#there's not a whole lot of time for lessons in between saving the world and whatnot

[last-flight-of-fancy]

Alphinaud is ignorantly scandalized for all of five seconds and then teacher mode kicked in.

[wandascrush]

Why the invite?

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x f!reader, AU Wanda Maximoff x f!reader, Wanda Maximoff x an annoying fiance

Summary: After years of not speaking, your old high school “situationship” invites you to her wedding

Warnings: kissing, hickeys, undercover homophobia, some light angst, a man makes an appearance

Song: Why did you invite me to your wedding by Kevin Atwater (lyrics highlighted in red)

The glow of your laptop screen is the only thing illuminating your bedroom, casting bluish light over the clutter of books and coffee mugs littering your desk. The world outside is quiet—as quiet as it gets for a bustling city. It’s 2:00 am, the kind of late where even the hum of the refrigerator feels deafening, except the occasional buzz of a notification.

   You should be sleeping. You have meetings in the morning, or at the very least, something better to do than mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. But here you are, trying to write and getting stuck after the first sentence. You could hear your editors voice scolding you already. So, you decided scrolling on socials instead was better- another engagement post. Another couple. Another pregnancy announcement. A reminder that your 20’s aren’t forever, and time is slowly marching forward.

Then, a notification pops up.

Wanda Maximoff has sent you a friend request. 

You freeze. 

   For a second, you think your brain is playing tricks on you. Maybe you’re too tired, and it’s not really her name flashing across the screen. But no—when you click on it, there she is. Wanda Maximoff, looking just as ethereal as ever in her profile picture. A cheerleader that aged well. That’s new.  The feeling that grips your chest is old.

You hesitate, fingers hovering over the mouse. It’s been years. At least six. She was your first, in more ways than one. Your first real love. Your first heartbreak. Your first lesson in how shame could be sharper than a knife.

A second notification chimes. A message.

Wanda Maximoff sent you a message.

I got your message, last night around 1

Your throat feels tight as you click. The message is short, simple. Too simple for the weight of the years between you.

“Hi. Hope you’re well. Also, save date! Marrid soon :)”

You’re getting married, and you want me to come

You immediately notice her grammar is off, and so is the way she spells “married.”  You miss me a lot and the wedding's next month I think you were drunk, you spelled "wedding" wrong

And then, attached below—an image.

 A cream-colored card, tastefully elegant, adorned with gold lettering. 

Wanda Maximoff & Victor Ivonis. 

Save the Date- come celebrate the lovely couple. It’s summer wedding, her favorite season. 

You don’t read the rest. You don’t need to. Your lips twitch into something that isn’t quite a smile. It’s funny, in a bitter sort of way.

Wanda is getting married. To a man. 

Of course she is.

You lean back in your chair, exhaling sharply. A laugh—dry, humorless—pushes past your lips. You squeeze the bridge of your nose, trying to process this random, and honestly, unwanted invitation. 

After all these years, this is how she comes back into your life. A friend request. A wedding invitation. Like you’re just another face in the crowd, another name on a guest list?

You close your eyes, and suddenly, you are in highschool again.

Back in the dimly lit parking lot after prom, the air thick with spring rain and the sound of Wanda’s whimpers filling the car. You remember her hands resting on your shoulders, fingers trembling, her lips parted like she wanted to say something as she reached her climax on your lap. The way your name fell off her lips sounded like heaven. You never forgot the feeling of her sucking possessive hickeys into your neck, never knowing what to tell people when they asked who they were from. Or how she looked at you when no one else was watching, like you were her whole world.

And the way she let you go.

Your fingers tighten around the mouse, the glow of the screen reflecting in your tired eyes. The past is knocking, uninvited, and you don’t know whether to open the door—or let it stay locked. 

And not for a moment does it escape you that Wanda invites you to her wedding, in the dead of the night, at 2 am. 

[chirpycloudyrobin]

Previous || Masterlist || START || Next

wei wuxian had barely dusted off the magma from the kiln off his person when he gets rudely yanked to mo village and mo xuanyu's side. he appears before mo xuanyu still in his bloodied yiling laozu set up and theyre both ??? confused as fuck because what the hell that wasnt supposed to happen !

turns out the whole sacrificial summon array didnt account for the possibility of summoning a ghost king. so there was no soul replacement, mo xuanyu is still alive, and wei wuxian once again walks with the living. ish. hes still dead. technically

now what ?

well mo xuanyu mustve been pretty desperate to unsubscribe from the reincarnation cycle just to get revenge on his family so wei wuxian hears him out ,,, and really really doesnt like the hand that mo xuanyu has been dealt with in his life so hes like welp time to tap into ye olde wuxian the helping hand. might as well bring in some justice now that hes back and better than ever !

but first wwx shldnt walk around looking like the entire cultivation world's worst nightmare so they brainstorm a new identity for him in that little shack.

they end up deciding that wwx will be a distant mo cousin. for wwx's disguise, he gave himself the birth name mo ling and the courtesy name mo shanxi. he is mo yi, courtesy name mo xuanyu's, other maternal cousin but like further down the family tree. a fourth son of a fourth son. parents dead, siblings dead. lots of fours, lots of death in the identity and the name. it's funni, cuz wwx is dead and hes a ghost and- you get the idea.

mo shanxi's an eccentric ex-rogue cultivator whose cultivating career ended early at the hands of the late core-melting hand. he has no sword because no core. hes friendly with crows because rogue cultivator things. he has a dizi because hes a traveler, a peasant, decidedly not gentry. an absolutely fool-proof disguise. no one would guess hes wei wuxian at all ! no one !

they still bust into the meeting between madam mo and the lan juniors and wwx helps mxy embarrass the entire family. they also still stay around to watch shit happen and it's during this time where wwx gives mxy practical lessons on fighting and cultivation. not demonic cultivation, mind, wwx doesnt want to damage mxy's fledgling golden core.

mxy is witness firsthand how wwx just bluescreens and takes A Minute to process seeing adult lan wangji. mxy knows that lwj is One Fine Ass Man and he, too, would undoubtedly climb lwj like a tree but wwx's reaction to lwj is just ,,, different.

hm, mxy thinks. interesting.

soon wwx snaps out of his "holy-shit-lwj" trance, grabs mxy's hand and skedaddles out of there. its funny, its camp, mxy has more questions than answers.

the entire mo family (besides mxy) is dead. the contract is complete. mxy is free.

"ykw," wwx thinks. "let's be rogue cultivators and ill teach you everything i know !" "i have absolutely nothing better to do," mxy says. "fuck it, lets go" "great ! for ur first lesson lets check out that story of a soul eating entity at dafan mountain" "what"

so ! dafan mountain. lessons going good, mxy has a good head on his shoulders. and then wwx accidentally insults his shijie's child. and then he and mxy are trapped between jc and lwj. and then they ,,, get out of it unscathed ? um

whatever, back to the lessons !

mxy was not having the best time in his life. shit got way out of hand way too quickly. he cant do anything to help in the fight so hes just trying to keep himself alive while wwx is trying to save everyone. theres too many crows and ravens yelling.

... why the fuck is wwx playing a dizi badly ?

mxy knows wwx is some kind of powerful ghost or whatever but now is not the time for a bad dizi concert ! senior wei please !!

mxy just feels really out of his depths right now as he watches everything unfold from his safe(ish) place high up a tree with a couple of wwx's creepy red-eyed crows.

he watches as the fucking ghost general answers wwx's dizi calls apparently ? (mxy may be half insane but he still knows the ghost stories they all tell about the yiling laozu and his ghost general)

he watches as wwx attempts to lead the ghost general to safety, and how his attempt is thwarted by none other than hanguang-jun himself. and then mxy is forced to watch the world's most awkward, most tense reunion in all the earth.

and then mxy sees sandu shengshou fucking whip wwx and attempt to do it a second time and he really, really cant just sit there and watch his saviour and senior be bullied.

so mxy jumps down, startles the living shit out of everyone, and proceeds to yell at them all. accuses jc of harrassment, of abuse of power, of weird kinks. wwx catches onto what mxy is doing and joins in the insanity, adding that lwj is more his type for good measure

senior wei, mxy thinks, watching lwj gaze at wwx with something in his eyes. what the actual fuck ?

if anyone asks how the hell they both ended up becoming guests at the cloud recesses, mxy will gladly tell them that it's all wwx's fault. at least mxy ended up being roomed at actual guest quarters. god knows what kind of shit is happening with wwx getting roomed in the jingshi of all places

NAME NOTES

Mò Yí (莫怡) — mo xuanyu's birthname in this au ! i like to think his mother gave him that birth name because she really wanted him to have a happy future :]

Mò Líng (莫玲) — 玲 is an onomatopoeia, referring to the sound jades make when they are hit. i like to think wwx chose this name on the spot absolutely not thinking about how a certain jade was doing lol

Mò Shànxì (莫善戲) — now this one is fun ! i took this from one of the poems in the Classic of Poetry aka Shijing aka the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry and one of the Five Classics. it's taken from the third paragraph of the poem Qi Yu from the Odes of Wei (as in the state of Wey. unfortunately not the same wei in wwx's name. thats a diff state)

瞻彼淇奧、綠竹如簀。 有匪君子、如金如錫、如圭如璧。 寬兮綽兮、猗重較兮。 [善戲] 謔兮、不為虐兮。 Look at those recesses in the banks of the Qi, With their green bamboos, so dense together! There is our elegant and accomplished prince, - [Pure] as gold or as tin, [Soft and rich] as a sceptre of jade! How magnanimous is he and gentle! There he is in his chariot with its two high sides! Skilful is he at quips and jokes, But how does he keep from rudeness in them!

so 善戲 should translate to "good at theatrical shows" as in he's good at putting on a show ! since mo ling is essentially just a role wwx is playing and all lmao. BUT ALSO the last sentence where i took the characters describes wwx pretty well. the sentence describes the lord aka the subject of the poem as someone who is good at playing games, jokes etc. but his jokes would never be intended to harm or to be rude. so wwx :]

his disguise's courtesy name also has a nice though subtle common element w lan wangji's birth name since the zhan is thought to also be taken from the five classics uwu

[cherry-holmes]

Glimpse of a life with Javier Peña

Chapter 16 (pt. 2)

MAIN MASTERLIST

Summary: You have many questions. And Javier is terrified about what your reaction could be.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Previous chapter

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader

Word count: +1.9k

Warnings: Mentions of child violence. Mentions of family violence.

A/N: PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR TAKE ME SO LONG😭 I was having some struggles in my life, I’m better now if you want to know😁

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

You asked as soon as you stepped back into the hotel room where Javi was staying. You were curious about the mysterious woman who had almost become his wife, but you didn't want to make a scene. You'd never been the jealous type, unless you had real reasons to be. So you held back, not wanting to accuse him without hearing what he had to say first. It was a very personal part of his life, something that probably hurt him at the time... or maybe still did. But you couldn't ignore the sting in your chest, the need to know what on earth happened between them.

"Because it's something I'm not proud of," he answered honestly, his voice tinged with anguish, afraid of how you'd react. He didn't want to lose you again, so he knew he had to choose his words carefully and be completely open, so you could see he wasn't that man anymore.

"Is it because you regret not marrying her?" you asked, your voice almost a whisper. You didn't know exactly what you expected to him to say. If he did regret it, it would be heartbreaking. But if he didn't, then perhaps it shouldn't matter to you. Or should it?

"Absolutely not," he replied quickly, stepping closer and taking your soft hands between his, gently caressing them.

Then, he told you the whole story: He was very young when he met Lorraine. They dated for a few months, and then she was the one who popped the big question. She always wanted to marry young, and she thought Javi was the one. So he said yes because it seemed like the reasonable next step for a man his age, trying to live up to his family's expectations. But deep down, he knew that wasn't what he wanted. So he left her at the altar.

