#I've never dare to make a detailed character by myself

[friskdistrollerroblox]

Model of One I'm making in Blender! Still need rigging! But she is working pretty fine, might make small animations in the future with her. Have this small render image of One I made for testing.

Also can someone tell my girly to please be patient, I ain't that good with bones, and shes getting irritated on me just cus I'm taking too long to place them...

[effypcfcwrites]

The Owl House

(Originally posted on my personal Facebook dated April 25, 2023)

This is probably the first time I'll be posting a detailed review of a piece of media that I like, so witness me sing all of my praises for this animated series from the House of Mouse, because wow, I've never been so invested in a Disney show after rewatching Gravity Falls.

For those unfamiliar, The Owl House revolves around Luz Noceda, a teenage girl who stumbles upon a portal to an alternate world called The Boiling Isles, meets a witch named Eda Clawthorne, learns magic under her tutelage and eventually enrolls in Hexside, a magic school where she makes many friends and goes on multiple adventures.

I binged this whole show in a span of weeks and even stayed up all night on my day off to finish it up to Season 3, the first 2 Seasons being on Disney+ and the latter on Disney Channel's YouTube page.

Simply put, I love it so much! I love how it reminds me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and, dare I say, Harry Potter, which it even poked fun at, at times. Well-deserved, considering J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views and HP’s underlying anti-Semitic undertones.

I loved the pop culture references to Thor: Ragnarok, Howl's Moving Castle, Metal Gear Solid, and even Hades, among many others! I thought those were very clever and funny, and just a treat for fellow nerds, geeks, and fans of fantasy stories, anime, and video games.

I love the LGBTQ+ representation all throughout the show, which was such a bold move considering Disney’s iffy stance on the subject. None of them were antagonized for it, and it was treated as something normalized in both the Human and Demon Realms. The show featured 2 gay dads, non-binary and aromantic-asexual characters, and one of the internet’s favorite sapphic/WLW couples Lumity, which is the ship consisting of canonically bisexual Luz and implied lesbian Amity Blight, whose rivals-to-friends-to-lovers relationship was just so wholesome, so natural, and very healthy, considering they're both teenagers. Suprisingly, there was very little melodrama, not once were they petty towards one another whenever either party did something wrong, and they never got tired of showing affection towards each other. I found myself shamelessly gushing over how cute, adorable, and supportive they were together, and tearing up a lot during key moments of their relationship, especially when they both found themselves in dire straits as the story progressed.

I love the writing and the character development of them all! None of them felt static, they all grew throughout the series, maturing, getting better, and healing from their own insecurities, trauma, and guilt. The humor and comedic timing was a nice touch, and I was really taken aback by how S2 ended on such a dark cliffhanger with all stakes raised to the roof, similar to A:TLA S2 and The Empire Strikes Back, as mentioned earlier. That season wasn’t afraid to have such a grim ending, with such a great payoff by the end of S3 which is worth celebrating.

I love the animation and art style, which blended colorful and whimsical with eerie and ominous in just the right amounts. As a sucker for animated movies and series such as Adventure Time, The Prince of Egypt, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it was just such a delight watching it.

I love the overarching message of the show, which is to be truly yourself, to embrace your quirks, and never to limit yourself and your potential based on what the majority of society and the powers-that-be expect from you. All throughout, you’ll find the characters challenging pre-established norms and roles, and it’s just so satisfying seeing them all win.

11/10 top-tier show. Don’t @ me, it’s hard for me to find something I disliked about the series. It's definitely a must-watch, especially if you're sick and tired of all the bleak nihilism of modern adult animation, and you just want to baby your inner child and escape to a whimsical fantasy world with characters you can all relate to. Betting my bottom peso you'll all be hooked, like I was.

[cirkkaa]

Hi there! I am currently working on a compilation of the most intimate and implied relationships between Genshin's characters and the traveler, and I would really appreciate your help!!!

Okay so, I've seen your venlumi art and omg its BEAUTIFUL!!! Like Genuinely their dialogue is also so...beautiful and charming!!! And I really want to know more about what you see in them, and what the game says about them for this analysis I'm doing if that's alright with you :>>

Hi! Thank you for your kind words ;; I´m glad you enjoy my art.

As for my venlumi analysis, I´m not the most canon based person but I like to take what I can and feed myself.

(For the record, I play traveler Lumine)

First, what drew me in it´s the chemistry between Lumine and Venti, they are very fun together and somehow very sweet a the same time! One of the things that caught my atention was that Lumine could be flirty with him ( see the dialogue option "The color of your eyes is like the sky in my hometown.") and in restrospective analyzing this phrase, you have to know Lumine doesn´t get many flirty dialogue options, like, ever (I can not recall any other ocassion when it is evident to be honest). Also the fact that she talked about her hometown, a topic that is barely tackled was a little wow ok.. I like this. Feels like Lumine opening her heart a bit, as if she trusted Venti enough to let him known something personal.

Something that fluels my love for them is the fact that apparently Venti knows her from another time. We still don´t know the reason behind this and why Lumine doesn´t remember, though she is somehow aware, at one moment she recognizes Venti´s voice like a voice she heard before they met. It seems like Lumine does not give it much tought, since it is not brought up ever again but to me this just further strenghtens why Lumine trusts Venti, they already knew each other, perhaps were destined to be friends.

I also just really like Venti as a sort of self-appointed guide to Lumine during her journey. Despite his playful personality Venti makes it clear he is always there for Lumine, whether to cheer her up or console her (teapot lines win these.. I seriously can never get over it). During Weinlessefest Venti says that Lumine´s happiness it´s very important to him!! He´s happy to be by her side, and there is no wonder that those feelings can be reciprocated, as Lumine also likes to bring up Venti when he is not there, or invite him to join her into whatever ocassion.

I believe this happens a couple times during quests. With all this I mean we all can agree that they are very dear to each other, I would dare to say in contrast with other Lumine´s friendships, the one with Venti feels the most intimate. Even when they are distanced, Lumine still thinks about him.

Another tiny detail that I like it´s that Venti and Lumine/ Aether (or traveler if you might) are the only ones who depict human figures in their constellations... again, something that differentiates them from the others. Could it mean nothing? yes. Will I make it about venlumi? Of course. I mean, even the figures look alike! I´m very inclined to believe there is a deeper meaning about this that will be revealed some day.

And please let´s not forget about the birthday letter with the most eerie vibes ever. What does this even mean? Why is this a birthday message? Is it an allegory to Teyvat and "the traveler"?

"You are the only one I want to bring here" I wonder if he is also opening his heart a bit to Lumine with this phrase. In any case, it makes you wonder. An apple core, the fruit associated to venti, two halves of it, one for traveler and one for Venti like they are meant to go together. A secret world to which traveler is invited to, to take a stroll in this hidden world, which only they know about... much to think about but all I can gather is that their relationship should not be overlooked.

I´m probably forgetting to mention one or two things, but these were some things on top of my mind about venlumi in canon events, I´m sorry but not really if I got some details wrong :P

As for what I see in them.. the personalities combined are just delicious. They have a good chemistry from the start, and I just really like a Lumine that is introverted, with a secret crush on Venti. And Venti who is extroverted but soft, a little oblivious to Lumine´s crush. He still loves her but Lumine is not sure it is romantically. That is my favorite flavor.

Hope this is helpful!

[lucysarah-c]

Frankly, I've always found it strange, myself included, why Levi never mentions Isabel and Farlan. For example we don't even see them in the flashbacks where he remembers his comrades. But if I had to think of the most logical reason I could think of, it's more likely that it's because they're not characters of Yams own creation. No Regrets is a script that Yams commissioned someone else to write for the Levi background, a spinoff that was not written by Isayama himself, and the characters there are not Yams characters, except for Levi and Yams characters.

In one of the interviews I read about No regrets, I read that Isayama wanted this story to be written/drawn because he wanted a spinoff that was more about how Levi joined Survey corps. That's exactly what it is, if I remember what was written correctly. Maybe you've seen it too. My point is this, Perhaps the reason Isayama never mentions Farlan and Isabel in his own story is because they are not his characters, but also because both Farlan and Isabel and No Regrets itself, are more of background tools on how Levi joined Sc.

Hi! How are you?

Yeah, I think that's a very possible and logical answer. I would 100% believe that would be the reason if other characters were mentioned more frequently. I would be like, "Why does Levi constantly talk or think in this or that character and not Farlan and Isabel?" But overall, I still kinda stick to my idea that we hardly even see any other "remarkable" characters as "flashbacks" from the veterans, and we never hear even Levi mention them. Not just Levi; almost all the characters do not mention other characters overall.

I dare to say that's mostly an "economical" situation. Probably Isayama wasn't allowed to have any extra scenes or do "fill up" chapters to showcase other characters talking about their lives, their thoughts, etc. Like, as an example, I can't recall a single chapter in the manga or anime where Erwin talks about Mike, for example, and it's well-known that they were very close. Hange is the same. I hardly think that Levi or anyone actually actively thinks or mentions other characters in the story unless it's an "emotional or plot-wise" moment, like recalling fallen comrades, like Marco, etc.

I think that was mostly my point of view on the issue. Levi doesn't think about Farlan or Isabel, but because Levi or any other SNK character thinks or mentions other characters beside strict plot-wise necessity, and it's obvious that Farlan and Isabel aren't "plot-wise" necessities. I personally think that most of the "relationships" between characters can be "assumed" by how they interact in "spin-offs" like chibis and "junior high." I think they serve a bit to fill up that void with also the "game's extras stories etc."

Which, and this is already me rambling, I had always found it strange that it's showcased in official art, chibis, junior high, etc., that the veterans were rather close, but during the Uprising Arc, Levi mentions Kenny to Hange and they knew absolutely nothing about him. I think it would have been a nice touch, not only for Hange but for any "veteran," if Levi decided to be "100% honest" about his childhood, like telling being raised by Kenny, they could act like, "You mentioned before a bit about it but I never imagined you were talking about Kenny the ripper." A sort of "oh, you told us a bit about your past but never in detail and now that's plot-wise important, we get the details, we understand it a bit more because we are close to you than the rest but that 'extra information' isn't important enough for the reader to be aware of it but my knowledge about it showcases my closeness to you" sort of thing? I don't know if that makes sense; that's what I mean that for me Isayama lacks a bit in the writing relationship departments because those little details are so subtle but mean so much.

Anyways, the good thing is that we can fill that void with fanfics!

[charlotterhea]

"Self-rec time! What are your favorite five fics that you've written and why? After replying to this ask, feel free to pass it on to five other writers to spread the love. 💗"

Thank you for the rec, @cissykenway! I love babbling about my fics and now I can even do it by invitation. 😁 (Although, ngl, choosing five stories will be hard! I've just written too much...)

1. "About Magic" The story isn't translated yet but it's the last long fic I completed and it's just so different from everything else I've written. It's detailed, new, and reads more like an actual novel than my other stories. There are so many OCs in this one that grew on me and although some readers were disappointed by the second half, I love this story to bits. It's peak slow burn, like ... you have to be really patient here! *lol* But I love it for the immense plot and the way I managed to keep it completely canon-compliant - yes, including the epilogue. 😏 I'm looking forward to translating it one day.

2. "Medicus"-Series Another not yet translated story but at least this will be my next translation project so stay tuned if you're interested! It's easily one of, if not the hardest story I've ever written, especially Part III. I've written that one coming out of a mentally very challenging time and I needed a place to put everything I've seen, learned, and experienced during the preceding years of my life. So this story ended up being full of trauma, a lot of it about things I never experienced myself, making me extremely nervous about whether I depicted it halfway decently. But ever since I posted the story, so many readers told me that it really hit home for them and that it was healing to read the story so I think I did enough things right. 😅 Anyway, this story is not just full of trauma, it's also a story full of love and there is a lot of healing happening as well although it takes some time to get there. But the end of this series is the end I'm most proud of all my stories. It's just perfect in my eyes, even today.

