#I can definitely see how the original character was supposed to be 12

[twilight-zoned-out]

Edwin Payne is a dweeb who gives terrible weak comebacks, who can be unnecessarily petty, or overly smug, who is inordinately pleased with himself when wearing detective gear and using scientific gear, the thought never crossing his mind that he might not look as cool as he thinks he does, who carries a continual and utter absolute delight at acting like the characters he loved to read about, who was enthralled by his magazine detective and adventure stories and who wears a similar smile when he sits on the bed watching Scooby Doo with Niko, 'these detectives are terribly clever,' whose board game collection is mostly variations of Clue, who requires payment (because any good detective is worth some kind of payment) but whose idea of payment is whatever interesting object the client offers to add to his collection, who has encyclopedic intelligence he clearly dedicated hours to learning, who has a particular way of acting and speaking like everything is of vital importance, because to him, it is.

[wildflowerwoodsworld]

So, for those of you who don't know, Charlotte is my (current) favourite character. She's been one of my favourites since I started the series, but now she's in the top spot. Which means it's her turn to get put through torment in fic. Hey, that's just the price you pay for being the favourite.

Anyway, as those of you who are familiar with my writing probably know, I like pulling characters apart and figuring out what makes them tick so I can depict them falling apart in a more believeable way. For some characters it's fairly easy to figure out what the core of their motivation is (Asta wants to be acknowledged as worth something even though he lacks magic) others it's far harder (I still don't know what the fuck motivates Yami). I thought Charlotte would be a tricky one, until I was rereading the manga and came across this panel. (specifically the middle one)

(official VIZ media translation; volume 12, chapter 104, page 72)

She's just been cursed. We don't exactly how old she is in this scene (I tend to put her at twelve, for a couple of reasons, but that doesn't change the fact that canon hasn't actually given us an answer), or even why she's been cursed, but the fact remains that she has just been cursed. And yet she is the one reassuring her parents. She is telling them not to worry. She's the one telling them that she'll fix this. And she's just a kid! She is canonically just a kid!

(Official VIZ media translation, volume 18, chapter 169, page 130)

This is the start of Charlotte shouldering every burden she comes across. She has to do everything herself and if she can't she's not good enough (I know it's anime-only but her "I should be executed" line over being possessed against her will raises a lot of red flags for me). She also holds everyone else to these impossible standards, rejecting every suitor she meets immediately. If they can't keep up, they aren't good enough, and nobody can keep up. She's pushing herself harder and harder and harder because if she doesn't, if she doesn't give everything she has to break this curse then she definitely won't, and the curse activating its going to be her fault for not trying hard enough. She canonically calls herself pathetic and apologises when it inevitably activates. She sees this as a personal failing.

(official VIZ media translation, volume 12, chapter 104, pages 73 & 74)

Never mind the fact that she is, at most, twelve years old when cursed. Which means that she's lived a minimum of six years with it hanging over her head. Sure, she keeps saying she's going to break it, but there has to be a part of her who is convinced that, when she turns eighteen, she's basically going to die.

On top of that, the fact that she's cursed is caonically common knowledge. We get all the townspeople outside screaming about it. This implies that a lot of people know she's cursed. Know she's different. And, well, you're here on Tumblr. I'm sure you know what happens to people who are different. They get socially isolated. That would explain her trouble talking to people about her feelings. And her issues with expressing herself.

So, we've got this girl, who is no more than twelve, is suddenly being shunned by all her peers for something she can't control, has decided to shoulder the entire burden of this curse (everyone else we see talking about it in the flashback says "curse on House Roselei" or something to that effect, Charlotte says "my curse"), keeps pushing herself to try and do what, as far as we can tell from canon, is impossible, and is convinced that if she can't pull off the impossible she's going to basically die on her eigthteenth birthday.

Oh, and all of this is happening around the age she's supposed to be figuring herself out.

The fact that she is a fully functioning adult is a goddamn miracle.

Looping back to my original point though, I think that, at the core of her character, Charlotte is someone who wants to believe that she's worth saving. And not because of her power, or her family name, or her looks. She's desperate for someone to look and see her and see someone worth saving. But she's bad at expressing herself and also scared that if she lets anyone in close they're just going to let her down like everyone else she thought would save her when she was cursed did, so she snaps and she snarls and she drives people away because if people are going to leave anyway (because of the curse) then it's easier to drive them off first, because at least that way she can pretend it's what she wanted rather than being abandoned again.

[definitely-not-captain-america]

Spoilers for the first episode "Aang" of the live action ATLA under the cut. I'll always put spoilers under the cut so as to not ruin it for anyone who has a life and hasn't seen it yet

Content warning for depictions of fantasy violence and death.

I think the animated series starting with Katara and Sokka was a good choice, but I like this one starting with Aang in his original time. It's cool to see the air temples full of people, and Aang is better humanized beyond the "goofy 12 year old who never takes anything seriously," which is partly true but not fully accurate to his character.

The genocide happens so early on so it's impossible to not talk about that right away too. We literally watch firebenders burn airbenders alive, so there's that. I do have mixed feelings about the genocide. On the one hand, I think it's a little tasteless showing it, especially the amount of people who will watch it, sympathize with it, but then not do a thing to support the genocide in Palestine right now. At the same time, I think it's important to show it. It shouldn't be an easy topic, it's supposed to be devastating and horrifying and I think the scene was the right amount of graphic for that. Not to mention the allusion of Sozin killing those kids after he killed Gyatso.

Like others have said, I don't really agree with them cutting out Sokka's sexism. It was a major growth in character for him, and it's important to show young men growing up from things like sexism and maturing and apologizing after you're proven wrong. Still, the casting is incredible so far and all the actors definitely feel like their characters, so that's good too.

Onto Zuko and Iroh (I'm literally writing all this as I watch the episode). I see people say Zuko's scar should've been a lot uglier, for lack of a better word, and I agree. It's small, it doesn't look like it has much texture, and his eyebrow is still there. It's a burn scar, and burn scars never really look pretty in the nice, aesthetic way they made it in the live action. Of course, animated Zuko was always hot, but for the scar to be a point of shame that the audience can really understand, I think it should've looked worse. (Sorry for my brusque language. I don't mean to say that burn victims are ugly and horribly disfigured. Zuko's scar is just so far from a burn scar that it's mostly just aesthetic in the live action.)

Also, and it's so early in the show, but so far Iroh has a bit of a tough love thing going on and I kind of like it. We all love the gentle, tea-loving, proverb-using old man who probably-definitely committed war crimes but is now a big softie who regrets his actions, but I kinda like what may be happening here.

Their village in the South Pole is beautiful, and I'm glad they have more than just like 12 people living there. It's still obvious that all the men went off to war, and I always kinda hated how empty the village was. Plus, like I said, it's still really pretty, so we get to see how there was a culture there that's been somewhat lost.

I love Aang and Katara's conversation about them growing up fast. I think it's a little easy to forget how young everyone is in the animated series — everyone who's not Aang anyway, because even sixteen/seventeen is very young and we can forget that when everyone is drawn to be muscled and attractive and without any real baby fat.

I don't really like how Appa looks, but I typically hate all CGI animals because their fur always looks weird. He isn't terrible, it's just a serious case of uncanny valley for me so it's just not my thing.

I kinda like that Katara goes off to the ship on her own before Aang. We get her gentleness and a lot of her uncertainty, but we also see her conviction and the fact that she'll do whatever she wants if she believes it's for the right reason.