He continued, "I realized I didn't love Lorraine. I didn't want to marry her. I wanted to do something beyond the police trainee I was doing in Laredo. I wanted to make a difference in the world."

You listened attentively, trying to picture a very young Javi, already preparing for marriage. You kind of understood him. You were also a young girl trying to find your place in the world, feeling the pressure of expectations to marry as soon as possible and start a family. And just as him, you felt the need to knew the world first, to be independent and proud of yourself before tie the knot.

"Marrying her probably would have saved me a lot of shit in Colombia because I probably wouldn't have gone," he admitted, his gaze meeting yours. "But then I never would have met you. So, I'm very grateful I didn't. I would go through all that hell again a million times just to be with you. Just to follow you wherever you want to go. You've brought so much light and happiness into my life, bonita. More than I ever thought I could deserve. Te amo. And I'm sure I want to be with you forever. I do want to marry you, mi cielo."

He couldn't shake the feeling that he had disappointed you. Again. And again. And again. And that there wasn't a single word he could say to repair the damage. Every time you placed your blind trust in him, every time everything seemed to be going smoothly, he messed something up.

Javier had known this for a while, actually. He had even considered not coming for you after Washington. Perhaps you would be better off without him. Javier was a tortured, traumatized man who never seemed to learn his lessons; he had guilt and ghosts chasing him. And yes, you had your own, but he always admired you for being stronger than he would ever be. Resilient, still hopeful in this rotten world.

But he was also selfish. He couldn't even bear the thought of not being with you. The jealousy of you not being with him. His. The mere idea of spending the rest of his days without the touch of your soft skin and the soothing tone of your voice made his heart physically ache. You had power over him, but it doesn't scare him at all. He would do anything for you. Whatever it took to keep you safe, warm, and happy.

And you were well aware of that. You could feel his care and protection over you, like an invisible warm cloak on your shoulders. You trusted him with blind faith despite everything.

Your silence was killing him. He would be on his knees if needed, begging you not to leave him, pleading for you to believe in his love. Javier Peña would do anything you asked, absolutely anything, in exchange for your forgiveness.

"Please, baby," he begged, desperation lacing his tone. "Say something..."

After another second that felt like an eternity for Javi, you opened your beautiful lips and murmured, "It's okay."

But there was something in your tone that didn't convince him. He still felt a weight on his chest. You weren't looking at him; instead, you kept staring at your hands.

"Bonita..." Javi's voice was soft, filled with concern as he leaned in closer, searching your face, his heart pounding with anxiety. But before he could say anything more, you sighed deeply, your expression softening.

"You're nine years older than me," you began, your voice calm but carrying a weight of something he couldn't name. "You've experienced more things than I have. How could I blame you for anything that happened before us?" You reached out, gently resting your hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin under your fingertips. "It's part of how things are in a age-gap relationship. I get that."

His breath hitched slightly at your words, relief washing over him, but there was still a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "There's a but, isn't it?"

His voice was tentative, as if he was afraid of the answer.

You hesitated for a moment, biting your lower lip. "It doesn't mean it don't make me feel... well, jealous," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "A little." You offered him a small, almost shy smile.

He reached out, his hand gently cupping the back of your neck, pulling you closer. His thumb traced your jawline, sending shivers down your spine as he gazed at you with tenderness.

"You have no reason to be jealous," he murmured, his voice low and intimate, making your heart race. His thumb caressed your bottom lip, his gaze locked on yours, and you could feel the heat rising between you. "I'm yours," he whispered against your lips. "There's no part of me that doesn't belong to you. My body and soul are only yours."

You leaned into his touch, your breath catching as his fingers slid through your hair, his hand resting on the nape of your neck, pulling you toward his lips. There has always been something electrifying in the way he kissed you, the way he touched you, as if he couldn't get enough of you. It was gentle yet possessive and devoted at the same time.

But before anything more could happen, he pulled back. You felt a cold breeze where his warmth had been, suddenly craving his touch and the promise of something more. But before you could even process what was happening, he moved swiftly toward his suitcase, rummaging through it. Your heart skipped a beat when he turned back to you again, holding a small black velvet box. His hands trembled as he opened it to reveal a stunning vintage diamond engagement ring.

"You mean everything to me," Javi said, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't know if I'll ever be worthy of you, but God knows how badly I want it to be." His voice cracked, and you felt a surge of emotion, tears welling in your eyes as you looked at him. Damn, how much you loved that man.

"This ring belonged to my mother," he continued, his gaze never leaving yours. "I brought it with me from Laredo. I was planning to propose to you the way you deserve, but... fuck, I need you to know how serious I am. Marrying you isn't something I just came up with. It's something I've wanted for a long, long time." His voice softened as he dropped to one knee. "So, bonita, will you accept me? With my flaws and my past? With all the love and devotion I have for you, will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you saw his frame kneel in front of you. You couldn't stop the flood of emotions, thinking about everything that happened back in Colombia, everything that happened just hours ago with your family. Everything that had happened in your life since you was just a little girl desperately longing for the loving arms of her parents, arms they never truly offered. You cried for the lack of love in your life.

Yes, you had love from your sisters and your grandparents, but it never quite filled the void your parents had left behind. You had omitted the worst parts to Javi when you talk about your parents. It wasn't just verbal abuse: your mother was physically violent, and when your father drank, he would make inappropriate comments about your and your sisters' bodies. It made you feel ashamed and vulnerable. You didn't want him to think of you like that.

So you cried, testifying his love, because you never felt you were worthy of devotion, and love. If your parents couldn't love you, why would others?

He must have seen the sadness in your eyes, the way your beautiful and delicate features shifted from tenderness to something else, quickly turning to melancholy. At first, he feared your response might be a no - even when you said yes at his first proposal -. But he knew you too damn well, he knew there was something more. It was the same expression you had when you remembered something about your parents or your infancy. He never pushed you to share everything about your childhood; all he knew was that it had been difficult for you and your sisters and deeply painful to remember.

Javier didn't had to say anything, not verbally. His hand reached for yours, and just by his gently, warm and confident touch he made a vow: you will never be alone. He would never leave, or hurt you. His life was yours, and yours were his to protect.

Finally, you nodded, accepting his arms as your shield, his heart as a reminder of what you deserved. You dropped to your knees in front of him, your hands shaking as you whispered, "Si," your voice breaking.

Javi's breath hitched as he slid the ring onto your finger, his hands trembling slightly, and both of you admire the ring on you finger. He'd never saw a more beautiful image. He pulled you close, his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you tightly against him, as if he never wanted to let go. You felt his warmth, his love, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Your hands tangled in his hair as you pressed yourself against him, wanting to feel every part of him. Javi pulled back just slightly, his forehead resting against yours, both of you breathless. "Te amo," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Para siempre."

NEXT CHAPTER

[yarnzipangirl]

John's Narrative Importance: Narrative Reasons Why John Doe =/= KiY

So I've posted a couple of times about how I don't think John was the King in Yellow and a second potential for his identity, but all the stuff I listed was evidence and when it comes right down to it, this is a story. And it's a story that's utilizing a mythos that has a *million* different riffs on it being told as, essentially, a solo CoC campaign. By which I mean: DMs do what they want. 'Evidence' is about Watsonian reasoning. And Watsonian reasoning only matters so much.

Here's the Doylist side aka *why I think the story will be better if so*.

(spoilers up to De Capo)

The Dark World and Cosmology

As some have noted, the second that the Dark World became not just a dumping ground for things that cannot die but became The Afterlife, Endstop, you set up the problem of a cosmology that does not align with the lesson of the story.

'A life has meaning, even if it's short' does not align with 'and then you have all of that erased and your existence continues in Eldritch Turbohell where nothing matters, potentially indefinitely'. I'm not saying that the story has to end with Heaven Existing. But I am saying that if you're venerating surviving and living and existence, the Dark World is a direct antithesis to all of it. And you have to do something *about* that for the narrative to feel satisfying, especially when you've chosen to not just make it vague-upsetting-consequence-for-John but a whole world that we are now going to travel through and explore.

So not only do you have to Stop Kayne for the plot, you have to address the Dark World or straight up Arthur Is Wrong. He's, essentially, delusional and placating himself about his suffering instead of saying something meaningful and beautiful.

Which means that they have to change the cosmology somehow. They *do* have to change reality to be different, but instead of being whatever-the-fuck horrors Kayne wants, they have to inject the lessons of the story *into* the cosmology. They have to *reject* everything that is the Dark World and either make it so that there *is* no afterlife whatsoever (either oblivion or reincarnation or some secret third thing) or there is a 'better place' for the dead (either as a second option or just The New Version). Hope has to mean something. It has to have a payoff or it's just delusion.

And the most satisfying way, narratively, for this to happen is for John to do it. John, who's been learning about how important life is, how beautiful the world is, who's experienced things *with* Arthur, to be the hand that manages this. That Arthur's humanity informs the greater cosmology is narratively important, but it would be the most meaningful if done through the intensely personal love shared between him and John, the experiences formed through the narrative, the lessons that he struggled through and learned with him as they faced the uncaring multiverse and said 'fuck you' to it.

Arthur's Humanity

So obviously, we've got a lot of hints that whatever this 'letting go' is or this means of beating Kayne, it might be about Arthur. Arthur's got a weird scar. Arthur absorbed a piece of Lilith. Arthur's parents were cultists doing *something. Arthur is Lilith's favorite. So maybe Arthur is secretly someone?

But the difference between John and Arthur is that Arthur *has* a past. He has had a *life* where he made *choices* in the *world*. He has been a person for 34 years! Having Arthur suddenly secretly be X, go super saiyan and save the day, (aside from pretty much making everything with John unnecessary for the story) or even having John-and-Arthur combine like Voltron into something because Arthur is *special*... kind of takes away what has been Arthur's very important purpose both for himself *and* the story.

It makes staying alive something that was just going to happen because he's special. It makes all the things that he's lived through, his choices, how he feels about them, irrelevant to the conclusion of the story. Instead of letting his humanity and his thoughts and words and feelings and how they've shaped the relationship between the two of them, how they've helped John on his journey through becoming someone mean something... his contribution is some thing that he didn't choose and had no part in. And I hate that, narratively.

Arthur being human, Arthur being limited, Arthur being a fragile life washed this way and that by the eldritch forces around him and both surviving and making an impact *because of his humanity*, because of the person he is and the choices he's made and the love that he's shown is thematically satisfying in a way that Arthur being 'special' is not.

Agency and Self Determination

John has had the least agency of anyone in this narrative *at* all times. Bar none. Even Yorick had *knowledge* of things that John didn't, the means to travel, the means to communicate with various beings while John could only talk to Arthur.

And if this story isn't just about kicking John over and over again until he gives up, then this lack of agency should have a purpose in and of itself. This should be a lesson. The fact that John is both the one with the least agency and the one with the *most* empathy in most cases is *not* to be lost: it's right there in the first season, after all. When he had his *least* agency (Arthur was in a coma) was when he had nothing in the way to let him start thinking and feeling and considering other people most deeply. His identity was formed during that period of the least agency: he chose to be John *in that period*.

Even the one that most fans hold against him (Parker) as being entirely his agency? Nope. "John" as we know him, did not know how Parker died. And the Entity that killed Parker did so accidentally. Even if you will give John the blame for it since it was 'him', he told Parker to stay away and Parker didn't listen and he reacted. It wasn't deliberate and planned, or it certainly didn't sound that way. More importantly, it's no more his action than ep18 and 20, or everything that happened to Noel, can be 'blamed' on Yellow. Yes, same being, but the memory is completely gone. The John we know didn't know he was the King in Yellow for 12 episodes. The 'person' who did it (accident or not) is not the same.

