'T CROSS THE STREAMS KABO

Respheal

WHAT

Darkhalo4321

but her hair was LONG

Respheal

LMAO

Okay okay okay geez uh(edited)

crimsonangeltears

I think she was slashed, not exactly just stabbed? Jason witnessed it so his memories were sealed to protect him from that trauma, but I think that if he remembers who it is, it will put him in Danger. (my guess..)

Respheal

Well, we really don't have any clues as to who did it or why

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2341615/4-23/ I've always wondered if Adalaide is the "she" Lark is talking about.

Is she really dead?

Sarai

i think it was caused by something magic-y he wasn't supposed to see/know about

Kabocha

Is she really? Like, dude, maybe she's not dead, but... Disappeared.

And Lark and Jason share a sort of bond because of it (brothers, maybe???)

Tenor | Shinavar

/Insert Brother Bear Meme for Lark + Adalaide?

crimsonangeltears

If it's disney rules...

Darkhalo4321

Sometimes I can STILL hear his voice

RebelVampire

i support this head canon just so lark and jason can be brothers

Sarai

please don't start another twin theory here

Darkhalo4321

:>

Kabocha

They can't be twins, Lark's older. But maybe Adalaide had a secret child with someone.

crimsonangeltears

I love twins...but I'd have to agree xD

Tenor | Shinavar

Fine I'll up a twin Theory: They're the same person split.

crimsonangeltears

No thank you..

Darkhalo4321

jason just didn't leave for a year. nbd

Respheal

Ooh

Kabocha

Two halves of a whole?

Tenor | Shinavar

Ye

Respheal

Actually, y'know what

Kabocha

Lark is the memories, Jason is the power?

Darkhalo4321

a yin or yang theory

Respheal

I see your twin theory and raise you Lark and Robbie are related(edited)

dat curly hair

Kabocha

omg

Tenor | Shinavar

...

Darkhalo4321

oooo

Tenor | Shinavar

Support

You'd never see it coming their personalities are so different :D

Darkhalo4321

they are the same age too

crimsonangeltears

OR...they are related but time travel or au is involved

Kabocha

!!!!

Darkhalo4321

Robbie is the rogue path

Kabocha

A doppelganger from the phate side of the world?

(Lark, that is)

Darkhalo4321

:0

Kabocha

I mean, Lark is a bird, and Oregon is home to Portland, and if y'all haven't seen Portlandia

crimsonangeltears

OR he's a robot that thinks he's not and he was given fake memories

Kabocha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHmLljk2t8M

Darkhalo4321

Oh nooo

So a doll hm?

Respheal

Oh yeah, regarding the contract part of the question

There was that trippy dream Jason had

Where he looked kinda....corrupted? And someone gave him a cross

I dunno, the timing of that seemed kind of contracty to me

Ah ha, this bit: http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2637351/6-18/(edited)

Kabocha

Who's the other person there?

Respheal

We don't know O:

I think

RebelVampire

in regards to the contract thing, im gonna point out it was suspicious metaphysical contracts were brought up, nobody knows how they work, and it potentially kills ppl

SpazztastiKim

MYSTERY

Darkhalo4321

I mean

Kabocha

Well, people, there's two, but I figure the guy's probably someone like Ker

crimsonangeltears

you'd have to be pretty desperate to agree to it then?

Darkhalo4321

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

SpazztastiKim

Halo boo

Darkhalo4321

- adviec from Ker... probably

Kabocha

.........That's how he got those scars.

RebelVampire

that does sound like ker advice

Kabocha

"I'm clearly not dead, so it's okay!"

Darkhalo4321

seems legit

Respheal

Oh derp hi like right in the next page from that it shows Jason dreaming about his mom getting slashed(edited)

Darkhalo4321

his dreams suck

Kabocha

Ker sure isn't the prettiest face you'll see for a motivational spokesperson, but he sure is the one that'll make you say "YIKES"

Darkhalo4321

I did have a lot of fun with that dream sequence. I both loved it and regretted it instantly.

Kabocha

Oh?

SpazztastiKim

The true suffering

Kabocha

It's interesting that Jason sees himself as cursed in the dream, though.

RebelVampire

maybe the dream sequence is how jason made a contract to try and save his mom but between that and her dying it was too overwhelming

Kabocha

Unless the curse just sits on top of any self-representational form of himself in his dreams.

SpazztastiKim

oof

Darkhalo4321

ooof indeedly

It's like it's becoming more and more clearer?

Respheal

Ker observed the curse triggers when Jason's thinking about his mom (or, I guess, what happened to his mom), and he was dreaming about his mom at the time

Darkhalo4321

I believe he does make that inference

(is inference the right word?)

Kabocha

Yeah, I think so

But Dark knows all the answers so clearly can't tell us THE TRUTH

Darkhalo4321

yes it is I feel smart

Respheal

The truth is out there

Kabocha

Okay, more seriously though

Darkhalo4321

I c o u l d

Kabocha

I'm not sure Ker wasn't involved in the murder.

Respheal

Nahh

Kabocha

I dunno.

