avemstella

[avemstella]

Nature versus Nurture (a dream of a childhood where your path diverged)

[avemstella]

Happy Father's Day to my favorite questionable father! Including some bonus extra Harbingers babysitting.

God I'm obsessed with Dadtore, yet somehow haven't been able to draw a ton of it. We might be getting both Dottore and Alice in Nod-Krai, I'm being 100% delusional, but I'd like to believe. Genshin u have the opportunity to be so fucking funny please.

[avemstella]

So yeah this is all I'm thinking about for the next forever. MY BABY BOY LOOK AT HIM. Also did Skirk get him new clothes because how the fuck is his outfit still white and looking so nice after everything lol. But yes my dead eyed little son.

Also.... no Vision in the flashback. Thanks king for still giving us nothing on when you got that thing.

[avemstella]

Vedrfolnir!!! My design for him has been sitting in my wips for ages. Fun fact I gave him glasses before the reveal about his eyes being gouged out, so strangely apt that design decision lol.

[avemstella]

Hey look at that, smfwtwd's chapter 41 is out! It's 11k, it was not supposed to be 11k but like just works out like that haha.

Also, Venti fic should have an update in the next week or so! It's done, just in editing mode. That one is way shorter than 11k but also has a bit of a lore bomb that was not supposed to come up yet but Istaroth was being very chatty lol. So that will be fun (also it's the start of an "arc" that will be a bit familiar hehe).

[avemstella]

Genshin 5.6 really giving me everything I want. Albedo lore (Kaeya probs too), Hexenzirkel, Dahlia, Vakra????, if there's Varka maybe some expedition lore, give me Seamus Pegg and Frederica Gunnhildr my favorite divorced parents. Obviously Venti is going to play a role. And then in a wild twist Remuria???? I was prepared vaguely for everything else but Remuria really did come in with a metal chair lol. Did Genshin just read my brain and go "you get it all!"

There was so much going on that I missed Neuvillette getting stabbed lol

[avemstella]

dfnisknskdjfnsdkjfnadkjfnskjdfnsjsmadmaijsfiasjnfa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAH MONDSTADT BABY!!!! This shouldn't exactly be a surprise but Mondstadt is my favorite region (sorry Fontaine u are a close 2nd and Snezhnaya and Khaenri'ah are disqualified because they aren't out yet lol, and even if they were Mond is hard to top). I've been patiently waiting for more Mond stuff, ahhhhh I'm so excited. Natlan... has been a very mixed bag for me, so I needed this! Also how did they manage to put basically all my most anticipated Mondstadt lore characters in one image lol. Albedo and Kaeya are obvious, khaenri'ah lol. Jean give me more of your parents' lore, u gave me a heart attack when your birthday letter casually mentioned your mom being back.

And of course my beloved best of Archons (except Furina), VENTI!!!! Why are you in the dark, looking incredibly sus? What are you doing there, most sussy of all genshin characters haha. Will we finally get your 2nd character quest? Who's to say (though probably not this time).

But yes, sorry lost my mind a bit at this poster. Anyway, random fic updates, next main fic chapter is written, but before you get your hopes up, it's only half typed and needs some insane revisions. So, getting mostly there, I imagine the chapter out early next month? Though don't want to promise anything.

I'm very excited for the next main fic chapter to write, because I'm finally getting into the main reason I wrote this arc lol. But considering it's coming up on a year since posting the Neuvillette fic, I might focus on that. Also, this event makes me really want to write Venti pfft. God I genuinely want to work on all of them, tragically time is a too valuable resource. We'll see what you guys actually see first haha.

Also I have a bunch of random drawing wips I should finish and post lol. Like way too many Dottore and Klee stuff I never posted, and some other random stuff. That's also on my to-do list.

But yeah! This was my excuse to squeal about Mondstadt and give a little update.

[avemstella]

Diluc's future in my fic... or more likely it's because it's once more April Fools baby!

[avemstella]

⭐️ for the ask game

In a twist of fate this was weirdly hard for me to find a scene. Not that I don't have anything to say, (because as always I have a ton to say lol) but just a lot of scenes I thought of first I can't talk about without spoilers. Or like the Dottore/Alice reveal I've already talked about, or just generally I've written over 400k on this account and that's a lot to sift through for a good one haha. So this took forever because I've been losing my mind slightly trying to find a good scene pfft. I figured it out eventually, but wow I didn't expect to have such an issue with it (glad I did it! But still that took a while).