3. "Our Souls at Full Moon" This story was a pain in the ass! But only because I made it so. 😅 I couldn't get this plot out of my mind but didn't have the time to write such a long project either so I decided to make it a drabble story. And when I was finished with that, I spontaneously decided to try something new with my writing style, so I revised, almost rewrote the whole thing. 🙈 Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of what became of the story, but looking back it might have taken me a similar amount of time to write the long version. ^^ Still, I love it. It has some sentences in it that are unusually poetic for me, is reduced to the bare minimum, and yet brimming with emotions. I made myself cry writing this story and although I'm not entirely sure if I succeeded in translating it adequately, this has earned a place on this list.

4. "Red Passion and Pavlov's Dogs" This is my most successful one-shot, both in German and in English, so of course, this has to be on the list. 😂 Tbh, I didn't expect this story to receive so much love. I wrote it in one sitting, in a tense I wasn't used to and kept agonising over for several days until I decided to just let it go, and half of the ideas aren't mine - but the vibe, the emotions, the rawness... A lot of readers asked for a second part but I'm sure I'd only ruin it. The magic of this story is in its open end and I would never dare touch it again. I couldn't replicate this kind of vibe for a second part anyway. So this plot became the Schroedinger's Cat of my nightly musings as well. Do they get a happy end or will they screw it up? Nobody knows, least of all me, and I won't open that damn box to find out. It's perfect as it is. ^^

5. "Otherside" There are other stories of mine that are more in character, more elaborate, more profound than this for sure - but oh boy, did I have fun writing this! 😂 Putting two Severus ... Severi ... Severussi ...? Well, two of them into one story was just peak-comedy for my brain and I don't care a bit that the younger one is probably more a 21-year-old version than the 39-year-old version he's supposed to be. I had an absolute field day writing them and their banter was worth the action part I whined my way through. I'm actually rather proud of said action part; I normally avoid writing action, it's just not for me, but I'm happy with how I managed this. It was nice to see that I can write action if I have to, even if I don't particularly enjoy it. So this deserved to be on this list as well. ^^

Softly tagging @frenchpresswriter, @dragoon811, @naomijameston, @janacariad and @echoofawind. 💚

[spookylizpg]

♡♡Rant♡♡

Look, I have no complaint with the DLC guests for Mortal Kombat 1. Homelander and Omni-man are great imo, they fit in (Literally, the amount of gore these guys give is phenomenal). Quan-Chi? Hell yes, I miss that dude! Peacemaker? Okay, seem decent. Maybe I'm biased cuz I genuinely love superhero shit and read about it but whatever. This rant isnt about them.

It's about Ermac.

Okay okay, maybe I'm being dramatic, fucking sue me but look, I love Ermac to death and want the best for them, literally when I mean it. They're like the reason I even got into Mortal Kombat again, (no offense, Erron Black) I was super obsessive with Ermac, reading their bio all the way to the old gens back to front. Hell, my friend can tell you how many hours I've spend talking about Ermac, and just them alone! They're a big deal to me. So to see them, getting fuck by NRS is so fuck up.

You would think they would give them his MK11 design like why not? They were never present in the canon storyline at all, and the design only appear in the Krypt, dare I say in a NONCANON place? Why waste such a decent design, I think the logical reason to do is give it to them in their mk1 phase, just putting little new details here and there.

No. They didnt. Being fucking NRS, They just have to screw it up. I was having a bad day, like I had a bad feeling and I didn't knew why, now I know and holy shit- this sucks ass

Edit: Now seeing the full model of Ermac design, I think it's now fine. Design is okay, but still sad that they did him dirty in the end.

You think they could have made them human like they did in Mortal Kombat: Deception. This is a literal whole new timeline, they could have just have them start over, making them look their Deception look or their original ninja outfit for all I care, but nope. But Liz, that's too crazy, they can't just do that or make them brand new as a human being like deception or any other old gen back then. We are already in crazy town the moment they made Scorpion and Bi-han brothers. We have cross the line already, if they can have a complete do over then Ermac can get one too. Also same goes that they can't give the exact or almost same design in older gen or mk11, I literally saw the Reiko leak and they barely change that fucker. (Love him tho, slay) what I'm trying to say NRS can do this, make Ermac actually look good or keep him the same, it just they fucking hate me so lol.

What even funny is that they are a DLC character, how shockin nice is that? Omg, I just hate it sm. They won't even contribute to the canon story probably. I hate this design so bad and how NRS gets away with shitting on good fucking characters. I usually let my statement to myself and my friends but holy shit, I just can't. Ermac was my last straw and I just can't believe it's happening. . .

Bro wtf, man-

I'm not even hopeful for the skins he going to get- but I'll pray anyway, that all I can do.

[vostok3-ka]

Hi Aisha, hope you're having a nice start to your week! For the writer truth or dare ask game: 🦴🔪🌵(could be a character playlist or not)❄️(could also be something you wanna write yourself!) 🍄, and 🏜️. I'd add more because all of these are great but this is already one too many lol so feel free to pick and choose which ones you wanna answer, ofc<3

Hi Max!!! Thank you! It's Eid tomorrow so that's a pretty sick way to start the week ;) Thank you so much for the ask!!!

🦴- Boy howdy is there a piece of media that inspires my writing haha. I have quite a few that it's hard to put name to them all. Whenever I read a book or watch a movie/show I always feel like I take something away from them in order to incorporate into my own writing, but if I were to choose a few specific pieces of media that really inspire my writing, it would be Hannibal, what with the beautiful imagery and the way it is almost poetic in its brutality. I think the writers of the show did a really good job, and I just absolutely adore it. True Detective (season one) is also a piece of media that REALLY influences my writing. I adore the gothic vibes, and I love the way they make the characters human, realistic, with lots of flaws, instead of making them into heroes, and I am just in love with the very synesthetic feeling it gives, I myself am synesthetic and I think it really resonated with me in a way, and gave me a lot of inspiration as in how to describe scenes and emotions. Catch-22, both the book, film, and tv show, have all inspired my idea of Bucky in the war, and I have a few songs including Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths, О как хотела мама by Shortparis, Две недели by Aigel, and O, Children by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, that heavily inspire a lot of my Russian-era Bucky Barnes writing, as well as, for some funny reason, the TV show Бригада. I just feel like the show really shows both the human and terrible, gritty side to organized crime that I am CERTAIN Bucky was involved in, in some way, shape or form. Another film/book that has, heavily and directly, inspired my both my fanfiction writing and original writing is the 2008 film, "Morphine" and the inspiration behind it, the novella by Bulgakov, Morphine. My fic Noch' Ulista Fonar' Apteka was very non-subtly inspired by Morphine, so much! AAAND- I better stop here before I write a whole essay about how media has influenced my writing, because I could literally go on forever and ever!!!! ;)

🔪- I think the weirdest thing that I have had to research for a writing project was for my fic Noch' Ulitsa Fonar' Apteka. I had to, somehow, figure out how to write drug addiction from a first hand perspective, and, of course, I myself have not, and never will take any form of recreational drugs, so I had to scout through many pages of google before finding this legendary gem of a website that has been a lifesaver for me. The website looks like it was made in 2008 and I honestly was a little worried about clicking on it, but it turned out fine haha. It has a bunch of really detailed first hand experiences with all sorts of drugs you could imagine, including withdrawal, good trips, bad trips, and coming down. I think I spent a few hours just reading and absorbing everything to try to write Bucky's experience, and honestly, I came away from the research with an even stronger desire to never try drugs, as most of the reports highlighted how the spiral began. But yeah! That might be the weirdest thing I have researched, unless of course, if you count the time I had to research equine veterinary care in 1980s Russia lmao.

🌵- Gilded Soul This is my favourite playlist I've created, and it's so gentle and sweet and I listen to the songs on it so often. I adore it so much! All the songs have memories and feelings attached to them and ugh- my favourite. Hope you enjoy too ;)

❄️- Oh my God I know exactly what this fic is. I really, REALLY want a fic dealing with the aftermath of Hydra and Department X/The Red Room's brainwashing on Bucky in TFAWS era, but in a way where it doesn't become the point of the fic, and is just like a part of him in subtle, slightly noticeable, and not overwhelming way. I want to see him struggle and yet stay strong, stay independent. I want to see him have realistic feelings towards things like therapy and such, considering the time period he is from, and the fact that he's probably been abused in such settings before. I want to see him make bad, unhealthy decisions while still remaining himself. I want to see him smoke his anger away, I want his staring problem to be addressed subtly as a leftover from when he was trained to look straight ahead while in parade rest, I really want to see him have headaches, mild psychosis, and all the realistic after-effects of electro-shock therapy, and yet, I really do not want to see it in a way that makes him dependent, or child-like. I want to see him get up, grit his jaw and move on. It isn't the healthiest way for somebody to cope, but it's the way I am guessing Bucky would cope. I want a fic that has an overarching plot where these issues are a subplot, as not to make it ALL about his recovery, instead being interesting and realistic in the world that he would be living in. I feel like I have said realistic so many times, and that is the core of it all. I want it to be as realistic and true to comic/film character as possible. I might not make much sense but yeah! That's what I really want to read, and I don't know who would be the best writer to write it!

🍄- OOOH I like this one! A headcanon I have is that Bucky and Natasha dance a lot. They are both trained dancers, and they love it, and they just put on gentle, nostalgic Russian music and dance so prettily together when they are alone!

🏜️- Oh for sure the types of comments that point out what affected them personally. I really want to connect to people through my writing and whenever somebody comments that a certain bit made them feel in a specific way I just absolutely melt in joy and delight!!!

Thank you so much for the many questions again, this was SO much fun to answer. Hope you have the loveliest of days!!!

[jetgirl1832]

20 Questions More

This is a deeper and more detailed version of the 20 questions for AO3 fanfic writers. @nottawriter hit me with a tag, I have been attacked lol.

1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship / fandom? A dash of shower thoughts, with a pinch of I watched a movie and couldn't help but think... Yes, that will work. They often feel like the come from nowhere.

2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good? That's not fair how dare you ask me this!!!! Uhhh I'm mostly reading Supercorp stuff these days sooo... @jazzfordshire, @mycatismyeditor, @fazedlight, @innamorament0, @scribblingpunk, @fyonahmacnally to name a few. AAAAND my co-author and a vast array of things @tomatopudding! Why? Idk, I just get drawn a lot to these works and think they're lovely, and I love their depictions of these characters I love.... with @tomatopudding we just vibe very well, sharing the same five brain cells helps.

3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write? If we're talking Supergirl... That's so hard, but I might have to say Brainy and Nia if really pressed... and Alex. I really enjoy Alex.

Otherwise, my other faves include all of the Les Amis from Les Miserables (if you know you know), specifically Courfeyrac and Marius and their hilarious dynamic. Other faves include Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton, Eponine Thenardier and... This could go on for a very long time, are you sure you have time?

4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you’d never write about? Which ones? Not putting Kara and Lena together just makes me sad... So Supercorp ftw all the way, they are my top (I am a lot more amenable in other fandoms I've written for)

Tropes... I'm unlikely to do Omega-verse, I haven't done it and I can't see myself starting even if I sometimes read it.

5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed?

When I worked in retail I wrote on stupid little scraps and probably lost about 75% of them. Sometimes the method is hand writing, and then typing and making edits during that process as well. The handwritten can vary drastically from the typed draft lol.

I tend to fly by the seat of my pants unless someone is keeping me in line. I'm pretty darn chaotic.

I doubt myself a lot, so I always think whatever I write is garbage no matter how much proof there is that's not true. Also, sometimes I get burnt out, or my muse dies and then I feel terrible. Yay.

6) What is your favorite part of your writing process? Falling down rabbit holes, looking into fun topics. Likely ending up on a government watch list for the stuff I've searched up over the years

7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic? Uhhh.... hmm. I have no idea what the weirdest is lol. Cause it's on my mind, probably looking up what types of wood are easiest to chop, and why. (There is definitely weirder, but I don't remember right now).

