#I wanted this to be like a reverse and they found they lived the adventures

[noblesknightsandswords]

The amnesia AU but different. Where the MC got amnesia and can't remember their life or a section of it, and asks their friends (or the people they think are their friends) but they're like, you're mysterious and you kind of keep to yourself about your life outside of when we go drink/hangout (smth like that) and these friends fully believe the MC is super mysterious bc they're secretly an assassin, or an adventurer or something like that, bc they Have to be, they're so mysterious there's no way they're not. And they're like, yeah! Maybe doing something crazy adventurous will help bring back some memories bc we are positive that's what you do all the time. So then MC & Co go on some grand adventure, and towards the end, the MC is gets their memory back, either random or maybe they're just sitting there quietly eating breakfast and BAM. They get their memory back. They lived a very quiet, comfortable like, and they were happy with that, but a little embarrassed, (OR! Even better! They loved their life but they were just private, so they didn't care to mention it and they had no idea they were "mysterious") so they never mentioned it. So they had that nice big adventure with their friends, but now they remember that they prefer the quiet times, and maybe they like adventures a little more now, but they're still perfectly fine baking bread and reading books, or small things like that. MC is content.

And maybe maybe maybe. There's the "we weren't dating before but you don't remember that so I'm lying to you" and when MC gets the memories back, they kick that fucker to the curb bc no that's not real love if it was built on lies, no way it's a relationship built on smth fake, how can the MC trust them then. Please. That trope always feels so gross, if ur gonna use it, make the character strong, don't love the lie, it's a facade and it's rlly just the liar on a pedestal.

[kiyaar]

Possessed by Light: An AI Tony Exchange CREATOR REVEALS!

POSSESSED BY LIGHT: An AI (Steve)Tony Exchange has come to a close! Thank you to our creators, our cheerleaders, and our esteemed pinch hitter. Here is a masterlist of 13 delicious works (4 art, 9 fic) featuring our sad blue boy. This exchange was designed to generate more comics SteveTony works, so most works feature 616, but we do have 2 Noir works and 1 Ults work! We hope you enjoy this feast and please remember to show your chefs some love in the comments! Works under the cut:

art: Ballet Aérien by @oluka for @tinystark616

Tags: superior iron man, digital art Summary: SIM has taken an interest to AI Tony.

art: PbL: Dissonant Messages by @somekindofsheepl for @mserm

Tags: hydra steve rogers, hurt no comfort, tentacles, sharing a bed, these tags are a mess Summary: Tony has a little bit of a headache. Don't worry about it, everything is fine.

art: artificial intelligence out of time by kenobleeaaarrrgghh for @ayapandagirl

Tags: alternate universe, role reversal Summary: my fill for the AI tony exchange! for the prompt: [noir universe]'s version of AI tony

art: "Error 1610 File not Found" and "Wired to Obey"  by badworldgood for @somekindofsheepl

Tags: Possessive Steve Rogers, Creepy Victor von Doom, Victor von Doom Being an Asshole, Cancer, Angst, Fanart , Ultimates, 616 Summary: UltsTony saves himself from the brain cancer by becoming an AI...or so they think. File corruption becomes an issue / AI Tony ends up in a damaged Doombot. Doom may grow attached, Steve is not happy once he finds out.

fic: no happy endings by @mserm for @kiyaar (8.8k)

Tags: choose your own adventure, POV second person, unhappy ending, everything feels wrong and nobody is ok Summary: AI Tony's greatest fear is that he'll be replaced by flesh-and-blood Tony. What will he do to stop it? That's for you to decide.

fic: hold me (like it's the last time) by @tinystark616 for @ralsbecket (3.8k)

Tags: hydra steve rogers, pining, angst with a happy ending, getting together, fix it, I mean first I made it worse and then I fixed it, sad AI tony, alternate universe - canon divergence Summary: Hydra Cap attempts to convince AI Tony to stay with him with promises to make Tony real. Tony wants to be real, but he wants the real Steve back even more.

fic: You don't have to be a ghost here amongst the living by @ayapandagirl for badworldgood (3.2k)

Tags: secret empire, existential crisis, transhumanism, artist steve rogers, modeling, timeline what timeline, AU - canon divergence Summary: AI Tony Stark struggles with identity and Steve offers a novel approach to the problem: modeling.

fic: Imagine Being Loved by Me by @ralsbecket for @rowantreeisme (2.5k)

Tags: established relationship, touch-starved, frottage, pining, references to depression, implied/referenced alcohol abuse, angst, hurt/comfort, ambiguous/open ending Summary: He lifts his hand, fingers hovering just over the slope of Tony’s nose and side of his cheek, blue light washing over it. There’s a hesitation there, in Steve’s eyes, as he inquires, “Can I touch you, or…?” Tony can guess what Steve doesn’t have the heart to finish: Can I touch you, or will I pass through you like you were nothing?

fic: body and mind and sun by @dirigibleplumbing for @oluka (5.2k)

Tags: secret empire, hydra steve rogers, AI tony stark, AU - canon divergence, transhumanism, body horror, body modification, angst, dark, forced intimacy, ambiguous/open ending Summary: Steve's engineering team insists that learning Stark's secrets is a waste of time. What can he offer Steve that they can't? Hydra has a spy in the resistance. They are on their way to completing the Cube. What more could he want?  He wants Tony.

fic: do iron men dream of warm flesh? by ves.larkinson for @dirigibleplumbing (21.1k)

Tags: Transhumanism, Comic Book Science, Getting Together, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel, action/adventure elements, Coming of Age as an AI, Attempt at Humor, Philosophy, Existentialism, Time bullets, Identity Disability (sort of), tony is de-coma'd just before steve is de-HYDRA'd, Queer Themes, Civil War, Amnesia, Guilt, Betrayal, Post-Marvel Comic Event: Dark Reign (2008), Post-Marvel Comic Event: Secret Empire (2017) Summary: The artificial intelligence called Tony Stark is in it way over his head. The “real” Tony Stark is isolating himself, trying to ignore his part in the Civil War and the Dark Reign that followed it; and Steve is falling into guilt over his part in the Secret Empire. Tony has no history, and his human counterpart has too much. Somewhere between them, there might be a way forwards—for all three of the men in this shitshow.

fic: fate, commitment by @rowantreeisme for kenobleeaaarrrgghh (40.5k)

Tags: Edwin Jarvis, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, World War II, Comic: Iron Man Noir (2010), Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Angst, Hopeful Ending, Nazi Germany, Pre-Slash, Time Travel, Espionage, Canon-Typical Body Horror Summary: Cell fate commitment: the process through which a stem cell becomes committed to it's final state, and the means through which this is determined through genetics and molecular signalling.

fic: Similitude by @winnifredburkle for ves.larkinson (1.5k)

Tags: BDSM, armor kink, dubious consent, selfcest Summary: Tony gives AI Tony control of an Iron Man suit. For sex purposes. It doesn't quite go how he expected.

fic: Eidolon by @kiyaar for @starvels (22.9k)

Tags: established relationship, threesome - f/m/m, intellectual strap sucking, a dead celestial is sometimes a home, consent issues cockwarming, electroplay, secret empire, civil war II, canon compliant, angst, alcoholism, wistful flesh hunger, transhumanism, not-a-fixit, unfixit Summary: "What if we fucked," Carol says, "and we also fucked Steve." "I don't know if I can take that kind of rejection right now," Tony says.

You can view all of the works in the Ao3 collection here. You can join the endless AI Tony conversation in the 616 Steve/Tony discord here. And, as always - you can thank your creators by circulating their work and leaving comments and kudos on ao3!