Right along those lines, I really love how evident Sokka's role as the child soldier/child leader is. Katara mentioned that he was told to watch the village since he was 13, and he's doing what he can. He has no idea what's right, he's just doing everything he can to hold things together and keep people safe. Aang calling him the bravest person he's ever met was so wonderful and exactly the validation Sokka needed to hear but probably never did. It also helped him come to his decision to help Aang, which was awesome.

I also love the reckless abandon we see with Zuko and the other firebenders. Sozin entered the Fire Nation into a world of divine right and basically the American Dream of conquering and doing whatever you want because they're in charge, they have the right, so they can. I also love the slight juxtaposition of Aang and Iroh's short encounter where Aang asks why the war was started. I just really like all the character interactions so far.

We also really get to see Zuko being young. His desperation when Aang escapes, the anger and fear he experiences. It's all very realistic and I'm glad we get more of that in this one.

I can't quite figure out if I like the costumes and the setting a lot. I don't like CGI heavy movies because they never look real or good to me, which is something I care about. I'm also not a good judge of whether CGI is good or not. I end up comparing everything to Narnia or Babe the Pig, both of which were pretty incredible, and nothing has been to those standards since.

In that same vein, I can't tell if I like the bending or not. It's not terrible, but the hand movements always look a little off to what ends up happening (which, I understand why, I just think it could been a little cleaner). Though that's probably just a byproduct of this being a live action, and the animated will always be better for bending. That earthbender in the beginning just took so long to earthbend, and I've always appreciated that earthbending is like, the heaviest and there's a lot more force that goes into it, but he was taking too long for me.

I 100% love this cast. So far they've all been very true to their characters while also being slightly new interpretations, which I like. I can't wait to see how they develop throughout the show, especially Katara, who I think goes through the most amount of growth in the show in a fairly short amount of time. Aang is still playful but also a bit more grown up, Sokka is still sarcastic but also focused on being a leader, Zuko is young and scared and angry and desperate to prove himself. I'm really happy with this actually, because it'll be easier for me to forgive the parts I don't like because these actors are so good.

That was very ramshackle and haphazardly thrown together. Oh well. This is starting out better than I expected and I'm excited for that.

[adjit]

This was originally going to go in my post on Dick and Tim's relationship in Red Robin, but I have moved it to a separate post because while I can draw conclusions from it that ultimately serve my defense of Dick, it's kinda a whole other subject.

If you know the story of Tim's hot girl summer, you might know this: he saw a portrait of an "ancestor" of Bruce's and realized that Bruce was alive, and trapped in time, which lead him on a worldwide quest to finding clues about where and when Bruce is. This is true! However, this is not how a reader would experience the comic. Because while the first 4 issues cover most of the saga of Tim's departure from Gotham, you don't actually see that he had any proof of Bruce being alive until issue #12- the end of the arc. And this was done 100% intentionally.

Details and analysis of this under the cut!

In issue #1, this is all you get (in two separate flashbacks spaced over the issue):

A closeup shot of his face, after throwing a bit of a fit and breaking shit, suddenly saying that Bruce is alive. That's it.

It isn't until issue #12 (which was published an entire real time year later!) that you finally get to zoom out and see what actually happened:

The first four issues jump back and forth between Brucequest and the events immediately preceding Tim's departure from Gotham, and while that time is mostly covered in these issues, they withhold from the reader that Tim had any proof until after everything is over. Tim never mentions it and it isn't shown on page.

This is done very intentionally to create narrative tension! It introduces mystery and doubt!

And more importantly, for the point of this post, it introduces the specific tension that Tim isn't sure if he's right that Bruce is alive and neither is the reader.

(Granted, comics readers are going to know that Batman is alive. They don't kill off big names in comics, not forever, and in any case you can read his adventures in time in a different comic and he's clearly alive there. But that's not the point and you know it.)

When Dick, Stephanie, and Cassie all react to Tim suddenly saying Bruce is alive with alarm, confusion, or pity, the narrative is constructed so that the audience is reacting the same way.

Why was this a part of my Dick defense? Because the narrative itself is reinforcing his view. Tim is supposed to come off as unreliable, information is withheld from the readers to invoke that reaction from them as well, and the characters believing that he's reacting poorly to grief are completely understandable.

But, if you'll allow me to go on some more analysis...

As I said, Tim never mentions his proof on page. He knows he sounds crazy, and yet not in a single conversation does he bring up what caused him to think this way. Throughout the first issue especially, he also has a way of insisting that he's right in a way that makes you think he absolutely does not think he's right.

"I know I'm right until I think too hard about it" really inspires confidence. Almost as much as "he's all I have and he has to be alive." That's definitely an argument based in logic and not in grief! (<- lying)

And thinking to yourself "Oh my god, it's true" when you actually find evidence is the sign that you really actually believed it before you found that evidence!

All this to say, Tim was not at all confident in his hunch. He himself doubted whether he was right, but he latched onto the idea in his grief.

Dick wasn't even wrong to believe that Tim was only believing this because he was grieving! Because he absolutely was! Tim was doing all of this as a last ditch effort and it was absolutely motivated by him not wanting to face a world where Bruce was gone. He ended up being right, but even he doubted his own original hunch, and underneath it all knew he was grasping at straws, even though he couldn't bear to admit that out loud. So much so that he, and the narrative, never mentioned it. Not until he already knew he was right.

[otomehoneyybearr]

Act 12

Episode 10: Decision Time

Working w/ Maybelle Lace

Note: As you read, you will see that some sentences highlighted in a different color, this is what they indicate.

Pink: Flashback

Blue: Characters are acting

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Tenma: I can’t believe a board member was behind all of this...

Banri: Shit. It’s been that guy, all this time.

Sakuya: Amadate...

Izumi: Are you okay?

Sakuya: It's hard to believe, but it's the truth...

Izumi: I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier.

Sakuya: No, it's fine. It’s surprising, but I have to accept reality...

Syu: It's unfortunate that we're in a situation like this.

Zen: Originally, we planned to deal with it ourselves.

Hiro: Sorry for causing you trouble.

Kasumi: I'm sorry that we put you all in danger.

Izumi: There's no need, it's not your fault...!

Syu: But this is the seed we sowed. We were supposed to corner him, but we got outsmarted.

Syu: It may take a while, but we will definitely take responsibility and drag him out.

Hiro: You all of the next generation shouldn't become a repeat of what happened to us, the first generation.

Hiro: If you all become torn apart, you will just give him exactly what he wants.

Izumi: ——I see what you mean.

Izumi: But, let me just say one thing. We call ourselves the first generation and the new generation, but aren't we all a part of the same Mankai Company?

Izumi: We can't just leave these matters to you guys.

Izumi: The new generation has faced a lot of hurdles up until now, but each time we all talked it over and worked together to get through it.

Izumi: I am sure we will be able to overcome it this time too.

Izumi: The new generation has strong members, and if we work together, we'll definitely be able to beat any opponent.

Banri: You can't just make the first generation look cool while ignoring us.

Tsumugi: We’ll fight too.

Tenma: Let us help you.

Sakuya: With all of us together, we will never lose!

Izumi: Once again, I would like to ask for everyone’s cooperation on this.

Izumi: As the general director, I will absolutely protect the Mankai Dormitory and Mankai Theater, where everyone's home is.

Izumi: So please, lend us your strength to overcome this crisis!

Sakyo: Obviously we’ll help.

Masumi: We'll do anything.