Claiming to be Parker's murderer was cruel, but it wasn't a smug, knowing dig at Arthur even if John sold it that way. It was an angry proclamation from someone who felt incredibly guilty at the time over the Widow, lashing out to hurt both himself (putting distance between Arthur and himself when Arthur was already the most important to him) and Arthur (who decided to take that path while he was helpless to stop him) claiming an incident he legitimately didn't remember because that was also, clearly, his fault. It was him trying to claim agency in the *worst* way, trying to do *something* about what he felt was a terrible action, a first attempt.

So in a sense, this journey is John earning his agency after (ostensibly) abusing it. The narrative set up for this that we're told at the moment is being the King in Yellow, seeing people as insignificant, etc. etc. etc. But once you see the greater cosmology, the King in Yellow is *such* a small fish in this pond that that lesson loses a *lot* of oomph. Yellow's existence, the same experience being done to him despite the lack of extraordinary circumstances? Nah. It loses the kick *fast*.

And John has *also* had the least amount of self-determination in the series. No one tries to tell Arthur who he is (other than, like, the Butcher and Larson pulling standard villain monologue nonsense) whereas John has no known identity that he isn't in real-time forging for himself. He's *told* he's the King in Yellow. He's *told* he's a Great Old One. Yorick continually calls him 'My King' (though again, Theories on That). See *everything the Witch said* per how everyone has tried to shape John's identity. And even Arthur has overreached at times or dismissed him at times, not out of malice but in defense of his own sense of self and body and life. You have to do this, you have to do that, backed in a corner or trapped *constantly*. Even in a place where he is ostensibly strong enough to be the one hunting and killing and building Citadels of Bone (the Dark World), he's still under the gun.

But if you make him Azathoth, for instance, who created a multiverse that has the Dark World, that created a multiverse that is so unkind, that treated his son like a servant (Nyarlathotep), who had literally *all power over reality in every way shape and form*, was the one *shaping* it all, and you make him live through it from the view of one of those 'little people' who never mattered, whose suffering he literally sleeps through... or Nodens who simply sees people as a means to an end, manipulating them for his own desires and purposes from a position of great power...

That's *earning* your position. That's changing the whole world through changing the individual at the top. That's got IMPACT.

An Agency Aside: The Manager

...don't get me wrong. I *love* the Manager. Favorite new character, hands down. But the second you introduced a new reason why X has been possible and start hanging ways for the boys to succeed on being the Manager's Work, you again wave around the idea that John doesn't matter, his agency doesn't matter, his lessons don't matter.

Arthur is the mundane/human side, John is the supernatural side. When you add a second supernatural ally, and one who (given the timing and the situation) could be seen as a Deus Ex Machina, you're weakening John's place and importance in the narrative unless there is something that John can do that the Manager cannot do. And, re: the Above, the Manager is another Nyarlathotep. His position in the narrative has to match what he's 'earned': he's here to help our boys be in a position where *they* can handle the solution. He's not here to provide it. Otherwise our characters and their journey don't matter. He hasn't learned or changed, so he *isn't* going to change the universe. He isn't going to have that impact because *he* hasn't changed.

Villain vs Abuser

Kayne is Arthur's villain. It couldn't be plainer: he's threatened his daughter's life and happiness, killed his own daughter (and clearly didn't take care of her, given what happened re: Scratch), he threatens the world that Arthur lives in, and if Arthur's purpose is to survive, he's the direct counter to this.

But he is John's abuser, and that is a very different thing.

While he's fucked with Arthur, he's consistently pumped him up. Talked about how he's special. Looked into his life. Been *interested* in him. Even if it was a ploy or a game, it's not degrading. To Kayne, John has always been a joke, a bufoon, something to make cracks about, criticize, and belittle, a *tool* to get Arthur to do what he wants at best. For Arthur, he shows up at pivotal moments, but for John, he's happy to show up and mock him for a while as he eats Gardettos and pop off with nothing of significance accomplished. He might watch Arthur to see what he'll do, but for John? He knows. And John's suffering *was* his objective.

When Kayne made a deal with Arthur and John, Kayne appeared to Arthur and got nudged towards the deal over and over again, and in that deal he got to choose *whether John had his identity/memories intact or not* (wtf John's agency?) whereas John had to call out to Kayne. He had to beg. He had to do *additional things* just to get a deal. And when he got his deal, John had to convince Arthur to do things of his free will. Arthur's deal was a *trick* but in a way, that was a kind of kindness: it turns out he didn't actually act like a fucking asshole to his friend John, whom he loves. John? Absolutely did all of it. And he has to live with that betrayal to Arthur. The difference could not be more clear.

Kayne is Nyarlathotep. And *even before getting the stones*, Nyarlathotep is one of your biggest active powers in this setting. Their goal is to stop him, but stopping him doesn't address the way that Kayne has out and out abused John. You stop a villain. You recombine Azathoth or you hide a stone or use the lighter to set something on fire or a dozen other things. Stopping a villain is mechanical. Do the thing, stop the villain.

For an abuser, you have to take their power away or take their access to you away. You make it so they can *never hurt you again* and can't hurt the people you care about. And a shard of the King in Yellow can't do that. A shard of the King in Yellow can't retrieve Noel or look after Lilly if Kayne decides to murder her just like the buopoth that bore her name. There's nowhere John can avoid Kayne, no way he can protect anyone, and he's never going to be able to beat him or be safe from him or keep others safe from him. Not when Kayne can toss him back into the Dark World or kill anyone he wants and do that to those John cares about.

John and the Search for Self

And last but not least: John deserves to never have been the King in Yellow.

It is what the cultists in Leerie wanted. It is what the Witch wanted. It is what the King in Yellow wanted. It's what Kayne insists, with every nickname and jibe. Larson. The Elder Things. Yellow. It's what the universe *seems to be saying at every turn*. It's what's simple. It's what's easy. It's what makes 'sense'.

And yet, the series let John make *this* statement:

And that statement loses a *lot* of power, especially in some of the allegories that have been mentioned around John, if this is reforming oneself vs. self discovery. If this is something he had to do instead of being something that he found within, the truth, while figuring out what he wants and who he really is? That's a different thing.

And you know who says he wasn't? You know who said 'You're nothing like [him]?' Who denied it even as John was forced at literal gunpoint to claim that identity?

Noel. The first character to ask John 'what does it feel like'. To try and see him as a person and empathize with his situation. (I love Arthur, but can sometimes forget John has emotions and feelings and is Trapped In There Alone.) The character who knew the King the most. Noel told us, right then and there: No. That's not you. You might sound like it. You might think you were. It might be convenient as fuck for everyone else. But I know that ain't you.

And goddammit, Noel deserves to be right.

John Doe is the name of someone who does not know their own identity. It is someone who is unknown. It's the perfect name for someone who's journey is about self discovery but also about finding out who they actually are so that the *world* can know too. But it's not a destination. It's still a name and identity that is about how *other people perceive them*: it has no source, no roots, nothing that identifies them as *anything* and part of self-discovery and self-determination is an identity entirely your own. It's a tool. Lilly gave it to him, like it's given to any John Doe, to have something to use while he was finding himself.

Narratively. And for me, as a die hard John Doe lover...

John needs to find his *own* name. John needs to discover his own identity, the *right* identity. And he is still John Doe because he hasn't *found* it. And when he does? If this narrative is going to fulfill the hopeful 'fuck you' tone that it has held throughout? That discovery needs to change everything.

That's how you finish a story.

[ripplespate]

Chelley fanfics worth a read

Do you have a Blue Sky shaped hole in your heart after finishing the fic? Maybe you're struggling to branch out from the mainstream, most popular fics of these two and want some diversity from multiple writers? This blog post will keep you occupied from feeling that despair once again! I will refrain from advertising my own fics in this and focus solely on fics other than Blue Sky or any branching out from that story line, meaning no All That Never Glittered or How to Tame Your Fear despite how adorable those are! Here's how this is going to work:

Each fic will be hyperlinked and assigned a rating from 1-5 stars. This isn't indicative of any judgement of the writer themselves, just my own bias of how much I was invested in comparison to others. I will also take the time to try and place them in order of most recommended first, but I do in general recommend them all!

I'll assign a few emojis to tag certain things in each fic, like 🟧 to mean incomplete for the time being, I may update this later

I may update this if necessary but I feel like I've read a majority of chelley fanfics there are out there, but if anyone else would recommend something the comments are open for that too!

Okay lets begin:

After Aperture (and it's sequel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beautifully written and a series of realistic vignettes for a life after the main events. It's an android Wheatley fic, with a sweet relationship/friendship between the two and I can't stress enough how amazing it is.

Sing, Nightingale ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

Yes, it's unfinished. No it's not a waste of time to read just because of that. It's a worthwhile investment of time, is moderate length, and fleshes out human Wheatley's past from before Aperture as well as giving him something to offer Chell, that being singing lessons to bring her voice back.

Lay the Past ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very cute fic, although can feel a little ooc at times. Essentially, Chell finds a battered and badly injured test subject who escaped the facility, and it's going to take him a bit of courage to explain who he is once again.

I Loved You First ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you need a good (or bad?) cry and hate yourself so much, read this one. It's short but it doesn't need many words to crumble your resolve, and I didn't even cry in any of these other fics I've read. This one got me badly.

Pieces ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very cute but also a bit angsty fic (with a happy ending). It's a human Wheatley one and has some very sweet moments too. Sometimes feels a bit out of character for some of them, but thats often the case in general when exploring fictional characters in new settings.

Previous Lives ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

It spends a lot of it's time hashing out Wheatley's past from before Aperture, and thats pretty much the whole fic but the author writes him so well in these scenes, as well as Chell's gradual process to forgive him. They don't meet in this fic where it ends, but it's very well written.

Science, Science, do as You Will ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is inspired by another work of fiction in it's story, but you don't need to have read it to understand this or love it. My goodness, even though it's quite far removed from the reality of the main game, it's written so well. It's Wheatley having an existential and identity crisis, the novel.

Step by Step ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

I read this a little while ago and saved it to reread at some point because I did thoroughly enjoy it, but I can't say I recall too much from it. What I did really like though was how it fleshes out human Wheatley's discovery of the outside world through small steps while they both get ready to get back on their feet and survive, together this time.

He Never Really Left ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

A short but good read if you're in the mood for some one sided/in denial Chell. I adore how her thought process for android Wheatley is written, it's so amusing. It's got a bit of some dubious consent in one chapter but it's sfw really.

Band-Aid ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's kind of out of character and diverges from the cannon when it gets to GLaDOS, but it's a lovely short read that blends Half Life elements and Portal together, as well as exploring their complicated relationship, raising questions of whether they're in love out of emotional dependence or choice.

Target Aquired ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

This is a long fic to commit to, especially with how it's left off, but if you're into cannon divergence and action/adventure, this fic goes about giving Wheatley a chance to redeem himself rather than float endlessly in space.

Everyday, Since Leaving ⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

A cute one with a moderate length, basically Chell escapes and wakes someone up from stasis to be a little less lonely, but it seems like introductions will be the first thing on their agenda.

Tabula Rasa ⭐⭐⭐

This is definitely a cute fic, and although it does things fairly similar to a lot of other post Aperture fics, it's quite well written and elaborates on their relationship in a very raw and realistic way. I do quite like it, it's just not the first I'd recommend- much like some other fics here.

Come Downstairs and Say Hello ⭐⭐⭐

Now, this one can depend on the person. Myself, I adore the writing of this author, and the action and storyline is quite engaging, although I guess I'm not the biggest fan of the age gap between Wheatley and Chell from before Aperture, although given their extrodinary circumstances of meeting once again, it's as if they never really knew each other anyway, so I guess it's not the worst. They seem to like each other before their back story is revealed, so I think it's still worth a read.