8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)? Commas. They hate me, and I hate them.

9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why? Oof. Uhhh... This is so hard! Honestly there is a lot of stuff in my co-written very long series Hamilton Family Album that was *a lot* between research and feels.

Especially when you're co-author hits you with unexpected feels out of nowhere that you weren't anticipating (YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID).

10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely? Of course, they have. It happens all the time.

11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why? Ohhh... Hands down Kara and Lena, I wish they could be my friends and we could hang out. Why? I think that they are absolutely incredible, wonderful and I could just sing their praises for ever.

12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing? Oooo, I'm a sucker for fluffy romances, and I've been dabbling in smut recently. Other themes for me can be like found family is a really popular one for me.

Since I've written both a lot of Les Mis and Hamilton stuff (among other similar things) I've done a lot of "Modern AU's" as well, which are uhhh varied to say the least. If I can treat anything they way the treat most Shakespeare pieces these days I do it.

13) What’s your most important resource as a writer? Asking for help! Soundboarding with other writers, I love doing it. It helps me make sense of my ideas... Or decide they're maybe too out there (almost never lol)

14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work? Reading it out loud, I have a hard time noticing errors otherwise. Asking someone you trust to look it over as well, take your time and double and triple check if you're unsure about something.

15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic? D. All of the Above

16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it? I try to just write for myself, usually because I haven't seen something like it and think it should exist. I do really enjoy getting comments if only because I'm always curious to hear what readers think about my work.

17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character / ship? I don't, and if I did it would be odd... I'm the most massive theater nerd. I do have songs that I think fit the vibes, and some shows I listen to have more apt things than others. Or if it's Les Mis it's the whole dang album lol.

Supercorp things if anyone is curious (and wondering how odd it could get): Mercury Rising from Lizzie, Come Home With Me, Anyway the Wind Blows, Wait for Me and Wedding Song from Hadestown, In A Crowd of Thousands from Anastasia, Origin of Love from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Maybe I introduced you to something fun today.

18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it? Oh dear... I don't know. The thing I'd love to see art for isn't up yet and I just think it would be fun but it will be called What Was I Made For... And we're gonna leave at that for now.

19) How many WIPs do you currently have? I'm finishing up You've Got New Followers (One chapter left!), I think three other WIP's (two more plotted than others) and my WIP for May-Hem... So five?

20) What’s your advice to new fanfic writers? Don't be afraid just because you've never done it before. That's why fanfic is amazing. You can do what you want and in reality no one can stop you, just make sure you're having fun.

My fics: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/works?page=1

Tagging but no pressure: @tomatopudding and @innamorament0

[thefool0nthehill]

Hi there I'm in a weird , random, and pointless headcanon mood so here's some miscellaneous Kefka headcanons I have. Tell me which ones u agree with and which ones are dead wrong , for science reasons

•Autistic. I don't think I really need to explain myself because I think you all already know it but I'd gladly do so if i needed to.

•VERY picky eater. To me he'd be one of those people you just never see eating anything and on the rare occasion they do, it's either candy or something fucked up like a ketchup and potato chip sandwich....

•on the subject of food for some reason I feel like he'd have a crazy sweet tooth, and eat a lot of sweets and candy all the time. (Clearly if there's one thing I don't believe this man can do its eat reasonably) I can't remember if this is even MY headcanon or if I got it from someone else's posts/fanfiction and it stuck in my brain's personal made up lore collection, so if ur reading this and I just stole your headcanon sorryyyyz💔

•No attention span. That's all.

•Not everyone will vibe with this one because I know historically in fandom we like to keep our mentally ill characters desirable and lightheartedly quirky but.. hoarder. Maybe a bit more random junk than trash but I've always had a feeling that wherever this dude lives, good luck finding %89 of the floor.

•If that last one doesn't make sense, I'll elaborate on how I see his mental state and motivations personally and maybe it will help. For me Kefka's obsession with destruction and the absurd concept of ending EXISTENCE as a whole is indicative of an obsessive grasping for control.

Maybe the surface level of his character doesn't indicate a desire for control, but I think stealing more and more power until he's drained and obliterated an entire civilization, then stealing it from literal gods regardless of the cost, and then sitting shut up in a tower nuking anyone who dares to maybe have hope or speak out against him absolutely does. So does the whole megalomania theme in and of itself.

And y'know, the whole mind controlling Terra thing does too, since if control wasn't a motivator for him, only destruction for the sake of it, he'd let Terra run amok I think.

The poisoning at Doma kinda reeks of it for me too, it shows not only his lack of impulse control and lack of value for human life but also a secret third thing no one talks about which is how everything has to happen when he wants, in the way he wants it to. Even if he has to sneak behind other's backs and get himself in trouble to achieve that.

So to me, I think that among other motivations, he knows the only way he can control everything is to destroy it. He's pissed when he gives his little monologue and the main party disagrees, he can't convince them away from their reasons that life is worth living to them. So he'll destroy them all, so that no one will be left to resist him or call him down.

Aaaand drawing that all back in , you see a lot of people with hoarding disorders who have struggled a lot in a hectic, unpleasant life and a subconscious need for something you can control and take comfort in is filled by stuff. (Gee , ask me how -I- know)

•This could be %100 canon, could be mistranslated or %100 made up, so there's really no telling if this is a headcanon or not. But anyone seen that translated Ultimania profile from a gameFAQ post like 15 years ago? I've been taking every word of it as canon because it's just so on point with details that make sense and make him more fleshed out and interesting. Here are some favorites

•In his little bio thing with his age, height,(5'5 which is canon to me for ever and ever) etc , for likes it just says

"Likes: Mirror "

same. Me. King shit. truest and most relatable thing ever.

•"- After spiraling into insanity, Kefka starts to wear makeup and garish clothing, acting like a complete buffoon. His behavior changes and his patterns of speech deteriorate."

this is just what happened to me when I turned 20. give the man a break . hes just a girl in the world

•Theres a lot in there about him collecting dolls, playing with them, and dressing them/doing their makeup like he does his own. And just a lot in general about his more feminine interests and tastes (because it's the 90s/2000s and unfortunately we have to show the bad crazy guy is bad and crazy by making him gnc methinks)

I love this aspect of Kefka's character very very dearly. That is all.

And there's many more details there I appreciate but just don't feel like writing down but I could in a part two if anyone enjoyed reading this. Lmk what u think and if I cooked or didn't cook because I love talking to ppl about the funny man...

[neuroticbookworm]

Okay now that I've finished watching all 12 episodes of Theory of Love I have a few thoughts

Two is the bestest best friend in the history of bl and on top of that he also managed to be the cutest bi disaster in the history of bl. Truly a legend

I was too busy drowning in Third's (and later, Khai's) tears and misery that I missed a lot of details, especially the movie references but was aware that they are there. Now that I know Third is capable of feeling joy in Khai's presence, I'm gonna sit down with a notepad when I rewatch this series and catch all the details like Pokemon

Contrary to popular opinion (I think? A lot of people here seem to hate his guts), Khai's redemption arc was very well done imo. Everytime his past mistakes come back to haunt him he stood there and took it like a champ, while also actively trying to be better now and in the future. I love a well done work-in-progress character. Remember how I wanted to swing a frying pan at his face? And then an axe? Ah, good times

I cannot believe that I got to witness one of the cleanest, unproblamatic and emotionally mature romance storylines in bl, and it was a from a het couple in tertiary plot. Not even secondary. Tertiary. The relief and happiness I felt when Bone pulled away from almost kissing a drunk and heartbroken Paan is immeasurable. Making the right choices even when the heart wants differently is sexy af, and Bone was the sexiest mf in this series I swear to god

Speaking of Bone, whoever wrote the literal-cockroach-on-the-bed storyline saved my life. If it wasn't for his disgusting bedroom, I would've fallen for the combination of Bone's character and Mike's face faster than the speed of light. I would've never left the Mike Chinnarat rabbit hole for the rest of my life. Thank you for saving me from myself, screenwriter

Enjoy this gif of Bone being a good friend. Are y'all getting lost in his gorgeous, sympathetic eyes? Roaches. On. The. Bed. Remember it. Don't you dare google him. DON'T.

Okay I have to do this, I don't know if it's been done before, and I don't care. I just have to do this.

Apologies to both fandoms. (Amy hugging and rocking herself like a distressed child always gets me lol)

[flowerslut]

6, 7, 22

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

i love this question because it’s so ominous yet incredibly vague. what scares me when writing? what frightens me about the work I actually produce? is there an inherent anxiety I should be experiencing about the idea of other people reading my work? who knows! what an absolute sandbox of a question. lemme give this one a go:

nothing really scares be about writing—I’m pretty good about not letting fear or anxiety influence my process. I think the closest thing I’ve experienced to feeling writing/story-related fear is the anxiety that I won't be able to adequately write about an experience that I can't personally relate to.

I made my mark on the Tumblr-sphere around 2010-2012 and only dove head first into tumblr fandom stuff after I already had a decent following. this means that I already was doing a weird mixture of careful self-censoring while also being extremely outspoken and annoying about Calling Things Out—you’ll recognize this as The Thing virtue-signaling BNFs do where they’ll try to cancel someone who enjoys fucked up ship dynamics or problematic characters while also acting like only they have the ability to write or commentate about subjects A, B, or C because they have the “necessary” lived experiences and obviously anyone who doesn’t fit inside the personal mold of the topics they’re writing could never properly write about these topics (re: sexual assault/racism/homophobia and transphobia/etc.)—so as someone who can relate to that mindset, there will always be a smidge of anxiety over how prominent that Type of reader has become. of course, people find a lot of worth in #ownvoices, but when it becomes expected that only people in marginalized groups write about or as that group... you can see how that gets... sketchy...

that's something I'm not going to unpack here since so many other people have talked about it so much better than I could ever, but it's that problematic mindset that inspires a little bit of unease as I start considering working on/developing ofic. so I guess I could say my darkest fear (although it doesn't feel dark; it's just me being hyperaware of the current state of affairs) is that any of my writing could lose its credibility or worth if I dared to write about a lived experience outside of my own. if that makes sense 🙇🏼‍♀️

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

I love to create!!!! I love the way it makes me feel! I love the writing process, start to finish, and I love looking back on works I've written and feeling a variety of fantastic emotion!!!! I've rarely written work I wouldn't seek out to read myself, and knowing that not only am I capable of creating work that I find worthy of reading, but that I do it with regularity is a really cool thing. when I'm sitting in my bed at 2am, trying to convince myself to close my laptop and go to sleep since I've been writing for 13 consecutive hours, I'm truly in my happiest place. not to MENTION how good it feels to be able to witness your progress as a writer as time passes; THAT is a wonderful feeling and brings my joy to a whole new level ♡

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

I’ve always been super organized when it comes to writing! when I was a teenager (since I didn’t have a laptop like I do now) I kept most of my fic in this trusty thing.

and I’ve shared posts about it before that really detail how organized I got with the fics I wrote in high school, and although I definitely don’t hand write fic anymore (I still can’t believe how many years I did that for—kids these days don’t understand etc etc yada yada) my organizational process is pretty similar, only now I use my iphone notes to throw my ideas/thoughts into and I use countless spotify playlists to keep my song inspo sorted!

most of my brainstorming happens in my iphone notes app, and once I have a solid base or idea I’ll usually take that outline to scrivener and start building from there. for example, here’s roots’ scrivener doc:

and why yes, it is taking up so much space on my computer, and yes, it is overdue for a backup to my hard drive 💀 but yes, tldr; I use iphone notes and scrivener, almost exclusively!

weird questions for writers!

[yurissweettooth]

Tired of every single day seeing 29583995 posts about how you are supposed to engage in fandom and how everyone who engages differently is wrong and bad and not allowed to do this and that.

Literally do not understand why people are so pressed about what other people are doing for fun.

Do I find the way people interpret/misinterpret some characters to be annoying and baffling at times? Yes! I think everyone does. But that doesn't mean the person who is over there having a fun time not hurting anyone is at fault for it. You can block them and move on and say nothing.