[shinystarfishmoon]

letter to you by your heigher self

Hi everyone welcome back to my new pac💗

I initially thought of making this about your grey side but thought my reading lately were getting too much into improving yourself and grey side.. I mean what about self love?so here We are ☺️

Also I am posting this pac Just 2 days before my College stats.. so it will take a while for other pac to come 😶‍🌫️

You can choose from the above animation of Jennie left to right . Take deep breaths and choose the plie.. ✨✨

if you like this reading follow and reblog for more such reading 💗

Non of this animation are mine . I found them on printrest

Plie 1

Welcome to your reading plie no 1 🐥

Cards: queen of coins, the fool, 5 of cups, 8of wands ,king of Wands , the world ,4 of cups

Letter 💌

Hi sweetheart

I am your heigher self talking to you,.. I have so much to say but will start with compliments that I want to give you ... My dear your are such a good leader, it's admirable how you are really good at not only seeing how things benefits you but also considering about how they can benefit others . Your Practical approach towards the goals you have for future is admirable. But you need to understand that working is not only way that you are gonna grow sometimes you need to be having fun and enjoying your life because we may think that is not the last time that we are going to have fun or we there will be another times that we could have fun but I think that you need to start to live in the present I love that your working for your future but honey you need need to go out and need to have fun you need to be like a fool who loves life and is adventurous don't let don't play let the curiosity of a child that you have inside your heart die. You have came so far and when you look behind you will see that you have given given up so much for the things and the goals that you have for yourself at the end of the day you are making it work out but you need to know that balance is the key for healthy life and you may sometimes feel trapped because of the the overload of the work that you are doing I know you love work and you are practical about it but you need to go out and have fun touch some grass, and not always be on the laptop working . Do not feel that you are onworthy of all the things are the blessings coming your way because you have done the work you are doing the work and you are putting the effort that it needs to manifest your dreams and they are going to come true.. you need to exercise or at least to yoga or stretch your body wake up early because the bad habits of staying up all night and and not doing exercise are not good for yourself in your health so drop that bad habits girlll . Love yourself have self-care days . 💌💗

Messages: You are always loved and supported

Thats all that I have for you plie 1💗

Welcome to plie 2😺

Cards: judgment, chalices, the express, the hanged man (in reversed) 2 of coins king of wands, strength

Letters 💌

Hello there.. you have come so far facing all the hurdles on your way and you are still afraid what are you afraid about? The thing in the past happened with you they were not something small you went through that and you still fine . What makes you think that the obstacles in future will terrify you or you are not going to make through them ? You need to love yourself to find someone who truly loves you it's not only about romantic relationships that you will be having in the future but it's also about the friendship that you are going to make , if you are not loving yourself enough you are not secure enough in yourself that will project in you manifesting people who are insecure and in you manifesting the same experience that you did in the past. You need to heal yourself and fill up your own Cup before you even start to look for love or friendship in others you need to be your friend and your lover first to find that in another people .Its not just about being loved but it's also about being able to love yourself. You need to be kind to yourself you need to say good things about yourself you need to say the things that you want to hear from your love from your friends why do you need other people to compliment you you can compliment yourself it's not crazy many people do compliment themselves and its not crazy you are not crazy!!. You are scared of changes but you still know that changes are important for you you know that changes are important for you and your still afraid of them your afraid of change is because you don't know what it brings with them you don't you are afraid of the unknown you don't have to be afraid of the changes girl it can be very beautiful why always think about the worst . focus on the good things that can happen with changes. You need to balance your life you need to find balance between being extra giving and saving it for yourself saving doesn't mean that you are being greedy doesn't mean that you are selfish no. Think about yourself before you think about others it's fine it's not selfish you this is you just balancing your life because you are a person who will think about others before you think about yourself and I really want you to think about yourself first . I want you to put yourself first and . All this will require a lot of strength and courage and I know that you have that in yourself I know you can do this I know you have that courage and strength to handle changes . Change is not always bad.

Messages

You are worthy or being loved, love yourself first, balance,change is good,

Thats all I have for you plie 2

Hello plie 3

Cards: king of swords, queen of swords,9 of cups, Queen of wands, the emperor, 4 of swords , Queen of cups

Hi There ...so much I want to say to you right now lets get to the most imp thing first.. Stop letting people walk all over you !!!! Stand up for yoursel . if people think that it is rude of you to stand up for yourself let them think that you are rude but you need to stand up for yourself and not let people that are rude that are hurting you emotionally get away with that you need to be bluntly honest and if it's hurting someone's feelings that is none of your business they should not be rude to you when you are being so kind to them speak for yourself . You have work so hard and achieved many of you goals and you should be celebrating do not let people who are not kind to you ruin your celebrations because you have works so hard for all that you have achieved do not let them walk all over you because you deserve to be appreciated and you deserve to be successful. Successful Peoples speak up for themselves stand for themselves and do not take anybody is crap . You are really creative person who has lot of ideas and lot of things that they want to do in their life but for you to even start something you need to stand up for yourself you need to speak for yourself because without that you cannot even interact with people. In future you are going to be at many leadership roles and that's why you need this quality to make your life easier it's always nights to be a little bit rude when you are bluntly honest then to lie and be nice. We get aware of the things and the people around p around you because not all people are nice summer bluntly manipulative and not nice rude you need to have the ability to see through people's intention. And the last thing that I want to tell you is that you are doing so much and its working for you attend of they everything will be worth it but you also need to rest yourself heel yourself and do some kinds of like activities that help you dress or therapy to you it can be anything just get back into your hobbies rest for a while rest is very important. ✨💌

Messages:

Speak up.! Be honest

That's all that I have for you plie 3 💗

Thank you so much for reading 🐥🐥

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 48 – Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

I will be honest, I read this book because it was nominated for a Hugo award and I have a mildly masochistic personal commitment to read every nominee I can (and so remain at least slightly aware of the genre at large). Otherwise, I’m quite certain I never would have touched it – everything about the pitch and marketing made it seem like something I would hate. I’ll try to be fair and approach the book on its own terms but, well it wasn’t exactly painful I wouldn’t say my initial impression was wrong either.

The book follows Viv, an orcish adventurer in a generic D&D fantasy sort of world, as she decides to retire from the dungeon-delving/monster-slaying game with her last big score – a magical stone that, when buried, is supposed to bring ‘the ring of fortune’ to whatever you do above it. She opens the city’s first and only coffee shop. The book follows her collecting a cast of lovable misfit friends/employees (Calamity the hobgoblin carpenter, Tandri the succubus barista/eventual love interest, Thimble the ratfolk baking savant, a bard whose name I’m blanking on, Amity the dire shop cat/security) as they run the business and develop it into what by complete coincidence will end up looking very familiar to the a cute quirky modern indie coffeeshop. There is theoretically some conflict happening, first with the local mob boss and then with one of Viv’s old adventuring companions, but they both feel pretty perfunctory and like they’re only included out of a sense of obligation.

The actual meat of the book is basically focused on Viv instantly becoming fast friends with all her employees/coworkers and how endearing they are, and also the step-by-step of the coffeeshop's development. First in renovating the property into her vision, then in the branding and marketing, and then the gradual addition of menu items and live music. Through it all Viv and Tandri have a developing romance that (rather appropriately) feels like a coffeeshop AU fanfic where the author decided the slowburn tag meant ‘every other character will just assume they’re already dating by the halfway point but they’ll act like flustered teenagers and refuse to actually discuss their feelings until they kiss on the literal last page’.

So, the book is ‘cozy fantasy’ which as far as I’m aware does basically means ‘no tension slice of life fanfic but with original characters’ (alternatively, ‘2000s ‘cute girls doing cute things’ anime but with a moderately more diverse cast and in sf/f book form’). The only other books in the genre I’ve read are Becky Chambers’ stuff which, while I didn’t particularly love them, I now feel I was being way too harsh on. Those have legitimately impressive worldbuilding and coherent themes and at least gestures at real compelling character arcs and dilemmas. This, well, what you see is what you get? Like, there’s zero false marketing, the entire book is entirely dedicated to hitting the exact broad emotional beats you would expect it to. There’s not really any interest in the world beyond the cafe, it is in fact a plot point that Viv attracts a found family she clicks perfectly with and their relationships are all uniformly positive, and there is exactly one point where she suffers any sort of real reversal – which lasts for about five pages before everyone comes together and rebuilds things even better than ever. There is a wizened gnome whose clearly living time backwards who takes the time to pat Viv on the should and reassure her that everything turns out alright, in about as many words. There's clearly a market for this, and I am not it.

Morality in the book is basically synonymous with niceness. If someone is friendly or at least polite to Viv then even if they seem like an obvious problem in the end they’ll turn out to have their heart in the right place and only want the best – as, for example, the local crime boss proves to be a nice old lady who accepts an order of cinnamon buns every week as ‘protection money’ and donates several shipments of materials to rebuilding the place without any expectation of payment or stake in return. The only two characters in the book who are rude assholes to someone in the cafe are also coincidentally the only real villains there are.

All of this is stuff that on some level I more or less expected opening into the book. The thing that actually disappointed me is that this fluffy book about opening a coffee shop doesn’t actually care about coffee. If you’re going to make it the centrepiece of your whole book, I expect some exultation and appreciation of the stuff! Give me self-indulgent passages going into detail about the smell and taste and smell and experience of it. Make me put down the thing actually craving a latte!