Tell Me ⭐⭐⭐

This is sweet, he tried to hide his identity from Chell after she finds him at the edge of her property. It's got forgiving Chell, human Wheatley, and some fluff throughout.

Not Quite Tangled ⭐⭐⭐

Now this is just adorable to read, it's an AU where they're essentially in the storyline of Tangled, and mirrors the plot of the movie with the Portal characters. A really feel good, on the shorter side kind of read.

The Amazing Alliance of Aperture Science ⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

An interesting post Aperture fic for the direction it takes, although it sometimes feels very tangential to the cannon story. Chell and Wheatley essentially escape, but they aren't ever truly free from that place, even on the outside. This would be higher if it were finished, and it lacks a lot of chelley content, but it's still good!

Testing the Waters ⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

This one was cute, it's fleshing out their lives from before and after the main events and switches from the two each chapter. Unfortunately, it's not done which is a shame!

Timeless ⭐⭐⭐ 🟧

Very cute fic, I'd rank it higher if it had more written, but it's left at a bit of an awkward spot. Essentially, Chell is tasked to go back in time for all of their sakes and stop Wheatley from becoming a robot. She meets an old friend along the way too.

It's not the most thought through list and ranking, it's kind of hard when you're trying to recommend all these really good fics, but this is my own ranking personally!

[soo-won]

Nobody is asking Yona to sacrifice herself or stay with the dragons forever. That's not why ppl are upset with her imo. What's disappointing was that when the gods say Kouka would turn into hell, we didn't saw any hesitation in her. She could've argued w them or showed some determination like: "hey, I won't let you play with me or my country no matter how hard you try" something she did while zeno was trying to kill himself. But no she's like oh hell sounds fun as long as I'm with my family. She even hesitated when Hak's life seems at stake. So what does it mean? And there's is a difference between her running away from the gods vs Suwon not depending on the gods. She's ok to enjoy the blessings but when it comes to pay back, she's running away. Yona acted like a selfish brat like she used to be in the castle, which is disappointing if we consider her development in the past

I'm not gonna lie in this case I feel like people are just looking for something to be mad at her. Like, in chapter 257, I was more bothered by Yona not hesitating because the consequences of that decision were 100% assured and known : all the dragons of the past waiting and suffering in vain until the current generation. And the whole time paradox twist was a lot to process and swallow in a few pages, that Yona's reaction felt sudden too. I wanted to see her hesitate then because I was affected as a reader by the twist that it was technically Yona that made the cycle happen? Even if from her POV it was about not erasing the past like damn that's a lot.

But the circumstances are not the same at all here imo. Yona has been in this chalice for like an entire volume. She tried already to negociate with the gods. It didn't work. They went against their words. They hurt the dragons. She tried everything she could here. They're basically bullying her, they keep tormenting her, she's not getting through them at all. Yona is affected and upset when they tell her about the dragons' limbs. She came here to begin with to save them, she made a deal with the gods that made her stuck inside the chalice against her will but supposedly in exchange of the dragons being freed, and now she realizes that even that failed and that they lost body parts. It's devastating. And Yona looks sick of it. From this point, it's clear to me she realized it's useless trying to get anything from them, because she won't. They're only toying with her and her feelings. All she can do is leave with them and defuse. There's NOTHING she can do more from the heavens, she can't ask the gods to save the dragons and even less protect Kouka.

Yona has been having nightmares about natural disasters and wars breaking out since chapter 257, she's already past hesitating about this too. So I don't mind she doesn't hesitate for it here. Yona in chapter 257 was scared of even falling asleep because she was scared of this future where she's all alone and it's hell everywhere. But she can only stop it by facing it and standing against it. It didn't happen yet, she has to keep her eyes open... She already learned this lesson. As we've seen with Yona protecting Hak from Zeno, her nightmares can be prevented, but this won't be if she stays still in heavens. Staying in a peaceful garden and shivering because intervening outside could cause more problems is much more like Yona of the beginning before her development, than Yona leaving to live in Kouka and fight against problems arising there. Yona was told her existence and actions were a pain that could create more problems at different occasions, and her conviction has always been to make her own place in the world anyways. Before she asks for the gods' divine protection, she should face her own fears and try to do something herself...that's how she always worked. She has always refused to rely on the gods alone.

The motif of living outside and in not the most comfortable place but finding purpose in getting through struggles together has been a thing forever that Yona's reaction about life outside being preferable only seems natural to me. I don't know... Her hesitating here would have felt redundant and would have surprised me. Yona has long ago developed the conviction that she finds more purpose in life in the struggles and difficulties because of all the people reaching out their hand to help, than her peaceful and confined, lonely days in the palace. She always found more purpose in helping people on the ground than to take decisions from above. Even in the castle and south kai arcs it was visible how she wanted to go help prisoners herself, and the way she went to rescue Meinyan shows it well too. I don't want her to hesitate for this. She already said she'd rather live in the mud in chapter 263 too. That's the most Yona thing ever imo, it makes me happy personally. It doesn't need to be said she's concerned for others, and she will keep running to their help to do something with her own hands. I don't need her to hesitate because personally I have no conflicted feeling about the situation and I think Yona is 100% right, here. I have no doubt she is intelligent enough at this point to say this too.

You could argue it would have been better if she had a speech like the one she had in chapter 43, and I can't argue about that (it's true it's very good!). I can understand, I just personally don't need it, because the fact chapter 43 exists is enough in itself to me and the present automatically resonates with it and everything before. I can't be mad at Yona not saying word for word "I'm going to save people struggling outside" because I already know that. I personally don't need that reassurance at this point.

The chapter shows her being concerned for Kouka and everyone on Earth when she flies on Ouryuu's back. Yona always planned to return from the chalice for everyone and everything she left behind on Earth. Of course she's concerned. She wants to bring her friends back from the chalice AND help everyone in Kouka. She promised Yun she would come back with everyone, she planned to return to Suwon too and not abandon her duties as Princess. All these things exist inside of her. Anyways, Yona doesn't need to tell the gods to stop toying with her country like she did with Zeno before too, because the ways things are presented, it seems like it's not like the gods cause this on purpose either? It's a consequence of everything going to shit, and it's also Ouryuu who is on her side talking to her before she says she prefers hell than here. So she doesn't reply angrily, she replies with hope. That's why that page is beautiful too, imo. The gods might not see and understand the value in such a world that Hiryuu and Yona are so fond of. But they can't help but love this messy, "hellish" world. Talking angrily to the gods didn't work in ch263/264 either, so I feel like it was also her trying a different approach when she told them she would live in Kouka maybe? Like she doesn't want to let herself be affected and be upset by them and she simply, intransigently voices her intentions to them?

You say you don't want her to sacrifice herself and stay with the gods forever, but also accuse her of "running away" from the gods and call her a selfish brat for her reactions in this chapter, so I really don't understand your point here. How on earth is Yona supposed to not depend on the gods in this situation but by not making a deal with them? Staying in Heavens, contract done to protect Kouka from doom and ending it at that (because she would be stuck there) would be truly the coward move imo. Yeah she's turning back and trying to get out of Heavens but... it's...good to stop moving forward and further if doing so brings you to extreme loneliness and/or death I think...? I think that's the point...Getting desperate, leaving everything behind and sacrificing more and more of your true wants and isolating yourself has been a pattern that never brought anything good to the characters that tried before. She struggles and things didn't happen as expected, many things are still unresolved, but she can only do so much in this situation. She tried. She tried discussing with the gods, asking them to free the dragons, to let her out. It didn't work, it was a blow on her when they forced her under a sea of flowers, when they tried torturing Zeno, and when she learned the dragons got injured. From that, she adapted and tried to leave. That's it.

I think Yona wavering when they threaten to kill Hak and what it means is pretty simple and is no secret. Yona loves and cares about Hak. Hak is someone important, personal and intimate to her, so obviously she's not unaffected. Yona from the very beginning has been trying to get stronger and do all she could to protect Hak again and again. Losing people dear to her is what scares her more than anything, it always has been so, even if it coexists with her caring about the world around her too. And you know, even if Hak is special to her, I honestly think that if the gods had threatened the lives of the dragons and not only their limbs, Yona would have been affected too. She would have also faltered had they threatened the life of people she doesn't know in the same terms. It's just extra cruel to use Hak in particular against her. It shows again the gods atp are only interested in destroying everything that might be connecting Yona to Earth. It's the exact same form of abuse that Chagol used against Meinyan. It's about isolating her. It's also not really the same as claiming people will die without the gods' divine protection that is more like a potential consequence than a term of a contract like it is at the end of the chapter. She can stand against conflicts outside and protect people there, but what can she do against Hak just, being killed by divine intervention if she doesn't return to heavens (supposedly)? They fucking coerce her here. Maybe it's just bluff, and she should not give a fuck about Hak and still leave. After all, what is one person against the world and her freedom! But well, she cares. She never discarded her loved ones and never compromised Hak and her friends' life. She never compromised the life of anyone really (which is different from sparing and refusing to kill anyone). That's who Yona is. Yona doesn't sacrifice and compromise people's lives, That's why she wants to save everyone AND wants to go home. And that's why she's stuck now. Yona wants to live. But she can't sacrifice someone innocent either, especially not someone she loves. It's the perfect dilemma for her. And that she's forced into it is what is heartbreaking. She shouldn't have to choose. That's why she needs help now.

Bringing up payback like this rubs me a bit in the wrong way...This damn idea of paying back is what has been haunting the narrative for so many years i can't conceive repeating it for Yona too. To me it comes from the same mindset that asks for retribution, punishment and karma for every character that upset Yona in some way or should be grateful and kneel to her and Hak that has been so sickening for so long. I don't want anyone to be forced to pay anything back ever. Every character should get all the help and support they need for free at all times imo. I don't think Yona nor the dragons should have to pay such a harsh price either. Because that's what a blessing is. That's what love and kindness are. That's what wishes are. If the gods really cared for Hiryuu, they wouldn't ask her anything in return, they wouldn't torment her, they wouldn't punish the dragons either. It can just...stop. (Because yes this favor shouldn't be at all to begin with) Which is what Yona wants.

Aren't we so tired of all this "contracts" and "punishment" and "paying back" bullshit by now? I so am. It's exactly what has been ruining the lives of the characters forever and now (and my mental health as a reader lol). She's paying back right now by being in this situation already. And that's not a good thing at all. It's very good narratively though because yeah, they want her to pay back! They make this about contract when she was asking a favor! She's paying the price for her decision in ch257, for ever using the dragons, for entering the chalice as Hiryuu's reincarnation...But it's nothing but sad. There doesn't need to be this payback. That's what the story is exploring. Looking for the dragons to survive (whom she never forced, even if yes they were bound by their contract thing) and protect Hak is not a crime, not erasing the past to save her friends isn't so evil that she deserves to sacrifice herself. Making it end is enough. It may be selfish that yeah she enjoyed the good parts of it until it bothered her but honestly I think it's okay lol. As long as it ends. As long as no one has to pay back anything for doing their best to survive and struggling to protect something. Like Meinyan doesn't need to apologize or to pay back anyone for all she did and was done for her, just like Suwon doesn't need to be even and be punished, like Shinah doesn't need to executed for attacking Suwon, like Zeno doesn't need to be punished for betraying Yona and the ddhhb, etc... Because it's better to look at the bigger picture and at people's circumstances you know...That's how I interpret this arc, at least.

Yona doesn't pay back by sacrificing things, she "pays back" by giving back out of gratitude. That's precisely what she does by doing all she can to save the dragons right now. The dragon warriors gave her so much without ever asking anything back, they saved her from danger and they saved her from despair, she's so grateful and loves them so deeply she wants to bring them happiness too. But Yona can't give the Gods what they want without sacrificing important things to her, and not when they're the way they are now. So she can only leave.