SpazztastiKim

no... :C

Darkhalo4321

he did skip town

Respheal

Antonio would kill Ker if he was 8V

SpazztastiKim

NOOOO

RebelVampire

yeah i agree with res

ker would not be alive right now

or staying in the house

Darkhalo4321

but antonio needs SOMEONE to clean the bathrooms

SpazztastiKim

pffft

Kabocha

Ker probably can't take antonio, honestly

RebelVampire

ker doesnt need to live in the house for that. get a dog house and make ker sleep outside

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2455383/2-9-5/ I feel like Antonio might have suspected Ker's involvement, intentional or not, at one point tho

and clearly Ker has no problems killing rogue apparitions

okay yes he does, but only because Lark's a kid

RebelVampire

i got more the impression that antonio called ker cause he thought ker would actually give him straight answers about certain things going on that he wasnt made privy too. versus necessarily think ker was directly involved

Kabocha

Hm, true.

RebelVampire

ker secretly has lark's bday marked on a calendar so the minute lark turns 18 he can kill lerk with no qualms cause lark is an adult

Kabocha

Okay, revision to the theory then. Ker may have known who was sent out that night to deal with the new Moonlight Apparition. Ker may not have known why someone was sent out, or to where they were sent... But had info, somehow. and then... When he realized what happened, he couldn't face Antonio for 5 years.

SpazztastiKim

ouch...

RebelVampire

that sounds more like ker

at the very least i dont buy ker saying "i vaguely remember"

that is a conversation you would remember XD

Kabocha

Ker probably doesn't want to remember.

Darkhalo4321

Maybe he made himself forget?(edited)

Kabocha

Unless Ker was secretly in some sort of love/hate relationship with Adalaide, and then was in a state of shock when he heard she'd died. (Although it really seems more hate/hate)

RebelVampire

ker got himself one of those jason curses

Kabocha

(so, yanno, no unrequited love shenanigans there, but we can dream)

Respheal

Well, there is memory magic

Kabocha

...Is Ker a puppet?

Is that what you're getting at Res

Respheal

I mean, Dark saying Ker may have made himself forget

Kabocha

Was Ker made to forget so he could easily carry out orders, and being near Antonio is bad news bc it jogs his memory

Respheal

I'm just saying there's a way to do that

Kabocha

shhh

don't stop me from making up crazy conspiracy theories!

Respheal

Although here's a question: Why only Adelaide?

Jason was there

Kabocha

Because Antonio.

Darkhalo4321

Why only jason?

Respheal

I mean like, if Jason was there, why wasn't he killed too?

Sarai

Jason's dream/memory of the event cuts off right at the moment he's threatened by him mom's killer(edited)

Respheal

Instead, he just got the curse on him

RebelVampire

im assuming either they didnt get a chance to get at jason cause he did apparition things or because adelaide was super duper special and therefore had to die(edited)

Respheal

.....What if someone's using Jason

Kabocha

I feel like the killer was interrupted before he could finish the job.

Oh no...

Respheal

Someone needed him alive? :3c

RebelVampire

if i had to pick someone to blame for the murders im gonna pick belial cause belial is one suspicious mofo

Respheal

^

Kabocha

Also his magic and eyes are purple.

Darkhalo4321

Puuuurple

A royal color

Kabocha

I know that logic doesn't make much sense when stated out loud like that, but -- I figure an easy visual hint someone would use (or well, a way to distinguish who cast what) is to tie the magic color back to the magic user.

...UNLESS Purple is just a cursed color.

In which case, Belial is toxic.

Respheal

And if you're going to code someone as having "evil magic", you use red or purple

Kabocha

Or green

Respheal

The danger colors

Darkhalo4321

green is my favorite color. It will never be toxic to meeee

SpazztastiKim

totally toxic

Sarai

but purple IS the color of Jason's curse

Darkhalo4321

:0

SpazztastiKim

purple IS cursed because that's my favorite color

Kabocha

...So, I guess we need to find out if Belial also knows how to use a sword.

crimsonangeltears

It is also my favorite color! But cursed...? I never thought about it.

Kabocha

TBH it's weird that the hunters are working with him or his brother at all.

Respheal

He seems like the type

SpazztastiKim

possibly

Kabocha

I dunno, Belial seems more the type to use a magic sword and use it for blood magic.

....wait

Would that be why the murders happened?

Darkhalo4321

His brother now... thats a fun character >:3c

Kabocha

Some sort of horrific ritual involving the town?

We haven't seen other places enough to know if this is an oddly concentrated population of magic shit.

But... I wonder.

Respheal

Real quick before the next question: re: how powers will affect Jason's life: Hope you weren't plannin' on college, kiddo. Super powers and college don't mix well

RebelVampire

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2637354/6-20/ maybe not jason because i was looking at this page again and the writing that can be read is saying wake up. and while you could argue its a subconscious thing telling jason to wake up from the dream, you could also interpret it as something he heard cause the murderer wanted jason's apparition powers to awaken.

Kabocha

Hmmm...

RebelVampire

super powered jason cant be any worse at college than the thought of robbie at college XD

Respheal

TRUE

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Besides the characters, there seems to be a lot going on in regards to the world. Who do you think Jason can trust: the Hunters or Lark? For what reason do you pick that side? Why do you think the other side can’t be trusted? Overall, do you agree with the Hunters’ stance that Phates should be kept secret? In contrast, do you sympathize with Lark’s goals? What crime do you think he’s being hunted for, and why is it secret? Also, what do you think happened to the people Lark is looking for? Finally, what do you think is going on with the Behem Realm in regards to the corruption and can it be fixed? What role might Jason have in regards to that?