I ended up deciding to do 2 scenes. One from the Venti fic and one from the main. So this first one is from chapter four of A Stronghold Against a World that Devours Hope. So uh spoilers for that fic, even beyond this chapter. This really ended up being a Venti and Zhongli rambling character study pfft. (the smfwtwd one is also under the cut to clarify)

Guizhong's life and death kind of haunts the Venti fic (and might or might not be relevant thousands of years later when the main fic finally finds its way to Liyue... just maybe), and this is the first example of that.

I chose this scene for a couple reasons, mostly for my Venti characterization, which I'll get back to in a minute, but also because Zhongli. While it's going to take five million years, he will be obviously important in the main fic, and I've had a lot of fun setting some groundwork that will pay off later.

Morax is kind of an idiot. Okay that's a total joke, he's not, but there is very much an intentional juxtaposition between Morax who takes things a bit more straightforwardly, and Barbatos who reads about 5 layers deep into everything (especially Celestia related). Morax takes Guizhong's final words one way and doesn't question it, while Venti looks for alternative readings. Morax will never be able to open the Memory of Dust, while Venti finds a way forward.

Except well, Venti intentionally choses not to open it. He hears the possible warning in Guizhong's final words that Morax never could, and actively shuts down the mystery. Lies to Morax and "gives up".

Venti throughout the fic is playing the long game. He knows if he is hasty, Celestia will vaporize him and his people, so he plays along. Plots and schemes, makes powerful allies in the Tsaritsa, and bides his time. In contrast, while not oblivious to Celestia's faults, Morax is much more... 'honest' in his dealings. He accepts the current status quo, and instead works diligently within it to improve the nation. Venti is the odd one out of the Archons in how he doesn't rule over his people. It will take Morax a veeerrrrrryyy long time for him to see the wisdom in Venti's ideology. This scene is over 2k years too early of the Zhongli who makes suspicious deals with the Tsaritsa, fakes his death, and lets his people go.

Throughout the Venti fic (and it might come up in the main fic... eventually), Morax never leaves Liyue unless it's to protect the nation (or Celestia makes him). And while not the only reason for this, his promise to Guizhong to protect the people of Liyue is a major contributing factor to this. Morax is a god of contracts, and that is a contract between him and Guizhong he can't let go of (which is a fun bit of contention with her other ask of him that he ignores, opening the Memory of Dust. Of course he never manages, but he does try).

Guizhong is so important to Zhonglii, and oh boy does Venti betray him by lying to his face here, and in a later scene I will be vague about if people are reading this and haven't read the whole Venti fic.

Venti cares soooo much about Zhongli, but due to Zhongli's nature he cannot be honest with him about so many things (which is extra tragic because Zhongli is very honest with him). Not just the whole secret rebellion thing that Venti can't trust him with like he does with the Tsar, but also Venti often lies to Zhongli to spare his feelings (to protect Istaroth). It's a way to protect Zhongli, but definitely won't have consequences later on, definitely.

Venti and Zhongli are so very dear to each other, but their ideologies are so different! Zhongli is a contract, a binding, while Venti is freedom. They are inherently in conflict.

But also despite those differences, they are weirdly similar. Their relationships with Guizhong/Istaroth are parallel. They were once gods alongside another, but now they are suspiciously alone. They are the last of the original seven. For all Venti is about freedom, his move set it about crowd control/trapping people in place. Despite everything, there's a reason they get along.

ahhhhhh I love them. While this fic is fundamentally about Venti and Istaroth, these 2 come in 2nd on the important scale of the fic (and if I have to rank them, its then the Tsar and Venti). I could talk about them all day, but to wrap around to this scene, I just love the deep tragedy that is the lies that sit between them. The cracks in the foundation that were there from the very start.

This is their first proper scene together (the 1st technical one was when they were in Celestia gaining archonhood, which honestly if I count it still sort of works for this), and even then the sword of Damocles is swinging over their heads.

Okay next scene, this is much shorter lol. This is from chapter 28 of smfwtwd. Specifically, this is from the Scaraback, right after that one Dottore Scara experiment that goes wrong (and right before Bina sets fire to everything). Okay, this scene is a bit too long to have it all here, so I do recommend rereading it (it starts with "Pierro was dancing around the room as if it was his birthday"), but this is the part I'm going to really focus on.