Of course Yona/Hiryuu alone getting this treatment from the gods was always unfair and it shouldn't be at all, especially not at the cost of so many dragons suffering for so long. But well, she did. And when learning how this "favor" was hurting the people around her, she was affected, grieved it in ch253/254, and then she opposed it and tried to stop it in the present. (Also she's been concerned by the dragons' use of their powers for a very long time even if she doesn't go deeper) But the gods don't care. You can blame her for not questioning things more before, I'm critical of this too, I still conflicted about chapter 257 as well, plus everything irt the crimson illness etc but like, she says it, she doesn't want their powers if that's the price. She only wants the human them. She doesn't need the dragons' powers and she doesn't need the gods' protection. When she throws away Hiryuu's sword they give her, it's her rejecting that again. She doesn't want that special power and favor, that's not what she's asking. She wants agency and power, but not at the price of the agency and free will of others. She wants everyone to have normal lives where they can decide things for themselves, to live with their whole free will. That's her development in this arc. I like that she finally faces these things.

Maybe it's just a question of preference, and you might be affected by Yona's reactions in a way I can't relate. But personally I like the chapter this way and I like Yona in it. I don't think she's a selfish brat (god. it's...such a thing to call her honestly it irks me sorry, despite all criticisms I have of her character.) I don't think she doesn't care about Kouka and its people at all. Ive seen people say that too but...Even if yes Yona is still a 16 years old girl with struggles and feelings and still some immaturity which is important to take into account, I don't think she's as childish and inconsiderate as people make her either. People often seem to say her reactions and decisions are emotional and with no reason but I think they're emotional AND with reason, at least here. Yona doesn't say this about Kouka struck by disasters being preferable than Heavens from emotions alone (because yes, she just wants to go home and she genuinely loves the people in Kouka), but also from experience and conviction. They don't cancel each other out. It doesn't make her a hypocrite to have personal interests in it too.

[cream-and-tea]

author ask tag!

i was tagged in this a while ago by @writinglittlebeasts and @theskeletonprior and WOW this was so much fun when i l got around to doing it! filled it out for Lay Me Down of course bc everything is temporary but self indulgent horror/fantasy you’ve been drafting since 2020 is FOREVER

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

i don’t really think of what i write having lessons in the sense that im trying to “teach” the reader something but the gravespeaker trilogy as a whole does have a pretty major “living in and for the past whether its out of guilt or nostalgia will rot you from the inside change (for better or for worse) is inevitable no one is really the same person at the end” thing going on that probably counts in that direction lol. it’s something that basically all of the characters have to grapple with in different ways and the more cut-and-dry villains (the director, issac belmont, pallas in the first book) i’ve got are all the people who cling most violently/obsessively to a past they can’t ever return to. but of course this all just a distraction from the real central message which is that being 17 temporarily makes you evil <3

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

*cracks knuckles* okay so settingwise the Hello From the Hallowoods podcast, the Wildwood books, and Over the Garden Wall have informed much of the vibes (post-post apocalypses and freakyweird magic forests that operate on their own internal logic) but i’ve also spent so much time in the woods (my favourite biome) that i’ve always wanted to write a story set primarily in some + that combined with my love of buildings that are malicious and don’t make any sense informed the rest of it. i also have had the idea for a kinda dual magic system (different people using two different types of magic drawn from the same source) bouncing around my head for a while and the life/death dichotomy is an easy one to reach for and build out when it comes to that (i was also reading tlt for the first time very early into the drafting process which i think inspired me to make the magic a lot grosser and more horror adjacent then it was originally). in general i think post apocalypses based in magic are woefully underwritten for how creative you can get with them and i wanted to make something that has room for truly fantastical crazy stuff while still feeling a least a little familiar. familiar but also Wrong, you know?

this may be tangential but i also wanted to incorporate some shades of like. fairytale logic? into the world especially in the interludes between each part. idk if ive been very successful with doing that in the way i want to yet but it’s definitely informed a lot of the way the story is written and put together

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help the reader grow as a person?

keeping this to just lmd pallas’s goal is broadly to help the director achieve HER goal of saving the world no matter the cost and on a more personal level to never examine their own thoughts or feelings or the gaping wound of loss and self hatred and bubbling suicidal ideation in the middle of their chest ever at all ever. when agnes enters their life they also gain the goals of first just teaching her bc they’ve been told to as punishment and then keeping her with them (they’re good at this part) and keeping her safe always (they’re pretty bad at this part) ❤️ i guess in this first book im trying to really put myself + the reader in their head and kind of set a baseline of Just How Bad Things Can Get. bookone really is rock bottom for pallas and they spend the entire rest of the trilogy working very very hard to never be that person again so i want people to understand why that is

agnes’s bookone goal is to stay ALIIIIIVE oh my gosh she literally just wants so badly not to die and that informs every single one of her decisions. obviously she also wants to do other stuff (learn more about her magic, find her dad, help nina figure out how she died) but all of that kinda depends, very critically, on her Not Dying for it to happen! unfortunately her method of staying alive involves attaching herself to someone who is the human equivalent of a bird slamming itself into a window over and over and over and over again so now things are all Complicated and she has to worry about keeping pallas safe and happy as well as herself. what i’m trying to Do with her character is a like. hadestown “go ahead and lay the blame/ talk of virtue/ talk of sin/ wouldn’t you have done the same?/ in her shoes?/ in her skin?” black sails “i did what anybody else would have done when confronted with the same impossible circumstances” kind of beat 👍

How many chapters is your story going to have?

as of now it’s currently outlined at 33 plus an epilogue but i have to admit that it’ll probably end up being more bc every chapter ive finished so far has been SO LONG godbless ❤️

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

original! and tbh right now i have no idea what im going to do in terms of publishing. everything ive heard about traditional publishing lately sounds Pretty Bad but also i love this thing im making and want it to exist in the world sososo much. maybe i’ll try self publishing or maybe i’ll just get it edited and post it on a website for people to read but i really do have to finish the book for any of that to happen lol. gonna try to focus on that part for now!

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

i wish i had more solid stuff re: craft to say here but im still learning and don’t feel very comfortable with the implication that what works for me will automatically work for another person. so in kind of that same vein: embrace all the ambiguity you can. i know especially, ESPECIALLY, if you’ve just started out doing writing it can be really tempting to explain every aspect of your story to make sure your audience will Get It the same way you Get It. but it’s honestly never really going to work bc no two readers will engage with the text the same way and none of them will engage w it the same way as you. i really wish someone had told me sooner that the urge to completely dissect and explore every worldbuilding detail or character motivation or moral question brought up will do your art a lot more harm than good. you’re never going to be able to appeal to everyone and that’s a good thing! sometimes things are more interesting if you just let them live entirely in the background or never say them out loud and trust the readers to put the pieces together (sometimes the pieces they put together are really not correct but at least it shows a willingness to think about the writing). ofc this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be critical of your own work or listen to feedback but stories don’t actually need to follow a certain structure or specific rules or impart any specific morals or messages. they just need to be interesting and for better (and worse i can admit lol) lots of people have lots of interesting things to say.

i follow so many incredibly talented people it blows my mind but some of ones i want to interview by proxy are @saltwaterbells @encrucijada @carnivalls @catchingbigfish @tragicheirs @izzy246girl and @kudzucataclysm (no pressure obviously!)

[rolameny]

i played through nine sols a second time and now i am going to talk about it. full spoilers!!

this is one of those works that tells you a lot of things about its world from the jump, only without giving you the context to interpret those statements. it makes a second visit so rewarding. going back through and knowing exactly what each monument means / the things yi is talking around.... really really good.

heng is fantastic on a replay. the first time around till you get the final message i thought yi was haunted. i also thought the ji reveal would be that he was heng and not an adult man

"neither of us made a mistake. we both made different choices" says yi, a man who has made so very many mistakes

game so good it makes you go "man i should learn more about taoism so i can better understand its themes"

it's wild how much this game draws on hollow knight and yet stands on its own as a totally different thing. like, mechanically, the jades are charms. the charged attack is a great slash. the full movement kit is monarch wings and mothwing cloak. the geo/artifacts economy. and you're a little guy who can't quite manage to die fighting your way through a series of bosses and some brightly hued corruption to sacrifice yourself at the end. it's just straightforwardly true that RCG pulled a great deal from HK, and it was enough to make me go aha!!! in recognition many times, but it's completely its own thing. own gameplay feel, own world, own story.

own protag: i love the silent protag in hollow knight but yi is such a lovable bitch [affectionate/derogatory]. guy who sucks so bad. guy it took over five hundred years to internalize a single social-emotional lesson.

it's so fascinating watching him react to the different sols. who does he get angry with. who does he make an offer of mercy to. because kuafu is so much the guy who is there i forgot yi also considered lady e the other reasonable person on the council, right up till he namedrops her when yelling at eigong.

the anger and spite to treat goumang as he did!! and even in the true ending you see neither he nor kuafu thought about her. there are some gaps of consideration in the true ending that i think of as "well we don't have time for that but you get it" -- any other potential apemen on new kunlun (peach blossom village is the 95th livestock pen. girl where are the others), the like 300-odd of 100k solarians left remaining in cryosleep who might like to at least live a little on earth before dying. imo the narrative is just skimming over them, we reach the emotional point of it with the people we know (kuafu and the gang). and it would be a whole narrative diversion to grab her. but the true ending makes sure to show us that goumang is still down there, rather than skimming over her fate. even when he grows a little yi still sucks so much dude [affectionate]. and kuafu's passivity coming to the fore here as well!

kuafu is so compelling because he is The Nice Guy but he is absolutely not necessarily The Kind Guy as well. he was just chill with the whole council plan and didn't do anything except be kind of bummed when yi died. (iirc he does just think yi's head did that. could have thought that one through a little more.) at the ending he pushes back against the idea of saving the apemen!

lady ethereal my beloved elizabeth holmes as a lynx furry. there's a fight that made me nod sagely and go Ah, Nightmare King Grimm. here's a place where i felt a little dissonance -- the full screen huge face digital flashing between normal/happy and manic evil laughter is a horror classic but it didn't quite hit it for lady e imo. huge face crying or snarling would have worked better i think, which i say even though i get the manic laughter through panic beat. idk. i love that in her bossfight she is presenting herself as the villain she thinks she is -- she gets out her heaving-est pushup bra for this one. sorry about it, girl. maybe next time if you know you're consigning a hundred thousand people to slow madness within their cryochambers maybe speak up about it.

speaking of people who learned no lessons. ji like okay well i've seen a lot of horror and so i elect to do nothing about it except contribute my cells to possibly the worst cause on earth. i will continue to wander this grotto for five hundred years while it gets worse. 👍 i'm having meaningful discussions about the tao with your man in the tentacle hole and i am not sorry, ji.

i understand the anglo readability argument for transliterating li er as lear but i, the anglophone in the room, did have to look at the fanwiki to understand that we were not dipping into shakespeare for a single guy. 😔

kanghui is such a fantastic element of this game. you get just enough about him to add to the horror of what eigong was doing, and what the jies are doing, and what the fuck is up with penglai to begin with. his inclusion makes ji make more sense to me as well. it's not that ji is a once in a millennium impossibility. it's that penglai is so so so weird. ji and yi pull up little chairs in front of kanghui's torture contraption for immortality group therapy.

like that one post says. CHIYOU best character CHIYOU

the siscon stuff in this game is so funny. [looking at the fengs] gang what's wrong with you [looking at yi and heng] gang what's wrong with you. congrats to the other characters on not having siblings and therefore having slightly more normal psychosexual hangups such as "getting off to body modification and torture."