Sarai

I DON'T KNOW OK

Kabocha

Honestly? I think Lark's the more trustworthy. The more I talk this out with made-up theories, the less I am really trusting the hunters.

Sarai

this whole situation with hidden information and magican shenanagins is stressing me out

crimsonangeltears

I will say Lark because that sweet child would never hurt my beloved Jason.

Kabocha

I'm sorry, Crow, you poor child, I really can't trust you until you get an anger management class.

SpazztastiKim

-snorts-

trust no one

RebelVampire

jason shouldnt trust anyone. that is the answer. dont trust ppl who have secrets

Respheal

I tend to think both sides are right and wrong :V The Hunters probably didn't explain things well and are probably doing some shady stuff, but Lark proooooobably reacted poorly and got himself in too deep

Also yes

Trust no one lol

SpazztastiKim

@RebelVampire gets it

Sarai

I don't think phates should be kept secret from the general population

Kabocha

Wait.

WAIT

If there are no secrets...

Then the only person we can trust is Robbie.

Respheal

Lark seems to have good intentions, but probably doesn't have the full story

.......lol

SpazztastiKim

@Respheal gets it too yes

Kabocha

I'm sorry, it's TRUE though.

SpazztastiKim

DON'T TRUST ROBBIE ARE YOU NUTS!?

Respheal

It is true and it hurts

Darkhalo4321

robbie is NOT the person you should trust

RebelVampire

robbie is the murderer confirmed

Respheal

because he's Lark's brother

Kabocha

Y'all are saying don't trust people with secrets, and where does that leave us? EVERYONE but Robbie has secrets.

Darkhalo4321

Toby

SpazztastiKim

hmmmmmmm

Darkhalo4321

Toby is a good kid- no secrets

Sarai

with a fire cracker? absolutely not but with the TRUTH????

Darkhalo4321

y e t

Sarai

YES

RebelVampire

im gonna trust antonio. antonio is just a great dad, great businessman, and great taker carer of ker

SpazztastiKim

I trust no one. not even myself... ESPECIALLY myself

Darkhalo4321

-robbie

Respheal

But even Antonio's keepin' secrets :(

Kabocha

If we're going to trust Antonio, it's only because if I don't, he'll kill me if I walk in his yard.

Respheal

Presumably for good (or so he thinks) reason, but....

Darkhalo4321

I'm sure he HAS his reasons

SpazztastiKim

just because there are reasons doesn't mean they're GOOD reasons

Kabocha

Antonio's a parent. Jason is a teenager. In most stories, you can't trust the parents because they're keeping grown-up secrets from their kids.

SpazztastiKim

heh

hehehe

Kabocha

Like, the truth about that college you really wanna go to... It's not happening. I'm sorry. MIT doesn't offer a full ride, Jason. ...Or does it now

anyway point is

You can't even trust JASON

Darkhalo4321

jason sucks at math, what makes you thik he'd get into MIT XD

Kabocha

because he's keeping secrets!

Darkhalo4321

He IS! How RUDE

Kabocha

The one secret I wanna know is how he gets his hair to stand up like that

Darkhalo4321

Ghibli effect

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Darkhalo4321

The wind styles it FOR him

SpazztastiKim

antigravity hair gel

Respheal

He hangs upside down for an hour every morning (actually no this is more of a Robbie thing)(edited)

Kabocha

Jason's never at 100% power because he's using 10% of it to do his hair.

Sarai

maybe he showers before bed and just

lets it dry however it wants

Darkhalo4321

he needs to get it cut. chop chop chop

bye bye fluff

Sarai

no!

crimsonangeltears

So birds don't style his hair?

Kabocha

And then he'll look like a tiny Antonio

Darkhalo4321

he's a regular snow white that kid

RebelVampire

no i already weeped when robbie cut his hair

Kabocha

Crim, are you suggesting that Jason's a disney princess?

Darkhalo4321

wait until he cuts it SHORTER

Kabocha

... Let's count the qualifications

RebelVampire

there needs to be like 1000% more floof for everyone's hair

Respheal

You mean he's not?

Kabocha

He has a bird friend He has a dead mom But can he SING?

Sarai

when jason cuts his hair will he do it in a comb-over(edited)

Darkhalo4321

ACTUALLY

he can sing very well

oh no- I made a disney princess

Respheal

Disney princess confirmed

Darkhalo4321

He's like BELLE because... he loves reading though!

he doesh't get trapped in a castle. but. like...

SpazztastiKim

nerd

Kabocha

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere~

Darkhalo4321

but not this apparition haaaair

RebelVampire

idk jason isnt really singing about he wants more than his provincial life

Kabocha

Jason, when Robbie comes by. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INDnS3vIKCU

SpazztastiKim

He's more like... Tiana

Darkhalo4321

Oh because... restaurant, right?

SpazztastiKim

and hard worker... stubborn.... oblivious

Darkhalo4321

robbie probably DID ask Jason to marry him HONESTLY

SpazztastiKim

three times at the very least(edited)

crimsonangeltears

But wait....maybe he's hercules since Ker is training him??