This was inspired by a screenshot of someone saying something to the tune of "normalize mischaracterizing your comfort characters. I dont care whether or not they would canonically do something." And someone retweeted (to a seemingly large audience) telling them that they must not actually like the character. Which feels pretty mean-spirited to an innocuous post about how someone chooses to engage with something that comforts them.

And I honestly think the original person had a point. Normalizing it does not mean YOU have to do it or YOU have to like people's interpretations, it means that people will be allowed to engage in harmless fun without everyone getting up and arms and making assumptions about them or QRTing their post to thousands of people calling them a fake fan.

Everyone has a different idea of what fun and comfort is and for some people that's making wacky AUs or exaggerating traits and playing dollhouse and for others that meticulously researching and nailing down every canon detail in their works. Some people like tiktok and incorrect quote edits and some like meta and deepdives into and it's all okay and fine!

Someone doesn't HAVE to make an OC. If they want their quick fix of comfort and catharsis by just tacking traits on to a pre-made character that they don't have to expend extra energy on then who cares?

Also lots of neurodivergent people (like myself) and kids get caught in the crossfire as well, but really I think EVERYONE should have the right to do what they want. This feels like another extension if cringe culture which should be dead an buried by now.

And I say all this as a person who PREFERS to engage in fandom in a canon-compliant, lore-friendly way and yet has also been the victim of this.

I have had bad/mean fandom experiences over presenting evidenced, well-sourced, and canon compliant material that just happens to contradict popular fanon. I have also received backlash for putting a character through 10+ years of canon-compliant, well researched, and carefully constructed character development which led them to do things differently in the future than they did in canon.

But I don't always feel like giving a 20+ paragraph disclaimer on every single doodle, edit, or short fic to prove to you exactly how they got here and why it's canon compliant (although I unfortunately DO tend to do this to avoid repeats of past hate :/) because it really shouldn't matter. Blocking me outright or blocking my tags should suffice.

I will never understand this mentality of "Only I do things correctly, everyone else is wrong and bad and ruining everything and I have to shame people doing harmless things so everyone sees how right I am" and I feel like I've been seeing it more and more every day lately and it's frustrating. This is a big part of why I left twitter but it's getting popular here too now.

This is honestly a big part of why I don't post the majority of my fanart and fics anymore. I no longer post meta or silly edits, I no longer reach out to people to discuss ideas, I rarely share my thoughts on any characters publicly, etc.

I live a very stressful life and I engage in fandom to relax and have fun but that has been very difficult for me due to people who always feel the need to be hateful over innocuous things. I feel more and more like I need to walk on eggshells so I do not accidentally incite another ✨️incident✨️ because I dared to post a silly headcanon or edit. And that sort of hate and "umm, actually..." response STILL happens to me, even in recent days because god forbid I post an AU I enjoyed and wished to share with people who might also enjoy it!! It's so frustrating.

And this, of course, is NOT referring to people who try to force/shame others into their interpretations (regardless of if they are compliant or not). This is also NOT about bigoted material. Turning characters into harmful stereotypes (making a black woman who is not sassy sassy, for example), using them to spread hateful messages, and erasing their identities/whitewashed their designs. That is a separate issue. But someone making a character you like say something they wouldn't say in canon? Making them act a little silly? Ignoring parts of canon to make an idea they have work? It's not hurting anyone!!!

[thenightcallsme]

The Arcana: Julian's Route | Chapter 8

!! THIS STORY IS A DETAILED RETELLING OF THE ARCANA, INCLUDING PAID SCENES IN BOTH PROLOGUE AND JULIAN ROUTE. ALL CHARACTERS EXCEPT THE MC ARE PROPERTY OF THE ARCANA FRANCHISE !!

A/N: This is a reupload from my AO3 cause I want to branch out. Enjoy!!

Summary: In a small shop in Vesuvia lives Vivian Caelum, a student of the magical arts who works as a shopkeeper for her tutor, Asra Alnazar. Her name is not known in the streets as her master's is, nor does she have full control over her magic yet. But one night, there's a knock at her door; Vivian is needed at the palace to help Countess Nadia upon her personal wishes. Soon, what she thinks is a small task is something she would never have expected her magic to be used for: Vivian must find Count Lucio's murderer. Will she be able to track down the infamous murderer and finally put the Countess's years of restlessness to ease? Or will the killer captivate her in ways she can't explain? Is she even running after the right man? Something deeper than she thought is happening within her beloved city, and she's about to understand the vastness of the magical realms.

Pairing: Julian Devorak x Fem!Magician Reader

This Chapter Contains: descriptions of blood/wounds

Word Count: 9,927

find the rest of the chapters in my masterlist here :)

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

A flock of birds take flight outside the window, startling me from a distant, foggy dream that has already slipped through the grasp of my memory. It takes me a moment to realise that I'm slumped over a desk in the library, books and papers scattered around and beneath me. Faust slithers up and over to my face, giving my nose a friendly lick of her tongue.

Hours last night were spent pacing the length of my guest room aimlessly once I returned from my fountain. I mulled over every question I had for Asra, every further question his words arose. But I know not a single theory I created was worth entertaining. It was all pointless, all the happier versions of the real answers I will one day get.

Breakfast was a relief, another trey of tiny golden pastries dusted lightly in sugar, a small bowl of pomegranate seeds, and a dish of caramelised Aldradyian fruits. I smile warmly at the sight of them. I haven't been given this in my usual breakfast before. They must have been prepared by the request of Nadia.

Portia's arrival, which meant my day could start, was a second relief. Spending another waking second in my room felt like torture. I was dressed and prepared well before she arrived, which made her laugh. She's usually the one to roll me from my bed and force me to dress while still half in the dream she tore me from. She told me I'd have the day to myself on account of the Countess's headaches. With no other tasks needing urgent attention, I decided to try my luck once more in the library. That only lasted an hour. 

I sit up with a groan, peeling a piece of parchment off my cheek and survey the mess. Of course, I have found nothing. No extra trace of Julian, no information to tell me where he could have gone or what really happened, no lead to his whereabouts that doesn't require a tracking spell. It has been the same for the past few days.

"Oh come on. I really need to get in there!"

I perk up at the distant sound of a feminine voice. I lean over the desk and listen. It sounds like she's having an argument, though I can't quite hear the other party involved. I stand slowly, stretching the sleep from my limbs, and leave the library, making my way to the veranda and down to the garden.

"Please? You're really trying my patience here."

Portia?

I follow her voice further than I've gone before through neatly cut bushes shaped like animals and trees blanketed in white bell flowers. I've made it to the point where a thick, lush forest stands before me. A gravel path cleaves cleanly through it. Curious, I follow.

“How DARE you! Don't you know WHO I am?!"

The second voice is louder as I pass the tall birch trees and the dense bushes of berries and leaves and flowers, a shrill shriek that pierces even the heavy foliage. I frown at the sound of them. Sunlight pierces the dense foliage up ahead. I push a rouge branch from my path as I emerge into a small clearing.

Settled squat in the middle of the copse is a small, cozy-looking cottage, surrounded by a huge, overflowing garden of flowers and old, droopy trees. It's made of white bricks that have weathered over time, grown over by curious vines of ivy. The front door is open wide and Portia stands at the bottom of the steps leading to the porch.

"That's it, Pepi, honey, get 'em!"

A seal point cat with a pudgy face and round eyes hops onto Portia's shoulder, batting at a white cockatoo. The bird is pacing on the roof of a small work shed, shrieking and nipping at Portia as she tries to enter. A particularly well-aimed strike from the cat dislodges the cockatoo, sending it flying. It clips Portia's head with its wings in its escape, muttering in anger. The second voice wasn't a person at all, but the cockatoo. Faust slithers from my bag and up my arm to perch on my shoulder, interested.

"Ooo, that awful bird," Portia grinds out. "He makes me so mad, Pepi."

"Hey, Portia!" I call, waving.

She jumps at the sound of her name. “Oh, hello!”

Portia's cheeks flush in embarrassment. She smooths her apron and quickly recovers, smiling at me. I stifle a hearty laugh behind my hand as I approach. This lovely cottage must be where she lives.

Just to be sure, though, I ask, "Is this where you live? It's beautiful!"

"It sure is. Welcome to Casa de Portia. My own little oasis on the palace ground." Portia beams with pride. "Though, I'm surprised you managed to find this place. It's a little off the beaten path. Just watch out for the graspgourds. They're feisty today."

A curious vine slithers across the floor and around Portia's ankle as she says so. Annoyed, she swiftly kicks it off and stomps on it while muttering about how ruthless they are. She drops to a bench carved out of a large log. I go to sit down with her, but she suddenly jumps and cries out.

She looks at me in horror. "Ah! Why do you have a snake on you?!"

I laugh and Faust's tongue flickers on my cheek affectionately. "Her? Oh, don't worry about Faust. She's the friendliest thing."

"Is she...yours?"

"Asra's. But we kind of share her, don't we, Faust?"

Faust hisses in agreement, red eyes twinkling.

Portia places a hand over her heart and lets out a breath. "Sorry about that. Never been fond of snakes."

Portia goes utterly still as Faust leans over to inspect her. Faust knows exactly what she's doing as she nudges Portia's nose. She backs away, bending down to pick up a rake.

"You don't mind me working a little while we talk, do you? I've got a lot on my hands when it comes to maintaining this garden," she says.

I wave my hand dismissively. "Not at all. As long as my questions don't distract you."

She begins to rake at the leaves on the ground. "Questions? Go ahead."

"So...Julian's your brother?" If I wasn't sure before, I am now. The naked shock and hurt on Portia's face tell me all I need to know.

She looks down. "Yes. I'm sorry about that scene outside your shop, you know. I was just surprised to see him there."

My mind wanders back to Julian exiting my shop, caught red-handed breaking and entering again. I'll be damned if he does it again. I give Portia a sympathetic smile.

"I was, too," I say. 

Portia smiles a little and huffs a laugh. "He's got a real flair for the dramatics. I'm glad to see that hasn't changed."

"I guess it runs in the family," I tease.

“Me? Dramatic? Vivian, how dare you?" she teases back. "I sure learnt from the best. Ilya taught me everything I know. Now...I didn't know you two knew each other. Did that happen before or after milady hired you?"

My cheeks flush under the scrutiny. “I, um…”

Portia gives me a look. She can see right through the lie I’m trying to muster. I sigh.

"I first met Julian the night the countess visited my shop. He arrived shortly after she left." I purse my lips. "He scared the absolute shit out of me, spoke a whole heap of riddles, and then left. The next time I saw him was my first day working for Nadia. I found him at a tavern and he persuaded me to have drinks with him. I was intent on having him tell me what really happened, but I ended up going nowhere. Outside the shop was the last time I saw him. He broke in again and could not stop flirting with me."

Portia listens intently as she rakes up the leaves. "Hmm. Sure sounds like my brother. But...why didn't you tell milady?"

The look on Portia's face is not unkind. I know I can tell her anything with consequence. I drum my fingers along my chin, considering her question. What is it that is compelling me most to keep Julian a secret?

"I didn't want to condemn a man on incomplete information," I answer simply. "If it's my word that knots the hangman's noose... It doesn't feel right to send him to his death without really investigating his innocence."

Portia shakes her head. "I don't really know what mess Ilya's gotten himself into, but if he has you in his corner, I get the feeling everything will work out alright."

"...Portia?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Portia reaches over to my hand and gives me a squeeze. "Of course! That's what I'm here for. Pep talks and expert gardening skills. …Oh my, it's getting late."

I peer overhead at her words and at the sun, already well past noon. Late light dapples the clearing, dancing on Portia's face. Maybe I should get back to examining Julian's desk. I sigh. ...As if I have not done so already.

"I'd better get back to work," I say as I get up, gently petting Portia's cat. "I'm glad I came out to talk to you. I want you to know that I'm glad we're friends. And friends...they would do anything for each other—which now includes keeping one's wanted brother out of trouble."

⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Today is my day off. Nobody in the Palace requires work from me. I don't need to be doing the work I've volunteered to at all today. Now that I'm inclined to help Portia, that means slowing down my search for the doctor until I can find evidence that proves something else was at play. A witness, another suspect, a real culprit that could have framed Julian. Something. Anything. Letting myself have the day off is the best thing for now. 

The sun has reached the climax of it's journey across the cloudless sky; I still have half the day left. Who's here to argue with a few hours spent taking the long way back? The worn path I have my eye on should wind through the forest, ending by one of the gigantic aqueducts feeding Southend's canals. So I head in the opposite direction I came from down a path cleaving through the surrounding forest. 

My sense of time is a little off as I wander further down the path. The sun, which should be just starting its descent by now, is near invisible beyond the thick canopy of treetops. Sunlight barely breaches the tightly knit layers of leaves to light the way. In fact...it has gotten strangely dark. Faust it still coiled closely around my neck, head rested on my shoulder as I go. But eventually she stirs, slithering around my torso and down my leg. I stop my walk to let her find the dirt path. She lifts the front of her body to look up at me expectantly. I drop to a crouch beside her.

"Are you going somewhere?" I coo reserved for her.

She flickers her tongue, blinks slowly, then sort of nods. Asra's familiar has a strange sense of what I say, which both unnerves me and brings me at ease.

"Do you want me to follow?"

She shakes her head. I'm almost compelled to scoop her up in my arms and taking her anyway, but Faust is smart. She knows how to handle herself. If she somehow found her way to me from Asra, she can no doubt find her way home—or back to him. Wherever she wishes. I give her small head a little rub.

"Be careful. And don't get into trouble."

With that she's off, and so am I.

The horizon peaks through the foliage overhead, and soon enough I've broken through the forest's edge. The gnarled tulipwoods, oak trees with sprawling foliage, and firs that stand tall and proud like soldiers at attention break way into rolling fields. Now beneath the warm light of the sun, they look a bit limp and thin for this time of the year. Hundred of feet below the fields is the sprawling city of Vesuvia. The Palace's golden rooftops shimmer blindingly, even from here. The shadows of its soaring spired are thrown across the city as the sun reaches for the horizon behind it. From up here, with the city looks beautiful. Peaceful. I can just see the slums in the fields below, but even they look less run down and liveable from this far away. Swirls of smoke leave the chimneys of stacked buildings to dance in the air, twining together like lovers.

Civilians aren't allowed in this part of the forest without permission, as it is still Palace grounds. Unused grounds, it seems. But the guards recognise me now. Whoever may soon pass on patrol won't think twice when they see the countess's magician. For now there are no silver bodies in sight.

Cutting across the fields like the twisting body of a snake is a steadily flowing brook that must feed into the aqueduct beyond. The unkept grass obscures most of the water from sight, so as my eyes pass over it, the colour barely registers. When it does, I stop in my tracks, stomach heavy.

Red.

There's no mistaking it. Crimson stains the slow-moving stream, seeping steadily into the banks. With trepidation, I follow the flow upstream with my eyes. Seeping from the stonework of a forgotten corner…

I turn back to the forest I emerged from in horror and realise the source of the darkness. Rot and decay. The trees at the edge of the field here are dying, the colour of the bark and leaves dull and drained. Even the grass droops limply towards the ground. I kick off my heels, taking them in my hands as I break into a slow run and follow the polluted river bank. Soon, the vast open fields give way to rocky cliff sides as the stream reaches its end, flowing from a limestone structure.

An aqueduct towers before me. It's one of the many that sources Vesuvia's canals, designed to provide water for its many denizens. The water that feeds into the aqueducts flows back out and down a raging waterfall feeding the vast moat surrounding the city. The moat connects to canals that divide the seven districts. Eventually it all goes back out to the sea. Putting my shoes back on, I begin the journey along it.

A raven with thick, glossy black plumage swoops in a wide arch overhead. It dips down, reaching eye and circles me curiously. As if satisfied with its analysis, it extends its clawed feet out and takes rest on my shoulder. It opens its pale beak as if to cry out, but simply nibbles on the hem of my shirt. Gently, I lift a finger to stroke its head. It leans into my tough rather than flying away.

"Hello," I coo softly. "You look like the bird from the tavern."

Its beady eyes watch me warily. In fact, all its feathers are ruffled as if on high alert. Surprisingly, it stays on my shoulder as I continue along the white stone bridge. However strange it is, I let it keep its perch on my shoulder willingly. The aqueduct lowers over the city's moat and joins together with another water line, both heading deeper into Vesuvia. Buildings erupt from along the edges of the first cobblestone streets in the distance, the first sign of urban life as I reach the outskirts.

The sun has set now, the last golden light escaping from the sky and plunging the city onto darkness. Lamps line the whether-worn stone bridge. They're held up by iron the twists like tree branches and holds the glass lamps in an overgrown embrace. The lamps have already been lit in preparation of the night. But they do not offer much guidance. The flames burn low.

All is quiet for a while as I make my way across the stretching bridge, beside the sound of my heels, the rush of water, and the occasional soft caw from the raven. Then—

"Vivian?"

I stop dead in my tracks as a tall figure hidden by the darkness catches my attention. It's a man who calls out my name in astonishment, a man who sounds all to familiar. Slowly, he emerges into the dim light of a lantern. Pale skin, auburn hair, a wide mouth and steely eye. Standing before me, face half cast in shadows…is Julian.

"Julian?!"

At the sight of him, the ruffled, black raven leaps from my shoulders, spreading its wings wide and swooping up and around the man before me. It takes perch on his shoulder, nipping curiously at the eyepatch band hidden in his hair. I stare at both Julian and the bird in surprise and astonishment. 

So it was the raven from the tavern. I had thought its appearance in the market the day I fled from Julian and found his sister was a coincidence. I had also thought the bird belonged to the Rowdy Raven, or to a frequent patron of the tavern. But no. It seems to have a liking for Julian. I can't help but recall old wives tales as I watch the huge black bird nuzzle against him. Ravens are omens of death and ill will, but they also associate with lost souls. How ironic.

Julian stands at the edge of the aqueduct, a dark silhouette framed by ghostly, silver moonlight. Behind him, the city towers like a behemoth, a chaotic sprawl of colourful buildings stacked atop each other. In his hands is a mask with a long, curved beak. His plague mask. He turns it slowly in his hands as if contemplating what to do with it.

"Hello, darling." He smirks at me in greeting, but it looks almost sad. "Fancy seeing you here, hmm? Out for an evening walk?"

"No...not exactly," I say. "What are you doing here?"

Julian sighs, gaze dropping to the reservoir below. The red of his coat reflects and refracts in the water, splashes of crimson dancing against one another. There's something about him that's far away no matter how close we stand.

He looks at the mask in his hands. "Me? I was just thinking. Funny, fickle thing, life, isn't it?"

"Should you be standing so close to the water?"

"What, this water?" He raises a brow. "It's harmless. It won't do anything to me, or anyone, anymore. Sure, a few people might get sick if they go for a swim, but... Isn't it a miracle? They went and figured it out—or outlasted it. Wonder how they did it?"

"You're going to get rid of it...aren't you?"

"The mask? Well, life finds a way, doesn't it? The plague is over, and so is people's need for me. Who needs a plague doctor if there's no plague? It's like... Like a Count with no city. A barkeep with no drinks." He extends his arms with a flourish. His auburn hair falls into his good eye, obscuring it. "So here I am, throwing away the last piece of a past I can't reclaim. Pity, isn't it?"

With one final glance at the mask, Julian lets it slip from his gloved fingers. It drops to the water below with a soft splash. Pale shapes just below the surface are drawn by the disturbance and move to swarm the mask. I can barely see rows of teeth digging into the beak. ...Those eel-like creatures at the Palace, the ones Portia told me about. I've never seen them outside the Palace. Then again, I've barely ever had a need to cross the aqueducts. They must thrive in the reservoir. I've never seen so many at once.

Julian leans over the edge and watches it, the dramatic facade slipping away like a mask of its own. Beneath it is what I felt from him before; that distant, forlorn feeling. Somewhere deep down, I feel for him, for the past that went down so wrong—whether by his hand or to protect someone else.

"Julian, are you—" I begin to speak, but the ragged, screeching call from the raven sounds. It must have left to survey the area without me noticing. It flies around our heads in a frenzy. The Palace guards are coming.

All of a sudden, Julians eye lights up. "Guards. Look lively, Vivian, we'd best make tracks."

“We?” I echo.

"Wouldn't want to be caught with me when you work in the Palace, would you?" Before I can protest any further, Julian has a tight grip on my wrist.

He leaps into action, only letting my arm go when we've cleared the aqueduct and sprint down the street. I silently curse myself for putting my heels back on, finding the stone street dangerously slippery. Especially as close to the creature-filled canal as we are.

Then, just as I find myself with good footing, I slip on a wet stone. I cry out in alarm as I tumble back and into the canal that cleaves between this street and the next one over. The icy feeling of the canal's water engulfs me as I'm swallowed by the darkness. I barely took a breath before I went under, and already my lungs sing in agony. I struggle against the water, kicking frantically to the surface. Those eels could be anywhere. 

And then I feel it.

Slipper and sleek, something brushes my ankle.

In the dim light that pierces the water's surface, the faint silhouettes of a dozen eels circle me carefully. Their skin is sickly and translucent, revealing twisting organs, splaying veins, pumping hearts. Their flat faces are split by wide jaws lined with rows of huge teeth that look unnatural in their somewhat small heads. Beady eyes stare back at me in hunger.

As soon as the first one launches to strike, I throw both hands before me and unleash my magic. A burst of energy shoots from my palms and hits the eel's silvery neck. The burst cleaves through the sleek skin and severs its head clean off. Its body goes limp and sinks to the riverbed. The demise of their companion does not stop the rest.

They're on me in seconds, and my magic isn't enough to kill them all. As soon as I send another three to their deaths and kick away a fourth, powerful hands grip my arms. Julian tugs me from the canal, but neither of us is fast enough to fend off the last eel. It shoots forward with incredible speed, maw wide and teeth latching onto my side. I barely suppress my scream as my hands grip its flat face and try desperately to pry it free. Its teeth only sink further into the flesh beneath my ribs, drawing blood and sending a shocking wave of pain through my body.

The eel comes up with me to the street above as Julian pulls me from the water. I gulp down air and let out a grunt of pain as the eel feeds off my blood. Julian kneels beside me on the street, one arm wrapped around me to sit me up. His free hand hovers over the eel.

"On the count of three, okay?" he says breathlessly. "One, two—"

I suck in a breath as Julian grips the eel behind its head, forcing its mouth open. He tosses it to the ground roughly where it rolls back into the canal. My hand shots to my side and I flinch from the scorching pain as I press my hand over the injury. Warm blood meets my palm.

Julian hoists me up. "Up you go, then. I've got you."

I breathe comes in gasps as I stumble away from the reservoir with his help, soaking wet and slipping on cobblestone. My clothes clings to my body like a second skin. A shiver runs beneath my skin as a cool breeze sweeps through the street. Blood blossoms across my left side beneath small tears in the high waist of the black skirt I wear. The bejewelled wrap I wear on my upper half is otherwise unharmed

"Shit." I barely manage to speak through clenched teeth, my magic wary as I attempt to wring the water from my hair and clothes. “That really hurts."

Julian looks behind us as pairs of marching footsteps grow close. He takes my arm again. "Can you manage?"

"I...think so."

"Good, because we can't stop now."

Julian half drags me with him as we run at a slower pace. Thankfully, the adrenaline coursing through my veins blocks out the pain as I stumble along with him. My weight is getting alarmingly hard to uphold. We round a corner and Julian leads me down an alley. He finally stops in the shadow of the building beside us and peers down at me, concern in his greyish eye. My breath comes fast and laboured.

"Can you stand on your own?"

