#absolutely hate when people decide to establish new names for things in their fantasy settings and come up with boring ass shit

[zlobonessa]

actually i need to become ghost in tappeis house and start to bang in his walls at nights because if i have to frantically dig up reddit in attempt to find re zero names of vegetables for fic one more time again i will lose the last shreds of humanity left in me

[lnterjection]

Regarding canon!Techon, VoS!Techno, and anarchy

Someone told me the way Techno’s anarchy ideals were presented in Chapter 34 of Valley of Serenity (wherein he admitted “I can want anarchy to be the predominant reality because it benefits me the most while also understanding that it would not be the best thing for most other people”) were, to quote - “All wrong here. Have you watched any of the syndicate streams? Cuz its clear techno actually believes in anarchy and that it's good for people. I understand he's missing some of the development from post pogtopia to the syndicate due to this being canon divergent, but that doesn't change the fact he's always actually believed in his anarchist ideals.”

Now, while I hadn’t considered this specifically before writing the chapter, I had considered enough of the factors surrounding Techno’s characterization in both canon and Valley of Serenity to respond with this:

Ironically, Techno's lore streams are the only ones that I've consistently watched. He's literally the only person where I've watched every bit of lore he's streamed.

And I came to this mindset for Techno in this fic specifically because I believe the events after Nov 16 in canon, of the Butcher Army, the Community House debacle with Tommy betraying him, and Doomsday were huge influences in how much he believes in the good of anarchy for the common person. Remember, he was willing to retire and let go of the whole anarchy thing to live in peace for a while, after seeing the disaster that was Nov 16th. It's only after S2 he starts gathering up people to form the Syndicate, committing fully to his ideology. Before he was content to chill in the Arctic with Phil.

With this background I have three points of contention to make-

Firstly, something I've always found interesting about Techno's character is how his anarchy thing might clash with the people he cares about. More specifically, I always wondered "if Techno was forced to choose between upholding anarchy and Phil, who or what would he choose?" Post Season 2 Techno I'm unsure of, but given the limited amount of lore from Season 1 about Techno I'm going off of to build his character, I'm writing his character arc in this fic to be him coming to the realization that he cares more about his family's wellbeing more than he does anarchy or upholding his whole blood god thing. It's a realization that Techno would have needed to spend months with his family again, living with them, to make and have him commit to. Techno back in Nov 16 would have been unsure what he would have picked.

Secondly, we don't have confirmation about where Techno got his anarchist ideals from, which is important because motivation is important. We know at this point in canon he strongly believes in them for real, but we're not given backstory on why that it. There's hints and theories, some of which are far more plausible than others - I've chosen to set the root of his anarchy belief in what he says in this chapter - governments are the only ones strong enough to take him down as an organized group of power. Governments have tried to take him down and nearly succeeded - that's what the Butcher Army was. That event was what brought him out of retirement to turn L'Manberg into L'Hole. And Techno in canon is reinforced in the belief that anarchy's best for everyone because of what it did to Phil and Tommy. He sees how both of them were hurt by L'Manberg's system of power, something that once again Techno in this fic didn't experience. We don't know what's happened in his backstory to make him stand on his anarchy thing, but that also means we don't know how easily Pogtopia Techno would have been convinced to give up on it. He believes it, but why and how much? I've made my choice of interpretation in this fic precisely because we don't know, and his canon decision to go into retirement was what influenced my writing here. I genuinely believe if L'Manberg hadn't attacked in, but instead turned out to be a functioning government like they could have been, his anarchy spiel about bad government is for at least other people, if not himself, would have subsided. But that's not the sort of plot that runs a livestream, is it?

Thirdly - and this ties into point 2 - probably at some point in canon Techno's past government has wronged him and he's seen government repeatedly wrong other people, hence his beliefs that again, the Butcher Army and New L'Manberg under Tubbo only strengthened when it had the chance to subside them. You could even draw allusions back to his skyblock series and take the quote "If skyblock has told me anything, it is that if you have a problem, the answer is slavery" to mean that he's seen the governmentally structured system of skyblock drag its players into an endless, pointless competing grind whilst also committing mass slave-related atrocities, which would be one of the more plausible backstories for Techno and explain where his anarchy ideals might have developed. But we're still operating canon Techno under the rules of the Dream SMP, and the Dream SMP's world is very much not the world presented in Valley of Serenity.

See, my decision - very conscious, deliberate, developed decision - to worldbuild Valley of Serenity in a way that's more akin to a fantasy world in the midst of their equivalent of the Age of Exploration instead of modeling it off how the Dream SMP worlds has definitely also influenced the way I plan the character developments in this fic. Valley of Serenity's world has nations, economies, established ethnic groups and populations and cultures and systems and thousands of years worth of history. L'Manberg started out as a city-state with some surrounding farmland area that had its own history and a decently sized population before Wilbur got there. The Dream SMP canon, meanwhile, has none of that established. You could argue there were civilians on the sideline that just aren't named, or that the Twitch viewers are just civilian in this world because Wilbur did the whole election thing (something that becomes increasingly unlikely each time a new streamer canonizes their stream chat as something that is decidedly not a country's population), but there's no canonical establishment for any of that. I don't think there is any hidden population of nameless background people in the DSMP lore. The lore makes far more sense without it, even with all the "political" drama. It would explain how people keep forming and abandoning and destroying new countries every other week and just.. getting away with it, and how Dream is able to spend so much time obsessing over one child in exile if he really has a country he's supposed to be the shadowmaster of, and how the whole clusterfuck of the Quackity Karl Sapnap marriage is even possible.

In a world like that, it's plausible for Techno's anarchy to be defensible to him, and to the other members of the Syndicate. However, in Valley of Serenity's world, his anarchy view makes absolutely zero sense, given how government is basically a natural result of humans settlings down to farm in large groups together. Most of DSMP's people can decide to just quit and wander off to live alone for the rest of their lives, no problem, but in a world like VoS or the real world? They are very fucked and so stay in large groups, which then, as history shows, results in some authority being assigned to a group of people to administrate things once the group becomes large enough... and boom. Government, and the start of civilization.

The only way for Techno in Valley of Serenity's universe to plausibly believe in the government stuff, especially after all those talks he had with Wilbur about L'Manberg, would be for me to write him as a completely idiot who's utterly unaware of how governments actually work.

If there's one thing I hate it's writing Techno as an idiot. The same Techno who dominated MCM and Skyblock and prepared for weeks for battle against L'Manberg and managed to successfully build a hidden piston door concealing wither skulls and had the foresight to write a will with "instructions" for Phil because he knew the prison was likely a trap and who has enough battle strategy to defeat Dream and also know not to trust him and thought up contingency plans to escape the Butcher army with the totems and who regularly makes the most intelligent, witty, sarcastic and well-timed remarks with dialogue - Techno is not an idiot. He is far, far from it. In the DSMP universe his anarchy ideals would be defended. In VoS'? Absolutely not. And if Techno has any amount of sense at all in this universe, which he does, he knows it too. I made a choice when I wrote this fic's world the way I did, and I'm am committed to seeing the choice through. Part of the reason why I did it? It was because I wanted to explore the way events like L'Manberg and Pogtopia would have affected the characters in their beliefs and trauma in a realistic setting of war and rebellion and political battles, and DSMP's world was just not a good conduit for that. Places like Sanctuary and arcs like Tubbo's struggles back in L'Manberg wouldn't be able to exist if I didn't go down this route, note to mention how wrong it felt to me to write Wilbur's presidency heavily affecting him when the people he's presiding over is just his friends. Everything would have felt cheaper, faker, more simulated if it had been in a world with Minecraft and DSMP rules. I knew this would require some reinterpretation of certain characters' motivations, but it was worth it to me to give their recovery a sense of weight and realism I felt the DSMP world wouldn't have been able to deliver. (I'm not making any point on how realistic or "heavy" DSMP does its trauma - livestreaming is a vastly different medium than writing and some points here would need to be translated differently when applied to livestream, just as a good book doesn't always make a good movie).

Hence, combined with points 1 and 2, the differing characterization between canon Techno and here.

It's important to note that Techno, Phil, Tommy, and Wilbur are a family unit here in a way that's been completely disproven in canon. They have a backstory that ties them together. This has also definitely influenced Techno's priorities and nudged him towards the path of conscious realization about his anarchy thing here, though it's not a point because it doesn't factor too much into the relevant mentality of Techno's character in terms of how much he believes in the anarchy thing.

So yeah, I hope this clears up some stuff for you! Or that you understand at least why I made the decision with Techno's character.

there were definitely typos in this reply. no im not going back to reread and fix them.

[ryttu3k]

Finishing up SoNY, ‘bad’ end and final thoughts!

But first, the early game over.

Wow, she just gets shot. Not even slurped? That’s rude as hell XD;;

And on to the ‘bad’ end!

Beginning is much the same, ofc.

“You’re too in love with weaving a good story and establishing a seductive narrative to let facts get in the way.” Foreshadowing for the ‘good’ end, maybe?

God that Embrace scene gives me literal goosebumps.

Alright! Last time I did Danse Macabre and Retributive Justice, let’s try The Risks of Swiping Right!

lmao god I’d eat this guy too. Back to the ghost club! That legitimately is a really neat scene. ...Ooh yes so that’s where the girl was from.

Panhard just lowkey dying at the mental image of Katherine Weise in a fast food restaurant is so good.

The sweet scene between Julia and Dakota hits a bit different after the ‘good’ end XD;;

Went to the park, reminisced, and helped out the guy. That was sweet ;_; High-humanity Julia, this time!

‘Fairy God Mother?’ is great but ‘Vin Diesel?’ is objectively the funnier response.

“Shining even more brightly than usual, Aisling.” Samira got a cru-ush~

Poor Julie. It’s probably been tough without Sophie around :(

Huh. Interestingly, refusing to lie to Mia results in Julia actually feeling genuine loyalty to the Cammies (for now, at least).

Believing Agathon is still alive = more optimistic = different dialogue! See, this is how you make choices have consequences, game!

Oooh boy time to meet Adelaide XD;;

“She uncrosses her legs in a strangely seductive motion. In her mind’s eye, it probably looked like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, but in reality, it had all the grace of a tracksuit Slav squatting.” *snickering*

Fight me, Adelaide >:(

‘sup Nastya. Went with the slightly less disruptive routine here XD Huh, she’s an aspiring DJ! Julia is deeply confused as to how being a DJ and being head of security works together.

lmao Julia referring to Hope as a girlboss. That phrase has lost all meaning to me...

The conversation between Julia and Father Leonard is still really interesting. Man, you know who I want Julia to talk to? Anatole. Interesting insights into balancing being queer Catholic vampires there for sure.

lmao oh my god I want to fight this street reporter.

‘I can almost feel my brain losing its wrinkles.’ *snort*

Yeaghhhh the Abyss bit is still so creepy...

Oops. Being honest regarding Tamika and Torque’s relationships gets a fail :(

Oh, or not XD That works! Also, uh, apparently the giant albino ghoul alligator is real, according to New York by Night. He’s Calebros’ pet.

“Because I think I have a pretty good nose for people’s auras. And when I take a good look at you... ...somehow, I have a feeling you’re a surprisingly decent person. Whatever way of unlife you choose, I hope you don’t change it. And that you remember my advice.” :)

“I know.” Oof.

“Hi.” “WAAAH!” lmao sorry Princess XD;; Just trying to imagine Qadir’s face as he tells Julia to find a 1990 glass statue of Scrooge McDuck... dying...

Oh she’s so a Toreador XD Low art options are a fantasy book, an anime DVD, or a video game... those can all be arty, though! And went with the anime DVD called ‘Ririsu no Daibouken’... that translates to ‘Adventures of Lilith’. How on the nose XD “The cover says ‘Lilith’s Carnal Carnival’.” Oh. Yeah, that’d do it XD

“This 90s original video anime presents us with a tale of five big-bosomed samurai warriors travelling through America in search of General Hastavista, The Incubus King. Don’t let all the titillation misguide you: the main draws here are peerless direction, a nearly avant-garde editing rhythm and dialogue that coyly comments on traditional gender roles in anime. Once you see the animation in the final battle, you’ll understand why it never fails to set a sakuga fan’s heart ablaze!”

She’s my new favourite.

“So can I know your name now?”

“Hmmm... Let me think...

No. <3″

I need to stress that the heart appears in the dialogue box. Like. The actual less-than-three heart.

Didn’t investigate the rat this time, so Qadir did and I die. “Glad you’re alright, little guy.” Qadir...