Darkhalo4321

he DID propose to like... 5 nurses

SpazztastiKim

tru

Darkhalo4321

I can GO THE DISTANCE

RebelVampire

i wonder what robbie wouldve done if one of the nurses said yes

Kabocha

I'm into the Hercules version of Jason. If only because it means Cathy and Melodie are probably muses

SpazztastiKim

HA

Darkhalo4321

Heck yeah!

Melodie has the moves for that!

SpazztastiKim

TRUTH

Kabocha

Welp.

Darkhalo4321

So The Behem realm

crimsonangeltears

Will there be a musical chapter?

RebelVampire

its probably fine. corruption always fixes itself O_O

Darkhalo4321

how would I comic that?... a musical chapter? When the anime happens, I'll have one made!

Kabocha

I still can't help but think that Crow's some sort of shapeshifter or werewolf... Behem... Behemoth... Plus Crow's propensity to growl like some sort of very angry dog...

RebelVampire

if crow isnt a werewolf i will be surprised

Respheal

I am 100% on board with that theory

RebelVampire

cause theres been enough refs to imply it is so

Darkhalo4321

I mean... He takes commands rather well when threatened- so-

dog training?

Kabocha

Crow doesn't listen to Julie real well tho

SpazztastiKim

he tries

RebelVampire

i think how the behem realm is being dealt with is a major reason jason shouldnt trust the hunters. cause while i dont think the hunters are evil persay, i think in their pursuit to do the good they bend ethics waaaaaay too far(edited)

Darkhalo4321

Julie needs to talk louder-

SpazztastiKim

He is basically a puppy

be loud and RIGHT THERE, then he'll pay attention

Darkhalo4321

yeaaaah- wonder why they have a phate trapped in a glass jar in a makeshift lab

SpazztastiKim

spooky

Kabocha

.... Do the stooges know about that

Darkhalo4321

they might

they might not

>:3c

Kabocha

@RebelVampire -- d'ya think the state of Behem might be related to Jason?

what if Jason's unintentionally an avatar of destruction?

SpazztastiKim

why... did that make me giggle so much?!

RebelVampire

i mean id believe it. sorry jason.

Kabocha

This tiny cinnamon roll of a child -- really there because he's a sign of end times.

RebelVampire

you are destined to destroy all that you love

except antonio

Kabocha

With Antonio as his dad, I'd really believe it.

Darkhalo4321

Yeah, I've been forbidden by many to NOT kill antonio

SpazztastiKim

indeed

Darkhalo4321

which means I probably should kill him, right?

Kabocha

Jason can become a razor-sharp weapon of death... But when it comes to his father, they walk side-by-side into the end.

SpazztastiKim

I did threaten to fly over there and shoot you with something. Do I have to again?(edited)

Sarai

it means you should NOT

Darkhalo4321

D:

RebelVampire

no dark this means the opposite. this means antonio needs 10 layers of plot armor

Darkhalo4321

fine fine he's safe... for now

RebelVampire

and when you pretend to kill him it turns out antonio faked his death and it was his plan all along

SpazztastiKim

I have MULTIPLE Nerf guns Halo...(edited)

Kabocha

oh noooo

Darkhalo4321

He'll eat a potato chip and go just as planned

Kabocha

Live footage of Dark, plotting out the story https://tenor.com/6zEs.gif

SpazztastiKim

^^^

Darkhalo4321

you forgot to add in the part where I plot as horrible implications are made known to me

>:3c fu fu fu

Kabocha

. . . So uh.

RebelVampire

i do think jason is tied to the corruption in all seriousness

Kabocha

Anyone got new horrible implications to point out?

I'd agree with you on that, Rebel.... Hold on, I feel like there's visual evidence

Darkhalo4321

oh?

Kabocha

Oh, no nevermind

I was like, "I remember that shot of the blocked off Behem realm being foresty," and linked it to Jason's dream where he got the Rosary... But they don't look similar at all.

But what seems to be a gate(????) to the realm has the same kind of creeping blackness as was surrounding Jason and the corrupted shade

RebelVampire

as far as im concerned the only evidence we need is that jason has amnesia and all the events tie back to the massacre

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2663394/6-32-chapter-end/ http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2637351/6-18/ But I'm not sure if that's just Dark's visual shorthand for "dark magic"

So file this under "more evidence needed, but I'm choosing to believe they're tied together somehow"

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2017341/2-10/ Also, apparently the Jason = Apparition user has been hidden from the hunters for a while... So, I wonder if Jason changed that night, corrupted the Behem realm with his awakening (somehow -- maybe it was just some sort of casting in place from the previous apparition user), and then got home after horrific things happened, only to have his mother murdered

The problem with this is, we don't know how casting this sort of stuff works yet, so I don't know if Jason's been in proximity TO the Behem realm if it requires that he physically be there to affect it.

Darkhalo4321

He's a wot? He's an apparition antonio-

Kabocha

So, I think until shown otherwise, if Jason's power is linked to Behem's state... Jason's probably a symptom of the problem, more than the cause??

RebelVampire

to be fair though we cant say for sure the corruption even started in the behem realm can we?

cause it couldve started elsewhere and thats just the first notable place it hit in its spread

Kabocha

true -- it could have been Belial starting shit, and it spread like a wildfire.