I look up to him from where I struggle to cling to his arm, shaking and dizzy. “You think?"

"Right. Foolish question." Before I can protest, he reaches his other arm beneath my legs and hoists me into his arms, carrying me further down the street. "Hold onto me."

Hesitantly, I place my arms around his neck as he hurries me through the alleyway. Asra told me Julian could be who he wants to get what he wants, but he bothered to turn back to pull me from the canal even with the guards on his heels. Though, I suppose he must stay in my good graces if he wants to live.

Julian comes to a stop a few streets down where he drops to his knees and gently sets me against a building. Secluded and deserted, the alleyway grants some safety. Boxes and barrels shield us from passers-by.

"Here, let me see that bite," he says quietly. My head bobs ambiguously. Whatever words I try to form are stuck behind my teeth. "I'll have to take that as a yes."

The doctor in Julian has suddenly fronted. His gaze turns cool and calculating as he rolls the hem of my skirt low on my hips, revealing the steadily oozing wound. My blood is warm as it trickles down my side. I stare blankly at the stars twinkling above as I let his practised hands work. I trust him, even though I maybe shouldn't. He presses his gloved hand to my side, causing a shock of pain to ripple beneath my skin.

"The bleeding won't stop. Dammit," Julian mutters.

With a look of displeasure, he leans back and begins peeling off his gloves. Slowly, I turn my head and watch. On the back of his left hand is the murderer's brand, stark and irreversible on his pale skin. I can't suppress a shudder as he lays the other hand over my open wound. His skin is ice-cold. I hold still, focusing on wrestling with consciousness.

"Deep breathes," Julian says soothingly as he brushes the hair from my face. "This will only take a minute or two."

Gently, his marked left hand slips around to the small of my back and he twists me around to lay against him. I lean my head against the arm that cradles me. Not once does he retract his other hand from the wound. Realising I can feel the pain fade, a wave of profound relaxation settles. I turn to him again, a curious look on my face.

"...Why are you helping me?"

Julian's eyes flicker to mine as he studies me. "It's the right thing to do, isn't it? It's human. You're willing to keep my whereabouts a secret from the Palace even though your job is to hunt me down. I have to repay you somehow."

"You...know about that? I-I thought you only knew about my affiliation with the countess." I turn away, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. I feel...guilty.

"Oh, I had no idea," Julian explains. There is no anger in his voice. "Portia told me after she dragged me away from your shop. She said that being around you was like playing with fire. But you're on her side, aren't you?"

I smile as I think of Portia. "Of course. Turning you in...I wouldn't want to do that to her." I turn my head to look at him again and grin. "You know, we must stop meeting like this."

Julian barks a laugh and presses a hand to my forehead, checking my temperature. "In such strange circumstances? Yes, I agree. Now, if you're well enough to joke, you're well enough to sit."

With his hand on the small of my back again, he helps turn me around to sit and face him. My head swims with the change in altitude. As I regain my balance, he continues.

"At least you didn't catch me breaking and entering this time." He leans back from me. "I'll admit, I was surprised to see you in the neighbourhood."

His eye drifts away from me and he looks towards the street. I follow his line of sight to a distant aqueduct's end which spews a chaotically cascading waterfall of red. It’s much higher than I thought. Swallowing thickly, I turn back to the doctor, and something catches my eye. The outlines of a magical mark glow brightly on the skin of Julian's throat. Its design is unmistakable, so much so that I can't help but let my jaw hang open in surprise. He turns and catches me staring, a shadow passing over his countenance.

"Ah." Julian's lips are pursed into a grim line. "Do you recognise your master's handiwork?"

I watch in horror as dark, fresh blood blossoms underneath his waistcoat. Concerned, I lean forward and grab his shoulders as he caves in on himself, one hand pressed to his forehead and the other to the blood. How the hell is he bleeding? What did I miss?

He draws in a sharp breath. "This was his parting gift to me; a curse. I am able to take away bodily wounds, as you can see."

Confused at his words, my hand subconsciously drifts to my wound...only to be met with soft, unmarked skin. There is no sign of what was once there—not even the sliver of a scar.

"And in return," he continues. "I get to experience them myself."

He sways forward and I clutch him harder, keeping the doctor upright. I swallow, eyes frantic at the sight of blood now running freely down his torso. He knew this would happen, and yet he still helped me.

Goddammit, Julian.

"Are you going to be fine?" I ask.

He waves a hand idly as if it is no more than a scratch. "It won't last, it never does."

That must explain why he healed so quickly from the glass bottle I struck him with the night I met him. I eye the wound. "But why would Asra give that to you? He never told me he could…inflict such a thing on someone."

Julian sighs. "It's a curse from a witch who fears commitment. Then again...I've never been bitten by a vampire eel before. This might be interesting."

"Thank you," I whisper, smiling shyly. "Really."

He blinks owlishly at me, unable to believe my words. Despite the simple thank you, he flushes and looks down. "Don't mention it. That is, well... Circumstances being as they were...I'm just glad you're all right."

Before I can react, he perks up, eyes darting to the street beyond. I hear them coming a moment after he does: the countess's guards, doing rounds of the outer walls. Julian is quick to his feet, pulling me up with him and ushering me against the wall and behind a stack of barrels. His back connects with the wall as he pulls me in, wrapping an arm around my waist. I don't dare speak, let alone breathe, as their footsteps grow closer.

Still, I am extremely aware of how close we are. This close, I can see the pain painted on his face. His stare is fixed behind me, but as if he senses my gaze, it moves to mine. For a moment, we stare at each other. Just as he's about to say something, a thud sounds from the entrance of an alleyway.

Instead of whatever he wished to tell me, he says, "Not the time. Let's go."

He grabs my hand and tugs me out of the alleyway, breaking into a run that I barely match. The city passes us by in a blur of lights, dark colours, and alleyways hidden in shadows as we evade capture, weaving around buildings with ease. I hear a guard yell behind us to stop, but we do no such thing.

We're moving so fast, I almost don't see it. There, nestled between two tall buildings...a garden. A thick padlock set in a rusted iron gate blocks our way inside. It would make the perfect hiding spot, but we could lose time getting in.

Julian picks up speed, and my hand threatens to slip from his. If I'm going to act it has to be now. I have no idea if he's listening, telling him would be a gamble, a waste of time. So I pull hard on his hand and tug him towards the garden. He quickly catches onto my intentions and helps hoist me over the top of the gate.

I land rather unceremoniously, and Julian drops down next to me with light feet. The garden is overgrown and unused to the point that the bushes and vines of blue flowers twist up the fence, giving decent coverage. He helps me to my feet and dusts off my clothes as we catch our breath.

Only then do I take in the magnificence of the forgotten garden.

Pillars etched with intricate patterns hold up archways surrounding the perimeter. Steps lead up to an elevated section where a broken marble fountain stands, its lost beauty only left to the imagination. In each corner of the garden are statues of a bull's upper half, frozen in mid-charge.

Years must have passed since this place was last touched, the plants left to fend for themselves. Julian and I step around roots that have overtaken the cracked stone floor, settling by the dilapidated fountain.

"This place is wonderful," Julian breathes. "A pity how unloved it is. Quick thinking."

I look around, my eyes lingering on the strange blue flowers. They have a faint, luminescent glow to them. "I wonder how many places of the city have fallen to neglect like this?"

"Oh, too many to count." He makes his way carefully over to one of the grotesque statues, stepping over wild vines that block his path. "Ah, and look at this brute. Hello there, handsome."

A grin tugs at his lips as Julian wraps an arm around the bull statue's muscular shoulders. He turns back to me, his good eye bright with delight. I stifle a little laughter.

"Dangerous looking creature, isn't it?" he observes.

I fold my arms and lean against a pillar. "I like a little danger."

I pick my way over to the statue as well, staring into its stone face. It almost seems to be regarding me. Julian, whose arm is still slung over the statue, watches me with growing interest. He tilts his head to the side.

"Ohhh?" he teases. "I shouldn't be surprised. You're the type of girl who seems to be full of hidden depths."

I raise a brow. "Really? Being able to do magic is as interesting as I get."

“Liar. But tell me...do you really mean that about danger? Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

There's a strong feeling suggesting that there's something more to Julian's question. I go quiet for a moment as I consider. But...I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I just know that it's right.

I shrug. "Isn't the not knowing what makes it exciting? Knowing what you're getting yourself into is like ruining the surprise of a present. Otherwise, what would be the point of the wrapping and the guessing?"

"I wouldn't say that's the most exciting thing about it." His eyes are suddenly curious, pinned behind me. "Hold still for a moment."

He lets go of the statue and reaches slowly forward, plucking a flower from my shoulder. It must have fallen from the luminous vines coiled closely above. It glows a bright, vivid blue in the dark, star-shaped petals curling in as he touches it. The blue light it emits highlights Julian's face, catching on his eyelashes.

I can't help but admit that he looks strikingly handsome.

He offers the flower to me, a quirk to his lips as he twirls it in his fingers. I reach out to take it from him, but he stops, shaking his head and pulling it back just slightly.

"Ah ah ah. Careful." He tsks. "There's poison in those petals."

I stare down at the fragile, unfamiliar flower in his gloved hand. "There is? But it's so...elegant. What is it?"

He cocks his head. "Deadly starstrand. A single drop of poison distilled from this flower could kill a babe in its crib. It's killed tyrants and kings, innocent and guilty. It could topple entire empires with a careless hand."

He offers it to me once more, gazing eagerly into my eyes.

"Do you still want it?"

I pluck the flower gently from his hands, lifting it to my nose to smell. There's something acrid to it—an underlying note of iron and sickness that stings the air.

Looking back up to him, I say, "You said the poison has to be distilled. Does that make it harmless to touch?"

Julian snickers. "I mean, if I were you I wouldn’t eat it. But you're right. It won't kill you like this."

Gently, Julian reaches out to the flower. Confused, I let him take it back as he grins at me. I go completely still as he reaches out. Leather-covered fingers brush against my ear as he tucks the flower behind it, touch lingering for a moment before dropping to my shoulder.

"There you go," he says, his grin widening. "You suit it wonderfully."

I stare at him for a moment. "You know, it sure sounds like you're not afraid of danger."

"Afraid of danger?" Julian laughs as if it is merely an understatement. "Darling, I live for it. Positivity enchanted by it, I am."

"So...pain doesn't scare you either?" I ask. "You seem to have coped with that bite terribly better than I did."

He shrugs. "Why should it? In my line of work, you can't be afraid of a little pain. You might say I have...intimate knowledge of it."

I don't know what drives me to it—maybe something about his words. Placing a hand on his waist and taking a step forward, I press my other hand lightly against the wound. He swallows at whatever it inflicts, smiling down at me slyly.

"Oho. Are we dancing? I didn't know you could. What's your poison, then? Tango? Waltz?"

There's a taunting tone in his voice. He knows exactly what he's doing. I hate to admit it, but I fall right into the trap. I take another step closer, pressing fully at the wound now. It doesn't seem lethal. In fact, Julian bites his lip and makes a muffled noise. I flush, realising exactly what it's doing to him.

And yet I don't stop.

He steps back, pulling me with him as his back hits the crumbling wall behind him. There's a desperate look in his eyes. So he likes the pain. It does something to him that he enjoys. His fingers dig into my shoulders, gripping me like a lifeline. He lips barely form my name before we're interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps quickly approaching. A scowl passes over Julian's face and I step away, hiding my hands behind my back. What was I doing—

"Right on time," Julian seethes. "Let's leave before our guests arrive, hmm?"

With the garden's sanctuary compromised, Julian takes my hand roughly and tugs me along, helping me out and into the opposite street.

Julian leads me deeper into what I recognise as the South End, evading our pursuers. Shouts sound from a bit behind us, furious that we won't stop. Thank God they can't recognise us under the blanket of night. Julian seems to know this area like the back of his hand—or at least, all the relevant escape routes.