Still not over the drunk blood doll rats.

Kaiser’s still a goddamn creep and this time Julia is not going too far. She still has her humanity, dammit. Final set of traits:

Loyal to the end

Glass half-full

Not into a bad cop schtick

Honesty is the best policy

No more human, still humane

Onwards to the ‘bad’ end! Oops, and Dakota still did the Single White Female thing XD;;

Man I’m still really curious who the ‘good friend’ is!!

Okay! Time for end game!!

So that’s the good friend, huh? “Let me phrase it differently, then. You’re not Ecaterina the Wise, the Agitator of Prague, a Brujah elder causing turbulences all over the world... are you?”

Mention of Christof! Mention of Christof doing shady shit :| Poor Hana.

“An immigrant from Eastern Europe comes to New York City, takes the position she always expected to find herself in, is molded into someone who is no longer herself.”

Julia and Dakota representing Carthage is kind of neat.

I want to say the mention of St Jude is a reference, but I’m not sure what to XD;; Is that from Redemption? Christof could have been the one to tell Hana that.

“Like a two-person human centipede loop or something. An Ouroburos? Or an, uhh, Mobius strip?” No, that’s the other traditionally Sabbat clan XD

That‘s. That’s a hell of a reconciliation XD “Yeah, let’s give it a try. By the way I’m on the run for my unlife, want to go to California and try to find utopia?”

Julia, wear a fucking mask XD

“Hey.”

“Yeah?“

“Do you love me?”

“... Of course I do. For now, at least.”

I still don’t know if I love her. Or even if I can love anyone, for that matter. I’m a fucking monster, after all. I don’t even know if we’ll exist next month. The prospects are not looking good. But although I can’t see myself in the rearview mirror right now...

...I will remember this image of us leaving the city, somewhat melancholic, and somewhat hopeful, forever. And maybe the meaning of this image will be clarified with time. Or maybe I will just force a more positive description on it, and that is what I’ll believe.

No matter what happens... even if oceans of blood lie before us, I will make this a cherished memory.

Whatever possible salvation still remains for me... ...it probably lies in the eyes of another.

Oh dang I have chills.

So the ‘bad’ ending is about the subverted compromise. Julia resigns herself to letting the compromise about the truth of Callihan’s death go ahead. ‘Catherine’ is a walking compromise to hide the Ecaterina’s real deeds. But while Hana is still stuck in her role for now, Julia refuses to accept the compromise she’s made, both the one relating to the investigation and the compromise she made of her own views and morals. It might blow up in her face, yeah. But damn, she’s going to try.

So, final thoughts! For the sake of completion, this is what I said about Coteries:

And of course this is the part where the game all falls apart :-\

Just… god. This is probably the biggest problem with CoNY, and the reason I didn’t bother getting it until it was like… 60% off. The bulk of the game is great - the writing is intriguing, the design is stunning. But the choices themselves are so limited it’s barely worth even getting it at 60% off!

You have three choices of characters, with their own opening chapters and own individual scenes with their touchstones. You have four choices of coterie members, and three sidequests. You can probably get in at least three full story arcs and a sidequest or two, but you’re only ever limited to two of your coterie members showing up at the not-yet-endgame.

So let’s say you decide to play all three protags, which, indeed, is encouraged (there’s an achievement for it). You are going to repeat coterie arcs and side quests, because there simply aren’t enough for three unique playthroughs.

And then you get to the end and literally everything is scripted. You get attacked by the SI. You get rescued by your two coterie members (and then never see them again, despite the game being called Coteries of New York). You meet Torque, you escape the SI, Sophie reveals her plan to Torque, you go to Ellis Island, Adelaide kills Sophie (and despite the fact that you’re given multiple options there, none of them work), Arturo does his spiel, end of game. You don’t even get to choose between ending up blood bound or going “no fuck you” and at least dying with a bit of dignity!

I just. I really want to like it, and there genuinely is a lot there to like! But uuuugh the ending. Like damn at least give the poor protag the option to choose what happens to them!

Anyway. Not sure what’s next. To get all the achievements, you have to finish with all three protags, so that’s three full runs and a lot of repetitiveness (compare to, say, Bloodlines or Night Road. I have eighty-five hours on Night Road and there’s still stuff I haven’t seen!), so I can’t even just… rush it through up to the meeting with the touchstones on the third play. Nope. Gotta finish it :-\

Final rating: 6/10

8/10 characters, 9/10 atmosphere, 8/10 story aside from ending, 3/10 story ending, 2/10 replayability. Final consensus: get it on major sale if you can, otherwise, you might as well just watch an LP. I might do that instead of doing a third run, although I at least want to do a second.

I ended up revising that 6/10 to 5.5/10 after finishing all runs and getting the achievements just out of how goddamn repetitive it was. So, how does Shadows measure up?

Absolutely continued with all the things I enjoyed about CoNY (characters, atmosphere, and writing), and of the bits I hated (cookie cutter protagonists, lack of real choice, repetitiveness, the godawful ending), every single part has been completely improved.

Instead of three fledglings so similar they even have the same internal thoughts, we have Julia, who’s got such a distinct voice that she becomes the most memorable game protag I’ve seen in years, and I’m including non-VtM games in this. This is absolutely her game, and it’s just... absolutely fascinating to read and watch.

Related - actual real choices. There are five key choices that determine the ending, and every single one has actual consequence in-game. You get different dialogue. Different introspection. Different philosophies. And this carries across - if Julia believes Agathon is alive, she’s more optimistic about her relationship with Dakota, too. And of course, both endings are completely distinct and incredibly written - the ‘good’ ending where Julia gives in to her most Lasombra instincts, plays the game, wins it, gets power and respect at the expense of her humanity and avoiding all those wraiths... or the ‘bad’ ending when she listens to her morals, reconciles with Dakota, and leaves for California, uncertain, but hopeful.

Not a lot of repetitiveness. Yes, by design, you’ll probably do two playthroughs. The main plot is much the same, but there are enough options there to get multiple dialogue options and stuff. And for the little sidequests, you can actually get all in with just the two playthroughs, only repeating like... two, I think. Still, I wasn’t feeling actively bored like I was midway through my second run of CoNY!

Loved seeing more in-depth backstory and development for the coterie members. Agathon’s section was particularly fascinating, literally getting into his head.

And just. Atmosphere and music is so, so good.

Final rating: 9/10. Thank you, Draw Distance, you hit it out of the park.

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐀 𝐑𝐏 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐓 / 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄.

First and foremost, recall that no one is perfect, we all had witnessed some plotting once which did not went too well, be it because of us or our partner. So here have this, which may help for future plotting. It’s a lot! Yes, but perhaps give your partners some insight? Anyway BOLD what fully applies, italicize if only somewhat. Long post!

MUN NAME: Bambi / Eden     AGE: 18       CONTACT: IM, Ask, Discord (search discord up on my blog)

CHARACTER(S): a shit ton

CURRENT FANDOM(S): Dragon Age, rdr2, assassin’s creed, star wars (sorta??)

FANDOM(S) YOU HAVE AN AU FOR:  Modern verse, r.dr2, da, skyrim (haven’t touched my bio for it for a while so I may have to touch it up a bit) and that’s pretty much it for any au verse. They’re just crossover verses.

MY LANGUAGE(S): English.

THEMES I’M INTERESTED IN FOR RP: FANTASY / SCIENCE FICTION / HORROR / WESTERN ( my brand ) / ROMANCE / THRILLER / MYSTERY / DYSTOPIA / ADVENTURE / MODERN / EROTIC / CRIME / MYTHOLOGY / CLASSIC / HISTORY (my 2nd brand) / RENAISSANCE / MEDIEVAL / ANCIENT / WAR / FAMILY / POLITICS / RELIGION / SCHOOL / ADULTHOOD / CHILDHOOD / APOCALYPTIC / GODS / SPORT / MUSIC / SCIENCE / FIGHTS / ANGST / SMUT / DRAMA / ETC.  ( I’m open to most things, it just depends on plot & muse )

PREFERRED THREAD LENGTH: ONE-LINER (it happens but I tend to not favor it) / 1 PARA / 2 PARA / 3+ PARA / NOVELLA. / ALL

ASKS CAN BE SEND BY: MUTUALS / NON-MUTUALS / PERSONALS / ANONS.

CAN ASKS BE CONTINUED?: YES / NO / OCCASIONALLY   - only by Mutuals?:  YES / NO

PREFERRED THREAD TYPE: CRACK / CASUAL / SERIOUS / DEEP AS HECK. / ALL

IS REALISM / RESEARCH IMPORTANT FOR YOU IN CERTAIN THEMES?:   YES / NO.

ARE YOU ATM OPEN FOR NEW PLOTS?:  YES / NO / DEPENDS.

DO YOU HANDLE YOUR DRAFT / ASK - COUNT WELL?:  YES / NO / SOMEWHAT. 

HOW LONG DO YOU USUALLY TAKE TO REPLY?: 24H / 1 WEEK / 2 WEEKS / 3+ WEEKS / MONTHS / YEARS. / DEPENDS ON MOOD AND INSPIRATION, AND IF I’M BUSY

I’M OKAY INTERACTING WITH: ORIGINAL CHARACTERS / A RELATIVE OF MY CHARACTER (AN OC) / DUPLICATES / CROSSOVERS / MULTI-MUSES / SELF-INSERTS / PEOPLE WITH NO AU VERSE FOR MY FANDOM (really depends on if you have oen in mind and we discussed it, it’s just not posted) / CANON-DIVERGENT PORTRAYALS / AU-VERSIONS.

DO YOU POST MORE IC OR OOC?: IC / OOC. ( varies, but overall I tend to post more ooc? )

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WITH FOLLOWING OTHERS?: YES / NO / DEPENDS.  

BEST WAYS TO APPROACH YOU FOR RP/PLOTTING:  im me or talk to me over discord

WHAT EXPECTATIONS DO YOU HOLD TOWARDS YOUR PLOTTING PARTNER: Not too much? I’d like for there to be a plot in mind, but I can understand if that’s not the case. I’ve had instances where I want to interact with a character, but have absolutely no idea in mind. Usually sendign in an ask meme can help in that regard.

WHEN YOU NOTICE THE PLOTTING IS RATHER ONE-SIDED, WHAT DO YOU DO?:  I strive to not be one-sided myself, but I do have instances where I can’t think of anything. I’m not sure? Maybe ask the other person if they’re into it or if something else is at play (dealign with real life problems and it just affects their mood voerall).

HOW DO YOU USUALLY PLOT WITH OTHERS, DO YOU GIVE INPUT OR LEAVE MOST WORK TOWARDS YOUR PARTNER?:  I always try to give ideas of my own if I have any. Coming to a equally agreed, general idea is fine. I’ve had instances where I was on both sides of this, but I always try to add input and be equal with the other person.

WHEN A PARTNER DROPS THE THREAD, DO YOU WISH TO KNOW?:   YES / NO / DEPENDS. - AND WHY?: Sometimes I don’t notice it, but sometimes I do. Generally, I like to know, but I understand if someone doesn’t wan tto reach out. Just at least try to let me know and we’re fine. 

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY LEAD YOU TO DROP A THREAD?:  It depends really. Sometimes I just don’t have muse for a thread, or an instance where I have dropped a muse entirely. Sometimes it can be timing, but that’s rarely the issue. Most of the time it’s just I can’t think of anything and I feel like it hasn’t really gone anywhere? I have stuff in my queue for a while, so soemtimes it appears that way until it’s posted and I’m sorry about that.

WILL YOU TELL YOUR PARTNER?:   YES / NO / DEPENDS. ( I do have instances where I was forgetful and I haven’t told my partner int he apst adn I’m sorry about that. )

IS COMMUNICATION IN THE RPC IMPORTANT TO YOU? YES / NO. - AND WHY?: I don’t need to be tlaked every day, but stronger friendships ( ooc & ic ) are formed when I talk to a person. It doesn’t need to be often, but it helps me understand your chaarcter and your approach. With that, I can come up with ideas and understand you rmuse more. I understand if people aren’t fond of ooc chatting, that’s completely understandable to me.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH ABSOLUTE HONESTY, EVEN IF IT MAY MEANS HEARING SOMETHING NEGATIVE ABOUT YOU AND/OR PORTRAYAL?: Criticsm is a good way to grow. Criticsm is different from completely bashing a perosn’s portrayal and not giving any pointers (ex: “your portrayal sucks.”). Or even for a person. If you feel like I am portraying something wrong, like depression or something similar, let me know. If you feel like Lydia’s adhd isn’t properly portrayed, let me know. 