RCG funding for one million years please 🙏🙏🙏 i know they said it took them five years to make this one but even with that timeline it's crazy that they went from narrative horror game to a genuinely best-in-class feeling Sekirollow Knight. they are so good at this shit.

okay. i have exorcised my thoughts and feelings about this game. playing a twenty-hour game twice in like 2-3 weeks is normal right.

[whoistrash]

Why change matters and how Amphibia did it better than The Owl House.

"Watching and Dreaming" made me cry a lot during its premiere. I was amazed and, I'd say, dazed by it. Then I forgot about it for a while. Now I finished re-watching Amphibia for the first time since TOH ended. My hype died down, and I have some thoughts. A lot, actually.

Amphibia's ending was incredibly painful and made me sob like a baby for two whole weeks the first time I watched it. That's because it was not only beautiful and heartbreaking, but truly GOOD. Brilliant, actually. I absolutely agree with a statement that any other ending would literally be a contradiction to the whole main plot, especially Anne's arc. The girls had to learn to let go in order to grow as individuals - the thing they had the biggest problem with. Saying goodbye was the only logical option, plot-wise. It still hurt like hell, though. Separating the multidimensional, against-all-odds relationships (especially my beloved spranne. Ouch, ouch, ouch). The Owl House does no such thing - everybody stays together. They live happily ever after.

Paradoxically, I think that it's the main reason why I'd choose "The Hardest Thing" over "Watching and Dreaming" every single time. I know we shouldn't really compare them in EVERY aspect, since TOH had way more things to deal with in the final episode, but the fact that Luz got to not only stay, but to freely travel between worlds as she pleases really took the whole "growing up and finding your true self no matter what the other people do/say about you" thing out the door. Luz from season one, episode one, and Luz from the finale are not really that different. Well, she certainly became more traumatised and depressed than before, but in terms of personal growth? Nope. Luz - from the very beginning - was cheerful, open, caring and very selfless, willing to literally help every stranger she met no matter how it would affect her. She had little to no boundaries, but, well, you can't argue that she was A GOOD, SELFLESS PERSON. Now, we could say that her arc here would be learning that sometimes you should put yourself before others, that you can't save everyone, that you can't trust every person you meet. And she learns it! She fucking does! She helps Philip not knowing who he will become, and then suffers from the consequences, because she helped the wrong person. And then it's all erased, when she saves Collector's life and meets Papa Titan (or whatever we call them).

I have so much to say about this. All of TOH's "villains" (Amity, Lilith, Hunter, The Collector) that were given a redemption arc literally get turned into lifeless, edgy trauma dumpsters, that suddenly loose all of their previous character, quirks and sass (well, maybe except for Lilith, she just started to express them differently, I think, but still, it was WAY too big of a change). I won't dwell on it (since many, many fans called it out already - as they should), and will focus on something different. The only one marked as irredeemable is Belos. Good. Okay. He's irredeemable, because he's a white, christian puritan who won't listen to anyone but himself. Also a genocidal maniac. That's the lesson for Luz here. "You can't save everyone. Some people are just straight up evil". And it's very, very true. But.

From all of the "villains" I mentioned before, Belos is the one that had the most reasons to, let's say, take a dark turn. Those reasons are what makes him irredeemable - he's just too convinced he's right, because, in his mind, he has evidence to prove it. But how do we learn about this? Maybe by seeing his part of the story? Maybe by learning about his brother and Evelyn, about their relationship? It couldn't be straight up awful, since Philip literally brought his brother back to life over and over again, he wanted his brother, or at least the picture of Caleb that satisfied him the most. There was more to it than only "you betrayed me and now I will hate you forever". Do we get to see any of that? No. Instead we get an all-knowing, all-doing being that literally choose Luz as "the one" for being kind and trusting, that convinces her that Belos is, indeed, a lost cause. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Luz, the person that on the literal episode two was told that there is no such thing as a "chosen one" and that she can't always hop into action to save everybody, because, it's, well, not always possible, DOES EXACTLY THAT in the finale by taking a bullet for The Collector, the, you know, very freshly redeemed and suddenly cute and funky villain, whom Luz trusts immediately. AND SHE IS REWARDED FOR IT BY BEING MADE THE CHOSEN ONE. BY A GOD-LIKE BEING THAT CLAIMS TO BE ALL-KNOWING AND CAN DECIDE WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS WRONG, BECAUSE OF PERSONAL (King) REASONS. Just like, you know... Belos? The irredeemable villain? And then Luz lets go of the moral dilemmas that's been keeping her up at night for the past months, makes up her mind, defeats the bad guy, learns nothing, and gets to stay in the Boiling Isles and on Earth. With her beautifully redeemed girlfriend and friends whom she kept secrets from and lied to out of fear of being ostracised (you see the pattern here, right?) for, again, months.

I love Amphibia. I love The Owl House. But Amphibia handles it's "villains", generally wronged characters and the whole change/no change thing way better. Well, maybe besides the Core - they got a bit wasted in my opinion. But still. Sasha. Grime. Marcy. Andrias. Anne herself. They learn and change. And more importantly, they face consequences and come to understand and accept them. There's no "chosen one" here. Anne gets the proposition because she's the first one to use the music box for good in literal millenia. A fact, plain and simple (not an opinion based on personal motivations), that makes sense plot-wise, and adds so, so much to Anne's arc. Because Anne from season one, episode one wouldn't care. The one from the finale cares very damn much. And that's the biggest difference.

Saying goodbye makes the message way stronger. The more I think about it, however, the more I'm starting to be afraid that there's no The Message in The Owl House to begin with. Luz learns very little, yet ends up with everything she ever wanted. There's no power behind it. The "find the right people and choose to trust them, not everyone will be your friend" and "some things are out of your control, some people are just bad" aspect is even weaker, as proven by basically the whole season 3. I will end it by my favorite quote from Amphibia, that I think about on daily basis. Have a good day, y'all.

"Change can be difficult, but it's how we grow. It can be the hardest thing to realize you can't hold on to something forever. Sometimes, you have to let it go; but, of the things you let go, you'd be surprised what makes its way back to you."

[another-goblin]

I like the metaphor of Dr. Ratio being a doctor who tries to cure the disease called 'foolishness'. It helps understand the character better.

First, let's not forget that he's actually a medical doctor:

But he sees himself as more than that (and Screwllum agrees):

That alone can say a lot about him, and that's why I don't agree with some of the ways some people interpret him.

Would a doctor get angry at somebody for being too ill? (they probably would for not using the medicine the doctor prescribed, or not taking their condition seriously.) Would a doctor be disgusted and abandon somebody for being too ill? Would a doctor take pride in being healthier than their patient?

......

But is this metaphor warranted? Doctors save and improve lives; what does education do?

We know how dangerous ignorance can be. Our real world gives us a lot of examples of that.

Besides, Ratio himself found a cure for some terrible disease threatening humanity and resolved "the energy crisis of the century."

So I'd say that education can save and improve a lot of lives too.

......

What exactly does he 'cure'? The words he uses, like 'foolishness', sound very vague. But if we interpret it as ignorance, then his work as a teacher makes sense. He also gives lectures seemingly outside his curriculum (remember that series of faux movie posters where he looks super excited to give a lecture about astronomy), organizes conferences (his voiceline about the Express's archives), and urges us to go to university and join some debate event. That's a lot, but these are some conventional things you'd expect from an educator.

On the other hand, this looks more like life coaching or counseling:

 It's basically the idea that humanity should start thinking by themselves and not rely on geniuses who don't care about them (btw he holds a similar position about the Aeons; people shouldn't rely on them too).

This is very different from these things I listed above.

So he sort of does both, I guess?…

......

Another thing is, there is a big difference between a physician treating an individual patient, and a researcher curing a whole disease (the way Ratio himself eliminated that actual disease). And again, he seems to do both, with both his conventional educational activity and, well, 'life coaching'.

What he did on Herta station is a good example. For the researchers on the station, he showed that despite the presence of 2 (or 3) geniuses on board the station, only our TB could help them; that they could have discovered the truth by themselves if they weren't so dependent on the geniuses.

And at the same time, it was a lesson for the TB about how if we really try, if we don't rely on people just telling us what's happening and what to do, we can make sense of a complicated situation by ourselves.

......

BTW he reminds me of Dr. House (from the show 'House, M.D.' Do people remember that show? From 20 years ago? oh god…)

I don't think they have a lot in common if you dig deeper, but there are some similarities on the surface, that can help you understand Ratio a bit better.

They don't mince their words and don't care what other people think about them.

House is dismissive of people who bother him with trivial problems. (reminds me of Ratio's "Don't ask a question if there's already an answer" and "If you have a problem, are you sure you can't solve it yourself?")

House is the most rude to other doctors for not doing enough (the same way Ratio is extremely critical of other scholars - people who are priveleged to have access to knowledge but don't do anything worthwhile with it. And, in a smaller degree, to his students - people who already have access to higher education but don't take it seriously enough, in his opinion.)

But he will cure those who really need his help, whether they want it or not.

[rey-0f-sunshine]

If Mihaly were to become a villain how do see it happening?

OMG I'M SO HAPPY SOMEONE ASKED THIS

Alright I'm gonna try and keep this short(ish) since I plan on doing a video about this in the future, but I'll sum up my thoughts on the way I see this being pulled off

I really want to play up the parallel between Night Swan and Mihaly (especially with In Your Eyes now), but I also want it to play into the guilt that Mihaly would probably have knowing they'd corrupted themself in Swan Lake- they'd believe they caused all the pain and suffering people went through because they weren't able to overcome their own emotions in that moment

Eventually, I imagine they'd spiral a bit and somehow land at the conclusion that: maybe Night Swan was right; being imperfect is true suffering- they've experienced it themself: if they had been perfect in Swan Lake, they wouldn't have failed their friends- and they need to save everyone from that very suffering by basically just becoming Night Swan again, hence the "just follow my path" part of her tweets

I'd imagine they would be a lot more unhinged than Night Swan, especially if their reach is limited by the portals Night Swan had previously set up in Eternyx, considering they can't make their own, but the main difference is that they believe they're doing the world a favor by making sure everyone is perfect, which will lead to no more suffering (or something along those lines at least)

I'd also REALLY want to lean into the themes of perfection vs. fun that the story modes have shown so far with Night Swan and Sara and really hammer home the idea that it's not perfection that causes happiness, it's the opposite, and that's something they'd have to learn. That learning aspect would also play into the crux of their character, being that they're still learning in a lot of ways, which would now include that they need to learn that this isn't the way to go about coping with this kind of guilt because at the point where they'd need to be stopped, they'd be pretty far gone I imagine

Not only that, but they'd need to learn that Swan Lake wasn't their fault, and that no one really is "perfect". A huge lesson of this story would probably be that you need to learn to live with your mistakes- not, you know, become the second coming of Night Swan- as they help you grow as a person, which ties nicely into the whole "perfection vs. fun thing" and it's a good lesson for an E for Everyone game since kids would play it

They would also be redeemed at the end, I don't want them to not get redeemed- it would realistically be a rough recovery process, but I'd want them to get a second chance since in a way it was still Night Swan kind of messing with their idea of "suffering" (and no, I don't want Night Swan to be redeemed- that's why I'm mentioning this lol, but that's a yap for another time)

Realistically, this would definitely be a lot more nuanced if it was real, and whenever this video comes out, I want to go way more into detail but this is as basic as I could get while still wanting to get ALL my thoughts out :/

[untilnextchapter]

Masterlist : Marvel

Marvel Cinematic Universe

* = Smut (Minors DNI) || 🦋 = Series || Beware of the TW please

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Do you love Bucky series? @justkending is the writer for you! Here are some of my favourites:

Finding Memories 🦋 (Bucky Barnes x Enhanced!Reader, Waking up with little to no memory of her past, and being saved by a group of individuals who call themselves heroes, sends a long time captive for a whirlwind trying to find some form of grounding in this world she quickly learns runs on chaos. But she’s not the only one trying to figure out her forgotten backstory. Bucky Barnes, along with the other Avengers, can’t help but sense that there is a lot more to the whole situation than a diagnosis of amnesia. Her background slowly starts to come forward in pieces of her past and hidden information discovered. Who is she? And why was she in the room they were meant to destroy?)