We're approaching a dilapidated residence at the edge of the district. A few chickens wander around the empty yard. Julian stops before it, a look of relief on his face.

"In we go, Vivian," he says.

I give him an incredulous look. "In? Please don't tell me we're breaking in."

"Breaking in? Why would you think such a thing?"

"Hm, let me think, Julian."

"Okay fine. But that was only your shop."

Without answering further, he pulls open an unlocked window and clamours through it, landing inside the dark house. He leans back out for me and stretches his hands out. Faced with no other option, I'm forced to take his hands and let him help me through.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

A/N: Thank you for reading this far!! For a while, if you are interested in this story and wish to read more, you may notice that this work is left untouched for a while. That's because I'm more focused on my Avatar works at the moment. But don't worry, it shouldn't take a lot of effort. I actually have up to 15 chapters pre written from an unfinished attempt at this I had uploaded to Wattpad years ago. All I need to do is edit the next seven chapters and write the rest :)

[theluckywizard]

WIP Wednesday!

Thank you @melisusthewee and @nirikeehan for the tags!

I've been writing a bunnnnch since I got back from vacation and have been working on a Hawke and Rose smut scene on Giant's Staircase in the Western Approach for an academic-style smut writing exercise. It will feature in my long fic In the Shattering of Things down the line at some point! "With this caution and exhortation in mind, write a sex scene for a story in which you know your fictional characters well. Objective: To gain access to this rich material indirectly so that this experience often considered universal can feel singular, as though come to be for the first time in history." As with all smuts, I believe the set up is just as important as the business. So here is some set up! CW: spicy but probably mostly SFW

“Cats again, is it?” asks Dorian, smirking at us both. “A proper hunt. I spotted a half dozen at least. It’ll take all night,” says Hawke. I slip my arms around his waist without hesitation and Dorian salutes us both. We stroll lazily toward Hawke’s chosen destination, my insides humming with the intensity of my delight as his lips meet my hair, inhaling deeply. “Always upping the ante, aren’t you?” I remark, my eyes sweeping up the ruins. I can see the orange dance of firelight on the sandstone blocks above. He promised to find us a place we could wrap up in each other’s arms all night. At least we’ll have the high ground. “I challenge you to find a better place to canoodle than this,” he says, handing me up. We scramble up the crumbling structure which time has miraculously stabilized, hanging on to each other for balance. The tower top glows from the light of a small brazier he brought up, blankets laid out across the stones. To my left I regard a humanoid skeleton that Hawke has clearly sat up against the parapet wall, a dusty bottle inside its bony clutches and a desiccated, ages old wheel of cheese by its side. I turn to Hawke slowly, eyebrows raised high and his fingers tap over his cursed grin the way it always does when he’s desperately trying to contain gleeful laughter. “He was like this when I got here, I swear.” “I don’t know how you’ll ever plan to top this one,” I remark. “And the pile of varghest carcasses was pretty outrageous.” “Mm. Sounds like a dare. And you know I can never pass up a dare.” From up here we have a clear view of the camp below, far enough away that I assume they can’t hear every detail of our conversation, but if they looked up, they would know that something was afoot on top of the tower. Hawke claims my hand as I continue to survey the scene and draws me close with a sudden tug, knowing full well the effect of that little acceleration, my insides molten with anticipation. I assert myself though, aware of how I could passively ride his passion to several climaxes. I cradle his face in my hands, at least to prove I’m not resigning myself to another night with him, surrendering to his persistence the way I had for months. His chin and jaw are freshly shaved and his cropped locks fall over his forehead, too short to be tucked behind his ear the way they used to be. I run a finger over his handsome brow and then down to his soft lips which part on a wisp of a sigh. The intensity of his look dissolves into a vulnerable entreaty for more of me, the same look he’s given me since before that time in the tower when he’d first unlocked me. We meet in a feverish embrace, our kisses having greater urgency now like they’re somehow more fleeting in spite of being less so than ever. Something to desperately cling to while bashing our way through impossible danger. “You must have something planned,” I say, kicking off my sandals and standing on his big feet. “Aside from ‘make my beautiful lover come several times’? Not really,” he says, his fingers grazing over the hardened peaks of my breasts, my stay joyfully abandoned back at camp. “A bit ambitious. What if I want to turn your knees to jelly for a change?” I ask, my head dropped all the way back to gaze up at him with a grin. His brow lifts high, his smile slightly agape, his chest heaving on the deep, amorous breaths he draws. “Anything you want.” “Anything? What if I’m secretly some sort of depraved monster?” he says, bending for another kiss. “Well, I can always say no,” I remind him, pressing a brazen hand over his hardening length. “Oral. In a sailboat. With a squid and a sweetroll.” “Tempting, but no.” “Like a dog. Covered in honey, wearing our helmets.” “You’re going to make me guess, aren’t you?” I say, poking him gently in the belly. He shrinks back slightly, his hands leaping up protectively. “Lie down.”

Tagging in case they have WIPS to share! @crackinglamb, @rakshadow, @about2dance, @warpedlegacy, @monocytogenes, @rowanisawriter, @skyeventide AND YOU

[linagram]

[ 𝚖𝚒𝚢𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚘'𝚜 𝚝𝟸 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊 ] 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐

HERE IT IS. I'M FINALLY POSTING THEIR VDS. and yes i had the time to, like, do the "visuals" for their vds myself this time, so i hope they look good! also i just got tired of searching for gifs for them

as always, you can vote in any way you want, whether you feel bad for the character, want them to realize their mistake, think their murder wasn't that bad or even just want them to suffer. their mvs also have lyrics this time, so hopefully that helps you understand these characters better!

Warnings for Akio's VD: Eiji makes fun of Akio's head injury, which is ironic because when Aimi mentioned his injuries, he did not like it. Akio is also doing terrible and he's obviously in pain. Also an implication of him having hallucinations in the end.

Warnings for Akio's MV: A detailed description of hanging and choking.

(sounds of footsteps)

Eiji: ...

Miki: Is everything okay, Eiji-san?

Eiji: Y-yeah, it's just..

Eiji: .. I.. I'm starting to feel like we're being watched for some reason.

Miki: R-really?

Eiji: "I mean, if I didn't imagine that rabbit appearing out of nowhere and talking to me.."

Eiji: ".. Maybe he really is watching us right now."

Eiji: "Maybe even that third guard is watching us too."

Miki: You're probably just tired. I've spent the whole day taking care of you and-

Miki: W-wait, I'm so sorry, it sounded like I was blaming you, I'm so sorry-

Eiji: It's fine. I.. wanted to thank you for that, actually.

Miki: .. Huh?

Eiji: You heard it. Thank you, Guard 002. 

Miki: .. Hehe.. 

Miki: S-so, uh, m-maybe you just need to rest more? I was so afraid of your condition getting worse actually..

Eiji: I don't even know what happened to me. 

Eiji: I'm not in any pain, well, if we're not counting the way I usually feel, so..

Miki: Maybe you've just overworked yourself? You've been looking really stressed out lately, to be honest..

Miki: D-don't get me wrong, I'm just worried about you, that's all!

Eiji: "Overworked myself"? Don't make me laugh. 

Eiji: I'm the guard of this prison, of course, I have a lot of work to do. I can't let myself take a break, especially now that the second trial has started.

Miki: Well.. I-I'm also a guard..

Miki: So maybe you could just-

Eiji: Are you ready for our first interrogation?

Eiji: We're finally here.

Miki: .. I'm ready, but also..

Miki: Please, be more careful, Eiji-san. For my sake.

Eiji: .. Fine.

(the door opens)

Akio: .. !

Akio: DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!

Eiji: Calm down, calm down. We're not here to punish you.. yet.

Akio: What did I do this time?? Just why can't you let me go already? 

Eiji: This is only the second trial. You're not leaving until we're done with you.

Eiji: And I can't even guarantee you leaving this place..

Eiji: Actually, I will do everything to make sure you never leave this prison.

Akio: .. You.. 

Miki: Eiji-san! This is not how you start an interrogation! Miyagawa-san is seriously injured too..

Miki: Miyagawa-san, I'm so sorry-

Akio: Oh, you're not sorry. Someone like you can't feel sorry for me.

Miki: B-but..

Miki: Um, I stopped Eiji-san when he was about to kill you-

Akio: And you think of that as an achievement? 

Akio: Wow, you were kind enough to not let him kill me. Thank you so much.

Eiji: How dare you talk to the Milgram guard like that-

Akio: I SAID DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!

Eiji: ...

Akio: .. Please, don't even think of touching me. Don't even look at me. Stay right where you are.

Eiji: Ugh, can't we sit down at least?

Akio: .. F-fine. 

Akio: But again, don't even look at me. If I see you trying to attack me, I will scream. 

Eiji: You really think someone's gonna protect you?

Akio: .. Aimi won't like it. 

Eiji: Aimi.. So you call her by her first name now, huh?

Akio: W-well, I trust her now, so..

Miki: Please, trust us too, Miyagawa-san. I know it's hard, but we won't hurt you this time.

Akio: But that just means you will hurt me next time, right? 

Miki: It doesn't-

Akio: Whatever. Let's just get it over with.

Akio: .. May I ask why we have to do this again?

Eiji: Well, it's the second trial and that means we have to interrogate you all for the second time.

Eiji: I thought a genius like you knew that.

Akio: .. H-how can you call me cruel or heartless when you say things like that?

Akio: And that's not even what I meant, but-

Akio: Again, whatever.

Miki: "What did he mean though?"

Eiji: So, how have you been doing?

Akio: .. Look at me and try to figure it out yourself.

Eiji: Not good. Got it.

Akio: .. Are you laughing at me?

Miki: Miyagawa-san, please calm down-

Akio: HE'S LITERALLY MAKING FUN OF ME FOR BEING IN PAIN AND I'M JUST SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT IT??

Akio: (to Eiji) Do you know just how much I hate you? You've ruined my life.

Akio: You may think I'm doing fine, but even just thinking is too painful for me right now.

Akio: I can't walk anywhere without Aimi helping me, sometimes I can't even get up without anyone's help, my head is spinning all the time..

Akio: It's so hard for me to fall asleep too.. 

Eiji: .. Well, you claim to be in so much pain that you can't even think anymore, but it seems like talking to us isn't that hard for you-

Akio: THAT'S BECAUSE I WANTED YOU BOTH TO KNOW JUST HOW MUCH I'M SUFFERING NOW! 

Akio: !..

Miki: Miyagawa-san!..

Miki: *gets up* Are you okay?

Akio: .. Just tell me what you want to know already. And go interrogate Aimi. Tell her to visit me when she's free. 

Akio: I can't trust anyone else here. 

Miki: But I can help-

Akio: Yeah, when I'll be about to die.

Eiji: Fine. You want us to tell you what we want to know? Sure.

Eiji: There's a lot we want to know, but let me think..

Eiji: Let's start with your accomplice. Who were they? 

Eiji: No, actually, why did they even agree to help you?

Akio: .. Starting with that, huh.

Akio: .. He was a classmate of mine.

Eiji: Yeah, we know. 

Eiji: Were you two close?

Akio: .. How close do you have to be to agree to kill someone together?

Eiji: Pretty close, I imagine.

Miki: Um, Miyagawa-san, if it's okay..

Miki: May I ask what your accomplice's name was?

Eiji: Yeah, is that his name you keep repeating all the time?

Akio: .. You don't have to know that.

Eiji: Well, we want to know.

Akio: What will you even get from knowing his name? It's not like he was.. famous or anything..

Miki: If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine-

Akio: Saito Arata. Here. Can we end this now?

Miki: "He actually agreed to tell us his name.."

Miki: I see.. Thank you, Miyagawa-san.

Eiji: Wow, maybe you can even tell us your victim's name too?

Akio: Only if you agree to leave right after that.

Akio: And again, what will you even get from knowing his name?

Eiji: Well, you see, it's possible that we've actually heard about your crime before we arrived here. 

Eiji: You know, since some time had most likely passed between your crime and you being brought here, like, maybe two days or three, maybe even more..