Yuki: Naturally.

Homare: Leave it to us.

Muku: I will do whatever I can to help!

Juza: I won't let ‘em hurt something important to me again.

Citron: If push comes to shove, we'll mobilize an army!

Itaru: How strong.

Guy: That may cause a diplomatic issue.

Syu: But there’s one thing we should be cautious about.

Syu: If the performance is canceled, the audience won’t be harmed, but the theater company members are a different issue.

Syu: Unless the troupe is disbanded, they will come after the troupe members. Nowadays, Amadate will stop at no lengths as long as it is a means to an end.

Syu: We won’t know what he’ll do next if he realizes that we’re still active despite canceling the performance.

Yuzo: We have to be very careful so that things don't end up the same way as they did before.

Izumi: ...

Izumi: (That's true... If the theater company continues any longer, everyone will be in danger.)

Izumi: (I don't want us to fall apart, and it's frustrating to have things go the way he wants...)

Izumi: (But in order to protect everyone, we may have no choice but to disband.)

......

Board Member A: I would never have thought that a theater company with so much promise would suffer such misfortune.

Board Member B: Their performance was supposed to start tomorrow, correct? The situation seems quite hopeless for them...

Board Member C: Do we have any more details on the situation?

Board Member D: There haven’t been any announcements from the theater company yet.

Board Member A: Hmm, I wish there was something we could do to support them...

Amadate: It's a tragic incident, however the board of directors can't support any particular theater company...

Chairman: ...

Chairman: Let’s move on to today's agenda. We will introduce our new board member candidates.

Reni: ...

Amadate: So the Chairman's recommendation was Kamikizaka.

Reni: ...

Amadate: ...What’s wrong?

Reni: ...It's nothing.

Chairman: Now then, each candidate, please give a brief introduction.

Board Candidate: That is all. Thank you.

Chairman: Next, is Kamikizaka.

Reni: I am Reni Kamikizaka. I am the founder and director of the GOD Troupe.

Reni: ...Having been in the theater industry for a long time, I know that the theater world is not as pristine as it seems.

Reni: I, myself, have engaged in acts that touch upon taboos that made me lose sight of myself just to surpass or undermine other theater troupes.

Reni: And I continue to regret those actions.

Reni: But that’s precisely why I want to dedicate myself to the actors and theater groups who earnestly devote themselves to the stage.

Amadate: It takes courage to confess your own mistakes. I am curious about the details of this.

Amadate: But do you really think someone who has made mistakes can get votes?

Reni: Because I can never change what I did in the past, I want to sincerely dedicate myself to the future of the theater world.

Reni: ...And I vow to never overlook the presence of those who, like me, have made such mistakes and lurk in the darkness.

Amadate: ...

Reni: (However, since the deal with K fell through, I can’t continue the plan to expose Amadate.)

Reni: (After all, he’s a tricky opponent. I’ll have to work more carefully than I did before.)

Reni: (But I won’t give up. I WILL break his stronghold.)

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Prev | Next

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[dominustempori]

TWO MORE MONTHS, PEOPLE!!!

Quick thoughts to follow up after my post on the teaser trailer (SPOILER WARNING!) In honor of March the 22nd…I’ll go for 22 observations/opinions.

1. Slimer’s back!

2. JANINE IN UNIFORM! WITH A BLASTER!

-Definitely a call back to 1) one of the ORIGINAL storyboard designs for the backpack/neutrona wand in the first movie, and 2) the IDW comics when Janine and other “new ‘Busters” take over when the OGs disappear.

3. Definitely another secret society/cult that must’ve worshipped Garraka ( hidden room with the demon’s horns/frozen eyepatch guy that shatters in the supposed flashback scene..?)

4. If that’s Coney Island where the big ice storm is coming ashore…then THAT could very well be a throwback to the RGB episode “Collect Call of Cthulu.”

5. GB’s got a new van! Ecto 1c?

6. Research lab? AWESOME!

7. Big question- what’s the connection between the arrival of Garraka and the red light on the containment unit? Is it coming after GBHQ to get more power (much like Gozer?)

8. OK…James Acaster is NOT a grown Oscar…damn. I’m sure his researcher character is gonna be brilliant though. Poor guy…frostburned hand? Eesh.

9. I REALLY hope they explore more of Callie (and therefore, Egon’s) background story. That scene where Trevor’s in that attic…aw.

10. DRONE TRAP!!! Next level! Fans lost their minds with the RTV…someone will surely try to build a model of a freaking FLYING ghost trap.

11. Modified proton packs? Makes sense now, that thing can FREEZE the positron stream! WHAT!?

12. Grooberson’s driving Ecto 1! F*ck yeah, Paul Rudd!

13. LIBRARY GHOST IS BACK!

14. So how does Kumail Nanjiani’s character come into possession of that mysterious golden orb? I’m still thinking it’s his apartment with the secret door.

15. Imagine being an old time NYC firefighter and seeing men frozen to death, in fear. When did NYFD form, I wonder?

16. Patton Oswalt is the new Ray…love it.

17. Bill Murray…still got it, man.

18. Swear to god that’s his old orange jacket from the first movie.

19. OK…on one hand, Gil and Jason are probably not counting the GB Video Game as part of the canon, and yet, the IDW comic universe IS built on some plot points of the game. So…does the PCOC exist in Frozen Empire? Is Peck mayor? Perish the thought?

20. Bring on the mischievous Mini-Pufts! Evidently some survived the “Summerville Massacre.”

21. PLEASE have Egon’s unknown life history be in the story somewhere, PLEASE Gil and Jason! It’s almost 10 years since the world lost Harold Ramis…PLEASE pay his beloved character some more tribute.

22. I have to admit…I do like Annie Potts back with not just her red hair, but those new blue-frame glasses. Good nod to the animated series, I will bow to that piece of fan service, not sorry.

TWO MORE MONTHS!!!

[pancake-breakfast]

Ooooh, I'm actually trying to get ahead of the game this week! Look at me goooooo!!!

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 4, Chapters 3-5 below.

Chapter 3: Bottom of the Dark

Meryl title page! Hooray!

LOLOLOL, didn't these boys just get out of the hospital?? Now they're back in for, what, dehydration??? Shouldn't have snuck off without the girls.

Are the girls eating steam buns? Steam buns are awesome! But a pain to cook in hot weather.

Looks like they're sorting through their own things.

GIANT HAND!!! Noooooooo

Dude. This fake big-hands man is a creep. He needs to let Chun-Li go.

Ohhhh, he's doing that thing they do where they add weird suffixes to their speech. SIGH. English speakers don't understand these things.

THIRTEENTH!??!? What happened to the other 12??? Fly up into heaven??? What, does he throw them in the sky???

Stun-Gun Milly, here to save the day!

And Meryl as backup!

She is very tiny. It's unfortunate they're in a world where her being small makes such a defense a necessity... but it's also a nice parallel to her character. Small, but sufficient for the task at hand. Maybe even more than sufficient.

WORM

Yup, it's Zazie!

AJL:FJ:LALJ:DSF:H:KJh:LKASJ WHYYYYY IS ZAZIE LIKE THIS?!?!?! D: D: D: Friggin... 15,000 worms in a meat suit.... *shudder shudder shudder*

LOL, the boys both look like they've checked themselves out of hospitals AMA before and aren't too thrilled about being caught this time.

Vash, just giving away their money so they can leave. TBH, not a bad plan considering how inadvisable him lingering anywhere is.