So there's a lot going on here (and a lot I can't talk about because of spoilers), but this small interaction between Scara and Pierro is one of my favorite things I've written. Scara is at his worst here, he is so prepared to be abandoned again. The experiment he was made a Harbinger for failed, and now what's the use for him.

Except, well, Pierro disagrees:

“Well, that’s easy! I’ll just find another use for you.” “And when that use is gone, well, I’ll just find a new, new one. And again and again and again—until the world is what we want it to be.”

For all this is a kind moment, there's also something very cruel about it. Scaramouche isn't being not abandoned because he's a living being worthy of respect/love/etc, no its because he could still be useful.

Pierro, despite his cheerful attitude, has a... questionable relationship with his Harbingers. Even Colombina, who he appears to genuinely care about, he has this to say about her in chapter 21, after Ajax harassed him about it, “Colombina is my favorite, for she will grant my wish. Does that answer your question Ajax?”.

Seemingly five minutes after Scara fails this experiment (aka the next chapter), Signora get hired and is the next test subject, replacing Scara. Pierro viewing the Harbs as things to be used isn't that weird or surprising, but I bring it up because of his next line in this scene:

“And in turn, Scara, you will do the same for me. After I make you a god, well, you’ll just have to find something else you need from me. And then another—and another. Again and again and again. That’s our transaction, our oath to one another. Do you understand now, my dear little Harbinger?”

Because this is where Pierro, where Loge, shows his hand a bit. He messes up. He should have stopped at the previous quote, Scara is desperate to be loved and be useful, he didn't need to go any farther to manipulate him into being inline. It's what Dottore did/will do in regards to his backfiring Delusion.

But he keeps going, Loge bares his own insecurity back at Scara. Before Pierro was firmly in a position above Scara, kindly granting him a place among them. But Loge in this line places them as equals, Loge as someone who could also be replaced if Scara finds someone better. Loge is too honest, while he puts on a front, he's not as good at manipulation as he pretends to be.

And I'm going to leave it there haha. God I'm so excited to write more Loge, he's so fun.

[avemstella]

Fanfic Writers: Director’s Cut

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

Or, send in a ⭐star⭐  to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

[avemstella]

Fun fact I forgot this was in my tumblr drafts lol. I created this for Scara's bday, but didn't finish it in time. Then I think I was going to post it for valentine's day, but considering the month I had, it completely escaped my mind. So hey, better late than never pfft.

But yes, here's my favorite smfwtwd's Scara ships. Will any of them prevail, probably not, but one never knows. Maybe Scara will get his shit together haha.

[avemstella]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32697946/chapters/162668119

Surprise! Chapter 40 of smfwtwd is out! This was kind of sudden for me too lol.

[avemstella]

quod erat demonstrandum (14504 words) by avemstella Chapters: 1/3 Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021), League of Legends Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jayce (League of Legends) & Ximena Talis, Caitlyn & Jayce (League of Legends), Jayce/Viktor (League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends)/Mel Medarda Characters: Jayce (League of Legends), Viktor (League of Legends), Ximena Talis, Mel Medarda, Caitlyn (League of Legends)

Summary: One day, Jayce would go to Piltover. One day he would take his rightful place as the son of House Talis. One day he would make all his ambitions a reality. But for the moment he was a child trapped in the isolated mountain town he was born in. But Mama promised him a future in Piltover, and he would take it. He just had to wait a little longer. At the edge of town sat a manor that Jayce was never allowed to go to. He really wished he never found out why.   A canon complement look at a what if backstory (and beyond) for Jayce Talis.

Hey look here's the Arcane fic I mentioned earlier that I actually posted over a week ago but wanted to finish the cover art before posting here.

It's my Jayce character study that is technically canon compliment but probably not what the writers intended pfft. I took the mystery around why the heck he was in that snowstorm and merged it with some random things from LoL and went insane.

Bonus sketch below the cut that doesn't mean anything until you read chapter one:

sorry Asier you didn't get to be on the cover for thinly veiled symbolism reasons, so here you go my little doomed by the narrative child.

[avemstella]

Hello Everyone, it's been a while. Thank you all for the patience, and here's a little update on what's been going on with me. And a hopefully fun surprise at the end.

So fun fact about me, I work for the US government, which um if you've been following the news lately.... yeah. I won't say specifically where I work for privacy reasons, but I'll just say in my time here I've had the honor to work with some really cool people doing a lot of important work.