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE SUCH SITUATION IN A MATURE WAY? YES / NO.

WHY DO YOU RP AGAIN, IS THERE A GOAL?: All of my muses are written and taken an interest in for different reasons, sometimes I don’t even know why I decided to write them. I roleplay because I love exploring different characters and dyanamics and it’s easier for me to write like this than forming my own story. But a goal in mind? Be a good rp partner I guess? Or at least try to make things interesting and try my best to portray my characters correctly or in an intruiging manner. 

WISHLIST, BE IT PLOTS OR SCENARIOS:  Varies on muse. I have different plots in my wishlist tag: ( wishlist ). 

THEMES I WON’T EVER RP / EXPLORE:   Potential triggering content ahead. Rape, noncon, abuse, incest, drug use -not alcohol- ( lyrium I can write fine, it’s just the realistic stuff I can’t do. ), inappropiate under age stuff. Themes where I write a stalker. Sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism will never be mentioned by any of my characters. I won’t write smut probably ever, so themes with that I tend to not write. Very likely more, I just can’t think of anything. Within dragon age, I do have a characetr ( Sera ) who will refer to elves as elfy-elves and be pretty anti-elf, which can be triggering to others. Also, animal abuse or gore of any kind.

WHAT TYPE OF STARTERS DO YOU PREFER / DISLIKE, CAN’T WORK WITH?: I can’t work with starters that don’t really have any dialogue (handing something over with nothing vocally said is fine, but when someone is just sitting there, that’s harder to work with unless somethign is plotted). Generally, I like outside circumstances to be explained (locaiton, where in a game/setting this might be occuring, etc), I really like when dialogue is added and body landguage is explained/noted.

WHAT TYPE OF CHARACTERS CATCH YOUR INTEREST THE MOST?:  Honestly? it varies. I tend to really be into deep, complex characters or characters that appear can be sterred in that direction with more added. Bubbly, energetic characters, fighters (typically female). Quick witted or flirty characters & mysterious types. 

WHAT TYPE OF CHARACTERS CATCH YOUR INTEREST THE LEAST?:  I hate using the term but mary-sue/gary-sue. I hate saying that, but if a character has no flaws, I won’t be interested. Or characters that seem to just be placed there with no development. 

WHAT ARE YOUR STRONG ASPECTS AS RP PARTNER?: I try to add as much effort, or at least a lot of effort, in replies & interaction. I am very open-minded and when I get passionate about soemthing, you can really tell. I am easy-going, so feel free to tell me if you want to drop a thread or have a concern. I tend to work well of other’s people’s ideas, usually able to add my own.

WHAT ARE YOUR WEAK ASPECTS AS RP PARTNER?: I am slow and my queue tends to be slow since I try not to overhwelm myself and stress myself out to the heavens. I try to reach out, but sometimes I just can’t think of anything to say. My muse can be very flickle at times, so replies to stuff can vary. My msue tends to be more for ask memes than replies at times. 

DO YOU RP SMUT?:  YES / NO / DEPENDS. 

DO YOU PREFER TO GO INTO DETAIL?: YES / NO / DEPENDS. 

ARE YOU OKAY WITH BLACK CURTAIN, FADE TO BLACK?: YES / NO.

WHEN DO YOU RP SMUT? MORE OUT OF FUN OR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?:

ANYTHING YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO RP THERE?:  all of it

ARE SHIPS IMPORTANT TO YOU?:   YES / NO 

WOULD YOU SAY YOUR BLOG IS SHIP-FOCUSED?: YES / NO. ( I love ships, but I am selective with it and require chemistry -unless I know your muse and you occ super, super well-. It’s nice but it isn’t he full focus of this blog. I want to explore my characters and witness other people’s characters and their development. )

DO YOU USE READ MORE?:  YES / NO / SOMETIMES WHEN I WRITE LONG STUFF.

ARE YOU:  MULTI-SHIP / SINGLE-SHIP ( Jacob ) / DUAL-SHIP  —  MULTIVERSE / SINGLEVERSE.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO EXPLORE THE MOST IN YOUR SHIPS?: Varies on muse, but for my rdr2 characters I’ve been really wanting a sorta of “outside” character where they aren’t directly involved in the gang, but they are in a relationship with oen of their members. Where my muse,w hose in the gang, will tell you rmuse about it and the whole aftermath of everything. Where their partner will understand to an extent, but try to undestand? if that makes sense? I also want enemies to work on a job/project together and deal with that. But this all also varies on muse.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS?: YES / NO / DEPENDS.  ( I find it easier to write to assume people knwo each other, but an immediate friendship isn’t required. Like my muse may know yours or hear about yours, but they haven’t directly met you before ). 

► SECTION ABOUT YOUR MUSE.

- WHAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE YOUR MUSE INTERESTING TOWARDS OTHERS, WHY SHOULD THEY RP WITH THIS PARTICULAR CHARACTER OF YOURS NOW, WHAT POSSIBLE PLOTS DO THEY OFFER?: I have a large amount of different muses, but all of my muses all bring something new to the table. Want a guy who seems nice, but can be an asshole with a flick of a dime, who has a secret betrayal plot hidden behind his back? Pick Robert. Want a guy who’s humurous but seems to be hiding under a fake persona? Pick Charley. Want a female assassin who’s very talented anr professional in her work to a fault with her work-alcoholic ways? Pick Evie. Want a sweet and caring character with a heart of gold and will give you advice and comfort? Pick Cassie It depends on the plot, too, but I try my best to add as much to reply to to another. If you ever want more added, tell me! I could give multiple plots, so it’s really hard to put something down.

WITH WHAT TYPE OF MUSES DO YOU USUALLY STRUGGLE TO RP WITH?:  If someone isn’t interested or outwardly hateful of my muse without a valid reason when starting to interact. Beign enemies is fine, but maybe we could write how it became that way? This really varies, so don’t let this steer you away. Just give me something to work with, brign soemthing to the tbale, and I’m usually fine.

WHAT DO THEY DESIRE, WHAT IS THEIR GOAL?:  Varies on muse. Robert: fame/recognition, a legend made out of him. Charley: just to live life happy? He wants to be okay money-wise. Evie: to take down the Templars & help the people of London, not fail and always be successful and outwit her foes. Cassie: everyone around her happy. Sean: His gang to be successful, btu also be sucessful himself, he wants to be admired as well.

WHAT CATCHES THEIR INTEREST FIRST WHEN MEETING SOMEONE NEW?:  Just using the same muses lmao. Robert: Someone who just listens to him and isn’t quick to make fun of him. Charley: If they have a sense of humor and someone he can stand, he’s pretty much fine tbh. Evie: If they can give her any information or aid with her cause. Cassie: How they are feeling. If they let her just listen and seem more open than closed off. Very personality-based. Sean: soemtimes looks, but mostly if they have a similar personality as him.

WHAT DO THEY VALUE IN A PERSON?:  Evie: devotion, kind spriit, efficiency, loyalty. Robert: willingness and empathy despite having little himself. Charley: Honesty. Cassie: Consistency. Sean: reliability. 

WHAT THEMES DO THEY LIKE TALKING ABOUT?:  generally all of them like books (except Sean), events around them, their interests.

WHICH THEMES BORE THEM?:  For half of them, anything mundane or boring. Anything that isn’t relating to anything that’s spoken around / surrounds them.

DID THEY EVER WENT THROUGH SOMETHING TRAUMATIC?:  Robert & Charley (more Robert) witnessed a murder, Robert actually doing that act. Cassie: hearing about the violent nature of her father’s death. Sean: the things he went through with the bounty hunters.

WHAT COULD LEAD TO AN INSTANT KILL?:  A gunshot or anything that could overpower them.

IS THERE SOMEONE /-THING THEY HATE?:  Sean: rich people, Scots for some reason, English people sometimes. When someone disagrees with him on soemthing he is passionate about. Pronouncing and Irish word wrong. O’Driscolls & anyone that’s an enemy of the gang. Evie: Templars, Starrick & Lucy Thorne. People who lie or misled her or others. Injustice. Robert: Someone makign fun of him tbh. Charley: People who don’t plan out anything or are really reckless.

IS YOUR MUSE EASY TO APPROACH?: YES / NO.    - BEST WAY TO APPROACH THEM?: Talk to them. Initiate a conversation. Pretty much that across the board. 

SOMETHING YOU MAY STILL WANT TO POINT OUT ABOUT YOUR MUSE?: None of my muses are perfect. Some are worse than others, but generally msot of my muses will listen to you and usually be nice to you if you appraoch them well. All my muses are different from one another, so expect different results / reactions

CONGRATS!!! You managed it, now tag your mutuals! ♥

TAGGED: stole it

 TAGGING: steal it and pelase tag me ! I want to see your results

[tracyk13]

36 and what a world I have seen

Honestly I’ve been terrible at journalling lately. Love handwriting in quill and ink style, but my current life leaves me exhausted after work and most of my time spent in education. But currently the Covid-19 pandemic made me consider the important world events I have witnessed. 

Born in 1984 I lived in a world of rapidly changing technology but still being forced outside to play. We always had an Apple computer in our house for as long as I can remember. Played the Oregon Trail in black and white, then in color. That was the standard computer game of my childhood. Mom got us Mario Teaches Typing, probably the only “video game” I ever played at that point. AOL was a thing. All those CDs in the mail with updates. I never really got into it, but my twin sister did.

Also a child of the Disney Golden Age of animation. Dramatically influenced my life to the point I went to work for Walt Disney World after college. Still a Disney fanatic to this day. 

Apparently my family visited Yellowstone National park (age 4? too young to remember anyway) then not too long after the park had the fire. 

Was alive though not conscious of world events when the Berlin Wall fell. Watch the birth of CNN during the first Desert Storm when my dad was there overseeing some of the first drone flights. The military required a pilot on hand for those flights. He told us later how some Iraqis would surrender to the drone plane, not that it was ever one of the ones he supervised. And according to my mom I frequently asked to NOT watch the 24 hour stream of news because it was too depressing and I knew that’s where dad was. 

Really started to pay attention to news (not that l enjoyed it but that’s the timeline for how chidden develop) during the O.J. Simpson trial. 

By that point I had lived on both coasts of the USA, crossed country twice, lived in many different environments from Washington’s cold wet seasons to California’s deserts California’s coast to landlocked suburbia of Georgia. 

Where I learned to drive, had a single Nokia phone for me and my twin in our tiny Cabrio convertible (I hate convertibles). Got a personal computer for the first time, where before it was a single family computer. The iMacs were coming out right when we were heading to college. My sister got the desktop, I got the laptop and have never looked back. Still have my gumstick shuffle iPod floating around and it still works.

Got to watch the insanity of Indecision 2000 and appreciate political humor for the first time.

I’ve been to 9 different schools for 12 years of school, not including college. That would make it ten. Was a freshman in high school when the Columbine shootings happened. Some weeks later we had a pipe bomb threat at our school which forced all the students out to the football field. From the top of the bleachers we could see the bomb squad and their dogs entering the school. All I could think of was if someone really wanted to kill at lot of people, there on the bleachers would be the place to do it. Then at some point in my adult life someone did it at a movie theater showing The Dark Knight. 

Saw the images of the Oklahoma City bombing. Heard about the Unabomber. Watched the Waco Texas incident.

But my senior year was the time of 9/11. My math class was out in the hallway doing a math related science type experiment, can’t tell you what it was. But that day was the only day I have ever heard a school of nearly 5,000 students absolutely silent during class change. Thus Desert Storm part two happened. 

Right before I headed off to college. So I wasn’t super savvy about applying to colleges. I only applied to one. Didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve done a wide variety of sports, been writing fiction since at least 10 years old, drew and painted fairly well, thought about doing animation or architecture (did a semester learning thing with a local firm, decided it wasn’t for me). 

Ended up getting a degree in two foreign languages but not fluent in either. It did greatly improve my understanding of the English language. And I had the privilege of an exchange program for a school year to Japan, plus of study abroad summer to Germany. Would never regret any of that. Even if it didn’t get me a degree that got me a job. 

Instead I went to Disney World as part of their internship program. Been in foods and hospitality for a significant portion of my life (thus far). Loved working there. Got to work with the Characters and it was fabulous. Even with the frustrations of all work environments. 