But the book’s mostly interested in the, like, trappings and signifiers associated with a cafe, not (despite Viv’s theoretical obsession with it) the actual coffee. This feels like a point that generalizes. (There actually is a decent amount of detail spent on the baked goods their genius baker invents, which just makes the lack feel stranger.)

As an aside, and I know this is very clearly not a book that expects you to care about the worldbuilding, but it’s kind of strange that coffee is presented as this new exotic novelty to a vaguely European fantasy metropolis that is explicitly already familiar and comfortable with tea? Like obviously the historical analogues aren’t worth getting into – Viv is creating a cute neighberhood coffeehouse by a college campus, no a 17th century Venetian cafe – but it’s not the first place I’ve seen the same portrayal of the two drinks and it’s, odd? Like it’s not like tea is any less foreign to Europe, or arrived particularly earlier.

But anyway, yeah, didn’t enjoy this but can’t say I was misled. It is in fact a book that you can entirely judge by its cover and not be surprised one bit.

[redrobin-detective]

Simon and Betty Roles and Relationships

So I watched the F&C finale and I, personally, loved it to bits but I can see some early rumblings of dissatisfaction. I can't say I got everything I wanted more Simon and Marcy dammit but I felt everyone's arcs resolved well. Especially Simon and Betty's. Allow me to ramble at length.

What really became clear to me in episode 9 is how much F&C Simon and Betty's relationship is a complete role reversal of their AT selves/relationship.

In both cases, you had one who was - through their own conscious actions - cursed to a non-human existence where they didn't have complete control of their thoughts or actions. They are separated from all their loved ones, including their True Love, and given relatively little agency in their own story.

And then you had the other, who watched their love become this non-human entity where they couldn't meaningfully interact. They become obsessed, consumed with saving their True Love, going as far as to ignore having a potential future in Ooo along with kidnapping and doing sketchy magic.

They got trapped in this tragic cycle of loss and insanity trying to save each other and all it did was cost their own happiness. What GOLBetty was trying to tell Simon was that they both made mistakes as humans in the past (her wrapping her entire life around Simon's to the detriment of her own desires and him for being oblivious to it and not considering her) but this cycle had to stop. They'd both made choices they regretted and the outcome wasn't what either wanted but it was the one they landed at. In e9, Simon admitted to "being sorry" for "wasting the second chance Betty gave him" because he was! He was still clinging to their doomed narrative. It was his final selfish act, to throw away the chance she gave up everything for and then force her to watch him scramble after her despite it being impossible. GOLBetty told him to break the cycle and he did.

I said earlier they made choices they regret, both as individuals and a couple but the love was real, it was true and it was now over. They will both carry that love but they cannot be together. Too many things got in the way and they would tear apart the universe trying to exist together. So Simon moved on properly, embraced this new world and life in Ooo. He devoted himself to his loved ones and made a life for himself that wasn't revolving around Betty. It was the healthiest things he could do for both of them.

As for Betty, Simon spent a thousand years as Ice King before he was freed. Some of those moments were good even if a lot of them were bad. She is a whole new type of being able to see and maybe somewhat control the chaotic forces of the universe. I imagine there are some aspects she did like. For example, how appropriate is for a woman who always made herself smaller and bent to the desires of others to be venerated as a Goddess with incredible power? There is no cure now but I like to imagine some day in the future - someone comes along and helps frees Betty from her self inflicted curse. Simon will be long gone I imagine having lived his own full life and died in peace. But now it will be Betty's turn for self discovery and a new chance at happiness.

Their story together was tragic and they both suffered greatly but a running theme of Adventure Time is that happiness is possible, you just need to find it. And for them, finding it meant letting go. I found it beautiful and sad and poignant and awful. I have other nitpicks with the finale but the resolution of their story -at least Simon's side of it - makes me feel settled. I would love to see a future installment giving Betty back her agency just like this series did for Simon.

[dartagnantt]

School of White Necromancy | Just because you're a necromancer, doesn't mean you want an army of the dead!

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! My Kickstarter is live! Support it and get rad new lycanthropes!

It's time for my theme subversion post. And today it's a necromancy wizard without the whole undead thing. Not an original concept, but I can't say I found the implementations ran into while researching this concept compelling. So I made my own. This did end up similar to my old school of medicine wizard I did a bit ago, but I guess without cure wounds.

Necromancy Savant

My version of the school savant, as explored in my enchantment revision, but necromancy this time.

Necrocratic Oath

The third feature (even though it's listed second) seems fair since it's a buff and debuff. Since this subclass opposes undead specifically, it doesn't make sense for it to be able to use animate dead, create undead, finger of death, etc… But you do get to at least raise the dead and you still get to specialise in the school's damage type while fighting undead too.

Turn Undead

As per the cleric. It's expensive spell level cost for the recharge on a 2nd level feature is because a) you also get it back on a short rest and b) it's functionally the fear spell.

Disrupt the Undying

A variation of controlling the undead which was admittedly the necromancy capstone, but this is just damage ala 1D&D destroy undead or frenzying controlled undead, with the idea that the undead just destroy each other.

Bolster the Living

This just seemed like the thesis statement of the subclass, reversing evil necromancy to aid the living. Only as useful as the strength of the necrotic damage, but this will definitely turn a fight around.

Death to Life

As will just resurrecting someone for free, but it does require the person to actually die. Fun for the whole family!

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $1 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Calls of the Grave

Otherworldly Patron: The Absolute

Martial Archetype: Knight of the Fallen Oak

Words of Power

I also have three classes, and a splatbook over on DriveThrueRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 42 - The Trial

TW: mentions of genocide, totalitarian regimes, political extremism, and alcoholism. This one gets silly after I get lost in the sauce of analysing Bonta's political structures throughout history.

He was trying to toast them but couldn't reach. That's when the Darkness began to grow within him. That's the true sad backstory of Joris.

Not the last time he's too short for a toast in canon.

"ALBUM PHOTO"

Also, I will be real, by now I am actually unironically fluent in the Astrubian alphabet (non-cursive, non-handwriting). I don't know whether to be ashamed or proud of the lengths I went to, for this blog.

I think this takes place at the same time period as episodes 26 (A Hairy Mystery) and 50 (A Deadly Charm), because during both of those he also lived in Bonta, while Lou worked in law enforcement in some way. This would place those episodes before, or slightly before, all the adventures Kerubim would have with these three guys.

We are making some real progress here, folks.

Bonta, city of good, city of justice, everyone. Nothing corrupt or evil has ever taken place in it.

And it is definitely not just as bad as Brakmar.

Yes Kerubim. There are.

"DOSSIER"

Presented without comment.

Let's ignore the yet another instance of Kerubim being an unreliable narrator, or that ticket saying "KANI LAND", and focus on more important things:

Do you think Lou utilized girl power correctly when she sentenced three men, one of whom was scammed, the other of whom was robbed, and the third of whom is literally mentally ill, to prison? Do you think it was real Bontarian justice when she accepted a bribe to reverse that decision, and then decided to put the man who gave her that bribe in jail for four months to ensure she would receive it?

People who have only watched the shows may not be aware just how canon Bonta's evil nature is, and how much of a joke and a sham its "The City of Good" name is. It hasn't been explored in the Wakfu series, — actually, on the contrary, it has been portrayed as unquestionably good, through its aid to the Sadida Kingdom, through Joris's good deeds, — while in this series, its corruption is mostly played as a joke.

But it really is an unending nightmare that keeps failing everyone within it.

From people who are forced to mold themselves into an aspirational, heroic image, by completely destroying themselves with untreated mental illnesses and alcoholism, — like Bakara, or, to a lesser degree, Kerubim,

To people caught within its intrigues, unfairly convicted or framed. Like Julith's framing, which was an inside job, perhaps by the Huppermage temple itself.

To the fucking Huppermage genocide that happened centuries after, during a civil war, which has forced the survivors to flee to an island.

To the tolerance and acceptance of nobles like Ush.

Bonta has sucked badly for 600 horrid, horrid years, and it will likely never stop sucking, because the gods who founded it also suck ass.

It's such a tar pit, it's insane.

Anyway, man I wonder if trying to fix a city for 600 years, while knowing that this city killed your parents, made your aunt an alcoholic, and then resulted in the genocide of your people, would make someone want to start, perhaps, a militant fascist dictatorship with LOTS of guns, and slavery (BUT WOKE) as well as exploitation. Because only they, all alone, with like, two other people, can fix it. With guns. Haha.

Man, my headcanons are getting more delusional by the m——

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT.