On a totally unrelated note, if you're a US citizen, remember that it's within your rights to contact your representatives. Maybe remind them that congress has the power of the purse and not any other branch of government. Just a suggestion... you do you... (and do your own research too)

But yes, onto more relevant to this blog stuff, yeah these last couple months have been a lot. My writing rate has gone to shit. However, in the last couple of weeks I've been a lot better about it, though maybe not in the way you were expecting.

I might have written a 14k first chapter to an Arcane fic.

...please don't murder me. The Arcane brain rot consumed me and possessed me to write this. I needed to get it out of my system. Once this is fully edited, my next priority will be the smfwtwd's chapter that I've written a sizable chunk of. The Skirkback has a lore drop and Childe's family will be finally visiting, I'm very excited. Writing just be hard lol.

But yes, for those who are interested in the Arcane fic, without spoiling the exact main premise, it's going to be a Jayce character study. It's technically Arcane canon compliment, but in a way that 1000% wasn't the writers' intention for Jayce's backstory haha (I mean, who knows, but I doubt it). I'm trying to keep this fic at 2/3 chapters, but we will see. This fic is waaaaay less ambitious than smfwtwd, and is set mostly around the bounds of the canon timeline, so it's never going to balloon in the same way, but I don't want to make any promises about it being short pfft.

But yeah, that is currently with editor sister for editing, so I'm estimating I'll be posting that sometime within the next week or so. For any of my other fics, yeah I'll be honest, I have no idea. But just know I am working on them!

And just thank you all for sticking around, you guys have always been so lovely to me. Not a single one of you had pressured me to update or anything of the sort, I just wanted to update you guys! Thanks again!

[avemstella]

Genshin 5.1 Archon Quest Spoiler

I must mention that I did in fact make a full colored (and color coded for different groups!) Khaenri'ah character chart entirely for this joke, for which I knew I would be blurring because there are massive spoilers on it pfft. One day I'll show it off, one day.

Okay, so originally I was going to have a ramble here about my current Natlan thoughts, but well...

uh, yeah haha. Hades 2 has once more consumed my time and brain (oh god the amount of video essays I have in my head for it, good lord). I'm not going to reveal how many hours I've played in this last week, it's embarrassing, but I have kind of burned through the new stuff, so I'll be back on the fic writing grind soon. Also because, despite the distraction and generally how slow its been, I'm quite excited to write it (teaser, there's a Skirkback with some vital lore! Also I just missed Skirk pfft)

Thank you everyone for your patience

[avemstella]

Cassandra Eligos Erinnyes Egeria Whatever I'm calling u today, love u questionable lady. I updated A Stronghold Against a World that Devours Hope last night, and that definitely has nothing to do with why I'm posting these now.

and below the cut are a bunch of sketches of her (mostly) during smfwtwd (so like a 1k years after these pics), which okay isn't a spoiler considering I've posted art of that design before, but you know to be safe haha (and fun fact, most of it was drawn before the undertale meme of her I drew, I'm just like u know what probably should post this now)

Fun fact! So, it's probably obvious her present day look is inspired by 1920s fashion, I wanted a much more modern look for the seer, but in a way that's a bit deceptively modern if u will. She sees the future but is ultimately still stuck in the past. And the 20s have a lot of symbolism attached. Also, u can tell from the concept art of me fucking around with designs, originally she had a lot more blue, that gradually became more and more gold. Read into that as u will haha.

Also, for comparison, here's her 'final' design (I put that in quotes because who knows if I'll adjust it again haha):

As u can see, basically all the blue is gone and her crown no longer is the greek/roman inspired piece it once was. She also loses her flowers.

Blah I could ramble about her all day, but I really should restrain myself haha.

[avemstella]

smfwtwd's chapter 39 sketch dump aka Ilhuicamīna and Itotia time haha. The two middle sketchy pics were drawn forever ago when I was finalizing his design, I'm just including them because why not, but the first and last are new.

I recognize I have an absurd amount of ocs in my fic, but I can do what I want, it's my fic pfft. But in all seriousness, idk but for me, characters are part of world building. People aren't islands, their interconnected relations inform their character and the world around them. So while Ilhuicamīna isn't going to be some major character, for me, it's just the joy of fleshing out the world and specifically Itotia's relations beyond Childe or the other Archons.

And it's just fun to expand upon characters I just sort of threw there for random roles haha. You were originally just some dude, and now I've thought an embarrassing amount about u pfft.