But it couldn’t last. Minimum wage was raised, but the cost of living out stripped the earnings for a single person living alone. Prompting a move back home with parents to get another degree. Then the Housing bubble burst, loans defaulted, mortgage crisis, resulting in the Great Recession. It did get me a house in my name but basically an income property for my mom as her inheritance from my grandmother. All the while I’m going to school to be a nurse.

Now let’s not forget about the many weather crises I’ve witnessed via the news. Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Maria to name the ones I easily remember. The Class 5 tornado that wiped out a midwestern town. The volcano in Iceland rerouting planes. The tsunami in Indonesia and Sumatra. The massive earthquake in Haiti. These are only the ones that easily come to mind without researching what happened during the years I’ve been alive.

Not to mention the diseases that I’ve seen via the news. First to mind was the Ebola outbreak while I was in nursing school. Saw the hype on the Swine Flue, SARS, Avian flu to name a few easily remembered. Those never reached me personally. Now it’s Covid-19 unfolding. Called SARS-CoV-19 now, but that later.

But its not all disasters. Went to the Atlanta Centennial Olympics still have the t-shirt. Was alive during the first black president. 

Took part in the massive phenomena that was Harry Potter and still love it to this day. It showed me that fiction/fantasy could be a mainstream genre to write for. I started writing FanFiction at that time to fill in the long spaces between books. Started when fan fiction.net had the 7or 8 main characters to choose from for tagging. It was like the Wild West of figuring out what you were about to read. Learned about Slash, yaoi, lemons and such the hard way. But being exposed to it that way did open my eyes to what goes on in other people’s heads. Knew immediately that just because I didn’t like something didn't mean I had to hate on it. I left it alone once found and kept going. Really helped increase my tolerance to other cultures and thoughts.

Met my best friend on a role playing site and we wrote nonstop during our college years. Went to her wedding, have a lovely Renaissance style dress as a bridesmaid gift. Still am in touch with her. We don’t write together any more as we have moved in our lives with adulting. But I still have all those stories and hope to turn them into something.

Had my first camera cell phone in Japan as just a basic free phone. Was shocked to find cameras in the States were not standard. One of my friends in Japan kept doing selfies before they were called selfies. Blind positioning of the camera for pictures. Then came the iPhone and the world never looked back.

Joined Facebook when it required a college email. Used MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger to communicate with people around the world. Didn’t join the Twitter or Tumblr movement until after they became established. Saw the boom and bust of the Dot.Com bubble. Watched the Dow Jones numbers increase without the income to invest the way they said to.

Lived right above the poverty line during the Recession. Not knowing if I could make it the next month. Never being able to claim poverty on the tax forms. Caught in the income dead space of not being able to afford health insurance from the markets but in a state that didn’t allow for Medicaid expansion.

But I do not have the worry now thankfully. 

Jobs wise I’ve been a telemarketer, dishwasher, a line cook, a hostess, server, janitor, assistant manager, and now I’m a nurse. I started on med/surg, ED, Cardiac, and ICU. In a small rural hospital getting smaller in a time when rural were shutting down because of no funding. They serve areas with a high rates of unemployment, uninsured, drug and alcohol abuse.

Worked at a busier hospital were no bed was left empty. Sicker patients. Work in a mid-size place. Some days super busy, some slower. 

Covid-19 had the affect of somehow doing both. First few days was almost empty, now it fluctuates. Mostly rule outs. And the protocols are changing hourly which makes life frustrating for us. It’s the constant unspoken threat of going into work not knowing if you’ll have the right equipment to do the job. I’m not scared of the virus itself, not even of the collapse of the economy. I’m scared of the surge that will put my coworkers at risk.

I live alone (my little sister lives with me now) so very little contact with others. But they have kids and a much closer physical distance to their older parents. I know I will add days to my weeks if they have to stay out for any length of time. 

So this is the first time a world event as truly affected me. It is a terrifying time which prompted this summary of my life so far.

I went into a restaurant and saw no one. I never thought I’d see that day. I don’t want people to loose their income, but if people were to go about their daily activities we would loose so many in one go. All I can do is my job.

The more I watch the more depressed and stressed. At work is worse.

I’m teaching myself a new craft because of this. I have taken up leather working to make masks. It helps the creativity outlet. I started drawing class early in 2020 and was set to continue drawing and add painting when the social distancing started. I admit it felt overblown in the beginning. Now the numbers are changing rapidly and we are really seeing what happens in close communities. Just keep working. It’s part of life now. No matter how much if feels like a movie plot line.

But back to other things I’ve seen.

LGTBQA and others coming into the forefront of society. Saw legalization of gay marriage. Quite thrilled with that.

Didn’t hear the term Asexual in reference to a sexual preference until my early 20s. Immediately recognized similar stories to me. Never had an interest in sex or having a partner. A name did make things more relatable, but I will never fully understand people who seem to base their entire existence on their sexual preference.

I’ve been call sir many times based on how I dress. I still sound like a female. Can’t fault anyone for using the appropriate pronoun for what they see in front of them. But that’s a culture that’s growing. Preferred pronouns. But I have to admit that an online friend referred to me as “they” despite a lady being in my username and it felt nice. So in honor of the Special Snowflake term that floated around, I’m an nonbinary aromantic asexual. Probably with a fem-romanitic leaning. 

Saw the rise of the Millennials. I’m caught between Gen X and the Millennials. Now that all the Millennials are of age to vote, perhaps change is underway?

I’m back in college for my 3rd and then 4th degree. In nursing. Online. Watching the world combat a virus.

A US that is split down the middle politically. A world with more pollution problems than we can handle. Governments preferring to coverup mistakes and corruption than help their citizens. The term Public Servant is obviously not taken seriously in some places. See Flint, MI and their water. Lobbyists creating bills that benefit corporations rather than people. Politicians that never retire and keep getting lucrative reelection donations from those very corporations. 

The rise of narcotic drug use, prescription drugs. Pill mills. 

Sex scandals taking center stage in the news rather than things that actually affect daily life. Among things I will never understand is the fear of Transgender women in the women’s restrooms when it was always a straight conservative man who was the center of all these sex scandals. 

Asexual brain at work. I simply do not understand. Conclusion: If you look like a certain gender, you’ll most often be treated as that gender.

What I do miss were the kid shows and cartoons in the 90s. They were super progressive with great literature themes. I knew the story of some of the greatest classic literature simply by the references in those shows. 

Also the era of War on Drug commercials. Recycling promoted. 

My favorite: Captain Planet. Not only was it pushing for a cleaner earth it had different nationalities. Stereotypical, but a far better representation than what I am seeing in kids shows today. It was diverse in that multiple skin tones were seen on screen together rather than specific skin tones marketed to that specific demographic. Now I do like how many more cultures are represented, I just want them shown in ways where color and culture is not the primary focus. 

It also surged a desire to protect the planet. The knowledge that we need clean water and air. Educational shows like Magic School Bus and Bill Nye explained what is happening in the environment long before Global Warming became political. With the global shut in we see the world cleansing itself. 

Now the marijuana legalization issue. No one has died from overdosing on weed. Unlike Alcohol. Yes smoke isn’t good for your health like cigarettes, but the complications are not as prevalent, well studied, or as life threatening with what is known. The disconnect of state legalization and national illegalities is mind blowing. I hope to see that break so we can study it.

Overall I know I have seen a lot of historical events and I hope to live another 36 plus years to see more. 3 decades, the change of a century and the change of the millennia. Y2K hysteria included. 

The world is changing. The outcome is unknown. Peace be upon us all.

[hallowedhuntress]

Breaking Dawn Rant

I feel like I’ve talked about this a lot. But I’m bringing it up again. And that’s because Breaking Dawn was the main reason I took a break from the twilight fandom from 2009-2014. Like, sure, societal scorn contributed to it a lot, too. But I wouldn’t have minded so much, and might have stuck to my guns, even in the face of major backlash, if Breaking Dawn hadn’t been such a huge disappointment. 

Anyway, I feel like I should start by saying that my biggest pet peeve in fiction in general is inconsistency. And that my main beef with Breaking Dawn is that it goes back on so many things that were established in the earlier books. Especially things that I liked.

To keep this short (eh... shorter... I still put #2 and #3 under the cut for your consideration) I’ll only list three inconsistencies that bothered me. Though feel free to comment, or reblog with any more you can think of.  

Inconsistency Number #1: Jacob Black & Imprinting

1) I know a lot of fans have talked about Jacob’s character derailment in late New Moon and Eclipse especially. And I agree wholeheartedly that he was shafted pretty early on. But the point where it broke for me was in Breaking Dawn. 

In Eclipse, Jacob says, basically: “I hate imprinting, it takes away your free will!”

And, at first, I thought that was a lovely deconstruction of the usual ‘love at first sight’ trope. I was like: “Wow, that’s an interesting thought. How romantic is it, really, when you have no choice?” And I thought there was some real potential for some interesting plotlines there about free will vs destiny. 

Like I was hoping after reading Eclipse that Quil would decide “You know what, this imprinting thing doesn’t have to control my choices. I’m going to choose to defy it, since my imprintee is a literal child whom I have no attraction to, and love someone else.” 

That would have been better. Perhaps even a powerful message!

But no, suddenly in Breaking Dawn SMeyer is like, “Never mind what Jacob said earlier! He just imprinted on a baby, it’s totally romantic! and he doesn’t mind at all!”

Like, hello? Who is this creepy, brainwashed person and what happened to the free-spirited, funny Jacob we all used to love?

Is he buried in a shallow grave in the forest somewhere?

Inconsistency #2: Bella suddenly wanting to be a mother & the whole mess that is Renesmee

2) Bella says again and again that she doesn’t want kids. She cites their destructiveness and messiness as one of her reasons. “They’re always dripping with some form of goo” is literally one of her lines! And then Renesmee, Literal Child From Hell, is an absolute disaster. And Bella is suddenly fine with it.

And I think we all know why. 

For those of you who weren’t raised mormon, basically if you want to be anything other than a mother you’re not a valid female. So ofc Bella has to have a baby and love it.

But while Bella was suddenly and inexplicably fine with this development, never once expressing any reasonable or rational fear or nervousness with being a parent (even a parent to a hellion), I, on the other hand, was not fine with it. The aptly named Loch Ness Monster destroys an antique silverware set that Esme adored. She also is implied to have mangled Bella’s diamond necklace. And more importantly than all that pointless, but ultimately not immoral destruction, she freaking bites Jacob just, whenever to drink his blood, because she’s a greedy little bastard who 

But “lol it’s okay, she conveniently isn’t venomous!”

What the hell?

And... I’m supposed to like this child?

Like, enough to want to endanger all the Cullens, whom I adore, to protect her?

Nah, yeet that child into the flames.

I mean... all that said, perhaps Renesmee could be made into something better or at least something more interesting (I certainly want to make an attempt in one of my fanfictions, just to say I tried). But she is so creepy and callous and her whole personality is basically “Wow guys, I’m literally only two feet tall, but I inhaled the entire dictionary so now I’m super smart!” And SMeyer just expects us to treat her like she’s innocent and adorable and not terrifying. 

Which... is not working. 

I am unnerved. And her rapid aging only makes it worse. Like, god, I’d be more inclined to protect her if she actually acted like an infant rather than a creepily precocious adult? 

Or at least if she was treated in universe as creepy. I should totally just write some Dark Renesmee fics, because... uh... that would have been way more interesting.

Inconsistency Number #3: The Volturi

3) The Volturi are consistently portrayed as followers of their own rules, and at worst a necessary evil, and at best the only reason the whole world isn’t currently on fire, (basically, Lawful Neutral). This is the status quo and is reinforced again and again until some blink and you miss it hints are dropped at the end of eclipse (I certainly missed them in my first read through). And none of it is solidified until Breaking Dawn chapter 30 and the Second Life of Bree Tanner.

So basically, at first, SMeyer was like, “Lol, I know I said these guys might seem bad but we’re actually lucky to have them.” 

Which is a fascinating concept! Some unpleasant things might be necessary to ensure a peaceful world? If the Volturi weren’t around, someone worse would take control and humans would all be slaves to the Romanians and Egyptians in seriously dystopian conditions? 

Like... that’s what made me fall in love with them in the first place. That fascinating world of gray. Dark gray, mind you. But still gray.  

But then, SMeyer had to ruin it in Breaking Dawn (and subsequent books) by saying: “SIKE they’re actually Neutral Evil hypocrites for cheap, boring drama.”  

And all this, to build-up to a battle that didn’t even happen.