The Number One Rule 🦋 (Bucky Barnes x Rogers!Reader, Y/N has always been seen as “Steve’s rambunctious sister.” However, she grew up, graduated, and moved to London to study abroad for 4 years and get her bachelor’s degree. The girl that returns looks nothing like the teenager that left. But don’t worry, the attitude is still there and stronger than ever. What’s to come of the two grown adults that used to push each other’s buttons, but now have a lot more in common than they’ve ever realized?)

The Slip Up 🦋 (Bucky Barnes x Single mom!Reader, After a last hurrah to graduating college with a future to be a family practitioner, a little slip up happens… Seven years down the road, just when things just now seem to be going smoothly, Y/N approaches that slip up from all those years ago. She’s not looking for anything right now. She is just where she wants to be in life. It seems the universe has a different idea though. One called James Barnes.)

So, my number one for smutty Bucky is the wonderful @sinner-as-saint. Here are a few of my favourites:

Capital Letters * 🦋 (Bucky AU x Fem!Reader, You were fortunate enough to work for who was considered to be one of the best, most admired and affluent authors of your time; Mr. James Buchanan Barnes. And soon, things weren’t so professional between you and the man…)

His Obsession * (Mob!Seb x Housekeeper!Reader, You work for the notorious mob boss. You’re at his house regularly; tidying up and cleaning and surprisingly you’re not scared of him like the rest of his staff are. Sure he is authoritative, and mean but he’s never disrespectful or inappropriate, nor does he bark orders at you like he does with the guys. And you were almost certain that he barely pays attention to you. Until one evening he confronts you about something. And what starts out heated, ends in a night neither of you will ever forget…)

Miscellaneous Authors:

Diner Girl || @ofstarsandvibranium (Fem!Reader, After coming across a small diner, he becomes enamoured with you, a waitress)

Set me free || @intrepidacious (Bucky x Nymph!Reader, Once upon a time, a soldier fell from a train. Thankfully, this time, he is found by gentle hands, and a beautiful voice keeps him safe from the cold)

Heal me, baby || @/intrepidacious (Bucky x Nurse!Reader, Your friendship starts with you cleaning up his wounds and Bucky paying to get the blood stains out of your couch. Something else starts, too)

Nightingale’s Song 🦋 || @thatfanficstuff (Barnes x OC, James Buchanan Barnes. Captain America’s best friend. Hydra’s secret weapon. A man lost in time who can’t remember his own name let alone those he held most dear. Florence Anna Charles. A nurse on the front in World War II. A mutant in a time they weren’t known. A woman who can heal with a touch that catches the attention of Hydra)

Lessons in Love || @violentdelightsandviolentends (Bucky x Fem!Reader, Bucky didn't believe in love at first sight. Then he met you.)

[Not Named] || @terry-perry (Dad!Buck x Fem!Reader, Can I request of Jack is clinging on Y/n like koala. Like when Bucky try to pry him off of her but he said “No! I’m staying with mommy and protect her!”)

Mood lighting || @frankieetaylorr (1930s!Bucky x Fem!wheelchair-user!Reader, You never understood why he always came to the dances your resident home threw but you were always so glad when he did)

TW: brief mention of abandonment

Secret Book Club || @starks-hero (40’s!Bucky x Reader, Bucky’s got a new book and he just can’t seem to put it down)

Instinct || @dilemmaontwolegs (FATWS!Bucky x Blind!Fem!Reader, After trying to stop a mugging before Bucky intervenes as reward is offered and so he tracks you down)

Fall into Winter * 🦋 [Ao3] || Miajah (Bucky x Reader, Mae was just doing her civic duty when she saved Iron Man, now she can't seem to get rid of him. Then there was the Winter Soldier and of course Captain America himself. A girl can't catch a break)

Running From the Past * 🦋 [Ao3] || @green-eyeddragonfanfiction (Buck x Mutant!Reader, Reader is a mutant who was experimented on by HYDRA. Due to her unique powers, she escapes without being seen when the Avengers attack the Hydra compound she’s been kept in for the last 5 years of her life. Her mutations and Hydra experiments allow her to blend in with her surroundings (like a chameleon/cuttlefish/octopus) and change her appearance in minor ways (such as hair, skin, and eye color), though the changes are only temporary. She’s now on the run, avoiding both Hydra and SHIELD)

Steve Rogers x Reader

You and Me Together 🦋 || @/ofstarsandvibranium (Single Parent Steve x Fem!Reader, After the death of his wife, Sharon, Steve Rogers is now the single parent of their daughter, Grace. Three years after his wife’s death, his friends convince him to go back into the dating game)

Not a Perfect Princess || @shmaptainwrites || (Steve x Princess!Reader, Reader meets one of the heros who saved her country and realizes around him she doesn’t have to be a perfect princess)

Making the Team || @heliads (Dad!Steve x Daughter!Reader, The reader is the daughter of natasha and steve, and she is nervous about for her first mission. Her mom and dad tell her that everything is gonna be great, and the mission is complete, but the reader is badly injured and her parents and Bruce takes care of her)

10 Years Time 🦋 || @/justkending (Steve x Stark!Daughter!Reader, As princess of Alberia, it is your duty to grow into a rightful young lady if you plan on ruling your family’s country. Of course, the only way your father can see this happening is sending you off to a boarding camp at the age of 14 for 10 years to learn what it means to grow into a Queen.That means leaving all your friends and family behind. One specific person, your best friend, you never want to say goodbye to. But 10 years later, you come back grown into a young lady, and find your best friend has grown into a knightly young man. How will you two adjust after 10 years apart? Will things be the same, or will all that’s happened in that span of time affect your relationship?)

Tony Stark x Reader

Dum-E || @mostly-marvel-musings (Tony x Fem!Reader, DUM-E has probably tried petting Tony's hair with his grabby claw when Tony falls asleep in the lab because he's seen you do it and noticed that Tony likes it)

Hot Chocolate and Hoodies || @deadlymistletoe (Tony x Fem!Reader, A dare involving a hoodie eventually leads to hidden feelings being revealed)

Maybe to annoy you || @specialagentlokitty (Tony Stark x Daughter!Reader, Tony's daughter and she has a crush on Steve, like everytime she sees him she blushes and Tony is a little annoyed)

Two Wicks, One Flame * 🦋 [Ao3] || AmberSnapeBlack (Tony x Soulmate!OC, Emma has had it rough her whole life. Her experiences have shaped her into who she is today, a twenty three year old bus girl with no self esteem or backbone. She hates the lime light...well she hates socializing at all. She has never paid her soul mark any mind. Most days, she forgets it even exists. That will change for her in a way she never anticipated. What comes with bearing the soul mark of the man who is the forefront of the Avengers? Who is almost always in lime light? Who is possibly, already taken? Does she want to know?)

Loki Laufeyson x Reader

Little Love || @/ofstarsandvibranium (Loki x Short!Reader, where the reader is super short)

Shatter This Glass And Set Me Free * 🦋 [Ao3] || @shiningloki || (Loki x OC, Loki hasn't seen the light of day in years. He has been locked away in Stark Tower, waiting for Odin to free him of his punishment after his attack on New York. He's angry, he's spiteful, but most of all, he's lonely. It is not until one day when a new face comes along Stark Tower that everything begins to change. She's different from the rest. She's trusting, she's curious, and she's willing to give Loki a chance at companionship that no one has ever offered him)

The Eyes of the Beholder 🦋 || @/starks-hero (Gorgon!Loki x Blind!Reader, Loki has spent years in solitude, hidden away in the mountains south of Athens. Having been cursed by the gods for his trickery, anyone that sets eyes on him shall turn to stone. But what happens when an unfortunate mortal wanders into his domain?)

TW: Descriptions of blood, violence and injury, angst

Dances and Daggers 🦋 [Ao3] || Cozy_The_Overlord (Loki x OC, The Summer Festival is upon Asgard, as is the tradition of the dagger ceremony, where each unmarried gentleman chooses a lady to bestow with the honor of carrying his dagger for the night. As Prince Thor's betrothed, Teki's only goal is to accept his dagger with grace and hope that her violent stepfather doesn't find fault with her in the process. But Prince Thor is unpredictable, and when he ignores his engagement on a whim Teki finds herself in a desperate situation. Luckily, Thor isn't the only prince in Asgard…)

Avengers x Reader

Not a burden || @/specialagentlokitty (Autistic!Child!Reader, Would you be comfortable writing something where Bucky and Steve (or maybe the whole Avengers team if you like that better) adopt the autistic reader after finding out her mother emotionally abused her?)

Some Things Never Sleep 🦋 [FF.Net] || MotomamiBizcochito (Avengers x OC, Emma Rogers, AKA The Viper Assassin, has been under Hydra's thumb for nine long years until the Avengers rescue her from a Hydra base after receiving anonymous intel from the Winter Soldier. She's thrown into a world of freedom which she's never known but with the help of her grandfather, Captain America, she slowly becomes accustomed to her new life until Tony Stark brings up the Sokovia Accords. Emma is caught in the middle of a war as she becomes intent on protecting the man she calls her father and siding with her grandfather. Not to mention she crosses paths with a certain webslinging nuisance that knows just how to push her buttons like no other...what Emma would give for the days she spent knife fighting with her father in Siberia)

I know it's a Spiderman x OC but it's because of this story I discovered MCU and Emma has a lot of relations with Avengers. A LOT of TW, check them all please

[sidekickjoey]

Thoughts on S5E5 The Witches of Pennbrook, re: Jack and Eric's plot.

Disclaimer: It's a silly Halloween episode. Kids were hyped up on Halloween candy tuning in for some TGIF fun, and I 100% think that's why this episode has some iffy logic and writing at times. I'll give the pod that. However, beyond the silliness, I think this episode is MASSIVE for the friendship between Eric and Jack, as well as a big testament to Eric's character as a whole moving forward, and I really think Pod Meets World missed an opportunity to dive into both aspects here.

Here's why:

This episode plays out two important lessons. The first involves Eric, playing the role of a friend who has to decide what's more important: putting a friend's wellbeing first, or sacrificing that friend's wellbeing for the sake of their larger friendship. It's a pretty common dilemma for teens, but also I think anyone who's been friends with someone not in a great relationship can relate as well. You don't know if it's your place to step in or how they'd react, and you feel a lot of guilt because you want your friend to be happy but your immediate actions/feelings point to the contrary in their mind. Eric was really happy Jack found someone and also excited he wouldn't feel so left out anymore, but the second he realized that Millie was ill-intentioned, his good heart (that we've seen from S1-S4) told him to put Jack's wellbeing first. He was desperate to show Jack she was a threat and putting him in a bad situation so he could get out of it. His sadness when told to back off was that guilt/worry forming. It's a testament to Eric's character that he chose to not let the guilt/worry eat him alive and didn't blame Jack or act like he was being a jerk, instead going out to protect him regardless of outcome. It's also a testament to his character that he reacted so kindly about the situation when Jack came to his senses, acting like putting Jack first was a no-brainer in his mind instead of laying into Jack for his poor judgment. THAT is important -- albeit tied up in a more comical rather than emotional bow, but still important nonetheless, and something that pretty much sets the groundwork for their friendship moving forward.