RebelVampire

belial please, observe proper fire control procedures at least(edited)

Kabocha

never

Darkhalo4321

a forest fire to burn all the... evidence...

blame it on teens using the beehive burner as a party spot

just as planned

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2663394/6-32-chapter-end/ Also, I wonder why Julie cares so much about the Behem realm? I know you don't need to have a link to a place to care, but... I feel like she has more than just Crow.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Jason isn’t the only character in the comic with secrets. Do you think there are any significant things that Toby might know from the past that are sealed from Jason? If so, what and how will that affect his and Jason’s relationship? What do you think the story is with Robbie and how Jason ended up his friend? Why won’t Jason tell Toby the circumstances, and why is Robbie’s situation with Jason significant? Also, will the relationship between Jason and Melodie develop, or is it doomed to the status quo? Moving to other characters, how do you think Ker came upon his eye and the ability to use Fae magic? How might this event be influencing his choices and position with the Hunters? Last, what is going on with Belial, and what do you think this means for the story?

Kabocha

To be honest, when we found out that Robbie just kind of appeared in their friend group one day, I half expected that Robbie would be part of Jason? Like, that whole part of Jason that got separated out when he developed amnesia, but then the curse was introduced, and it was like... "nah"

Darkhalo4321

Eh- but you have to think back to Annette and Jason's conversation on the back porch-

Respheal

I've had a theory for a while that Robbie may have attempted suicide.... Mostly fueled by "Are you suicidal?!" "Yes?" and the references to Robbie being in a hospital

And that's probably how they met? 'cuz Jason's sister is a nurse?

Kabocha

Yeah...

RebelVampire

itd make sense cause theres a lot of rumors surrounding robbie and well...rumors lead to bullying >_>

Respheal

And that conversation between Jason and his sister was very......real

"is he okay?"

Kabocha

Robbie's a good egg who decided if he was going to be talked about, he may as well give them something to talk about

RebelVampire

and itd actually explain robbie's sort of cavalier attitude. cause if hes actually depressed than he doesnt care about his safety

thus jumps on well covers

Darkhalo4321

when Inspector Toby says "lets not stand on this-"

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2222484/1-17/ Toby's pretty cavalier about risking Robbie for Jason's sake tho

Respheal

And why Jason, being the good kid he is, doesn't drop Robbie like a brick when he's consistently crass

Darkhalo4321

if he don't care about his safety, why should he?

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2222492/1-21/ Because Jason cares

RebelVampire

well yeah, why would toby pick robbie over his best friend? XD

Respheal

I'm still mad at Robbie about the cafeteria scene lol

punk

Darkhalo4321

in the redraw I think I made it worse, but less directed...

if that's possible...even

Kabocha

Toby seemed to join in on it in those pages tho

Toby, why are you so mean to Mel. XD

what did she do to you

Darkhalo4321

Toby-... t o b y

sighs Toby- He's such a complicated nooooodle

RebelVampire

i just assumed robbie acted that way because thats how he handles socially awkward situations he doesnt want to be a part of. and his go to mode is "be a jackass"

Kabocha

.... Mel tried to be friendly, Toby didn't take her being friendly very well because it was a bad day, Mel continued to pester A grudge began

RebelVampire

for the cafeteria scene that is

Kabocha

Well, no, I mean, that could be their history XD

But yes, Robbie being a jackass is default, I think

"I don't know what to do, so go away" only he can't say those words

because then he looks weak

Darkhalo4321

truuue

RebelVampire

toby is a complicated noodle tho. i cant decide if he can be trusted or not. cause he seems honest but then at the same time he feels like he has a secret skeleton closet of secrets

Darkhalo4321

but, Toby Melodie and Jason have been friends for a while now-

his room DOES have a closet Hmmmm

Respheal

When Jason mentioned he had started remembering things, Toby looked like he was ready to whack Jason upside the head if it'd bring on the amnesia again

A definite "nope nope nope bad don't remember" sort of expression

Darkhalo4321

yeah, bad things happen when that... happened...

Kabocha

Maybe Toby has a secret he needs to hide.

Respheal

What are you hiding?

Darkhalo4321

MAYBE

cue law and order theme

Kabocha

Or at least, that was my impression during that first time, but when it was mentioned that Jason gets hospitalized...

It was like, hm, okay. Toby's not suspicious I guess.

Darkhalo4321

f o r n o w

Kabocha

Unless he was that other figure in the bg of that dream

Darkhalo4321

:0

is Toby the contracteee?

Kabocha

Part of the contract, maybe XD

crimsonangeltears

I gotta leave the chat guys, sorry! (gotta make dinner) Thank you for including me!

Sarai

bye! thanks for joining us!!

RebelVampire

thank you for comin @crimsonangeltears ~!

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2637351/6-18/ <- this page, first panel, 3 figures, just fyi

Darkhalo4321

Thanks for coming Crimson! makes yummy food for your family!

Kabocha

Have a good night Crim~!

RebelVampire

ok so it wasnt just me. i tots thought toby's reaction to jason's memories returning was super suspicious

and like he was ready to flee the country

Kabocha

well, if Jason is linked to the destruction of realms

wouldn't you?