*sigh*

I know a lot of people don’t like them for various reasons. Or might think their secret corruption is more interesting than them following their own rules. But I personally think reducing them from the complicated, violent and cruel but objectively necessary position they occupied down to “lol they’re the bad guys who only want world domination like every other boring fantasy villain you’ve ever met” is just... an injustice. 

And, well, I’ve been a Volturi stan since like 2006. So you can pry Lawful Neutral Volturi out of my cold dead hands.  

[statusquoergo]

And we’re back! Everyone will definitely be bringing their A-game after that nice little hiatus, yeah? This episode is going to hit it out of the park for sure.

Well, maybe.

The sexism and misogyny really hit the ground running as Harvey, preparing to accompany Samantha to Pittsburgh to meet her biological father, ambles into the living room to ask Donna if she’s “sure [she’s] okay with [him] going on this trip” because “not a lot of women would want their men doing this.” Fortunately Donna is “not a lot of women,” so Harvey has permission to go hang out with other girls, and without supervision, even! What a lucky guy. Not only that, but Donna points out that while any of them would willingly accompany Samantha, Harvey is uniquely qualified to understand what she’s going through because of his long-term estrangement from his mother, which, I mean, yeah, I guess so. Except then she says she loves him and he replies “Thanks,” which is a huge waste of a perfect opportunity to say “I know,” and then, for the first time this season, he says “I love you too,” smothered under an obnoxious cough into his fist, because he’s a mature adult who’s in touch with his emotions but he’s not too mature and he’s not a girl or anything.

Back at lawyerly headquarters, Louis takes advantage of Harvey’s two-day absence by sitting in his desk chair and contemplating listening to his records, gushing that he “can finally be Harvey Specter, and no one will ever know.” Yeah, there’s definitely no way anyone who works at this firm knows that’s Harvey’s office and might walk by and ask what he’s doing in there, of course not. He then sets off the comedic half of the episode by answering Harvey's phone and sort-of-but-also-not-really-accidentally setting up a meeting with “the Ted Tucker,” who wants a meeting with Harvey and he wants it today. Fortunately for Louis, Tucker has never actually met Harvey, and…you know where this is going.

Harvey pulls up to Samantha’s place in a vintage Ford Mustang (I want to say it’s a 1967) that stirs up some Feelings for her; he offers to take it back to the car club and exchange it, but she says it’s fine because she just wants to get on the road, and here comes the sentimental half: Twenty-five years ago, twelve-year old Samantha was…in a group home? With one other kid? Unclear, but the important part is that she lived in a house with some kid named Adam and their abusive father…figure, Ron. One day Adam and Samantha accidentally broke the tail light on Ron’s brand new car, a Mustang identical to the one Harvey’s driving; Samantha took the blame even though Adam threw the ball that broke the light, and Ron beat her for it, so. Feelings.

Louis shows up at Donna’s office in a truly horrifying wig (he calls it his “Harvey wig,” if you’d like to conjure up that mental image; yeah, kind of, but more chestnut-colored) for some information that’ll let him demonstrate to Tucker that signing him would be a conflict of interest, and to her credit, Donna begs him to take the wig off, but when Louis explains that he just wants to feel like Harvey for one lunch, she agrees to help him even though it’s “a really bad idea.” I’m gonna give her partial credit on this one; good intentions, poor execution.

Except then we actually get to see Louis at the lunch and dear lord, Donna, how could you let this happen? Someone on the writing staff (Korsh) is definitely indulging in one hell of a narcissistic fantasy by way of Louis, who, doing a pretty decent imitation of Harvey’s walk, waltzes into some high-end club or resort or something, passing through an endless gauntlet of waiters and attendants who each usher him toward the inner sanctum with a Stepford smile and a solicitous “Mr. Specter,” until he ends up at a table with Tucker, who informs him that the reason they’re surrounded by a ridiculous number of trays of food is, get this: “Well, I didn’t know what you liked, so I just ordered the entire menu.”

This fucking show, I swear.

Things only go downhill from there (from my perspective, not Louis’s) as Louis boisterously recounts a number of stories from Harvey’s life, including “Life is like this, I like this,” and that time Harvey brought Rachel to pick Mike up from prison in a limo. Tucker grinds the festivities to a screeching halt when he asks if Harvey knew Mike Ross was a fraud when he hired him, but fortunately for Louis, A Few Good Men is Tucker’s favorite movie, so screaming “You can’t handle the truth!” in his face is enough to make everyone forget about that silly question and get right back to their sinful indulgences. These people all have such integrity, it’s amazing.

Turns out a traumatic childhood isn’t Samantha’s only connection to the Mustang; Eric Kaldor also used to drive one, which skeeves Harvey out until Samantha assures him that when Harvey drives it, he does “make it look cool.” This dynamic is weirding me out so much; a week ago, she fucks over Mike Ross, Harvey furiously declares that he doesn’t trust people who lie to his face, Faye (justifiably) fires her, and then suddenly, with zero transition, it’s all hands on deck to get her back at the firm, and now on top of that, Harvey's her biggest cheerleader and also road trip buddy? That whole “I don’t trust you anymore,” was that just a hissy fit or what? I don’t… I don’t know what to do with this, I don’t like it.

Oh, wait, more flashbacks: Samantha and Adam steal Ron’s car to drive off in the middle of the night. Samantha, evidently recounting this story to Harvey, explains that they were pulled over on account of the broken tail light, but she assures him that “it could’ve been worse,” being that she ended up with a new family and neither of them had to go back to their abuser, and also she doesn’t know whatever happened to Adam so I guess he might show up sometime in the next three episodes maybe. I really wish I cared more.

That sounds mean, but hear me out a minute: Samantha was introduced in the beginning of Season 8. In fact, “The Greater Good” (s08e13) gives her her very own expository sub-plot courtesy of Judy O’Brien, through whom we learn…very little about Samantha’s experience in foster care, except who Judy is and what Samantha’s relationship is to her, which doesn’t matter at all because it never comes up again. (Well, it will in a bit, but not in any really important way.) It’s basically a waste of an opportunity to tell us things about Samantha that we don’t already know because all it does is build incrementally on things that we do, but in ways that are irrelevant. All the rest of the hints the show drops throughout the season about her backstory are shadowy and vague and mainly serve to establish her as an enigmatic figure whose mysterious past I guess I’m supposed to be dying to learn about, except that right from the start, “Right-Hand Man” (s08e01) establishes that she lies about her past to suit her own interests, so from the very beginning, I’m inherently suspicious of everything she says about herself, which makes it really hard to empathize with her.

The problem with the way her past is revealed is that it’s not really a running subplot, or a continuous arc; little hints and features are dropped here and there, but only insofar as they relate to a given episode’s broader narrative (i.e., she was a Marine, which is only relevant in “Special Master” [s09e02] for that odious misrepresentation of PTSD), which makes it feel like they’re invented on the spot because hey, we don’t really know much about her, who’s to say this or that didn’t happen? If you pay close attention, you might be able to collect enough clues to piece together a complete story, but with everything else that’s going on in this show, I gotta say, I really can’t be bothered. Especially when I have no idea how much of that story is even true.

Right, so, remember how Samantha knows that Kaldor has a Mustang? Well we seem to have graduated real quick from twelve-year old flashback Samantha to twenty-seven year old flashback Samantha, who reveals that while working a case together, she and Kaldor became…involved.

Ew.

Oh but wait. Out of absolutely fucking nowhere, present day Samantha decides “it’s time [she and Harvey] talk about the elephant in the room.” Not “[her] getting fired because of [him]” (she didn’t, she got fired for fabricating evidence), but “why [she] fabricated that evidence in the first place.” Harvey points out the obvious, that he already knows she did it because she hates to lose, and she asks, if he knows that, why he got so mad at her for doing it. (Oh I don’t know, maybe because she fabricated evidence.) Answer? “Because [he] told Mike [they] wouldn’t cross any lines.” And even though their client wasn’t technically doing anything illegal, “Mike’s always on [him] about doing the right thing, and now he’s out there walking the walk, and the least [Harvey owes] him is to think about right and wrong once in awhile.” (Uh, yeah, did he miss the part in “Promises, Promises” [s08e03] where he got their landlord to pay the maintenance staff a fair wage because he felt bad for the facilities manager? And I quote: “David, all I’m asking is do the right thing.”)

Oh but then.

“You really admire him, don’t you?” “I don’t just admire him, Samantha. He went to prison for me. Talk about someone who’s got your back.”

Okay. So… Okay. Yes, that is a thing that happened. It was a very big deal. Mike and Harvey spent six whole episodes fighting over which of them was going to be the one to take the fall. Except then Season 7 happened, and Mike spent sixteen episodes becoming increasingly distant from and combative with Harvey, culminating in that disastrous farewell at the wedding that Mike didn’t even invite him to. And then “If the Shoe Fits” (s09e05) happened, wherein Mike literally started off the case by promising Harvey not to do anything that could result in either of them being disbarred and finished it by doing exactly that, wrapping up his visit by condemning Harvey for having lost himself because yes, of course, Harvey’s the one who was being a dick that whole time.

Yet apparently, even after all that, Harvey still thinks Mike walks on water. I guess that does kind of help explain his behavior and the exceedingly weird dialogue the last time Mike showed up; Harvey’s got a little hero worship going on, or at the very least, he still has an enormous blind spot where Mike is concerned. On the plus side, there’s my quota of evidence for the episode that Harvey needs to go to therapy like, yesterday.

And about that whole evidence fabrication thing, props to Samantha for admitting that if “[she] could go back and do it all over again, [she] wouldn’t.” Donna could learn a thing or two from her.

Speaking of Donna, Louis hurries in to tell her that his lunch with Tucker was “the greatest lunch of [his] life,” all “because [he’s] Harvey Specter.” But things hit a little snag when he tried to demonstrate that SLWW would have a conflict of interest representing Tucker as well as some company called Reed Communications, because Tucker waived the conflict by buying Reed Communications on the spot, and that’s not even Louis’s only problem because Reed Communications’ in-house counsel is, dun dun dun! Harold Gunderson! Who wants to set up a meeting with Harvey, who knows nothing about any of this. Louis determines that since thinking like Louis got him into this mess, thinking like Harvey is going to get him out of it, and I’m confused, wasn’t the whole point of all this for him to be Harvey? Who’s he been thinking like all day? Way to commit to the role, man, no wonder you’re not an actor.

Filler time: Ten-years-ago Samantha and Kaldor have been together for six months and it’s been “one of the best six months of [his] entire life.” (Seems to me like a weird unit to increment his life by, but hey, man, whatever floats your boat.) In the present day, Harvey suggests stopping for burgers, but Samantha wants to get to their destination before dark, so he’ll settle for some M&M’s at the gas station. Equivalent exchange for the win.

Part II

[dungeoneering102]

Improving Cults

So recently I had a post about how cults should be designed (IMO). I mentioned the four cults present in the D&D module Princes of the Apocalypse and said how those were really bad examples. Due to some interest, I decided to make this post that elaborates on how I have altered those four cults to make them more realistic and interesting.

Why I Dislike the Original PoA Cults

In the original book, the Players are supposed to face off against 4 cults: the Black Earth, Howling Hatred, Crushing Wave, and Eternal Flame. Each of them have a leader (referred to as “prophet”) and work semi-together to summon super powerful creatures called “Princes.” The book also mentions that they all serve the “Elemental Eye.” Here are my problems with this set up:

We don’t ever get told what the Elemental Eye is. It seems to be just a pedestal or an unnamed entity. But it’s never explained.

The cults work together. This makes them all just fade into each other. There’s no drama because now the players are just fighting a large group that happens to have 4 leaders.

The cults all have the same goal but very little distinguishing elements in terms of their philosophy or approach to said goal.

So let’s try to fix this...

Elemental Eye

I hate that this aspect is never explained. It was just so very vague and yet its what commands the four cults. Supposedly, the Eye has given the cults their power and influence. In turn, it will somehow eventually inform the cult leaders on what ritual to conduct to summon their respective Princes. The Eye does this only WHEN the Party kills the first two Prophets. So I changed it all around.

The Eye is a physical thing. It is a stone of great power, supposedly locked within the altar in Fane of the Eye dungeon. In my story, the Eye calls forth the four Prophets, but informs them that it will only choose the STRONGEST among them. This is important and I’ll discuss why below. But now it is a physical thing and once ONE of the Prophets proves themselves powerful enough, the Eye is gifted to this person. All others die upon touching the Eye.