[most-canon-non-canon-ship-poll]

they are so cringe

Why Kataang is shit - a submission-based essay

Kataang - a canon het ship from the Avatar: the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra fandoms between Katara and Aang

Do you fancy your babysitter? Does she not like you back? Don't worry, if you kiss her without her consent enough times, eventually she'll come around! Throughout the show, Katara is cooks, cleans, does general chores on behalf of the group, including Aang. She is also primarily responsible for talking him down from fits of wrath (understandable fits of wrath: he's a traumatised 12 year old with godlike powers) and putting herself in harms way in order to calm him. He's also incredibly dismissive of her culture at times, and disregards her feelings when they don't align with his view of the world. SPEAKING OF WHICH he completely ignores her when she explicitely says that she does not want to talk about his feelings for her, and then kisses her without her consent (again). He not only never apologieses for this, but it is never brought up again! She just wanders over him after the battle is finished and kisses him and THAT'S THAT I GUESS?!?!?!!! THEN we get into post-canon stuff. The main cast are really out there doing the most: founding cities, ruling nations, etc... with the exception of Katara. What is Katara in the future? The Katara who was the first woman to be trained in combat-bending by the Masters of the North simply because she Would Not Shut Up until they trained her? The Katara who said she would never turn her back on people who need her? That Katara? She's a wife and mother now and that keeps her very busy. To be honest I haven't read most of the comics because they're famously awful and even Kataang fans don't like a lot of them. it's offensive when a female character exists only as a trophy for the main guy to win, but it's doubly insulting when that female character has so many layers and so much complexity, only to turn into the shiny trophy with no autonomy when she kisses the hero like some kind of awful reverse Princess and the Frog. FURTHERMORE if you look at Katara's utlisation (or lack thereof) in The Legend of Korra, she doesn't do anything!! Of the Gaang members who are still alive, she's the only one who never gets involved in the adventures, which considering that the plot of Season 1 hinges around a water-bender specific power that she has a personal connection to (and even the in the FLASHBACKS to 40 years previously she does not appear). It's very funny to me because a lot of Kataang fans will say "oh Katara did keep working as an adult, she got bloodbending banned!!" and this is brought out as that one thing she did, yet IN A WHOLE SEASON ABOUT BLOODBENDING she does absolutely nothing besides being unable to heal Korra, so that Aang's spirit has to turn up and do it for her. Then Season 2 is about the Water Tribes and involves the hostile takeover of the city in which she lives, but apparently she's not keen on getting involved in that either!! And look, I can't PROVE that this is directly linked to the ship, but it sure looks suspicious to me when taken with previous evidence. And don't even get me started on the fans holy hell. Like, it's perfectly fine to have ships with problematic elements (don't we all) but they truly will bend over BACKWARDS to say that there's nothing wrong with the ship OR the way it went down in canon and that they're the Pure and Wholesome ship, standing in opposition to the Evil Colonizing Zutaras. Even suggesting that hey, might it have been better if they'd taken some time apart to really grow as individuals and then gotten together in their twenties---instead of at 12 and 14 without ever fixing the mother/child dynamic or talking about the time he sexually assaulted her---will be met with outright hosility by certain members of the fandom.

[exilynn]

Hey, loves. I brought some HEADCANON'S from my BOOK;AU with Eddie. This is nothing more satisfying (it's all to promote my content and have some fun)

(FLIGHT OF ICARUS- LOVE'S DRAGONS

Being in a relationship with Eddie from the perspective of Flight of Icarus - Loves Dragons

🏹 It's not a good idea to talk about other guys who resemble him— Eddie is a card-carrying jealous type. He respects you, but he can't help wanting to be the only guy in your life!

🏹 The love between you two is mutual, and the passion is intense and frightening. You would die for each other. But maybe it's just a "fantasy," and you're both aware of the limits of wanting each other in your lives.

🏹 From Eddie's perspective, everything you do can excite him, just like in The Police's song Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.

🏹 You and he have a few things in common, even in music. Like your shared love for Iron Maiden, Depeche Mode, and more.

🏹 You're the center of his world, and he tries not to overdo it to avoid scaring you, but he ends up being a damn last romantic anyway.

🏹 Eddie found the same comfort in you that he has in Wayne, and he sees that as a gift after feeling like he was 'cursed' his whole life.

🏹 That time you played D&D into the early hours, he surprised you with his courage and determination. He believed in your abilities, but you definitely hooked him (forever?).

🏹 Since you write, he teases you, pestering to read your writings because he knows what they're about (erotic literature/drama).

🏹 The fights, a key point: Eddie knows he acts immaturely in some of them, but you always find a way to understand each other again despite the complexities. And those fights are "resolved" in bed, that’s it.

🏹 You "stripped" his soul and calmed the "dragons," and he couldn't be more grateful. (He lost his virginity with you.)

🏹 Despite his 'corroded' childhood and youth, Eddie gives his heart and soul to you, as if it's not much, but it would be his everything.

🏹 Not being used to affection and interest, you were the only girl who cared about his past jobs. Like when he told you, embarrassed, about working as a bartender for a while on the east side of Howling, but you looked at him as if he were your treasure, and you were the dragon that would protect him.

🏹 Eddie knows how to provoke jealousy by saying nonsense, never intending to belittle you. But he brags about his past and that damn "romantic adventures" diary.

🏹 He says stupid things like, "I'm not Kurt Cobain, but I'd kinda take a bullet for you."

🏹 Raised by women, he’s completely respectful towards all women he interacts with. And don’t worry, he’ll be there for you if you're dealing with a terrible PMS (even if it means challenging your red dragon within).

🏹 Eddie is never quite sure if you enjoy his world—I mean, you brought the comfort he never had in childhood with his dad. So he sees you as a significant attachment figure.

🏹 He knows, he just knows where to touch you if he wants to stir a mix of excitement and confusion.

🏹 Eddie loves a light BDSM game when you grab his handcuffs off the wardrobe and show him who's boss (he enjoys that role reversal).

🏹 He would show you Hot Wheels collections you used to play with and a bunch of junk he kept somewhere from the old mechanic shop where he worked with Wayne as a teenager. It's all part of the flirting, trust me.

🏹 He would joke about how you ignore him and give attention to "non-living" things, referring to "stupid devices" that don't entertain you.

🏹 He always makes sure to check on you, and if he suspects you're not okay, he'll find any excuse to cheer you up and help you shut off from your problems.

🏹 He’s a big, romantic lover, and when he’s high, he creates entire semi-intellectual debates (the perfect opportunity since he's a nerd). "The guys from Athens looked like they were wearing grandma's clothes they bought at a thrift store" (probably in a discussion about Socrates and the academy).

🏹 One of the worst things he can see is you crying, so be aware that he'll make you laugh (after you’ve sobbed and he’s hugged you tight).

🏹 The whole thing about him seeing himself as the town's (freak) because of Jason and his crew (Jason, you bastard). Eddie doesn’t feel like that anymore —the horrendous creature—since he fell in love with you and you brought emotional stability into his life.

🏹 When he runs out of creativity for songs and crumples up papers but then reconsiders because you taught him a sacred (fake, made-up by you) proverb: the "I should."

🏹 Eddie is the type of "star lover," so he’ll invite you, in the middle of the night, after you’ve bundled up, to stargaze (because he appreciates you and couldn’t be more comfortable comparing you to them).

🏹 He’s the noise guy, but he doesn’t mind spending some quiet time when he's with you. Putting on some slow music, whether to dance or just to enjoy the moment in the trailer with you.

🏹 He’d probably have a custom necklace made for you and give you his skull ring, even though he sees it as his "lucky charm."

🏹 He’s a tease, that’s the word. If you want to sit still for a while, fiddling with something that isn’t him, he’ll bug you until you pay attention (needy but mature enough to understand space).

🏹 He lightly squeezes the back of your neck when you're anxious—the neck and shoulders are the tensest parts of your body, and he knows it. Besides your restless legs, which he calms by holding them with caresses.

🏹 He loves that "hit and return" game, like when you challenge him to a silly duel.

🏹 Eddie protects you at all costs; if you have unfaithful friends, he’ll choose you over them every time. Anyone who harms your honor is no longer worthy.

🏹 If he sees someone circling you with malicious intent, he’ll pull you away from what he calls a threat to his Punk Fairy/Banshee.

🏹 He would dedicate anything to make you feel like the most badass, strong, and beautiful woman in the world… especially in his little world.

If you guys like it, I'll bring some of the best quotes he said in the book <3

[megamagimugi]

now here’s where we ✨uno reverse✨and you get a question and some praise.