Darkhalo4321

there is a lot about the APPARITIONS the hunters DONT KNOW sooo

Kabocha

that's why they want Lark

to counteract Jason.

Darkhalo4321

>;3c

RebelVampire

why only get one when you can have both tho?

Kabocha

They don't want him dead, but captured if possible. Because even if he dies, that power will reappear, yeah? but Lark's like, "Yeah, nah, I'm fine with the world ending."

Darkhalo4321

I'm surprised no one has brought up the lab... with lark...

Kabocha

Well

It's still new-ish information

Darkhalo4321

True-

Kabocha

We don't know who had the forest lab under their control yet, or am I forgetting something

maybe they had all those kids to test corruption on

Test subjects for Belial's brother~

'cause eventually, you need human subjects.

Darkhalo4321

I mean- they are keeping phates in jars so-

Kabocha

Nari was sacrificed for the sake of the Behem realm!

Darkhalo4321

shes a homuraaaa

or a madoka?

Kabocha

Neither

she's Sayaka

Darkhalo4321

THERE we go

RebelVampire

i dont have enough info to theorize on the lab. cause i got more the impression the kids were at a training facility for the hunters than a lab and that the lab came later.

Kabocha

But uh... There were theories on Dark's server about Mr. Grimr...

RebelVampire

maybe theyre pulling an fma and when lark finds nari shes gonna be fused with a phate

Kabocha

Ahahaha oh no

NO

REBEL NO

Respheal

WHY

Kabocha

Don't give Dark ideas!

Darkhalo4321

... l- lark?

>:3c

Kabocha

Lark-oniichan...

SpazztastiKim

S-stop?(edited)

Sarai

ENOUGH

Kabocha

We have found the limit, and it is Nina jokes.

Sarai

I can't take nina jokes in two servers gosh darn it

SpazztastiKim

that will ALWYAS be the limit

Sarai

^^^

Darkhalo4321

this will be the hill I die on

Kabocha

Okay, but seriously, Mr. Grimr has purple eyes.

Is he Belial's bro

Darkhalo4321

:0

Sarai

he might be

Darkhalo4321

purple, and purple makes a connection-

SpazztastiKim

nothing but pain

Kabocha

I mean

we have yet to see ... What was her name?

Sassypants?

Darkhalo4321

he knows stuff

Kabocha

Sizzlebritches?(edited)

Darkhalo4321

YES

XD

Respheal

"her"(edited)

Kabocha

So, I guess we're going to have a scene of this comic in a strip club.

Respheal

WHO

Darkhalo4321

d... did you not

oh dear

Kabocha

Dark, if you skimp out on the bright colored lights, I'll be sad.

Darkhalo4321

my google search history is going to ask questions kabo

Kabocha

Just look up sterotypical pictures from Vegas

it'll be fine

Or watch Showgirls (don't watch showgirls, it's not really good)

RebelVampire

vegas is basically one big strip club

Darkhalo4321

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2616663/6-12/

@Respheal

That's WHO

Respheal

Oh

I uh

I actually meant who's the 'her' Grimr is referring to

Darkhalo4321

I felt very clever about the name.

OH

RebelVampire

i assume the her was nari but now that res brings up that page...lark, did you...did you make a metaphysical contract?

Darkhalo4321

o h

Kabocha

"her" -- probably Nari. Or Adalaide. XD

Darkhalo4321

o h n o

Kabocha

If Nari's not fully dead, she will be soon.

A victim of corruption...

Respheal

r i p

Kabocha

I mean, you kind of sealed her fate with the whole friggin blood shots followed by tears

how else do you interpret that

Darkhalo4321

he just... misses her and regrets his bloody murdering ness or... something

Kabocha

http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/comics/2685206/7-5/ Lark is fine if the world ends because Nari isn't in it.

Respheal

The red was actually his hair dye

Darkhalo4321

yes

Kabocha

That's why he wants Jason.

FREE NARI, OR I SET HIM UPON YOU

RebelVampire

lark please. what you do is be the distraction and have jason sneak in. cause they wont be expecting jason and thus jason has the element of surprise to wreck their stuff

Darkhalo4321

Jason can barely transform guys, he'd just go in and start screaming XD

might as well SEND ROBBIOE

actually... That would work.He can seduce the guards see.

RebelVampire

that works too. send robbie and jason.

ultimate tag team

Kabocha

[image: Return Nari... Or suffer his curse...](edited)

Darkhalo4321

Jason would have to remind lark that... he's no idea what he's talking about XD curse? What curse? I'm F I N E

narrators voice He was NOT fine

Kabocha

See, I was imagining it to be more like King Ramses...

Darkhalo4321

oh yah?

Kabocha

RETURN THE SLAB....

OR SUFFER MY CURSE....

Darkhalo4321

OH

Yah Lark would try that, huh?

Kabocha

Yep. only Jason is the curse he shall set upon the world

Darkhalo4321

because his curse is FORBIDDEN MAGICwoooooo

and much scarier for some reason

Kabocha

:3

Well, it'll be okay eventually, I'm sure.

RebelVampire

lark's plans always work out

nothing could go wrong

Darkhalo4321

it'll all work out-

maybe

Kabocha

Nari's not doomed. Jason will be fine. And best of all, Lark will get everything he wanted.