The second scenario, Jack's, displays another pretty common situation/lesson. Jack shows how easily we take for granted when our friends look out for us, or how blind we can be to how much people truly care about us. Jack was so caught up in his relationship with Millie and his larger inability to fit in that he completely missed Eric being an incredible companion and friend right by his side. He threw himself into relentlessly protecting this one ounce of happiness that he thought he found because he was scared to let it go, and in doing so, he just cast aside his friend and went way-too-in way-too-fast. It isn't until he's in trouble and Eric looks out for him to save him that he notices what he has and how poorly he acted. This is a good lesson on why it's not good to let yourself fall into that trap, but also an example of how easily it is to get sucked into it. How we're human, it happens. It's also one of the first most prominent times we see Eric be Jack's moral compass, which is a theme that definitely continues into the later seasons and beyond that to Girl Meets World.

Even if you don't go into anything beyond friendship for the two, if you just examine their friendship for what it was here, I think this was a big episode for them. I wish these two lessons/themes hadn't been outshined by the silliness of Halloween for the Pod Meets World crew. They are a nod to the core of Boy Meets World that, contrary to belief, still runs through Season 5's tone shift.

[rocknrollsalad]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest's Somewhere Over the Rainbow event

Stare into this moment (and own it)

Prompt: a song featuring the word "green" Song choice: Green Light by Punchline Word Count: 1675 Rating: gen Tags: famous corroded coffin, big time famous, the perks and pains of fame, pr relationships, cheating but not really, cranky eddie AO3: here

In all the dreams, fantasies, and even after it’d all started to become a reality, Eddie never once imagined the amount of gossip that would be involved in being famous. The paparazzi never factored into life as a world renowned musician.

At this point, Eddie was sure that Rolling Stone only had the picture of him dropping half an ice cream cone on his chest. They hadn’t used an official picture in almost a year now. Not that that was a real problem in the grand schemes but Eddie thought his go-to picture would be way more badass than that.

One of the major reasons it was so wildly used was there weren’t a lot of candid or embarrassing photos out there of Eddie. He kept out of the spotlight once he learned what it meant to be truly in it. He saved the antics for the stage.

They were all pretty good at lying low. Something people continuously tried to take credit for like they weren’t a band of nerds, used to ducking through hallways unseen, sitting silently in the back of class, or ditching pep rallies. Everything they’d done before getting signed was training for this. Not all those snore-fest meetings about “media training”. 

Except there was one area they lacked experience and seemed to get them the most press; dating. Eddie had been doing okay but he was dating an actor who did pay attention during his media training so he did the heavy lifting. 

Gareth was a month post-public break up and though his partner wasn’t famous, everything had become headline news. Especially for those who seemed to be excited he was back on the market. 

Apparently, they’d not learned any lessons from it though because Jeff had the audacity to get caught out with a supermodel. A very taken supermodel. Maybe the sort of thing better suited for a tabloid over Rolling Stone or Spin but it was newsworthy enough they were being ushered onto a private jet “until this whole thing died down”. 

Their label, who was thrilled Jeff was keeping the band name on people’s lips, sent them to an exclusive island resort. It was the sort of place guys in blockbuster movies went to, not the label’s second favorite metal band. 

More than that, it wasn’t a place Eddie wanted to be. Heat? Sand? Getting away from it all? Each of those things featured in his personal hell. Get a few people in to ask mindless questions or make him stand in line while muzak blared and they’d really nail it. Hardly the reward it was being framed as. 

The truth of it all was this particular supermodel was in a PR marriage, her husband cheated too. A well kept secret outside of the industry but to those who were privy it was common knowledge. They were one of many.

Jeff truly wasn’t in any trouble and that’s why they were sent to a sunny beach with crystal clear waters and not back to their hometown with their tails between their legs.

Which did a lot for the tension between them but didn’t help Eddie relax and enjoy himself anymore. They were supposed to be heading into the studio and there was a secret show planned at this hole in the wall club that was going to be perfect!

What was Eddie supposed to do out here? The consensus was nothing. He was supposed to do nothing and like it but Eddie hadn’t done nothing a day in his life. It didn’t matter how exclusive, how tropical it was, relaxing was the last thing he wanted to be doing.

Gareth and the Freak took to island life instantly. More than once, Jeff wandered to prod Freak with a stick, make sure he was still alive. It was relaxation on a level Eddie had never seen. He was more than a little jealous as he made a pointless pile of coconuts just to feel a sense of accomplishment. 

By the third day, Eddie refused to come out of his room and enjoy any of the multitude of amenities. He laid on the bed the wrong way, slowly drifting towards the edge, and muttering about all the things he could be doing instead of this. 

“Man, you are not still laying inside,” Gareth said walking through the door he didn’t have to open because of the open concept villa Eddie really hated. 

“Just following orders,” Eddie hissed. 

“No, you’re sulking,” Jeff said, entering to stand behind Gareth. 

Oh, god, they’re teaming up. This is what happens when people don’t have distractions. They make them. 

“You’re in the same clothes as yesterday. Did you sleep in them?” Gareth said, dialing up the judgement. Eddie knew what he was doing but it was working. Not to mention this was the most stimulating conversation he’d had in days. 

“The directions were clear,” Eddie said, pushing until his head moved past the edge of the bed. “Do nothing. They didn’t say anything about having to keep your clothes fresh.” 

“Yeah, well they shouldn’t have–” Gareth’s exasperation started to sound real but Eddie cut him off. 

“Plus, I know we’ve all lived in clothes just a little too long on the road and I didn’t even sweat that much. This might as well be squeaky clean.” 

“Remember when the airline lost his luggage, he wore that Smokey the Bear shirt for a week straight. I paid the roadie to throw it away.”

Eddie was sure Jeff wasn’t supposed to say any of that out loud but it was enough to have him sitting up as he and Gareth both exclaimed in different forms of protest. 

“I loved that shirt,” Eddie said with a fake little whine. 

“It was a color scientists could only identify as…” Jeff finished the sentence with a few retching sounds. 

Eddie flipped him off. It was true but he didn’t need to say it. 

Gareth had turned to look at something out the window in hopes to hide his laughter but he recovered quickly and tried to get them back on track. “Look, I’m not going to get all motivational speaker on you here but you are missing everything.” 

“Hang on, I got this memo from our record exec here, lemme just check it again real quick,” Eddie said, picking up an invisible piece of paper, unfolding it a few times, and then skimming it with his finger. “Ah, yeah. Yup. It says we are to do nothing.” 

“They didn’t mean literally,” Gareth groaned, dragging a couple of the words out to really make his point. 

“What do you want me to do, go out and build sandcastles?” Eddie mocked, topping it with a look to tell Gareth, Jeff, and their probably-still-asleep-in-a-hammock other bandmate this was ridiculous. 

“I pet a turtle. A hundred year old being, I pet it,” Jeff said. 

It killed Eddie to act like that wasn’t cool but he pulled it off. Honestly, this was his first chance to perform in seventy-two hours and the buzz of their reactions (positive or negative) was coursing through his veins. If they thought this was going to be easy and not end with him being literally dragged out kicking and screaming, they both were dumber than Eddie thought. 

“Yeah, a turtle,” Gareth said with a laugh. 

“Stop saying it like that, it was cool,” Jeff huffed, turning his full attention to Gareth. 

“I mean, it was a reptile.” Gareth said. 

Jeff threw his hands in the air and walked in a little exasperated circle. “That is older than my grandma.”

“Alright, alright, kids. Take this fight outside. I have a lot of nothing to catch up on here and you’re really distracting me,” Eddie waved his hand to shoo them out. 

Gareth’s brows knit together so tight Eddie thought he was going to merge them together. He closed both fists and growled before putting one hand he put a hand up to Jeff. The guy was going to combust and it was as hilarious as it was scary. 

“We have done so many cool things and I get it, this island is so stupid and manufactured and it goes against everything you stand for but, like, seriously man! No one can see you, no one cares. Anyone who might has signed so many papers to not say shit that I think if they started a sentence with your name that old ass turtle would crawl out of the sea and kneecap them!” Gareth said, frustration building with every word. 

Jeff and Eddie looked at each other for a second, dropping whatever else they were playing at to enjoy watching Gareth get worked up. 

“It’s, like, once in a lifetime,” Gareth’s hands waved out in front of him, his eyes wide. “We’re not going to be here again, enjoy it. Not with the guarantee we won’t be seen and judged for our every choice.”

“What if Jeff gets played by another supermodel?” Eddie asked, head turned to almost a ninety degree angle to patiently wait for the explanation there. 

Immediately, Jeff’s hands went up in surrender. “I’m not going to do that again.” 

“I don’t know about living our lives to the fullest because we are living our dreams and I bet there’s millions of people who want what we got but seriously!! I shouldn’t have to drag you out into this. Live life!” 

“Yeah! Live life. Touch a turtle!” Jeff said, this time getting ahead of the joke. 

Which was perfect, it cut through the building tension and made it easier for Eddie to cave. He knew he would eventually, especially seeing what it meant to his friends, but it was hard to give them that win. 

Jeff’s joke made a lot possible but Eddie couldn’t help but further it. “Put that on a t-shirt.” 

And with that, everyone was laughing. Maybe Gareth was right and maybe there was some safety in not being seen. Maybe it was time to stop doing nothing and go have fun with his friends. 

[artist-issues]

The Percy Jackson finale crossed too many character-breaking lines for me this time.

Luke did want to kill Percy in the books. He for sure did. And Percy immediately wrote the guy off for that. It’s important to Percy’s character that that be true. Because Percy believes Luke was never his friend—just faking it. And Percy only goes ride-or-die for his friends or people who are mistreated. Luke was neither, and he did the one thing Percy would never do, which is betray people who count on him, so Percy wrote him off. It’s part of Percy’s character that when you cross a line with him, he gets scary-angry and won’t hesitate to beat the snot out of his enemies. No torn “oh nooo you might have good in you.” Not after you cross a line; Percy gets harsh.

But in this show, it’s like Percy is only extending that harshness to…the gods. His dad. The angry eyebrows barely loosen even when his dad is sacrificing for him or being sweet about dreaming of his mom.

It’s not Percy who’s pleading with Luke and insisting that there’s still good in him. It’s Annabeth. Annabeth, in the books, won’t give up on her old friend. It’s Annabeth who saves Olympus, and the whole world, by continuing to believe she can reach the old Luke—and eventually succeeding. She doesn’t outsmart her way out of it. She has faith in him. So, what? They’re going to take that strength of character away from Annabeth and bizarrely give it to Percy, who has no history with Luke?

Annabeth in the books is way more relatable. She has an obvious crush on Luke, which contributes to her and Percy’s will-they-won’t-they tension for the whole first series. In addition to that normal-girl character trait, she sometimes gets afraid. Of spiders. And is immobilized by the sight of them. She also has way more fear of trying to make a normal life work than Percy does. But all of that id downplayed or straight-up erased in the show. Percy never gets to save her from Crusty or the mechanical spiders.

Grover is not the voice of reason. He’s a fidgety nervous screw-up who is comic relief for a lot of the books, but demonstrates gentle loyalty. This Grover is way too self-possessed and mature.

WHAT HAPPENED TO GABE BEING ABUSIVE? There was a whole plot point where Percy’s mom suffered through Gabe as a husband because his body odor overpowered the monsters that could endanger Percy—and she did that in spite of the fact that he started hitting her. And by the end of The Lightning Thief, the big lesson Percy learns is that he can’t save his mom. Or his dad. He can’t fight their battles. (Just like his mom shouldn’t have been trying to fight HIS battles.) He can only be there for them and support them while they take care of their own issues. Something that loyal-to-a-fault Percy Jackson is very good at. But he always has to fight between wanting to sacrifice himself and save everyone and knowing that some battles aren’t his to fight, no matter how “godlike” he is. They just…erased all that!