Eiji: It's possible that literally anyone's crime here was already talked about in the news or anywhere else and it just wasn't solved.

Akio: .. I remember people talking about it a lot.

Akio: I refused to watch TV after everything happened and I don't really use social media, so.. I don't know if they've ever mentioned the victim's name.

Akio: Though they most likely have.

Miki: So.. Will you tell us his name?

Miki: I promise, we will leave soon after that. 

Miki: N-not right after that, but still..

Akio: ...

Akio: Fine. Whatever. There's no point in trying to keep it secret anyway.

Akio: .. Kitami Chise.

Eiji: "Wait, he actually agreed to tell us his victim's name?!"

Eiji: "This kid really is not doing well.."

Miki: Thank you so much for telling us his name, Miyagawa-san.

Miki: If you're not comfortable with talking about him, we can go back to talking about your accomplice- Saito-san, I mean.

Miki: I promise we won't ask you anything after that.

Akio: .. Fine.

Miki: So.. why did Saito-san agree to kill someone with you? Or.. for you?

Eiji: Was he in love with you or something-

Miki: Eiji-san, I'm talking to him right now.

Akio: .. He was just really loyal to me, that's all. He was basically obsessed with me.

Eiji: Oh, so I was right.

Miki: So he just agreed to do it? Or did it take some time for you to convince him?

Eiji: I just wonder how the idea of murder has crossed your mind. Like, did you really hate the poor kid that much?

Akio: O-of course, I did. I hated him. I genuinely wanted him to die.

Akio: It's like I had no choice but to hate him.

Miki: .. What does that mean?

Akio: I-it just means that I would've never been able to like someone like him, t-that's all.

Akio: And, uh, about that conversation I've had with Arata..

Akio: .. It wasn't supposed to be murder at first.

Miki: ...

Eiji: .. Huh?

Akio: I was just joking around at first. Like, "Hey, can you help me out with something? What if we killed that guy together just because he annoys me so much? Come on, I know you like me!"

Akio: And, uh.. 

Akio: He took it seriously. 

Akio: And I just.. went along with it. He told me everything will be fine, he won't be in any pain and no one will find out. He told me my life will be so much more peaceful after this, I won't even remember anything.

Eiji: ".. How did Akio end up as a prisoner instead of him?"

Eiji: "I mean, it makes sense and Milgram is never wrong, Akio was the one who suggested it, but.."

Eiji: "No, I shouldn't think about it too much. If he's the prisoner, there was a reason for bringing him here."

Akio: So I just.. I guess I did come up with everything at first, since I also was the one who chose the murder method. But Arata was the one who actually did it.

Eiji: "Never mind, there really was a reason for bringing him here."

Akio: Actually.. Maybe I never meant it as a joke.

Akio: Maybe I wanted to kill that guy from the start. 

Eiji: And.. How did the murder go?

Akio: Well, he died.

Eiji: Of course he did.

Miki: How did you feel after you two were done?

Eiji: I bet you felt relieved, didn't you?

Akio: .. I don't know. 

Akio: I left as soon as we were done.

Eiji: .. What?

Eiji: I guess it makes sense, I can't imagine a guy like you helping with hiding the body, but still..

Miki: .. Did you regret it, Miyagawa-san?

Akio: No, I still think he deserved it.

Akio: That guy.. he ruined everything.

Akio: I just wanted to be loved by my classmates, is that too much to ask for?

Eiji: Oh, you didn't want to be loved by them. You wanted to be worshipped by them.

Eiji: You already had a guy who was okay with literally killing someone for you and that still wasn't enough. 

Akio: .. Heh, you're right. I guess I really got too greedy.

Miki: Miyagawa-san, do you still think you were in the right?

Akio: Of course I was! He deserved to die! Nobody would have missed him anyway, so..

Akio: .. *sobs*

Eiji: Now, if you think this is gonna make us feel sorry for you-

Akio: I just don't get it.. That guy's grades were nothing compared to mine..

Akio: He was such an idiot.. He never understood anything the teachers said..

Akio: Why.. did they like him more than me?

Akio: H-hey.. I'm still smart, right? I'm still a genius, right?

(bell rings, machinery sounds)

Akio: Please, answer me.

Eiji: It's time for us to extract your video. Hope you're ready for that.

Miki: Y-you passed out the last time we did this to you though.. 

Miki: (to Eiji) Eiji-san, are you sure his body can handle this? He looks so weak..

Eiji: Well, if it can't, that's his problem. We still have to do it.

Akio: I-I'm still smart, right?.. 

Akio: ANSWER ME ALREADY!

Eiji: Ugh, you're still so annoying..

Eiji: Listen, have you ever thought that those kids liked the other guy more not because he was smarter than you, but because he was kinder than you?

Eiji: Sure, maybe his grades were bad, but at least he didn't treat his classmates like his servants.

Akio: ...

Miki: Miyagawa-san-

Eiji: Leave him alone. Let him think about it.

Akio: ...

Miki: Miyagawa-san, can you talk??

Akio: ...

Miki: Wait, what are you looking at?..

Eiji: Prisoner 001, Akio, sing your sins!

Akio: .. The sky was so beautiful that night, wasn't it, Chise?

42% ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░░ 100%

[ MV Description ]

The video starts with Akio waking up in a classroom and this scene has After Pain vibes at first, but when Akio opens his eyes and looks around, he sees that the whole classroom is on fire. He panics and tries to leave, but then he sees a note on his desk and reads it. He hesitates for a moment, but decides to take it with him and leaves the classroom. 

"Ah, look at this, don't you think I deserve it?

That's what they all say, well, I have to disagree

I should've listened to you, I know

I want to say something like "Don't get too proud", but fine, you win this time"

When he leaves, he sees that his classmates are standing in the next room and there's no fire at all. The room looks completely white and this time we can actually see his classmates and they're not just silhouettes like in his first MV. Akio sees that some of his classmates are crying, some of them are shocked, some of them just can't believe that all of this is happening and he notices that they're actually standing in front of the picture of his victim. We can see his victim well and it appears to be a blond boy his age with light skin, freckles and dark pink eyes.

"Can't you all stop pretending already?

I know you'll cry for a day and forget about him right after that

Ah, look at this, don't you think he deserved it?

That's what they want to disagree with"

When Akio sees the photo, he tries to quietly walk away, but a female classmate notices him and points at him, making everyone else turn to him as well. Akio starts running away, but right when he thinks that he's not being followed, his classmates find him and he ends up being beaten by them. 

"Come on, fight me, punch me, beat me to death,

Show me how you've really felt about me all this time

There's no one left to support me, no one left to call me "Your Majesty"

I guess it's time for me to admit my defeat" 

As he starts to lose consciousness and closes his eyes, when he opens them, he sees that now he's locked in some kind of dungeon. The school theme of the MV changes to the royal one. 

A couple of his classmates are dressed as knights now and they let him out, but they make him go somewhere, telling him that someone is waiting for him. 

"Wait, are you telling me there's a chance that this can be fixed?

Is there a chance of me getting saved?

I knew you will help me again, just like you always do"

He realizes what they mean by that and his face lights up. He gets so excited that he runs there himself without any "help" from his classmates.

He opens the doors and everything looks much brighter and more beautiful now. The colors are mostly white and golden. He sees a figure with dark purple hair standing in the middle of the hall, his back turned to Akio. 

"As always, you're here to rescue your king, aren't you?

I can't believe you're still so loyal to me

I promise, I'll thank you properly, so just help me out this one time"

Akio looks very happy to see that person and he runs to them. He reaches out his hand to them and the video gets even brighter, but then the figure turns to him, revealing himself to be his accomplice Arata and he doesn't look happy to see Akio at all. 

"Ah yes, I forgot that you were the one who had ruled this place before me"

Before Akio can say anything, the setting changes again and now he's about to be executed in the same way his victim was executed in the first MV: he's about to get hanged. 

Akio gets more and more nervous and then he sees Arata in the crowd and tries to beg him for help, but he looks away and ignores him, even though it's painful for him as well. 

"Come on, I know you still love me

Why can't you save me this time too? 

I can see the tears on your face

Don't look away from me, don't ignore my cries"

Akio also notices his own victim in the crowd, but he has a completely different face expression from the picture that was showed before: his eyes are empty, he isn't smiling at all and he has noticeable dark red marks on his neck. As the blond boy touches his neck, the marks get even more red and bloody and the blood gets on his fingers as well. 

We see Akio about to be executed again and the video abruptly ends..

Except it doesn't.

Right after the sudden pause and the black screen, Akio opens his eyes again and we see everything from his POV. 

Everything looks more distorted and glitchy now, but we can't hear the song anymore. We can only hear Akio struggling to breathe, him slowly choking and the sounds of his heartbeat. He keeps looking for someone, but then he sees that both Arata and his victim are no longer there and the video ends with him slowly closing his eyes and his heartbeat stopping.

[sonseulsoleil]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @hmslusitania! Thanks Hayley!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

110

2. What’s your total word count on AO3?

483,852

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Whatever I am obsessed with at the moment. The last stuff I was working on was Percy Jackson fic, before that Heartstopper (and I WILL get back to those wips eventually). Oh, and Newsies is also currently in the works! Basically I have ADHD and I am all over the place all of the time. I'll go back to wips I started 5 years ago and keep working on them. What I've written vs what I've actually managed to polish and post is a HUGE disparity lol

4. Top five fics by kudos

- All We Do Is Run

- Let the Whole World Melt Away

- never saw you coming (and I'll never be the same)

- sugar, butter, flour (what a mess I'm making)

- stay in my arms if you dare (or must I imagine you there)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, almost always. It takes me awhile sometimes, but I try to respond to every comment. I worry that if I don't respond, people will stop commenting.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I've written a couple Major Character Death fics, but they're not on AO3 because they were just drabbles so I only posted them on tumblr (also they're very old and bad)

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

hmmm maybe All We Do Is Run, just compared to the source material lmao

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have a couple times. Mostly on fics where I've introduced OCs, which sucks.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, sometimes. But I don't post it. I write it for myself and will maybe share it with friends if they're interested.

10. Craziest crossover?

I've never written a proper crossover. I'll write AUs where I take the characters of Property A and put them into the story of Property B, but I've never written a true crossover where characters of two properties interact.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, but I've definitely had fic concepts stolen. Which sounds petty, but I've made posts about fics I'm working on and had people take them and write their own fics with the same details I mentioned and it's like. Not plagiarism exactly and it's impossible to own ideas, really, but it does rub me the wrong way.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A couple times! It's very cool!

13. Have you ever Co-written a fic?

I tried once a long time ago and it went poorly. Turns out I am not a very good collaborator sometimes.

14. All time favourite ship?

I don't--you want me to pick ONE?! are you kidding lol

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have SO MANY. There's a Star Trek fic I've been working on off and on since Beyond came out. There's my mermaid!Buck 911 fic. There's my current Heartstopper fic. There's my PJO Anastasia fic. There's my angst canon divergence Psych fic. My google drive is a graveyard of partially written stories begging to see the light of day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing things, clearly.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Depends wildly. I've written this in some Heartstopper fics, because Nick speaks French. And I had a friend who is fluent in French help me get it right. I think when people take the time to find a fluent speaker to help them or are fluent themselves, it's fine and good. And when people are just using google translate, it shows. Also, obviously, being bilingual has to make sense for the character. I also especially have beef with the way people often write latine characters/Spanish specifically. I grew up surrounded by latinos and nobody talks like that. Stop it. You all know what I'm talking about.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

ABC's Castle. Say what you will about Nathan Fillion, but that show shaped me as a person.

20. Fave fics you’ve written?

All We Do Is Run (longest multi-chap I've ever written. this thing was years of my life.)

répète (the only one of my GMW/BMW fics I regularly go back to)

tin can telephones (it's all written in texts and dialogue and that was really fun)

I'm tagging @firstelevens @memequeme @galwithalibrarycard and anyone else who wants to do it!