Lastly, to get to the eye, each Prophet has to prove that THEIR cult is the strongest and has the most influence. They do this by getting the most recruits and building beacons across the valley. The beacons are something that you can see in the module’s artbook section, although they’ve been cut from the final game. I re-inserted them as buildings that would be a sign of the cults’ growing in power. Your PCs can stumble onto these as they explore the valley. The cult that proves to be most influential, gets to summon their Prince.

The Cults DO NOT Work Together

Around the Renaissance Era, the Christian church had several divisions. New branches and sects appeared all over Europe, and started fighting over who is the TRUE CHRISTIAN church. They all believed in the same God and Jesus. What was different is how they worshiped these figures. The result was a complex political game fought between these powerful and rich churches over the souls of their followers and the influence over Europe. These conflicts ended with people fleeing Europe, the Catholic Church setting people on fire, and a very powerful shift in the politics of the time.

I think, that’s a pretty interesting story. So why are the cults of PoA just working together, with some minor issues between them? I say cut them the fuck apart. They are four individual cults. They believe in the same deity (the Eye) but go about worshiping it in different ways. They each have their own beliefs and philosophies that conflict with one another, and pit them against each other. Why do we do this? Because 4 DIFFERENT baddies is better than 1 four headed baddie. This conflict between the cults, allows the Players to play a large and complex game of politics, where they play off each of the cults against one another to get them to destroy each other. PCs might ally with one cult, only to get into a big mess and have ANOTHER cult offer them help in return for betraying their former allies. In the end, you get a Game of Thrones level game of politics and alliances.

Unique Cults

Now all of the four cults want the same thing: summon forth their elemental daddy. The problem with this, they might just meld into each other and become very similar. So we have to differentiate them in three ways:

How they present themselves (identity).

What do they believe in (philosophy).

How they act during combat (gameplay).

If you distinguish EACH of these, you get distinctly diverse cults. Below is going to be MY breakdown of how I distinguish each of the Elemental Cults.

Howling Hatred Storm.

Change that fuckin’ name. No one will wanna be a part of a group called “Howling Hatred.” Bad guy groups usually pick actually socially OKAY names, otherwise they won’t get any supporters. Let’s call them “Howling Storm” or “Howling Wind.” ANYTHING else but HATRED!

Identity/Philosophy. The wind is fickle and full of lies. The leader of the cult, one Aerisi Kalinoth, pretends to be a winged elf by creating fake wings using illusions. Their main outpost is filled with cultists who PRETEND to be knights. The whole thing reeks of deception and illusion. So I made that their selling point. Make your dreams a reality is the tag line for this cult. They convince people to join, so that when THEIR Prince is summoned he can blanket the world in an illusive state, where everyone’s best dream will come true. Of course, they will all live in a constant dream state, but it doesn’t matter. People who are depressed enough would be willing to fall into eternal sleep if it is guaranteed to make them and their friends forever happy. This is what Aerisi offers. She appeals to the desperate, the depressed, the lonely. She offers them to live out their dreams in an eternal sleep. Kind of like a suicide cult.

Gameplay. This is very simple. The cultists stay airborne as MUCH as possible. Forcing PCs to fight vertically, instead of horizontally, find cover, find ways to fly up as well, climb high structures, etc.

Black Earth

Personally, the Prophet of this cult is my favorite. So to be fair, I don’t much to change about this cult.

Identity/Philosophy. For this cult I ran with the theme of burial. Marlos Urnrayle, the prophet of Black Earth, sells the burying of your past. Made bad choices in life? Did thing you regret? Forget about it. Bury that past, and on the dirt build your life anew. Atop the ruins of old, rise your new home. This would totally get the attention of past criminals and bandits, whose lives have been ruined by their own crimes. Now they can start anew, in an organization that accepts EVERYONE.

Gameplay. Another easy one. You should describe your cultists as being extra tough and hard to break. Maybe give some of them some earth powers, ripped out of Avatar: the Last Airbender. I let my cultists just call forth pillars and stone walls, while others would swim through earth as if it were water.

Eternal Flame

Identity/Philosophy. Compared to the other cults, this one seemed more combative and militaristic. So I ran with that. Vanifer, the cult’s leader, runs a militia. Again, remember that the valley is without any leadership. She offers leadership. Her message is that she is building the army this valley desperately needs and she intends to bring peace and order to this valley, by force if need be. Her selling point is that she promotes discipline and order. People who lack any purpose, live messy lives, or need some kind of a leader-figure to tell them what to do, would fall into this easily. Think of veterans or troops, who after wartime cannot fall back into normal life as they need someone to order them around.

Gameplay. These guys are on FIYAAAA. Make their armor too hot to touch, make being around them uncomfortable. Allow them to be strategically more intelligent, using maneuvers to flank, surprise, and stun their opponents. This is a military organization, after all.

Crushing Wave

Identity/Philosophy. This cult consists of smugglers and pirates. What do pirates stand for? That’s right, an anti-establishment way of life. So the cult preaches FREEDOM. But absolute freedom. In fact, anarchy. Gar seeks a world that he can drown, where only those deemed strong enough can survive and are thus freed from the shackles of social restrictions. This idea of absolute freedom without authority, of being able to live off your own merit and not having to answer to anyone, is something many would like. People who have been duped by corrupt officials, people who dislike the restrictions of society, or dislike social norms. The Wave offers them all a chance to be free of this.

Gameplay. I got Lovecraft vibes from the cult. his cult is led by Gar Shatterkeel, who almost drowned but heard a voice in the oceans that led him to safety. Borderline Cthulhu-esque. SO, I made them all weird and creepy. They talk strange, they walk strange, they tend to stare. Ultimately, while they all fight for absolute freedom, the irony is that they are being manipulated by a primordial entity that is slowly brainwashing them.

Last Point - Diversity

In the book, all cultists (except the prophets) are human. That’s all fine and dandy but I don’t see why it needs to be so. I recommend you make the cults more diverse in their composition. Elves, dwarves, orcs, dragonborn, whatever you got. Not because YAY DIVERSITY or anything. Just because, I think it makes most sense that cults that fight for influence and power, wouldn’t discriminate based on race or gender. This, in fact, could be a selling point for them. Especially if you have racial tensions in your Fantasy setting.

I hope you all find this breakdown of how I modified the cults helpful. Please remember, that these are not “THE BEST WAY TO PLAY.” These are only the best way I found to play. You might find something that fits your campaigns and players better. Special shoutout to @ravenbane13​ (and everyone else who reblogged my last post) for encouraging this piece. I did go a bit longer than I wish, but hey, I hope you find some use in that wall of text.

The Unfair DM

[eeveedel]

Hi everyone, here’s another fic rec for you! Today I decided to post about a trope that I feel like I don’t talk about enough but that I absolutely love: magic and supernatural fics! I organized the below fics by trope so you can find something you love no matter what kind of fantasy you’re into. I hope you find something you like and be sure to show any of the fics mentioned here lots of love if you decide to check them out! 

Vampires

Run and I’ll Give Chase by Madalynn_Bohemia (24k)

“You go out every night and maybe you’re able to drink without hurting anyone, but you’re still thirsty, aren’t you? Still have an itch you can’t scratch. A need you can’t put a name to. You desire a companion.”

“You mean a keeper?” Harry corrects with venom in his voice. “Someone to put a leash on me.”

“Wouldn’t need a leash, love.” Louis whispers sensually, and he is suddenly behind Harry, too fast for his eyes to keep track of. “You’re practically pliant just by being in my presence. Of course, if you’re into that sort of thing, I could always get you a lovely collar with a matching leash once you decide to take me up on my offer.”

Or, Harry is a fledgling vampire without a maker. Louis is graciously offering to fill that role.

Howls Like a Beast (You Flower, You Feast) by indiaalaphawhiskey (16k)

France, 1754. Château de Versailles.

“You don’t love me,” Louis had said, utterly blasé as he callously fractured the heart of a Harry that was just barely eighteen.

“I do,” Harry had insisted pleadingly, green eyes already watering.

Louis had rolled his eyes, exasperated and flippant in the way only beautiful, young boys could be when faced with the affections of a baby prince. He had run his finger down Harry’s cheek then, had forced him to look into his eyes as he delivered the final blow.

“You’ll change your mind once you’ve seen more of the world,” Louis had teased, pressing a brutally delicate kiss onto Harry’s lovely, pure cheek. “Once you’ve been properly defiled.” He had whispered filthily, delighted by the gasp he heard, the frantic pink blush that had rested high on Harry’s cheeks, the power he had felt at knowing he could make the Crown Prince squirm.

Read you like some kind of poem by mentalistcbm (11k)

He likes to imagine that he’s always aware of Harry’s eyes on him, but the spark that flashes across his body at how often Harry licks his lips while looking at his throat doesn’t feel like something he’s explicitly and consciously acknowledged before, but it feels familiar. Usual. Right.

(Louis is human, and Harry is lucky enough to be his vampire boyfriend.)

Waiting on You by emma1234 (76k)

“Vampires,” Louis says with disgust, glaring over at the vampire who is noisily slurping from the woman’s neck nearby.

Zayn gives the neat fang marks on Louis’ neck a meaningful look.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” Louis finishes, ignoring Zayn when he rolls his eyes.

Louis takes a long sip of his milkshake, presses his fingers against the marks on his neck, and definitely doesn’t think about the vampire who left them there.

Love Endless by wubwubnparmaham (171k)

The year is groovy 1973, and eighteen-year-old Louis Tomlinson is perhaps the gayest teen to ever grace the gloomy, hateful town of Fortwright. Would be fine if he wasn't so viciously bullied at both home and school for such a "harmful" sexual preference.

Yeah, yeah, we've all heard this story, haven't we? Believe him, Louis didn't think he was anything special either.

Until he found the mansion. The notoriously haunted mansion hidden deep within the forests of his tiny blip of a town in Bumfuck Nowhere, Idaho. No one with a brain ever goes near it, but Louis could use a little excitement in his life...and possibly a Band-Aid or two.

After discovering the mansion was less abandoned than he'd thought, he's now left with the most riveting mystery of a lifetime, every new finding leaving him with more questions. Who is this elusive owner, and why won't they show themselves? Why is there a set of journals in the same handwriting that span over centuries? Why in the world is there a padlock on the refrigerator...and who the hell is Alexander?

Nocturnal Creatures are Not So Prudent by patdkitten (24k)

Louis is a white witch with a little black cat named Hemlock and a best human friend Liam (they're a lot like Samantha Stephens and Louise Tate). When he's dragged out to a new club Liam's heard about from a friend and classmate, Louis comes face to face with that which witches do not touch: a charming vampire by the name of Harry.

Werewolves

Amaryllis by hattalove (146k)

"Where are we?" "Um. A little while out of London?" Niall tries, seemingly the only one willing to not be mysterious and provide Harry with information, and. Oh. "London London? As in, the capital of England London?" he asks, just in case he'd misheard. "No, the other London," Louis laughs, low and biting. He comes closer finally, the moonlight just enough to reveal a sharp-cut jaw and pale skin. "Sorry, Pup." Nobody's ever called Harry a "pup". Frankly, he finds it quite insulting, but he lets it slide to try and comprehend his current crisis.

or the one where harry gets bitten by a werewolf. louis is the mysterious not-quite alpha, liam and zayn have Things going on, niall is their token human, and together, they watch a lot of TV.

Break open the sky by karmelised (20k)

Being a werewolf isn't always easy. Especially if you have no idea what you're doing.

or, Werewolf au. Harry might be a werewolf, but he still wants to experience Uni like everyone else. Turns out he learns a lot.

Mermaids

Coax the Cold by MediaWhore (86k)

England, 1897.

English Professor Louis Tomlinson’s passion for the occult has been a source of mockery and derision for most of his life. When he hears whispers of a travelling freak show newly established in London claiming the existence of a monstrous sea hybrid, half-man, half-fish, Louis sees it as his ticket to credibility amongst his peers. The summer he spends undercover working on the show, however, gives him much more than that.

Sirene by iwillpaintasongforlou (4k)

Harry stumbles across a strange and beautiful creature -merman Prince Louis of Sirène- as he walks along the beach one night. When a bit of magic Louis had never dared to believe in has him trading in fins and scales for real human legs, Harry takes it upon himself to show him exactly how this new human body works.

(Louis is a merman who turns into a human and Harry takes him home and takes him to bed.)