What got you into the Mario fandom? And also!! Your bio says your a fan of TMNT, but which version do you like the most? The 2003 and 2012 version are pretty nostalgic to me, but I loved the 2012 one the most, their designs are personally my most favorite! ROTTMNT I know is a really good one; I started binging it last summer but never got around to finishing it :(

Now praise! I know I’ve said this in your ask for me, but I just REALLY love your art. Your redraws are on another level, you effortlessly nail the M&L style— seriously, why is it so hard for me?? I’m too perfectionist when it comes to them. 😂 I knew once I saw your drawings of Zahra’s amazing Anything for Him story that I’d be hooked. And your attention to detail is just 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾 like that water from your beach redraw I’m still not over.

And you’re always so supportive of my art, and it means more than words 🥹 especially with the anticipation of my upcoming animation, my motivation fluctuates. I want to pick up my Apple Pencil and just do it, but it’s like something holds me back. Honestly just talking about my art with people is a good source of drive for me, and you’re definitely one of the best sources of motivation ♥️ thank you for being so kind, and thank you for being you! You’re so loved 🫂

Okay, storytime it is! (This is most definitely going to be my longest answer to date; hope you don't mind).

Let me give you some background first. Unlike most people I didn't get into gaming as a little kid. My household was basically video game-free - my father wasn't into gaming, neither was my older sister and my mother was even somewhat against video games. Under these circumstances the first video game I ever played was the Sims, as my sister had a short-lived phase when she liked it. I found it incredibly boring. Sometimes I'd watch my cousins or friends play other games when I visited, but they'd never let me play xD Still, that made me realize that I enjoyed (=wanted to try) racing and action/adventure games.

At one point, when I was a little older, my still humble gaming experience led me to finally playing my first Mario game: Mario Kart. I look back at that experience fondly as I also won against my friend at the time on my first try. He wasn't particularly great at gaming either but hey, a win is a win.

Anyway, I got curious about these characters and started searching for more info, and for more games to try out. I finally got to the Super Mario Bros. series, discovering my love of 2D platformers along the way. There's a retro gaming museum in my area where you can play on old computers and systems so you bet I spent some time there playing the oldest of Mario games, which was a big step in me getting into this genre as a whole and this series in particular.

I also tend to gravitate towards brothers in media and well, Mario and Luigi are obviously brothers so I guess I got curious about their relationship and how it plays into the lore of the games. Which brought me to the Mario & Luigi RPGs, which I loved. I guess you could say I got Hooked On The Brothers™ But honestly, the carefree and fun atmosphere as well as the sort of wacky fairy tale setting were very appealing to me too.

I started slowly but surely collecting whatever Nintendo game consoles and games I could find and afford, and watching playthroughs of those I couldn't. I even played a couple fan games, such as (Mario) The Music Box - despite it being so very different from the source material LOL

And of course, the 2023 movie got me to appreciate the franchise even more and be more active in the fandom, reading more fanfics etc. Which eventually brought me here. I started reading Luigi's Escape Plan by jelly-fish-wishes and some other comics on Tumblr and the site tried to force me to register so often that I eventually gave in, annoyed. I definitely don't regret that decision though!

And look at me now, creating my own content - well, only fanart really - for this lovely fandom. And interacting more and more with other fans.

Now for the Turtles. I've been a fan since I was like 11 and first started watching the 2003 series (only the first 3 seasons were available in my country at the time, but a few years later I found the rest on YouTube). I've watched all versions other than the 1987 series and Michael Bay movies, and read some of the comics (I really love the original Mirage comics!), yet that first series still remains my favorite. My favorite animated show of all time even. You could chalk it up to nostalgia, but it's definitely more than that as nostalgia is rarely a big factor for me when it comes to genuinely enjoying things. I just really like this version of all of the major characters the most, as well as the humor, the dialogue and the action scenes (those fight choreographies were amazing tbh), and the plot overall. As well as the art style in the first 5 seasons. Sure, the show wasn't perfect due to the frequent animation mistakes and the painfully bad Japanese (the fake kanji were bad enough but the horrible pronunciation, man... the pronunciation...), but everything else more than makes up for it.

In case you're curious, overall I did enjoy the 2012 series too. Really, I enjoyed most of the Turtle media. Tbh I have a bit of a weird love-hate relationship with RotTMNT though.

And last but not least, thank you so much for your kind words! It's so interesting that some people here praise my style while it was something my old professor criticized as too generic in my digital art and animation when I was applying to college. And people like you saying I pay a lot of attention to detail when my art teachers and professors criticized me for going too abstract in my paintings and not precise enough in my drawings. It's been healing some of these old art related insecurities stashed away somewhere in my brain, ngl.

I totally get your struggle with perfectionism. It's my old frenemy that to this day rears its ugly head more often than I care to admit, especially when it comes to art. It's important to relax and do your thing anyway. I'm sure you'll make some sick animations and I'll be here cheering you on along the way. You got this, girl!

And I appreciate what you said about me at the end. If there's anyone in this world who makes me feel loved and like I'm actually worth something, it's you and other amazing people in this community. Thank you so much :))

[sixty-silver-wishes]

ranking every hyperfixation I can remember having

Fish: Since I was two years old up until like, middle school, I was obsessed with fish and sea life in general. I wanted to be a marine biologist for years. I still cry when I go to aquariums because seeing all the kids watching the fish reminds me of myself at that age. 8/10. Basic hyperfixation, but fish are still pretty cool

The American Flag: For some reason, I remember having an American flag phase in preschool. Not even having to do with America or American history or some other reason; I just thought the flag itself went hard. I can't tell you why. 2/10 because my patriotism levels are at an all time low as of now

Spin the Globe: Spin the Globe was the animated host of National Geographic's "Really Wild Animals," a series of wildlife documentaries for children. For some reason, I latched onto this guy HARD when I was in kindergarten.

I watched the ocean one every day, to the point where I memorized it and spent the whole class day writing down the script from memory (I don't understand how I didn't get my ADHD diagnosis until I was an adult). I rewatched the ocean documentary last year for some nostalgia, and I found out that Spin was REALLY FUCKING ANNOYING. I don't know what 5 year old me was thinking. 1/10.

The Wonder Pets: This was my favorite show when I was in, like, first grade. Unfortunately, that's right about the age where kids think it's cool to joke about brutally murdering children's show characters to prove how mature they are, so really liking a children's show was social suicide. The animation in Wonder Pets did slap tho. 4/10

Power Lab VBS Bible Buddies: Like I said, my hyperfixations were weird as a kid. I was raised Baptist Christian, and every year, my church held a VBS (Vacation Bible School), which for those who don't know, is basically a five-day Christian summer camp. Each day, they would hand out these figurines called "Bible Buddies," which each were supposed to represent a different lesson about the Bible. One year (I think I was in second grade?) the theme was "Power Lab," which had a science laboratory theme. These were the "Buddies" for that year:

I used to play with the figurines of these guys all the time. I can't tell you why, but I thought they were so cool. I also think I was enamored with the lightning bolt lady for some reason? Anyway I'm giving these guys a 4/10. Low score for lameness, but points for originality.

Word Girl: I was raised with PBS as a kid because I didn't have cable until maybe second grade, and I LOVED Word Girl. And I majored in English, so I think that explains a lot. The humor of that show still holds up, and I was so happy to see it made a comeback with fans last year. 8/10; would watch Word Girl again

The Future is Wild: When we finally got cable, my sister and I watched a lot of Discovery Kids. Our favorite show was The Future is Wild, which was a sort of speculative evolution sci-fi for children. These characters would go on adventures in the future and learn things about the animals that lived in environments that had been altered due to global events, and I really liked all the creatures, especially the "Ocean Phantom." Also looking back I think I may have had a crush on CG? Her annoying-ass voice and drama trying to balance working for her father vs. being loyal to her friends had me in a chokehold

6/10. Batshit insane show (I mean. it is in the title), but we love women in STEM

A Series of Unfortunate Events: This is the mother of all my more recent hyperfixations. Something was set in motion here that could not be reversed. 10/10 hyperfixation. this book series made me who I am

Guardians of Ga'Hoole: Along with Unfortunate Events, I was also into the ridiculously violent middle-grade animal xenofiction series in elementary school. I loved these books, and I was so disappointed when the movie came out because of all the ways it diverged from the plot. 8/10 for antifascism and owls, but points docked off because I could never get far in the DS game

Pokemon: So, my mom was pretty sheltering when I was really little, so there was no Pokemon or Harry Potter in the house until I was in 4th grade and she loosened up some. I'd wanted to get into Pokemon for a long time because everyone brought the cards to recess, and one of my friends gave me a holographic Mew card that she said was "really special." My mom threw it away, along with the rest of the cards my friend gave me, because she didn't like the words "psychic" or "evolution" on there lol. But once I was allowed to play my first Pokemon game (Heartgold), I got really into it. If my old Deviantart can be found somewhere in the dark, dark corners of the internet, it was filled with awful Pokemon MS paint drawings. Sometimes I still think about them. 7/10, because I still like Pokemon a lot, but docking points off because my Pokemon hyperfixation introduced me to the more unsavory parts of the internet at a young age.