Darkhalo4321

it's fine

Kabocha

And Robbie will live a happy life.

Darkhalo4321

the kids are okay

trust me

RebelVampire

theyre all dead

Kabocha

And you're not going to do anything to Antonio.

Darkhalo4321

e x a c t l y

Kabocha

That's it! That's the story.

Everything is FINE

Darkhalo4321

MCR's I'm not okay plays in the background

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Janaka Davis (Darkhalo4321), as well, for making Moonlight Apparition. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Janaka Davis’ efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://moonlightapparition.smackjeeves.com/

Janaka’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Darkhalo4321

Janaka’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A0A1K9D7

Janaka’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Darkhalo4321

[indigo-sails]

Chiroptera Chapter

START "Woah, where am I?" Demetrie was waste deep in a big, golden field of wheat. --- "Hey Zoey!" "Good morning!" "Notice anything... different?" "Why Demetrie, your hair looks fabulous! I wish my bed head looked that good!" "Notice anything... else?" "To what could you be refering? OO do you have a new power?" "I'm thinking along the lines of something fluffly, drooly, barky..." "Oh you mean Ruben! He's my new doggy and I wove him so much!!" "You're dad won't let you have any pets, remeber?" "Did I say my dog? I meant to say your dog." "I don't want a dog." "Mmm, I dunno, from this angle he looks more like an oversized cat to me." "Zoey..." "Aw fine." ~Let's get him back home.~ --- "Okay so - top five favorite festivals: go!!" "Winter and summer festival, they're not even top two, they are both #1. The tourist festival brings so many cool people, world cultures within summer festial, and spring festival. Top five fav festivals: Go!!" "Fall, summer, spring, tourist, and winter! #1 basically counts for all five. It's just magical, the merry go round is my favorite of all!" "Ugh. On the list of my least favorite things; that forest. It's always so creepy." "Yeah," some sort of dream flash back, "It is." From pov of undergrowth, "It always seems like somethings watching me." shot of dog, speech bubbles in bg, "Same! I always feel that!!" "Tho sometimes,  I feel like I want to go into the-" "--RUBEN!"

"You didn't bring a leash or dog treats or anything??" "No, did you??" "What were you going to feed him??" "Pizza, of course!! RUUUBBEEEN" "H-hey! Not too far ahead!" montage of Demetrie turning round and round, creepy angle and what not. "Wait for me!" Small clearing, Zoey's stopped hands on her head. "Did you see where he went?" "No, I can't find him anywhere." Sudden shake in the under growth, both Zoey and Dem freeze. some sequence of panels and horrified faces, Ruben pops out of the bush with a tennis ball "Do they just inherintly know where to find tennis balls?" "I'm pretty sure that's not how dogs work." something alluding to a giant dark creature luming above them in the dark of the trees. -- some sort of transition. I don't want them walking back *zoey dramaticly fake crys* Good bye, sweet Ruben. -- transition "So you really don't want pets?" "Nope! No pets!" "I mean yeah... Is that weird?" "Not even something tiny? Like a fish?" "Nope. I'd probably forget to feed them. Pets take a lot of work!" "You couulllddd get a cat! They basically take care of themselves!" "No cats. No fish. Hey I'm going this way, you want to come over for some lunch?" "Can't! My dad is going to be home soon! I'm going to clean up, and then im going to convince him to let me have a puppy!!" "Awesome!! Tell him I say hi!" "Will do, take care!! -- Later that day... Dem: "So you're sure you don't wanna come over and play Final Destiny 433?" Zoe: ~"Yeah, my dad said there's a good chance he'll be home tonight, I figured I'd clean up a bit."~ Dem: "Awwww okay," Zoe: ~"Quit complaining!"~ Dem: -beep- "Hold on - it's Joey, I'll patch him through. Hey Joe!" Zoe: ~"Heeeeyyy Joeeeyyy!"~ Joe: "Hey! Are y'all going to the premiere tonight?" Dem: "Premiere? What premiere?" Joe: "Battle Force Galactic Blitztasic, it's in 4-D and they got the Hola-cube back up." D + Z: "SERIOUSLY" ~"OMGGGGG"~  Dem: "How much are tickets?" Joe: "Wait, you don't have tickets? I think they sold out already" "WHHAAATTT" ~"NOOOOOOOooooo"~ Joey: "Hold up, I'll patch Damien through. -- Hey Damien" Dame: "Joey! What's up?" Joey: "I got Zoey n Demetrie on the line - Do you have extra tickets to the premiere?" Dame: "Hmmm. What's in it for me tho?" "Cookies!" "I'll commission you an artwork!" "Am I supposed to contribute something??" -car pulls up in the window-- "Sounds delightful! I'll see what I can do. Deme, in the mean time you owe me one! ‍❤️ -click-" Joey: "I'll see what I can do on my end too." Zoey: "I'll see if my dad wants to come!" -knock at the door- Dem: "I'll... have to call you back." Driver: "Hello Demetrie, the Mayor would like to see you." -- Demetrie is in the back of a limo. He pulls up to a big house, he walks inside. "Hello Demetrie! How are you? Have you been well?" "Yeah of course! If you wanted to check up on me, you could've just called-" "Of course my boy, but where's the fun in that? I called you here for more than that, however. The Gaurd Force Cheif wants to include you on a matter of concern." "Oh" "In the conference room to you're right." -- "As you know, we've been getting more disturbances around the perifery of the forest. This morning, we got a call detailing an attack on the west end of town. No one was hurt, but there was a lot of distruction. Similar claw marks were found at two reported store break ins." Shows pictures of claw marks, windows broken, food eaten and missing. "Demetrie, would you happen to know anything about this?" little shocked, "N-no, sir, I do not." "As you can see cheif, I've already told you as much. "Of course. Well, we don't know what it is yet, but it's big..." -- Some notes for tomorrow: "Between the dream and the meeting with the towns gaurd force, I cant seem to catch a break today" "Demetrie!" Deme hearts n like DAW MA FRIENDS ARE MA BREAK /sobs "Wow, there are so many people!" "This is pretty much the only theater in town, but it looks like people came from over the hill. But any way --- That's not important right now." *clasps shoulders srs face*, "Are you prepared." "I was born prepared." *Zoey geeking out in the background* *wooping and cheering* "Guess it's time!" ----- 27 pages at this point SHots of going inside, future tech. Poster of Battle Galactic Blitztastic. Shot of Giant Popcorn Machine "Snap, I always forget how big that thing is" -- Zoey "Yeah, back in the early 3000s they competed nationally to see how big they could get it. We won, of course." "I thought I was supposed to be the history buff!" "Oh, that's right, I forgot that you're brother used to work here." --Dem Alright - let's get ready - to save - the galaxy! *something about representation and synthetics but bruh its straight up about systemic vioelne and oppression, but because robots and synths dont exist yet, it ends up being an allegory abour race. A relatively explicate one, but like, that seems super sucky. A human element is needed Joseph: "Oh yeah! Allissona Zhang is in this! I've been so hyped for this movie, having diasabled actors play disabled charachers is the only way to go." *cracks open phone screen to look up pictures of Allissona, shows Demetrie* Zoey: "Speaking of representation, have you heard the rumors that a Synth is going to be in this one?" Joseph: "What, you mean the robot?" Zoey: "No, a synth, basically a robot with a human brain, but the original human brain was rejected! It's like a person haunting a robot, so trippy." Joseph: "Nah Zoe, synths were debunked, weren't they? We've never had that kind of tech." Zoey: "Yeah, debunked by the US with the New World Council, but that's exactly what they'd want you to think." Joseph: "Dang, true, very true."