Heh, Vash is calling Wolfwood out again. He trusts the girls. Even if it might make the situation a bit tricky. They're more resourceful than they look and he knows it.

Ugh, he's so lonely and so grateful that they care about him enough to stick with him. And Wolfwood here sounds like his overly cautious wife.

Midvalley and Hoppered, having a heart-to-heart. I'm starting to see why they get along so well.

Ohhhh, Hoppered has a beef with Vash.

Unsubtle metaphors about walking into darkness. I'll allow it.

The worms really are pretty at night.

Did Meryl just get abducted by worms?!?!

Chapter 4: Den of Evil

Milly title page! Always good to see more of the girls!

Milly found the boys.

Oh, no! Someone take care of her!

Dang, Stampede just straight up took that elevator inspiration from here, didn't they?

Mmm, delicious delicious worms.

Hahahahaha, Zazie doesn't understand "hostage." Zazie understands "bait."

Vash the Stampede's followers? Rude. Just because she's literally following him doesn't mean she deserves so distant a title.

Props to Meryl. She has this twisted monster looming over her, a weird worm-controlling kidnaper, and a shady man in a fancy suit all surrounding her, and what does she do? She starts DEMANDING ANSWERS from them. This woman has a serious pair.

Awww, Milly is soooo upset. They're keeping guard on her while she's supposed to be sleeping, but she's just can't manage it.

Zazie, creeping outside of windows....

Vash doesn't even wait to hear the other side of Zazie's deal.

Gods, they are such dorks.

That's one big worm.

I don't know what the Japanese characters are for ryutsu or juukei in the original here, but I just want to note that one possible definition for "juukei" is "execution by firing squad." (No, I didn't know that off the top of my head. I got curious and looked it up.)

All these imposing city shots, and then at the bottom, Vash and Wolfwood.

Not great. That means there are more hostages here than just Meryl.

Lower and upper class crammed together means something went wrong.

Milly may not have been featured in the shot above, but she's tagging along, too!

Wolfwood's looking forward to a bit of murder today, I see.

Hahahahaha, <3 Milly. She will not be sidelined. Her and Wolfwood are giving Vash a headache. Personally, I have mixed feelings on the matter. Like, Milly is super-competent, and this is important to her, but if they spend more time protecting her than rescuing Meryl, it's worse than useless for her to come along.

Holy hell. Did not expect girl to pull her gun on Wolfwood.

Vash has a point. Leaving her behind does not, in fact, guarantee her safety here.

Hoppered, that looks painful. Your body looks painful. See a better chiropractor, please.

Chapter 5: Wild Crying Bullet

Three? I thought there were... hmmm... *goes back to check* Ok, so: - Monev the Gale (1) and E.G. Mine (2) went down before they made it to Jenora Rock. - Dominique the Cyclops (3) went down right before Fifth Moon. - After Fifth Moon, they ran into Rai-Dai (4), then Leonov the Puppetmaster (5) and Gray the Ninelives (6). - Then we have Zazie the Beast (7), Midvalley the Hornfreak (8), and Hoppered the Gauntlet (9) here right now. - And we have Wolfwood (10). That means we're missing two out of the 12. So there's a good chance that either Wolfwood doesn't know about the other two, or they were brought in after Wolfwood was sent out. Wolfwood's not an idiot, but it's not like he was privy to Livio's conversation with Vash about there being 12 coins. I suppose one could assume Livio and Knives are the last of those 12, but the way the coins are presented implies both those two are exempt from Gung-Ho Gun status. Also, those who've watched Stampede might be able to take a guess at who we're missing.

Oooof, Midvalley's gonna be a rough fight.

Hoppered might be a bullet, but Vash is a gun. Hehehehehehhhh...

Heh, Wolfwood can't call anyone by their actual name.

He looks genuinely concerned when he catches sight of Midvalley.

Epic Midvalley shot.

Oh, no. Wolfie, that's gotta hurt...

Not good. Wolfwood's already down.

Vash knows.

?? Hoppered is just... giving him the coins? Who is the second coin from? Midvalley??

Oh, no, Milly! Get it together, girl! You can do it!

Yeah, Vash was never very keen on Legato's weird fetch quest.

AAAAHHHHH, EPIC WOLFWOOD SHOT!!! OUR BOY'S NOT DOWN YET!!!!

(When I talk about trying to gnaw off my own limb over fandom stuff, that two-page spread above is basically what my heart looks like.)

Heh, Midvalley didn't expect this.

I honestly don't know how Hoppered concluded that Vash is enjoying what he's doing right now. He's mostly looks focused and angry to me.

LOL, Zazie just chilling, watching the fireworks.

Oddly, Meryl is probably in the safest place she could be right now.

Meryl is getting caught up on Vash lore.

Oh, no. News that Knives is nearby is very not good.

Yusssss, gives us the exposition, Zazie!!! Next time, I mean. I'm good for tonight.

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10 || Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Volume 1: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6 || Volume 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Volume 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Volume 4: Covers + 1-2

[aragarna]

For the fandom ask: the three musketeers ❤️

What originally drew me to it

What I like most and least about it

The character/story arc I find the most compelling

A scene/moment that makes me really emotional every single time

What originally drew me to it

You do realize I first read that book 25 years ago?! I have not idea why I picked up that book in particular then, except for the fact that as a kid, I read as many French classics as I could. But what I do remember immediatly enjoying are two things:

The camaraderie. That strong and immediate friendship. That deep sense of loyalty, and that feeling that together we can face anything. Together, we're unstoppable. You need to cross the Channel and go right into the Enemy's den? Let's go, I've got your back. They didn't call it that back then, but it's totally the foundation of the "found family" trope. Tous pour un, un pour tous.

The other thing that contributed a lot to my love for this book was Dumas' writing style. It's joyful, and funny, and very rhythmic. There is quite often a sort of jubilation in his words. It's classic literature, beautiful and with a lot of flare, but still very readable (nothing annoys me more than a writer that makes it unnecessarily complicated. Words must flow.).

What I like most and least about it

What I like the most is the aforementioned friendship and the sense of adventure (see above).

What I like the least is probably the whole Milady story arc. As much as I love those books, I have to admit that, as a product of its time, the story lacks truly compelling female characters. Yes, there are a couple of female characters (including the Queen, who feels actually more important than the King), and of course Milady. And yes, Milady is an interesting and complex character but she's also, despite being originally the actual victim, shown as a very dangerous woman. One we must not feel too much sympathy for (and well, she did some pretty nasty things to our heroes, so I didn't feel too much sympathy for her...). And I've never really like the Femme Fatale archetype, which really is a male fantasy.

So on the one hand, she's not a character that I liked, but on the other hand, boys, what the hell?! You don't take justice into your own hands like that!! That's just... wrong! And Athos, my friend, really?! For a tattoo?! And you're supposed to be the wise one. So, yeah that whole *hand wave* thing at the end of The Three Musketeers, not their finest hour. (I'm actually quite curious how they're gonna solve that in the movie...)

The character/story arc I find the most compelling

My favorite character is d'Artagnan. He's the youngest one (18 already seemed super old to 12-13 years old me), and when we meet him, he's full of innocence and hope, something I could relate to. I love that he is so full of energy and ideas. Daring and adventurous. Very positive, though he becomes more philosophical and sarcastical as he grows older (I'm including Twenty Years Later and The Vicomte of Bragelonne). But always, all his life, he remains attached to his original three friends. He is the definition of loyalty.