Harry Potter: This one goes hand-in-hand with the Pokemon thing. Because Harry Potter was forbidden fruit in my household until my mom eventually decided it wasn't that bad, I got really into it when I was a kid. It was less about Harry Potter itself, but more about the fact that I could finally experience something that everyone else had been enjoying for so long. Obviously now that JK Rowling is, well, JK Rowling, I've distanced myself from Harry Potter, and have begun to think about it more critically, but just like everyone else that used to be into it, it did give me some fond memories. 1/10, with the 1 point going solely to Neil Cicierega.

My Little Pony: Got into it in fifth grade and watched it up until freshman year of high school. Not a lot to say about it to be honest; I liked some of the fan works well enough, and I don't have any strong feelings on it now. 5/10

Doctor Who: Oh god; who didn't have a Doctor Who phase in middle school? This was me at my most obnoxious. I constantly wore my 10th Doctor "Allons-y" shirt everywhere I could, and even insisted on wearing 3D glasses at times (I still have them). I quoted the damn show in every conversation (I used to be able to recite the "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" monologue word for word). I'm just glad I didn't get the Hot Topic TARDIS dress that I wanted for so long. I keep finding Doctor Who merch in my room, long after I thought I'd cleared it all out. To be clear, I don't hate Doctor Who, but it just brings up a lot of memories of the annoying kid I used to be in the past. 6.5/10

Celtic Woman: Celtic Woman was the first band I actually got really into. I'd been introduced to their music through Endless Ocean 2, and I would spend hours listening to them and watching their concert videos. Unfortunately, being a middle schooler and listening primarily to Celtic folk music and inspirational songs is not a very good combination, but it is satisfying to see all the people who probably would have bullied me back then dancing to "Teir Abhaile Riu" on TikTok. "Dulaman" was my favorite song, and I was tragically determined to sing it for a good while, despite not knowing any Irish Gaelic. I miss the original band, but their new stuff is all right. 7/10

The Legend of Zelda: More specifically, Skull Kid. My first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, but Majora's Mask was really the peak of my hyperfixation. Skull Kid was easily my favorite character, and I once dressed up as him to school during Spirit Week. I also really liked Fierce Deity Link, and would roleplay both him and Skull Kid on DeviantArt. But the biggest impact my Zelda hyperfixation had on me was kickstarting my love of playing music. I took piano lessons for a short while and started out playing Zelda songs, and I was always listening to video game soundtracks. I switched over to violin later and also took up the ocarina (which I did get pretty serious about for a while. You won't see me playing video game songs anymore, but I still love to play.) 8/10 for the impact, with points taken off because I kept starting games but never finishing them

Lord of the Rings: Got really into Tolkien in high school. My best friend and I bonded over the books, and I also ended up reading the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. I didn't really get into the fandom because I was sort of "outgrowing" fandom culture at this time, but even though it's been a while, I still really like Tolkien. 9/10

The Aztec Empire: Did a report on the Aztec Empire in high school and was really interested it for a while, especially Aztec mythology and sacrificial rituals. 7/10 because I feel like the sacrifice stuff held my attention a lot more than it should have, and I feel like I absorbed a lot of misinformation about it

Medieval Europe: I have an on-and-off Medieval European history phase that comes and goes. Mainly, I'm interested in literature; I read Beowulf and the Canterbury Tales for fun in high school, and I was unfortunately very obnoxious about that. I did study Medieval history and Arthurian legends in college though, so that was neat. 7/10 because saying you're interested in Medieval history sometimes has to come with a disclaimer

Sweeney Todd: My favorite musical, and a big hyperfixation for a while. My best friend played Judge Turpin in high school, and we were both really into "Sweeney" to the point of permanently adopting lines from it into our regular conversations, even today. We even went to see it on Broadway together, which was awesome. 9/10, with one point off because I hate explaining to people why the Tim Burton version Sucks

Classical Music History: Specifically Shostakovich. I like a lot of other composers too, but this was a BIG phase. We're talking three years of research, writing long essays, Russian language and Soviet history classes, working for a Shostakovich journal, learning music, etc. I wasn't even doing this for a career; I just really, really liked Shostakovich a lot in college. I started getting into classical music in high school, but college was when I stopped being an idiot about it. 9/10, with a point taken off because I used to be an idiot about it

Sea Shanties: This falls into my wider love of folk music, but shanties and sea songs got me through college and working a minimum-wage job during the pandemic. 9/10; very fun to sing while in the car with friends

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Currently hyperfixated on classic films, but this one in general. You've seen my blog. 8/10, because it's a great movie with a lot to hyperfixate on, but points off because it's so hard to want to discuss this with people in public.

Tom Waits: Another current one. I listen to at least two full albums every day, usually "The Black Rider" (which could have its own spot on this list). Meeting a fellow Tom Waits fan in public is the best feeling ever, but telling someone that you like Tom Waits to someone who doesn't know who Tom Waits is sometimes means weird results. Like, someone asked me once if he was a new indie musician. I just want to know what they thought his music was like. 10/10 hyperfixation. no notes

Honorable mentions for smaller hyperfixations I've had over the years, in no particular chronological order:

Gila Monsters (9/10)

Klaus Nomi (9/10)

Hamilton (3/10)

Victorian literature (7/10)

Current events (0/10)

Japan's Torii Gate (5/10. I just thought it looked really cool when I was a kid)

Deaths on Mt. Everest (8/10)

The Oceangate disaster (3/10)

Parakeets (7/10)

House of Leaves (10/10)

Encanto (7.5/10)

My best friend (9/10. Great friend but unfortunately I misidentified it as a crush for many years)

My first ex (0/10)

W.I.T.C.H. (4/10)

This thing:

(Its name is Mathra and it's from an educational kids' game called ClueFinders. I pretended it was my friend when I was little and I drew it all the time, then got embarrassed when people asked what I was drawing)

Lord of the Flies (7/10)

Finding Nemo (6/10)

The Russian language (7/10)

Edgar Allan Poe (8/10)

Ivan Ivanovich Sollertinsky (8.5/10)

Nikolai Gogol (8/10)

In conclusion. it's weird to me that I think my most niche and bizarre hyperfixations were from when I was a really little kid lol

[general-yasur]

Yasur1kDtiys: The End of Spellbound

The Overlord, the trusted and worshipped deity of the spellbounded realm, played a game in which there were rules the hero wasn't privy to.

Trying to find such answers would mean the end to many lives, and leave the Overlord victorious.

The hero transferred the realm looking for friends and foes alike, not that any of them remembered them. At first, the hero damn near dug themselves six feet under trying to bring people to their senses, but the Overlords stories were just to strong, for everyone but the hero...

Elemental potions was the only clue to breaking the spell, not that the hero knew what to do with them. Just like everything else in this world, the elements played by different rules.

The first time the hero used a potion, the Overlord caught wind of a crack in the spell, the hero themselves. The more they learned about the elemental potions and used them to help people on their adventures, the closer the Overlord grew to finding the hero.

All sense of time was lost as the hero feared the old name of the realm would be lost forever. Even they found themselves assimilating into the Overlord's delusion. The hero came up with their own story blend in, but soon the story blended with them.

The hero made new friends and foes and eventually came to understand the vast cultures of the new realm. It started to become unclear whether or not destroying the spell was the right thing to do.

Burying the potions and building a life in the new world was in the palm of the heroes hand, in fact, it was happening before they even realized it.

When the hero found Lloyd and Zane, however, their world view came crashing down. The Overlord has built a life for them unlike anything those ninja had seen, a good one.

Lloyd lived on a small farm where he'd invite his friends for small get togethers around a campfire, the hero was invited to one of them. Zane was a well known actor and loved for all his quirks, the hero was invited to tag along with him on tour.

The hero buried their potions and chose ignorance.

In the short time they spent living a lie, the hero grew to understand how truly dull the world was. There was a lack of change, no will to fight for something better. As though being under the spell prevented curiosity and skepticism about the world they lived in.

The hero came to realize the world was still under the control of an evil essence, and the beautiful lives the Overlord created for the ninja were mere distractions, because they were the enemy, or the key as one could say.