Later that night, the premiere is about to start. Zoey shows up, soft aside about her dad not making it to town. We meet more people/characters? Foreshadowing for shenannigins happinging under the facility. The Bat found its way inside from underground, the large old theater is also connected underground to the clock tower (Yes, the small town has a clock tower xD) Establishing shot of the lobby - the complex is pretty huge! There's a huge fountain of pop corn. As the movie starts, the bat peeks menecingly through the projected screen, everyone panics. As everyones leaving, Joey and Zoey rush to Deme's aide and ask how they can help. The bat squirms out into the lobby, starts feisting on the pop corn. They hide behind a counter on the far side. Demetrie runs with the rest of the crowd, then he slows to a stop. He remembers back to the guard force meeting, he feels intense pressure that he is the one who has to defend against this threat. "I'm the one... who's supposed to... protect everyone." flashback: "I've always had faith in you, Demetrie." Vaugely, fuzzily, he hears his friends calling to him, "Demetrie! Come on!" "I can't go." "Deme, this doesn't have to be your fight." "Everyone's counting on me, I feel like I don't have choice." "Demetrie... Fine. If you stay, we stay." "But-"

"We're here to help, tell us what to do!" "Do??"  "What can we do!! Did you see how big it was??" "Don't panic, let's brainstorm." "Right, right." Zoey: "How did it get in here in the first place??" Joe: "The underground tunnels, it's got to be." Zoey: "The basement has tunnels that lead to the outside??" Joey: "That or the creature burrowed it's way down." Deme: "How do we fight a bat??" Joey: "Bright lights? Loud noises??" Zoey: "Maybe we can lure it outside! Joey: "No, not outside, inside. We'll drive it back underground."

Zoey ends up being the one to distract the bat. She notices that it's sweeping along the floor, picking up popcorn. They are both in the isle near the front, it looks at her, it pauses. The bat poses no threat. Either she reaches over to give it popcorn, or she barely has time to think "Wait... popcorn??" and then the emergency sirens blare inside the theater and she snaps back to the plan at hand. "Wait, popcorn??" The alarm sirens blare, the bat screeches and takes out the whole row infront of it, zoey barely dives out of the way.

They trap them under the theater, then realize that the bat is harmless. To save them, they go either underground or sneak their way out and to the clock tower. The giant bat is trapped under some non essential support beams, and the three are talking about what to do with the bat. Zoey notices that its long tounge is snagging tiny bits of popcorn. She runs over and grabs a bag of popcorn that has fallento the ground. The bat calms down. "Zoey! What are you doing!" "No look, he's harmless. He's just hungry!" -- Bat, Demetire and Zoey are in the bell tower. "So. Now we have a bat." "I think I'll name him Ruben!" Deme face palms, "We're not feeding him pizza." shot of the tower and zoey's speech bubble, "Of course not! Duh, bats are insectovors!" END