And a story arc that I love is actually something that happens in Twenty Years Later. It's more of a scene than the whole arc, but it's one of my favorite. D'Artagnan and Porthos are in England for like, capturing Charles I, who was on the run or something. On the road at night, they encounter some enemies and start fighting, though it's too dark to see who they are. And d'Artagnan gets annoyed cause his opponent is parying all his attacks and he let go an exasperated "Mordious!" and his opponent freezes and they recognize each other - the enemies were Athos and Aramis, who were helping the King - and they just fall into each other's arms. Like, the circumstances that brought us here don't matter, we'll figure things out, but man it's so good to see you. Let's go clean out an inn, and we'll talk.

(I really wish they'd adapt Twenty Years Later for once)

A scene/moment that makes me really emotional every single time

Of all the very emotional scenes from The Vicomte of Bragelonne is probably Porthos' death. I won't give too many details as to not spoil the how and when but damn, I actually remember a lump in my throat as I was reading that chapter. It really felt like I had lost something. Or someone. The book goes all the way to the end of their lives, so, like, they all die, but Porthos', for some reason, is the one that hit the hardest.

Wow that got long! Thank you so much for the ask, my friend :)

[ultraviolet-ink]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by @aawrightworth, thank you so much for this!! <3

How many works do you have on Ao3? 117, but I have four more on the roster due to @aaholidayrare!

What's your total A03 word count? 427,315 (OH WOW???)

What fandoms do you write for? Ace Attorney/Great Ace Attorney!

What are your top five fics by kudos? 1) Once Upon a Christmas (2019)- NRMT first kiss prompt 2) 12:26 AM (2019)- Forbidden Hospital Scene 3) The Talk (2020)- Greg notices that Baby Miles has a crush 4) Oh Shirt! (2019)- Phoenix can't find his shirt at Miles' place 5) Litigation in the Streets... (2021)- Miles and Phoenix become the subjects of tabloid gossip NGL, I'm not surprised that my top rated fics are NRMT, they're oldies but goodies! I've definitely grown as a writer (not to mention grown UP since these were all written when I was 18-20), but it really is lovely to see that they're still getting love! <3

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? OMGOMGOMGOMG!! Yes!! I love doing it because it lets the commenter know that I've seen their comment, and that I really do appreciate them! No matter how old a fic is, I will comment back as soon as I get that email, haha! In all seriousness, it's my way of giving back a kudos, a sort of "kudos to the reader" if that makes sense. They really do make me smile and I like to print out some of the comments that made me cry happy tears and save them in a scrapbook so that I can read them when writer's block hits me. Also, commenting brought my some of my greatest friends <3

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Ohhh DEFINITELY I Dreamed A Dream (2022)!! Not only is the title from the Les Mis song of the same name (where Fantine's life is just absolutely ruined), but I did the one thing I never thought I would be able to do... I KILLED one half of the otp!! It's a RyuuSusa fic, and of course, Major Character Death, proceed with caution!

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Oooohhh this is a really hard one since I'm such a sucker for happy endings! I think the one that makes me the happiest now is from The Caterpillar Man (2022). It's a fic I wrote to sort of conceptualize Yujin and Susato's relationship when the former came home from the original study trip, and it takes place over a year and among other tragedies and growth. It's from the perspective of Susato, and I think it's one that still makes me tear up (and I got fanart based on it once!!)

Do you get hate on fics? I've never been John Phoenix'd which is very rude, am I not GOOD enough for you DaKoolGuy?? but in all seriousness, I don't really get hate on specific fics, but because I'm so vocal about a certain pairing (being Ryuu X Susato.... if I'm not supposed to ship, why game make so cute?)

Do you write smut? Not on Ultraviolet_Ink, but I do on Infrared_Quill! Fun fact, Infrared got put on a blacklist when I only had one work, and Ultraviolet wasn't on it, I found it quite funny XD

Do you write crossovers? The Journal of Dr. Yujin Mikotoba (2022-????) is just one giant crossover with ACD canon, and I'm planning on having Raffles and Arsène Lupin making an important appearance in the future! It's very self indulgent XD

Have you ever had a fic stolen? God I hope not

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge, but I do have a blanket statement saying that I am a-okay with a translation of any of my works!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? It's always been in the "omg we should totally do this" phase, but given how I am with my own works, I feel like I would be a nightmare to work with XD

What's your all-time favourite ship? Honestly... It's between HomuMiko and RyuuSusa, especially since that's just what I've been writing recently XD

What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? That's a good question that I don't have a single answer for XD I have a notepad full of a WIP list, but I think one that intrigued me when I first started off was this sort of continuation of the JFA 2-4 bad ending, just kind of coming from the ashes and then De Killer eventually kills Phoenix for betraying Matt Engarde (just because of the principle). It's really interesting to think about, but I honestly don't know how I could workshop it, and I remember stopping because It made me too sad haha! If you come across this and like the idea, please feel free to adopt this bunny, no credit needed! I'm not the first person who came up with a continuation of Miracle Never Happen, and I'm sure I won't be the last!

What are your writing strengths? I think I'm getting a lot better at dialogue, especially since I have a very good friend who helps me workshop them through a sort of RP! I would say that I'm also good at making a sort of vibe/ambiance, I know how to dress a scene B-) (Yes I was a theatre kid)

What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue is also something I struggle a lot with, but I would say I get into my own head too much, and I over think and try to over explain to cover up "holes" (Cracked.Com owes me reparations for this)

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I'm a linguistics nerd, I love writing dialogue in other languages! I even wrote a fic entirely in Latin because I wanted to practice (Miles et Phoenix Romae Sunt (2021)). That being said, you have to use more than Google Translate, I've studied and majored in Spanish, so I'm confident enough in my own skill to write, but I don't really know German despite English being Germanic! So, while I do use Google Translate to get a base understanding, I try to run it by a native speaker, or at the very least, someone who has studied the language, to see if it makes sense haha. Or don't, I'm not your mom, and we're all just doing this for shits and giggles XD

First fandom you wrote for? ...... Oncest Those journals filled with Oncest have been burned since 2014 in the traditional "middle schoolers host a bonfire at the end of the year" that my friends hosted, and they will never see the light of day XD But then again..... how ba-a-a-ad COULD it have been? Tbh, I do regret getting rid of them, not because they were actually lost Great American Novels, but they were something I created and I could look back on and see how I've grown and what I've just stuck with over the years XD

Favourite fic you've ever written? It's honestly a tossup between The Journal of Yujin Mikotoba and The Caterpillar Man! I just love playing around with the empty playground canon left me haha

[hughungrybear]

Me while watching Cherry Magic Thailand Ep. 5:

Just can't imagine how loud Karan's internal screaming was when he realised Big Sis was kicking him out of his own house and making him move to Achi's house 😂

1. What's with GMMTV showing us what perfect boyfriends should look (and act) like? 😅 If I cannot have my own Mhok (from Last Twilight), please give me a Karan 😭😭😭

2. Not Auntie dissing Achi in front of Karan 😂😂😂 Karan would defend his beloved little cinnamon roll to the ends of the earth, y'know? 😆

3. I kennat with Karan's internal off-key singing 😂 Also, what's up with this early morning, pre-office work date? Pai would definitely have a seizure if she knew that her ship is doing all these romantic things without her witnessing it 🤣🤣🤣

4. Under normal circumstances, Karan's wild imagination would turn and scare anyone off. However, the fact that he is so sweet, considerate, and can control most of his delusions to stay in his imagination is his saving grace. I think it's one of the main reasons why Achi has not run for the hills yet 😂😂😂

5. Oh, boy. Jinta has gone the deep ends of his fanboying Min 😂 He is barely doing any work. At this point, Jinta ultimately matches Karan's intensity when it comes to dealing with crushes lol

6. In all my years as an Asian employee, I have not encountered an office with a rule as silly as "no going home before the boss". As soon as the clock hits 5pm, me and my colleagues are out of the office lol Boss can take care of themself (Well, the employer WILL STILL TRY to guilt you into working overtime without pay. It's just up to you if you let them get under your skin 😅).