If the Surface Begs You Home by QuickedWeen (17k)

Harry is a mermaid from the underwater kingdom of Mercadia who is a little too fascinated by life above the surface. He's kicked out of his home after he winds up pregnant, and has to figure out how to make his way in the world. Louis is the darling of the small neighbouring seaside village who came home after university to take over their local library, and can't seem to stay away from the mysterious pregnant mermaid his friends introduce him to.

To the light by fondleeds (13k) 

“Hey,” Louis kicks his leg out at him, misses by a mile, but Harry’s cheeks still glow at it, all close-mouthed smile and dimples. “It’s Christmas. I refuse to let you be lonesome and dejected on Christmas.”

"It’s not Christmas yet,” Harry says, matter-of-fact, like he knew that before Louis told him about it that first week of December, when the lights had started appearing and Harry had risen out of the water with such wonder and dreaminess in his eyes, the last dustings of snow caught in his wet lashes.

“It’s the Christmas season,” Louis responds. Harry rolls his eyes at him.

AU. Harry is a mermaid lost at sea and Louis is a boy determined to make his first Christmas a memorable one.

Witches

Forget-Me-Not by SexyAsswoMan (26k) 

“I- I can't move” the elder one finally croaked out, and with more distress Harry came to see that the vines had wrapped itself around the lad's ankles. With a dumb nod Harry took a couple of steps forward. He could see Louis flinch with his sudden movement but he tried not to think about it. Instead, he lifted his hands, and tried his best to concentrate, hoping his power would listen to him just this once around the other man and untie him. Ever so slowly, the vines started to detach themselves from Louis's calves, and soon enough, the man was free.

With shaking legs, Louis stood up from the position he was in, and suddenly the air around them got thicker.

“You're- you're a witch.” Louis hissed under the harsh wind, making Harry flinch at the accusation in his voice.

Where Harry had something he did not wish to have. Louis was just trying to figure him out.

Burn by anchortied (21k)

Louis is plagued by nightmares of being burned at the stake. Every time he closes his eyes he can see the flames, smell the smoke, taste the acrid smell of his own death in his nostrils. There is nothing he fears more than this. Besides being something other than what he truly is. Which is, to say in the very least, a powerful witch. One of the most powerful in in the world, as far as he knows. His magic can't even be matched by Liam, who learned quicker than anyone he's ever met, or Niall, who's magic fire could burn through a whole village in a mere moment if he wanted to. When Louis meets Harry however, he realizes that his magic isn't as strong as he thought. And as he tries to navigate through this magic, and the trials of friendships and lost loves that come along with it, Louis finds that being powerful is more of a plague than he realized. A plague that infects more people than he is comfortable with. (A Witch AU based off of The Craft -a very loose interpretation)

Fae

Black with Autumn Rain by whimsicule (93k)

“Thank you,” Geoff says, taking a sip of his tea. “What did you tell him?”

Louis has a sip as well, lets the tea burn down his throat too quickly, too hot, and he feels it all the way down to his stomach. “The truth. Essentially,” he replies after a moment, licking his lips, relishing the slightly bitter taste of the brew that’s never quite strong enough for Louis’ liking. At least it’s not decaf. “That my dog scented it. That I didn’t touch the body. That I came here first thing.”

Geoff nods pensively. “Did he believe you?”

“Probably not. There’s only so many people who can drown on dry land before it gets fishy.”

or: Harry is a journalist, Louis has lots of secrets and the moors aren't exactly the ideal place to rekindle a lost romance.

Boiling Blood Will Circulate by whoknows (42k)

The wait isn’t long before something starts rustling in the bushes. Harry takes aim, squeezes the trigger, body moving unconsciously. They’re motions he’s done a thousand times before, and his body knows how to do it without the input of his brain now. It’s what makes him such a good shot.

He misses. The shot misses.

Something howls in the woods, a pretty clear indication that Harry hit it, but there’s no telltale sounds of a big body dropping, no animal charging out at him to take him out before he can finish the job.

Something does turn and run, though. “Fuck,” Harry spits out, scrambling to his feet and slinging the rifle back over his shoulder, giving chase. He’s not going to lose this hunt.

The trail of blood goes on longer than Harry thought it would. He doesn’t know how long he runs for, but his muscles are burning, chest heaving with exertion, until the trail just - goes dead. No more blood, just like that.

“Fuck,” Harry says.

Fairy Tale Inspired 

Elysian by wonderlou (81k)

“What could be it, Niall?” Harry asks gently with a sigh. He slouches down further into his chair, crossing his arms lazily across his chest. He is bored. He has been bored for five years straight, but even more so now that his one interest has shut himself out entirely. Harry had not even heard from Louis, not since last night, not since he had gotten on his nerves so much that he was torn between knocking him out and smiling in surrender to the slight awe he felt. Louis is opinionated like no one he’s ever seen, but his voice is honeyed; high-pitched and indignant. Harry is nothing short of entranced.

Or, Harry is running out of time to fall in love, but with Louis, it seems as if there’s all the time in the world.

Red by frosteddream (26k)

Shockwaves were sent through the village after the McPherson family was savagely killed. There were people who feared the beast that did it, and then there was Louis, or, as most people liked to call him, Red. (Little Red Riding Hood AU.)

No Place to Call Home by suspendrs (21k)

“What are you smiling about, Harrison,” the boy spits, body language suddenly getting defensive. “I’ll have you know that I’m-”

“Harry,” Harry interrupts, giggling. “My name is Harry. And if you’re not called Peter, then what are you called?”

The boy tilts his chin up slightly, surveying Harry like he’s checking if he’s worthy of knowing something as important as his name. “Well, Herschel, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Louis.”

Or, Louis isn't Peter Pan and Harry isn't Wendy and Neverland is nothing like Harry thought it would be, but it's perfect anyway.

Mythology Inspired 

Say Hallelujah, Say Goodnight by alivingfire (110k)

Louis is an angel who is just a little too bad to be good, Harry is a demon who is just a little too good to be bad, and they're both a little too in love to be impartial when angels and demons go to war.

You Flower, You Feast by stylinsoncity (18k)

He's King of the Underworld, but don't assume Louis has it all. He could stand for some excitement in his monotonous, eternal life and maybe, even.....a soulmate.

(Despite not having a soul.)

And along came "Harry".

Miscellaneous Themes 

Through Eerie Chaos by MediaWhore (102k)

For as long as anyone can remember, Old Hillsbridge Manor has always been believed to be haunted. Everyone in the village agrees and keeps a respectful, fearful, distance. New in town after a bad breakup and an internship that led to disappointment rather than a permanent job, Harry Styles figures taking pictures of the decrepit building could be a great new creative project. Or at least a much-needed distraction while he searches for a job and crashes at his parents’ new house. No one warned him about the apparitions though; about the music, the laughter, the people who flicker and vanish when you call after them, the echoes of a past that should be long gone… Harry has never believed in spirits but even he can admit that there’s something weird going on. What starts as mere curiosity evolves into a full-blown investigation and soon enough, Harry finds himself making friends with an aristocrat from the 1920s and struggling with finding the best way to tell him that he’s dead.

The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process.

the impossible now by stylinsoncity (64k)

A wish on Christmas Eve sends Louis to an alternate dimension where Harry is a member of One Direction.

my heart is breathing for this moment in time by usedtothebeach (159k)

When Louis first saw Harry at the 2010 X Factor Auditions, he thought he was watching a peculiarly special stranger. But Harry has known Louis ever since he was five years old.

Because Louis has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to Time Travel to important moments in his past and in his future - and to Harry, always to Harry. When they're put into a band together, it seems like everything Harry has been waiting and wishing for has finally come true. Except for the small fact that Louis doesn't know that Harry is in love with him- that Harry's always been in love with him. Fate, it would seem, is just getting started.

A story about growing up and growing together, and the impossible love that makes it all worthwhile.

Truth in Your Eyes by summerwine (15k)

"...I found it half spilled over by the loveseat not too long ago.” Louis eyed him imploringly with a slight curl to his lips. “My mate gave it to me as a gag gift. He bought it during his gap year from some novelty shop in Belfast. I never did get to try it. I was always sort of intimidated by the label.” Louis twisted the bottle in his hand, revealing the label written in gold, and only now visible to Harry’s sober eyes. Truth Serum.

[underxrosetintedglass]

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Hello! Lets get right to it! 

Here are the questions:

Who the Heck are You?

What this about?

How do you roleplay Pink Diamond? 

Who can roleplay with you?

How do I roleplay with you?

What are you looking for?

Whats your roleplaying style?

What are you up to right now?

Is this Single Verse? Multiverse?

What tags do you use?

Here are some tags:

admin stuff : Roleplaying things

pd talks about shit : (Me) and my rants…

memes : For opened posts, magical anons

headcanons : Drabbles from me, other canon I have accepted as my own

space lessons : Pink Diamond is a good study! Here are some things she has learned. 

You can find my stuff there~

Who the heck are you?

My name is PD! No, I have no relation to Pink Diamond!

I am actually an ethereal being that has also existed long before Pink Diamond did-

I like sunsets, walks on the beach… Mun is of age but I won’t be doing any smut here. That does not exclude some sensitive topics but this will mostly be SFW. I’ll tag it otherwise.

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Whats this about?

Literally, I have another Steven Universe RP blog, but I had been ruminating around about making a blog for Pink Diamond for awhile now; ever since the 4th season, actually.

It is inspired by a few of my own headcanons, “fandom-canons”, and my knowledge of South Korea. -Also a little bit about me: I studied abroad in South Korea for a bit! I’ll be using the cultural things I experienced there in this blog too c:

A summary for P.D’s Pink Diamond:

She is a very spoiled lead of a K-drama!

She even dies at the end!

Pink Diamond is the youngest diamond, after Yellow. She was made on Earth, though there is little record as to how and why. What is clear is that a good 75% of a continent is markedly missing (what we know is Russia).

She is very childish, preferring to distract herself with the novelties of Earth and it’s life (especially humans). Her main base of operations was in Korea.

As of the mainverse she is unaccounted for, but it is highly likely she is the originator of the “Arena Glam Rock” aesthetic. .

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How do you Roleplay Pink Diamond?

Glad you asked!

I have a particular approach to canon characters. I also love roleplaying with different canon versions of my muse. B) Its the best thing about roleplaying canon characters to be honest.

In my verses, all other Pink Diamonds exist on different planes of existence.

Sometimes reality can get kind of squirrely, so they meet each other. No variation of Pink Diamond is wrong in my eyes! Everyone has their different take and it’s just part of being creative.

If any one wants to talk about their muse and character development with me, I’m always down, just message me!

However, regarding Pink Diamond as antagonist-

My Interpenetration of Pink Diamond

My Pink Diamond wants to subjugate humanity and life on Earth as a means to spread (her) influence across the Universe. (This includes Steven as of the finale!)

 She has a hint of megalomania, seeking to control everything around her.

She can be possessive, manipulative, and has different set of morals then the norm.

Of course, I do not ever support the actions of my muse. I just play a villainess sometimes, and sometimes I want to play a (less) villainess middle schooler. This disclaimer is more for you then it is for me.

While all this is true: I will

NOT be playing the antagonist of your roleplay. Mostly because I have a certain way I play antagonists and, trust me, I’m really good at it. If you want me to play your antagonist, talk to me first.

NOT be torturing your muse. It needs to be repeated.

Not allow you to disrespect my muse without consequences. Some people think it’s cute to back talk dictators? There will be consequences. We can discuss them but... It won’t be pretty. Pink Diamond is more emotionally violent then she is physically, proposing to segregating the ones who don’t do as she says.

Discuss plots with you where Pink is the antagonist

Stop the roleplay when I feel uncomfortable. And I ALWAYS have this right. I play Pink Diamond because she’s interesting and fun. I will play her how I see fit. I won’t let any one dictate to me how I should be playing my muse. K?

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Who can roleplay with you?

I hate the terms “selective” and “Mutals-Only” by the way–

I will roleplay with any one who is creative and can contribute good ideas to a story.  – Any muse. Any Fandom. I also absolutely LOVE to make headcanons! Please PLEASE include me in your ideas.

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How do I roleplay with you?

Memes. Opened posts. Shoot me an ask. I can plot but I prefer to be pretty spontaneous and impromptu. You can also come say hi if you want. c:

I also except magical anons. …Do people still do these??

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What are you looking for?

Frequent Roleplay Partners!! Darn it, I just like making friends. I also like to see my partners rping with each other. B) Lets all just roleplay with one another. Come see the people I’m rping with! -Look at the admin stuff tag.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!! Develop your character, develop my character, heck why not both? Both is good.