Everyone needed a choice rather than live a story forced onto them. The hero unearthed the potions and was as fierce as ever about putting them to good use.

The hero learned the art of mixing potions, which gave the hero more control over the spell that loomed over the realm, though mixed potions were powerful and the Overlord found them once more.

The hero worked tirelessly to help the ninja remember their past lives, and with the help mixing potions, they helped the ninja remember.

The Overlord grew frantic as the spell began to unravel, but as soon as one ninja regained their memories, it was the beginning of the end.

The hero alongside the Ninja fought against the Overlord to finally break the spell. The Ninja defeated the Overlord, but the Hero destroyed the spell with their mastery of the Elemental potions.

Suddenly the world was awake and while the Hero couldn't reverse time spent in the spell, the Hero was able to prevent such a spell from being cast again.

The Hero lost the ability to use the potions they mastered, but the Ninja forever remembered the sacrifice the Hero made for them and the Realm of Ninjago.

The end.

The Heroes (Winners)

I want to thank everyone who participated in this dtiys! About 20 or so entries which I could not have anticipated. It was so much fun hosting and I could tell people had a lot of fun with it!

First Place - @weekend-whip

Congrats to Jesse! You blew my mind with the attention to detail for not just the outfit but the story as well!

I also added 2nd and 3rd place winners who will get sketches because I received so many entries:

Second Place: @woffles-4-waffles

I said it before but the story you came up for Garmadon was incredible, also hats to you for drawing the overlord better than me.

Third Place: @daisy-artfield

Your design for Harumi is absolutely beautiful! I love the colors and especially that illustration. Putting Harumi up against the Overlord is so interesting!

There were so so many good entries, if you haven't yet you should check out the #yasur1kdtiys! Some amazing designs. As to the winners, feel free to hit me a dm on tumblr so we can talk about your prizes!

Until next time, because I will certainly be doing this again in the future!

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Poll 3- Past Teases

This poll is for which fic you want to see updated on July 15th as part of my 7 day birthday gifts to the fans! If you are unfamiliar with my works or need a reminder, check out the links and summaries below the “read more” before you vote. Other poll information for this week can be found here.

And any fics that don’t win but still collect a substantial amount of votes are eligible for a Redemption Vote on June 6th! Otherwise, thank you for your participation! 😍😁

For the Love of My Husband- Conman Bilbo; Bilbo is a thief and a conman who has tricked Thorin, Crown Prince of Erebor, to marry him as an escape from a tight spot. He thought their marriage was happily enough, but Thorin feels a disconnect from the hobbit he’s married. To appease his family and strengthen their bond, Thorin asks Bilbo to take the Trial of Souls with him. Problem is, Bilbo doesn’t want Thorin to know anything about him because they are most assuredly not Ones. And if Thorin learns the truth, Bilbo will find himself back in the streets or worse…

I Married an Assassin- True Lies AU; Twelve years ago, Bilbo fell for a charming man who saved his life in his university library. While he loves his husband and their son, he finds his life to be a bit…dull. So when he comes across the adventure of a lifetime, he has to take it! Only this particular adventure has the potential to crash his life around him considering his boring accountant husband might actually be an assassin who’s been doing his best to keep him out of the eyes of a terrorist organization due to a clue left behind by his mother.

Outdated Version

Erebor’s Monster- Merman AU; Bilbo is investigating ‘Erebor’s Monster’ in secret trying to discovery the nature of all the mysterious disappearances the town has suffered. However, Bilbo soon finds himself on a discovery that will shake his core belief system completely if he is to help Mayor Thorin Oakenshield recover that which was lost and defeat an ancient evil for good.

Heart of the Mountain- Evil Arkenstone AU; What if Thror wasn’t mad like everyone thought? What if the Arkenstone was truly at fault? Questions Bilbo and Thorin will have to answer together after Bilbo is swallowed by the gem. Bilbo and Thorin must work together to conquer the magic of the Arkenstone while Bilbo is invisible and forgotten by the others without making Thorin look as insane as his grandfather. Also, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to maybe work out why exactly the Arkenstone considered Bilbo, Thorin’s heart as well.

Bedding Burglars and Chasing Dragons- Mafia/Detective AU; When Thorin Oakenshield transferred to Ered Luin PD, there was really only one thing on his mind: finally catch the monster that destroyed his family. However, he quickly learns Ered Luin lives under the rule of the local mafia and figures the only way to catch Smaug is to pretend to be a dirty cop and make nice with the supposed crime boss known only as “The Burglar”.

Outdated Version 1 | Outdated Version 2 (chances are I’ll still use the scenes but role reverse between Bilbo and Thorin)

Bonded- Hobbits are Dragon Herders AU; The Naming Ceremony where a hobbit bonds with his dragon for the first time is supposed to be a blessing, Bilbo’s came as more of a curse when he was chosen as the Alpha-Bond. Bilbo and Smaug have never gotten along, but after a Naming Ceremony goes wrong and Smaug is fleeing the Shire, Bilbo knows he will stop at nothing until he sees their Alpha safely home.

From the Seed of a Sunflower- Thumbelina AU; Thorin assures Bilbo he will be fine on his mission to return the Arkenstone to the heart of the mountain, but Bilbo still worries for his Raven Rider. When Frerin is attacked before Bilbo's very eyes, Bilbo takes up the stone and joins the others on a journey where he will discover he is more than just a boy born from a sunflower seed.

A Storm is Coming- Time Travel AU; Bilbo made a wish on the Arkenstone to spare Thorin's life. Later Thorin makes a careless wish in return, and Bilbo ends up in a different time with the memories of before.

Oakenshield's Fourteen- Heist AU; After being framed and imprisoned for embezzlement, Thorin is out for revenge. He's going to need a crew if he's going to pull off this heist though, and he's not so sure about Gandalf's fourteenth man.

Other- Is there another fic I’ve teased that you are nuts about? Choose other and put it in the tags or in a comment!

[tinycoded360]

JoJo's big adventure Chapter 8

 Kirk nodded at Sulu and Chekov, who took positions beside the door. With a united push, the hatch groaned open. Fortunately, they had found two more victims, giving them these leads to this location. And after Joanna had identified the perp in custody, all they needed was just a little more evidence and, hopefully, a clue on how to reverse the shrinking process. The culprit refused to talk, claiming he had nothing to do with it. Checkov had made sure Joanna had made it back to the enterprise and to the waiting hands of her father. She was most relieved to see the other kids her size. She was useful in calming them down and letting them know they were in good hands. Literally. 

"Phasers on stun," Kirk ordered, descending first into the inky abyss. "We may not be alone."

They crept forward, eyes flitting nervously over strange devices that hung from the ceiling or protruded from the walls. Each instrument was an enigma, its functions obscured by the alien technology and the kidnapper's malevolent intent. Kirk turned his head as Spock and Dr. Mccoy entered next. Mccoy finally had settled the tiny kids down, including his daughter. His medical staff was keeping an eye on them.

"Spock, any thoughts on what these devices could be used for?" Kirk asked, casting a sidelong glance at his first officer.

"Insufficient data, Captain," Spock replied, his voice betraying none of the apprehension that had settled in the guts of his human companions. "However, it would be logical to assume they relate to the criminal's methodology in shrinking his victims."

The narrow corridor opened into a room that struck them all with a chilling silence. Rows upon rows of shelves lined the walls, each home to a collection of still and lifelike figures. Perfect action figures. There were figures from all walks of life. From Vulcans to Klingons. They would say they were the most life-like dolls they’ve ever seen if they didn't know better. But they knew better.

"Jim," Mccoy choked out, his voice a roughened whisper, "look at this."

Kirk approached the nearest shelf, running a hand over the small figures. Their glassy eyes stared back, unseeing, frozen mid-motion as if caught in the act of living when the kidnapper snatched it away. It was preserved in some sort of resin. Kirk picked up one, an Andorian female. It was the strangest thing; it felt soft to the touch but without the warmth of life.  The limbs are easily manipulated. But they didn’t flop around like a dead body would. Making Kirk wonder if the kidnapper did some sort of modification to make them posable. Like added wire or some sort of taxidermy technique. Kirk gently set the figure down and left the small figure alone; he felt gross for messing with a corpse.

The most disturbing thing of all is that this kidnapper……no serial killer, had no set preference. There were figures of all ages, genders, and species. Kirk felt sick and angry as he spied a smaller figure than the rest. It was a human boy, from the size compared to the other figures, and the baby was fat still on his cheeks. Kick would guess the boy was no older than six. Kirk felt his anger boil; he wanted to punch the one responsible.