Also, nice of Rock to unintentionally save Achi from Karan's wild "just married" imagination.

7. Awww. Karan don't be jealous of Rock. He is just a baby 😣😣😣 Just think of Rock as your adopted son. 😅 Also, ngl, that soup with Mama OK! noodles looked good (prolly because I have not eaten any breakfast yet).

8. Aaargh! Nooo, Achi also took Rock to that secret breakfast place. No wonder Karan is dying of jealousy. 🙃

9. No, Min. Jinta is not embrassed to be seen with you. But he will prolly die swooning at the back of your motorbike on the way to Achi's office 😂😂😂

10. I had it with these mind-reading bffs 😂😂😂 Karan's imagination was running wild with all the touching Jinta and Achi were doing whilst having conversation about what is the acceptable amount of "handsy" can Jinta get away with Min 😂😂😂

11. Oh? Rock and Min were in that disbanded crew? I have not looked at that photo from Rock's phone properly.

12. Ah, Rock, that's an immature thing to do. It's only natural to be scared and want a more stable professional life. But you should have talked it out with your friends properly - not just ghost them. At least, Pai has the right idea 😁

13. So, Min and Rock's song is the Mama OK ad (originally sung by KristSingto, OffGun, and BrightWin)??? Lol I know Pai's character is supposed to be aroace, but I have been a SingJan shipper since forever so forgive me if I get a bit excited with how things are going lol

Oh my. Karan finally confessed his feelings to Achi!!! Also, hello there, P'Lookwa (Fourth's mum in MSP and MLC). And in next episode we're going to finally see what made Karan fall for Achi in the first place 😊

[gingerylangylang1979]

Why Is Sydney “Too Young” for Carmy?

I keep seeing this brought up across many platforms and I’m confused. 

1. We don’t know how old these characters are supposed to be. We just don’t. The original script had Carmy as 25 and I believe Sydney was 35. Tina was also a man named Tito. Changes were made but we don’t know what the current ages are and why those changes were made which brings up many questions. Things that make you go, hmmm.

2. If our closest educated guess is the actor’s actual ages and we assume Carmy is 31 and Sydney is 26 is that a “huge age gap” as I keep seeing people say? When did a five year age difference become scandalous between legal adults? Most women prefer a man a few years older because it usually means more maturity. And men do tend to prefer a woman a few years younger because they are generally (don’t come for me I know it’s not everyone, but it’s the norm) attracted to youth. When I was 24 I was dating a 29 year old. He did not seem too old for me. Recently, I’ve dated men up to 12 years older than me. Currently, I prefer a five year difference either way because that seems to be the most familiar to me. 

So yeah, why is possibly a five year gap suddenly bizarre. Seems like an artificial hangup. Side note, I never see people balk at this age difference between Sydney and Marcus (Lionel is also 31) and sometimes, but rarely, when people mention Sydney and Richie where there is an obviously bigger gap. So what is it about her with Carmy that is age inappropriate?

3. Is it just because Ayo looks young? As a 42 year old petite dark skinned Black woman, I look extremely young for my age. I regularly get hit on by twenty somethings that think we are peers or much older men who think I’m super young. Does this mean who is actually appropriate for me to date should change because I look really young? This bothers me in my own dating life (men my own age range don’t think I’m in theirs) but to see it influence how people perceive a character’s sexuality and prospects is interesting and a bit reductive. Looks are looks but the truth don’t lie. 

But to be really controversial, so what if her looking young is a thing? In my fic I kind of play around with her looking young as being sexy, because hey it is a thing, she’s legal, it can be a subconscious appeal there. Who cares? As long as Carmy isn’t a pedophile why can’t a youthful appearance be attractive? It’s human nature and she’s kind of adorable. Does she need to look “grown” to be a suitable mate for him?

4. Why do people think Sydney is a teenager? I also keep seeing this and I’m like, are we watching the same show? Do teenagers go to the CIA, work for UPS, and have catering businesses? She even mentioned having her own place at one point and having a credit score. I’m confuzzled. 

5. Do people really think Carmy looks that damn old? I think he looks his age or not depending on the scene. In the pilot I think he looks the oldest. I kind of think this is on purpose. Notice he has the biggest eye bags, the wildest hair, etc. in that episode. It’s before Sydney shows up. He’s the most frazzled and then this perky fresh eyed girl appears and he’s stunned. Like why is she in this hell hole? I think this was on purpose. but throughout the rest of the season sometimes he looks like a kid, definitely like a little brother, and sometimes he looks like he’s at the end of the road and could have a coronary. But he still never looks “old”, maybe just run ragged and overly tired. 

Anyways, just me rambling. I would love to hear thoughts. I just think of all of the reasons one may not want to see them together Sydney being “too young” is weak sauce and fake news. 

Bonus: I think a relationship with Carmy would help her mature and get “grown”. I have no problem with that and think it’s actually kind of hot. 

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

Weekend WIP Game

Thank you for tagging me, @rmd-writes and @thisbuildinghasfeelings!

I know I am very late to this, but it is still technically the weekend here in the Pacific time zone, so here we go. I'll be using the questions for Artists/GIF makers. (There are also questions for writers in @welcometololaland's original post!)

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only work on one project at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

1. WIP List:

I am so afraid to see these all written out in a way where I can count them. [deep breath] This is a rather mixed-up list of gif sets for 911 Lone Star, Schitt's Creek, and The X-Files. Also, since they're gif sets, they don't really have titles, just nicknames:

husbands fancy dinner lizard arc kisses quotes of devotion come rain or come shine spin instructors flashbacks yes way meet the parents until i'm okay, too pile of good things best man wedding attire tk stays capable and decent unspectacular things endless act of being loved gravity of hearts simply the best reassuring head kisses he's a jungle cat wedding behind the scenes soft light/tooms/squeeze hope is messy iris/tk arc you are good and i love you

2. Which WIP is your most complex?

Oh gosh. Anything that involves coloring of more than one scene, really. That's what slows me down. And pretty much all of these fall into that category. Which is a big part of why they're not done yet.

3. Do any of your WIPs involve you using a technique/style that you haven't used before? What inspired you to try it?

Um. Possibly? I'm not far enough along to know for sure, but I think a couple of them might involve trying out a new text treatment.

4. Which WIP do you expect will take you the longest?

I am historically a very bad judge of this. Lol. There are plenty of potential obstacles in that list. I'm afraid to jinx it/make things worse by saying anything specific.

5. Which WIP are you finding the most enjoyable to create?

The "lizard arc" set has been very enjoyable to play with. And I suspect that "he's a jungle cat" will be very fun to eventually get back to.

6. Do you have a favourite character to draw/stitch/paint/depict? Are they in many of your WIP projects?

Hmmm. Not really. I mean, I certainly tend to focus on my favorite ships, but I can't really pick a favorite from that group.

7. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

All of them. Because I am self-taught and constantly second guessing absolutely everything.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of creator's block?

I suppose so. Although It's more lack of energy or just… utter frustration that results in a WIP getting a time out.

9. Do any of your WIPs contain characters outside the main ship? How are you finding creating those?

Yeah, definitely. There are a couple on that list that focus on other relationships.

10. What emotions are you hoping to convey through your WIPs?

It varies. Some are angsty. Some are meant to be funny. But I think, in general, they are all trying to convey love.

11. Are there any features/details you are finding challenging in your WIPs?

[gestures wildly at the lighting teams on every show, thwarting my best efforts to see what's going on]

12. Which WIP has the most complex shading/colouring?

Don't know yet. All of them. Lol. I can tell you that the "fancy dinner" set has been in time out for months now. Because of lighting and coloring.

13. Which WIP has the most complex background?

Not sure this one applies to me.

14. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for?

Oh, I really don't know. My opinions here change all the time.

15. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

I normally do not remember my dreams. But very recently, I dreamt that I had finished one of those sets. I was very disappointed to wake up and realize it wasn't true.

16. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other art doesn't?

Hmm, I don't think so.

17. Are any of your WIPs commissions?

No, but some of them are friendly requests or things that came about from chatting here on tumblr.

18. Do you have a character that is more difficult to draw/stitch/paint/depict? Are they in many of your WIP projects?

I'm going to go with Patrick Brewer. That boy's face just… goes nuclear bright whenever I try to brighten a scene overall. There are a lot of rather pale characters on that show, but they take pretty well to coloring/brightening. He does not.

19. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Um. Some items have been on that list for years. They're not abandoned, I promise. I am just not in charge of the creative process.

Since it is barely the weekend for me anymore (and no longer the weekend for many of you), please consider this an open tag!! If you'd like to play along, go for it. Even if the weekend has passed you by.

[groundzero-v]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Thank you @gracelesslady23 for tagging me! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 8 (one is still waiting to be revealed in the prongsfoot fest!)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

121,775 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter, and then mostly barely known fandoms haha (I have a soft spot for rareships), I'm thinking about writing for svss or mdzs too though

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

I don't wanna listen anymore - prongsfoot, multi-chapter, misunderstandings

Ad Infinitum - cyberpunk game, one-shot

Rising over dying flames - bnha gen fic, percy jackson au, two shot

Kintsugi - prongsfoot, multi-chapter

Marauder's Guide to Saving the Wizarding World - prongsfoot longfic, current wip, Marauders fight Voldemort AU, Triwizard Tournament arc, overload of pining, Marauder banter

5. Do you respond to comments?

Absolutely! I really treasure nice comments and re-read them often. They are very special to me. I try to always reply, even when the comment is only a word, but sometimes responding takes me some time

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angty endings haha. I'm a very happy ending oriented person, I like my angst only before the very end. So angstiest? Probably nothing

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them! But so far probably the unrevealed prongsfoot festa fic

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I got some slightly weird comments but so far (thankfully) not any outright hate. I'm very lucky that people in the prongsfoot fandom are so incredibly nice

9. Do you write smut?

Ah, not really. I do like to read spicy fics sometimes but it depends

10. Do you write cross-overs?

It depends on the definition, I like to put characters into different universes, but the original characters of that work don't exist when I do. So it's more of an Alternate universe!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hopefully not? I'm afraid to know, but I don't think my fics are popular enough to be stolen haha. (Whoever steals fics should be deeply ashamed though!)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Once so far, to russian

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't, I imagine it's really difficult, but it could be a lot of fun as well

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Prongsfoot!

I fell in love with them a long time ago and I really love writing or reading about them. The characters feel so comforting to me and I love the intensity and devotion they have for each other.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

I currently have only one real WIP published, the Marauder's Guide. For me its really easy for self-doubt to set in when writing long fics so it becomes harder and harder to push myself to write next chapter after not picking it up for a while. But I really want to finish it. I think it will take a long time but I will do it! Hopefully?

So I suppose the answer is my wip for the Sirius Black fest. I have this great idea in my head, but when I try to put it to page it sounds so bad it makes me lose motivation. We will see if I can push through haha (It's prongsfoot by the way because of course it is).

16. What are your writing strenghts?

I saw banter mentioned a lot in comments so probably that! I really like writing dialogues between the Marauders and especially James and Sirius. I also really like adding in tiny character or worldbuilding details

17. What are you writing weaknesses?

Description definitely. Pacing too, especially in the first drafts. Actions during dialogues maybe? I sometimes struggle to describe who is doing what to show exactly what I have in my head. The biggest problem is definitely endings though. I always rush them :(

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

Overall I don't add another language to my fics. I never know how much to translate, how much time spend with it and so on, so I use it very very little.

Technically though, English is my second language, so I'm always writing in a different language haha.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter! I think it was Prongsfoot as well

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

I think I tend to like my newer works because the older ones make me embarrassed by their writing haha. So probably Marauder's Guide! It's an idea very dear to my heart, even if it's not perfect in the slightest

Tagging @plecotusauritus @padfootastic @roalinda (no pressure!)

[romaine2424]

Daily Blog July 12, 2023

Wish I could wrap up so many of you and bring you to Seattle this weekend. My sis' town in NoCal is supposed to be 112F (44.4C) degrees and my son's town in SoCal 105F (40.5). Not even getting into my cousins in Las Vegas where it's going to push 117F (47.2C). And yes the south has been suffering for weeks on end. Crazy! I lived in an old brick apt in Chicago a long time ago that didn't have A/C. Its where I learned about soaking in a cool bath and then laying on the bed with a fan on to dry off. Rinse and repeat. Be safe!

What I'm reading:

So last time I mentioned I would be reading Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (AO3). I'm on chapter 17! However, I quickly realized, I've read it before. It must have been two years ago, I think. Definitely worth a second read. Draco joins the trio on the Horcrux hunt. It's always fun for me when an author is talented enough to manipulate canon with inserts of another character into the scenes and it works! Alizarincrims0n certainly has that talent!

I also read the posting for today's @drarrydisabilityfest, Like Father, Like Son (5.6K) by @ladderofyears. Summary: During Scorpius's autism diagnosis, Harry begins to understand that he might be autistic too.

My thoughts:

I'm always amazed when so much can be packed into a short fic. I adored this slice of life story with Harry and Draco sitting in Madam Rosemary's office with Scorpius off playing in the corner, while getting told his diagnosis. Little bells start going off as the Healer speaks. Draco is lovely as the parent who dives into all research available, which is mainly Muggle. And his reflection back on his family is a Wow! Harry is sitting there in denial because Scorpius is perfect...which he is. @ladderofyears presents the diagnosis and how it was made with examples so beautifully. Never preachy. And last thing I'll say is I just loved the name of Scorpius' preschool: Green Toadstool Nursery. Definitely a Rec!

Like Father, Like Son on AO3

Interesting Tumblr Posts:

So during the AO3 DDOS problem, @lee-bella posted Non AO3 HP Masterlists. Wow! what a treasure load. The fests were hosted on Dreamwidth and/or LiveJournal. What attracted my attention immediately was down at the end were two older Masterlist directories on Livejournal. What was exciting for me was that these were the original postings with comments on these fics. So many have been re-posted on AO3 at a later time, but the originals capture the excitement of the fests. If you dig around, you'll notice that commenting while usually very high, can also contain concrit. I have my share of burns on there. *ouch*. What you can also find is some fics from deleted authors that still exist in the fest community postings. Here's the links. And thank you @lee-bella for this post!!! HP Masterlist from 2002-2017. And my fav! Guns&Handcuffs Drarry Fests and Challenges 2004-2015. Wasn't surprised at all to see @vaysh11 was responsible for this. Dig deep into the fests but also note the other links on the Home Page and the text before the masterlists, which gives other fascinating links.

Other TidBits:

I made an ask on a Discord Server for what the ship name was for Harry/Daphne. I was so uninspired when Haphne came back as the answer. I was hoping for something like DaphPot or HarDaph. GreenPot would have been good but there's Astoria, too. Hmm PotDGreen!!! *snicker*

Oh, Rom is sad, sad, sad. After posting on here last time that I'm in desperate need of a beta for my long arse WIP, I then asked on the two big Discord servers for H/D and for HP Writers. No response. Zero. nadda. Just so you know, I'll continue writing this fic and start begging more. Most of those Scorching comments I mentioned that I received way back then was for lack of a good betaing. I have scars...deep scars. Anyone use Grammarly? it has a 30 day limit for 150K.

Happy Wednesday!

Rom

[arxxq]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚୨⎯ "what is the true definition of love?" ⎯୧༊*·˚

≡;- ꒰ °Collaboration with @asukasjinji ꒱ 

explaination: originally we were going to do the enemies to lovers thing but bcs all ideas have vanished we discussed it again and have decided to do prompts instead for characters we write. there are about 30 prompts list down. none of them were my ideas and there were mostly found on pinterest so credits to the actual owners of the prompts.

☄. *. ⋆List of prompts: 

1. “You talk alot in your sleep..do you love me that much?”

2. “You're cute when you smile, you should smile often”

3. “The sunset is beautiful don't you think?” (Angst)

4. “Yeah yeah you're cute now stop smiling at me like that”

5. “Trust me I'll be right here the whole time”

6. “Should I just stop talking?” | “don't, your voice is very soothing”

7. “I don't really know how to dance” | “it's never too late to learn”

8. “You're an idiot” [insert fond smile]

9. “You're a menace and you almost died back there if it wasn't for me”

10. “You could punch me and I'll still love you not gonna lie,"

11. “Be mine” | “is that a line from the book you're reading...?”

12. “I'm not that jealous type but what's mine is mine.”

13. “Whoever has a problem with us can come fight me”

14. “You're such a pain in the ass, both of literally and metaphorically”

15. “This reminded me of you..”

16. “Thank you” | “for what?” | “for coming into my life”

17. “I hope you know by now you mean the world to me”

18. “Do you ever wonder if we ever met in another lifetime?”

19. “Don't just leave me here!” | “who says I am?”

20. “Have you ever seen something prettier than this?!” | “yeah, you”

21. “Have you seen my hoodie?” | “Noo” | “you're wearing it aren't you?”

22. “Are you flirting with me?” | “you finally noticed?”

23. “Am i your lockscreen?” | “you weren't supposed to see that.”

24. “Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?”

25. “If I do it you have to promise to kiss me”

26. “I think it's cute you need help to reach that”

27. “Are you planning to stay glued by my side the whole day?”

28. “You snuck into my room, at 4am...to cuddle?”

29. “We're in the middle of a thunderstorm and you want to stop and feel the rain?”

30. “I can't believe you talked me out of this...”

Rules: you may request a character along with the prompt number above and please make sure its in full detail so we are able to understand what you plan to request. please choose a character we might be able to write so there won’t be any complications.

I write for bllk characters and genshin impact and from what I've observed asukasjinji writes for bllk and jujutsu kaisen bcs I have seen some jujutsu kaisen works they have written before but just to be sure you may ask them again.

I might also write for tokyo revengers just don't know yet who i can write? (Can't wait for s2)

Reblogs are highly appreciated!!

[wouldntyou-liketoknow]

Right back at you, buddy! 3, 5, 12, 13, and 19 for the behind-the-scenes ask game :D

~ @sammys-magical-au 🫶

(Thank you, Sammy~ 😊😊😊)

3 — Do you write fics from start to finish, or jump around?

When I officially started writing fanfics, I mainly jumped around with the plot until I was satisfied with how things went in the story. And that was years and years ago. More recently, I decided to try writing from start to finish, and honestly. . .I see it as sort of a bad habit? That's not to say it can't work for other writers, but it just seems to slow me down. So, I'm trying to unlearn it and go back to my old tricks.

Like, I tend to think of climax scenes first. You know, the really dramatic/important stuff because, well, it's dramatic/important. I feel that once I get those particular details out of the way, it'll be easier for me to write other stuff around it until the story is full. Plus, that type of format allows for random ideas to pop up and potentially make things even better.

5 — What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

Typically somewhere quiet with no distractions. I take meds for my autism and ADD, but I can still be tempted to focus on other things, thus procrastinating my stories. I don't like to, it just happens, and I'm still working on it.

When the weather is nice, I love riding my bike over to the library and just writing there for a few hours (so long as some disruptive asshole doesn't waltz into the areas that are CLEARLY MARKED FOR SILENT STUDY. It happens more frequently than I care to admit, but oh well. Not the end of the world).

But if I'm really focused/dedicated to the story at hand, then I can write pretty much anywhere. Just a year ago, I tagged along on a family vacation and seriously surprised myself via writing a full story for Goretober 2023 during the several-hour-long car ride. And I didn't feel carsick once, which was practically a miracle. I'd brought one of the cool-looking notebooks I'd collected on a whim, as well as a pencil and a lap-desk thing. I totally covered the entire backseat with eraser shavings, but it was worth it!

12 — Is there a trope you haven't written yet but really want to?

Hard to say; I've written with tons of tropes—I've definitely done so without even meaning to. If you've read my stuff, then it's probably very obvious which tropes are my personal favorites, but I still try to be open to new ones.

I suppose I haven't written Talking Animals, since the stories I've been focused on are somewhat set in reality (fictional, but not Fantasy, you know?). But I always loved seeing that when I was a kid. Since a lot of my fanegos have pets, perhaps I could write a snippet from said pets' perspective? I know it technically wouldn't count as them talking, but it'd be pretty close, right?

13 — Is there a trope you wouldn't write if it was the last trope on Earth?

It's a tie between two tropes, actually: Minority Character Dies First, and The Pure and The Promiscuous.

The former is completely stupid and racist/ableist/etc., and I don't understand how or why it's still being used in some movies or books today.

The latter is more complex, since it's typically used in romantic scenarios, which I don't write very often anyway. But I still hate it because it just seems insulting to the characters. Like, I can understand the appeal of having one character teach things to an inexperienced character, but the way I've seen it handled almost always leads to the character on the receiving end being infantilized or dumbed-down. Which is bullshit, because the character deserves more depth and thought than that!

19 — Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

Maybe this is obvious, but fanegos are the easiest for me to write! True, sometimes I struggle a bit, since I want to have a balance of originality and a clear tie to the content-creator the fanego was inspired by. But otherwise, I make the rules. Canon egos also aren't too tricky for me to write; I feel like I'm pretty decent at learning/feeling a character's quirks to make that character seem authentic in fanfic settings.

One thing that's undeniably difficult for me to write is reader-inserts. No shame to those who have requested reader-insert fics from me, because I love engaging with people on here. The problem I have with it just seems to be my own self-consciousness. You already know why I tend to avoid shipping in fanfics, and I guess that also counts as a factor.

[Ask Game]