"Each one... a victim," Spock observed, his calm demeanor starkly contrasting to the horror that gripped McCoy's heart.

"Tiny people," McCoy said, his voice cracking. He reached out tentatively as if to touch one of the miniature figures before retracting his hand quickly. "He turned them into... into playthings." Mccoy felt like he could throw up, this would have been Joanna fate, if she hadn’t gotten away and found him.

"Jim," McCoy said, his voice thick with emotion, "we have to find and put this monster away for good. We can't let there be any more victims like these."

Kirk's jaw tightened, and he nodded sharply, the set of his shoulders broadcasting both his anger at the injustice and his resolve. "We will, Bones. I swear it."

Ever the pragmatist, Spock had already moved on to the task at hand, examining the devices scattered throughout the room. "Captain, Doctor, I believe these instruments are part of the process used to... shrink the individuals."

"Advanced knowledge used for barbaric purposes," Kirk muttered, moving to join Spock. He picked up a stack of papers, scanning their contents for anything that might lead them to the kidnapper.

"Anything?" McCoy asked, peering over Kirk's shoulder.

"Log entries," Kirk replied, flipping through the pages. "It's a record of abductions. Dates, species, locations..." His brow furrowed. "But no names, no motive."

"Purely functional," Spock observed, his eyes not leaving the device he was inspecting. "But this could be enough to tie him to the abductions and murders. This evidence will be enough."

“This is good! We have the evidence, and we can figure out how this technology works.” Kirk patted Mccoy on the back. “We’ll get Joanna back to normal in no time and will put this monster away for good.” 

[fagbearentertainment]

A few bullet points/a general timeline for my vampire Simon au :3

The main change to this au from the main timeline is here, Simon didn’t put on the crown when him and Betty found it. Betty also doesn’t jump 1000 years into the future since Simon stays Simon

Marceline ends up finding it in some rubble after she met Simon and Betty and put it on

Simon and Betty start researching the crown again to try to find a way to reverse/slow its affects but can’t figure anything out

Marceline runs away bc she’s scared she’ll hurt them

Simon and Betty end up becoming vampire hunters, they have a whole group who go together to rush vamps and are really good at it

Simon gets bit either during a fight with the Vampire King like Marcy in the og timeline or the Empress to delve more into Simone past with her, not sure which one I’ll decide on yet

Their group end up wiping out all the vampires, leaving Simon as the last one bc no one in the group wants to kill him

Betty desperately tries to figure out how to reverse it but can’t do much given the state of the world. When that fails she tries to convince Simon to bite her so she can live longer and bide time until she can figure out a cure, not sure if he should do it or not yet tho

And that’s everything I’ve figured out as of now :>

A few other important points that I can’t fit on that timeline yet bc it happens in the current year for Adventure Time is Marceline becoming the Marcy Ice Queen and Simon self isolating and being depressed for a few hundred years till he meets Finn (or this aus Finn if I decide to do original characters bc butterfly effect)

Also even if Betty is a vampire her and Simon get separated at some point till hundreds of years in the future, I am determined to make Simon as sad as possible

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Booklist on "Red Team Blues"

I've published more than 20 books, and I still get nervous in the few months leading up to a new book's release. It's one thing for my agent, my editor and my wife to like one of my novels - but what about the rest of the world? Will the book soar, or bomb? I've had books do both, and the latter is No Fun. Scarifying, even.

My next novel is Red Team Blues, which Tor Books and Head of Zeus will publish on April 25. It is a significant departure for me in many ways: it's a heist novel about cryptocurrency, grifters and crime bosses, the first book in a trilogy that runs in reverse chronological order (!):

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues

The hero of RTB is Marty Hench, a forensic accountant and digital pioneer. Marty got his start when he discovered spreadsheets as an MIT undergrad. He got so deep into the world of Visicalc and Lotus 1-2-3 that he dropped out of university, moved to Silicon Valley, and pitted his ability to find money with spreadsheets against people who use spreadsheets to hide money.

RTB opens with Marty on the verge of retirement, when he is roped in for one last job - a favor to a friend who has built a new cryptocurrency that is in danger of imploding thanks to some stolen keys. If Marty can recover the keys, his customary 25% commission will come out to more than a quarter of a billion dollars. How could he say no?

I wrote this book in a white-hot fury of the sort that I underwent in 2006, when I wrote Little Brother in eight weeks flat. Red Team Blues took six weeks. It's good. I sent it to my Patrick Nielsen Hayden, my editor. The next day, I got this email:

That.

Was.

A! Fucking! Ride! Whoa!

That night, I rolled over in bed to find my wife wide awake at 2AM, staring at her phone. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Finishing your book," she said. "I had to find out how it ended."

I loved writing this book, and after I finished it, I found that Marty Hench was still living in my mind. How could I keep writing about him, though? Red Team Blues is his final adventure. Then, one day, it hit me: now that I knew how Marty's career ended, I could write about how it started.

I could write prequels - as many as I chose - retelling the storied career of Martin Hench, the scambusting forensic accountant of Silicon Valley. I pitched my editor on two prequels - one a midcareer adventure, the other his origin story - and my editor bought 'em. For the first time in decades, in dozens of books, I'm writing a trilogy.

It's nearly done. I finished the second book, "The Bezzle" - about private prisons and financial corruption - late last year. I'm 80%+ through the final one, "Picks and Shovels," AKA Marty's origin story, a caper involving an early eighties PC-selling pyramid scheme run by a Mormon bishop, a Catholic priest and an orthodox rabbi, who run their affinity scam through a company called "Three Wise Men Computers."

But for all that I love these books, love writing these books, I am still nervous. Butterflies-in-stomach. I got some reassurance in December, when the New Yorker's Chris Byrd said some extraordinarily kind things about RTB when he profiled me:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/cory-doctorow-wants-you-to-know-what-computers-can-and-cant-do

Despite that, though, I continued to have vicious pangs of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, superstitious dread, haunting memories of the mentors and writers I admired as a young man whose careers were snatched away by changing industry trends, market shifts, or just a bad beat. I love this book. Would other people? I'm not a crime writer. Ugh.

Then, this week, my publicist Laura Etzkorn at Tor sent me the first trade review for RTB, Booklist's starred notice, by David Pitt:

Well, talk about timely. In the wake of the late-2022 collapse of cryptocurrency comes this novel about a forensic accountant who’s hired to work a case involving electronic theft of cryptocurrency. The guy’s name is Martin Hench; he’s in his late sixties, with decades of experience, and he thinks he’s seen it all. Until now. Doctorow, author of such novels as The Rapture of the Nerds (2012) Homeland (2013), and Pirate Cinema (2012), is a leading force in cyberpunk fiction, and here he mixes cyberpunk with traditional private eye motifs (if Martin Hench feels a bit like Philip Marlowe or even Jim Rockford, that’s probably not a coincidence).

Doctorow's novels are always feasts for the imagination and the intellect, and this one is no exception: it’s jam-packed with cutting-edge ideas about cybersecurity and crypto, and its near-future world is lovingly detailed and completely believable. Another winner from an sf wizard who has always proved himself adept at blending genres for both adults and teens.

To quote a certain editor of my acquaintance:

That.

Was.

A! Fucking! Ride!

Whoa!

Maybe this writing thing is gonna work out after all.

ETA: Well, this is pretty great. Shortly after I hit publish on this, Library Journal published its review of Red Team Blues, by Andrea Dyba:

Cyber detective, forensic accountant—whatever his title, 67-year-old Marty Hench is one of those rare people who tries to prevent financial crimes. He’s spent his whole career as a member of the Red Team, as an attacker, one who always has the advantage. Now ready for retirement, he’s living it up in California and trying to decide what he wants to do when he grows up when he’s hired by an old friend. Danny Lazer, the founder of the new crypto titan Trustlesscoin, needs Marty to recover stolen cryptographic keys and prevent the type of financial crisis that people lose their lives over. Marty delves into the shady underside of the private equity world, where he’s caught between warring international crime syndicates. The sincere and intelligent writing has a noir feel to it, enhanced by Marty’s dry humor. There’s a sense of satisfaction as this unassuming retired man dishes out comeuppance.

VERDICT  This absorbing and ruthless cyberpunk thriller from Doctorow (Attack Surface) tackles modern concerns involving cryptocurrency, security, and the daunting omnipotence of technology. Great for fans of Charles Stross.              

https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/red-team-blues-1794647

[Image ID: Will Stahle's cover for the Tor Books edition of 'Red Team Blues.']