More specifically:

Pre-established Relationships!

Wacky adventures across the fandomscape (sci-fi stuff, high fantasy stuff– naming actual fandoms, Dr. Who, Undertale, DnD, Marvel Universe~)

Drama

Angst!

MUSICALS!!!

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Whats your roleplaying style?

I personally use the “yes, and…” technique!

A quick lesson on improvisation: when you are writing or performing with someone else, always use the yes, and technique. All you do is go with the current scenario the person is suggesting and add small ideas to it – this keeps the flow of ideas forming. Try it! It’s great practice while roleplaying.

That being said, if you give me a random prompt and there is a 85% chance I’ll answer it. So please do. – Give me your prompts!!!! >:U

Contribute to the thread. Take it in a direction. Redirect a thread from a direction I’m taking it in. This is the way to keep me engaged in our thread, okay? Otherwise I do:

Third person narrative ONLY

Novel format (new lines and quotations) but rarely Script format (action marks and listed characters) with minimal formatting or reaction images. I do however occasionally sketch my reaction images. You can find those at this tag: sketch rp

3-6 sentences a post - which you DO NOT HAVE TO MATCH!! Just give me something to work with.

I can do longer posts if I really like what you’re writing about. /)u(\ Please don’t be intimidated, I just really like your writing.

NPCs (Non playable characters) or additional characters to the stories that push them along. I usually have 2-3 characters in an rp.

PRESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS (please!) come talk to me about it

Roleplaying tags- look for your tag (ask me) or your url to find your rp thread

AUS!!!!! (Alternative Universes)- Space is vast, a lot of weird things go on out there. Pink does have some other destinations of interest, let's talk about them B)

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What are you up to right now?

If you’d like to see what I’m talking about in general, check out the shit PD’s talking about.

If you’d like to see what RPs I’m doing, look at the admin stuff. It’s my goal to get my partners making verses with each other, honestly.

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Where can I learn more about your Pink Diamond?

Glad you asked! Check his headcanon tag. I’ll be updating it with descriptions, pictures, drabbles, and what what as they develop. c:

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Is this Single Verse? Multiverse?

Officially, this is  Multiverse Blog. The main canon of this blog is canon-divergent: Pinky exists as Pink Diamond, and not as a conduit for Steven’s power. However, she can interact with Stevens, “Rebellion Rose Quartzes”, and Pink Diamonds of other alternative universes. 

In this verse, Pink formed after the formation of the Diamond Authority. She was introduced by Blue Diamond as one of her ‘protege’. In my headcanon, the Authority is about 75,000 years old, Pink is about 50,000. Pink’s court, meanwhile, is far younger and she didn’t have it as long.

Here is the list of  verses:

v: Pre-Earth

Time period between Pink Diamond’s emergence and when the Authority grants her her first planet. Pink Diamond’s first in canon experience fits snugly into this verse.

She’s found by Blue Diamond on Earth and is inducted into the Authority as a conduit for some of Blue Diamond’s objectives. They aren’t much, just keeping White Diamond engaged and making Yellow Diamond learn more patience. 

However, Pink Diamond is shielded from a lot of the inner running of the authority, she’s stunted as an effect. Pink starts to actively defy her sisters in secret: stealing their injectors, playing around with making gems, sneaking into the logs, interacting with lower ranked gems. A lot of shenanigans and sand boxing in this verse.

v: Pink Court

Blue Diamond grants Pink her own planet and, subsequently, her own court.  This verse ends when the rebellion begins. She still has her court, of course, but the rebellion brought many of her projects to an end. 

By this verse, Pink has calmed down a lot and is focusing on specializing. She is learning more about her area of choice, Astrobiology, and develops most of her contributions to the Authority. This is when she makes Rubies and Rose Quartz.

v: Rebellion

Pink Diamond was established as a figurehead over Earth. It becomes clear she has no real power, so she orchestrates a “rebellion” in a bid to get more resources to expand her small colony. However, the Authority steps in and forces Pink to abandon her holdings on Earth and retreat to the Moon Base. After several thousand years of imprisonment, Pink then decides to stage her “assassination attempt" to reclaim the Earth in a bid to release the Earth.

She defies her sisters to go to Earth, trying to negotiate with the “renegade Rose Quartz”, she calls Kappa 12, a modified Rose Quartz she uses to insight the rebellion. 

With Kappa 12′s help, Pink flees to the Korean peninsula. Pink Diamond is then free to create her grand experiment, forming this Universe’s country of Korea and shutting down the continent completely. This verse ends when the Corruption Song is used on Earth. Kappa 12 and all other gems in Pink’s are the Crystal gems. However, Steven does not exist in her verse.

v: Post Rebellion

Period after the Corruption Song but before the Modern times. Pink spends her time trying to figure out how to cure corruptions and continuing her work on astrobiology. She eventually figures out how to embed gems into Earth’s underground biomes, gradually spreading her influence. Trees begin to grow up that have gems inside of them, staying in bloom even in the Winter.

v: Pink Peach

Set in the modern verse. Pink Diamond has now taken on punk rock in her exploits. Mainly because it’s fun. 

She remains hidden from the Authority, working on ways to “out evolve” them.

Of course, I will tag my verses and AUs appropriately!

You can find the list of the AUs here: Tagged AUS

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What tags do you use?

I believe in tagging. It keeps things organized, I can find it later maybe (if tumblr won’t stop breaking things).

I still tag, though, cause it makes it easier for you to find things!

My tags fall into these categories:

Verses

The way that I hash up my main verse. It just helps me organize when and where things happen with Pinky. These verses are so drawn out that many relationships often don’t carry over between them. The ones that do, of course, we can discuss. c: Ergo, this is a multiship rp. Pinky is also polyamorous, so any simultaneous relationships will also be discussed.

You can find my verses here.

Alternative Universes (AUs)

These are treated as “different universes”. Totally separate from verses.

Human AU: Pora Porum Mangjeol is a recent graduate in Bio-Engineering. However, she is an overachiever who graduated in 2 years and had a mental breakdown. Closely after, she decided to live her life and participates in the local roller derby for a few years. Eventually she would be an intern at the national science museum, but she’s slowly making her way. There is a sub-verse where Pora escapes her demanding childhood by fleeing to Mount Ebbott. In this Undertale-verse, she is bravery. You can read up on this verse on this tag: “Pora-has-a-great-fall”.

Upsidedown AU: AU where Pora Porum is Will Byers from Stranger Things. Please someone help this child...

High Fantasy: Pora Porum is a giantess trying to survive in a shrinking world. She comes from a lineage of mariner giants, who had escaped most of the poaching on land. When her clan returned her family was dismembered by mages, who use giants for their great concentrations of magic, and their ships were destroyed. Pora Porum flees into the mountains and must survive as one of the last giants.

Story Arcs

These are tags I used to sort one shot story arcs that I am doing with my admins! These might include several people over several threads in one shot scenes.

Chaos Bride Arc:

Involved admins: @thestevieststeve​​ @staterathesmol​

Pinky dabbles too much in dimensional travel and ends up sandwiched between two chaos gods. Apparently, you can find a lot of them in the Universe. Both of them want her for their own purposes and Pink, with very little resources to deal with inter-dimensional wide beings, pits them against each other.

Miscellaneous Tags

Here are a few tags I use to organize random things!

Dimensional Diablerie: This is a roleplay tag. Pink jumping through different dimensions. Development can happen. Pinky can also interact with various characters as Pink Diamond and not a human or whatever thing I decide to turn this muse into. Whatever.

Crack: This tag may sometimes have roleplay on it? All of the fun stuff and art and interactions. Theres no development here, just fun.

Dash Commentary:  This is another roleplay tag. Pinky reacting to things and characters on my dash. This is verseless but it can have some development...? (???)

admin stuff : Roleplaying things, including some references for art and writing.

pd talks about shit : (Me) and my rants…

memes : For opened posts, magical anons

headcanons : Drabbles from me, other canon I have accepted as my own

space lessons : Pink Diamond is a good study! Here are some things she has learned.

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[thedeadflag]

Here’s more of the Oh No There Is Only One Bed What Do clanya AU

(Part 1)

Part 2 below

Content Warning: transmisogyny, transmisogynistic slurs, transphobia

"I'm just saying..." Clarke argued, a yawn breaking up her statement. "...I mean, that food was delicious. I'm making an excuse to come back soon."

Anya rolled her eyes and led her sluggish tagalong back towards the hotel. "Good for you, Griffin. There's always tomorrow morning. I suggest stopping by sometime after the breakfast rush ends at nine."

"Pshh. You can't avoid me that easy." Clarke shot back with a laugh as they entered the hotel lobby. "Besides, breakfast is always better with company."

She hastened her pace towards the elevator, knowing she'd spent too much time around Clarke already. Even if Lexa might want them rooming together, Anya couldn't spend every waking moment with Clarke attached to her hip. "Who knows what tomorrow brings?" She noted, getting in a vacant elevator, practically punching the button to their floor as Clarke meandered over to the railing and slumped against it, letting out another yawn into the back of her hand.

"Yeah, yeah, so you say. Wait and see, Anya." Clarke mused, eyes slipping shut as they ascended.

It was all Anya could do not to sigh, wondering what fantasy Clarke was concocting in her imagination. Sleepy minds did tend towards the adventurous.

Thankfully, the elevator doors opened seconds later, letting her make her exit down the hall, Clarke falling sluggishly in pursuit. By the time Clarke caught up, she was seated at the side of the bed, checking her phone messages.

"You...you need to slow down, woman." Clarke let out with a huff, fighting for her breath as she strode to the bed. Anya patted the space beside her, waiting for Clarke to predictably take a seat before pushing her over. "Hey!"

"Time for that food coma to kick in. I'll come get you when it's time to get up." Anya asserted, cocking an eyebrow at the downed girl. "Get some rest."

Anya was halfway to the door when Clarke called out after her. "Anya!" Her name was tired and strained as it spilled from Clarke's lips and spread through the room. "Anya, I can't sleep. Not until I know."

There she stood, the hotel room door maybe six or seven feet away, knowing she could leave and hang with Lexa for a while instead of laying it all out there. Sure, she wanted to get it over with, she wanted to take that burden off her shoulders, but at the same time, it'd make her vulnerable, detailing exactly how Clarke had hurt her.

Clarke hadn't earned those details or that sort of intimate trust, but at the same time, it was tiring holding onto those memories and feelings, bearing their complete weight. Still, she didn't have to let Clarke see the full scope. Maybe just the basic details, the facts.

Anya took a deep breath, counting up to five and back down before turning on her heel, talking slow deliberate steps until she stood at the end of the bed, Clarke blearily gazing at her from the headboard she sat up against.

"After I came out, I found I didn't have a lot of friends. We live in a polite enough area that most refused to speak bluntly about me, but most of my friends just vanished overnight. Lexa was the only one who stayed, Costia was still more of an acquaintance until later in first year, and I met one new friend in Nyko. He was big, burly...intimidating, maybe, if you didn't know him. He was genderfluid, and was comfortable in that even if it wasn't a hugely widespread bit of knowledge. He was the only friend I had who could relate to me like that, and I was his only friend like that. In the second half of grade nine, Bellamy Blake and his friends decided to torment him." Anya started, taking a second or two breather to tamp down on her emotions, those old memories still feeling fresh in her mind.

"They'd taunt him, mock and insult him, make up lies about him. Blake would get his friend Murphy to attack him. Nyko was big, but he was a gentle giant, he wouldn't hurt a fly. Wasn't in him to even look at anyone the wrong way. School did nothing, especially given all the complaints Blake and Murphy filed against him. His parents weren't supportive so they did nothing, but we had each other." She continued, that burning feeling in her gut only growing with each word.

"Anya..."

"And then you went to the principal with a complaint that he sexually harassed you. Of course, boys will be boys, so they let Bellamy and Murphy's aggressions against Nyko fly, but someone they thought was a 'boy' harassing a girl? A pretty blonde girl whose mother donated a good chunk of the school's extracurricular budget? Well, they couldn't have that." Anya continued louder, not wanting Clarke to try to speak over or interrupt her again. "And I know Bellamy came to you asking for a favor. I heard the tail end of his little speech to you about how Nyko creeped him, Murphy, and the rest of the guys out and was a perv. And that you going to the principal would help everyone out, and that he'd owe you. But you didn't even hesitate...you didn't even speak to Nyko. You didn't know him, and you sure as hell didn't pay attention to the daily bullshit those assholes put him through. You were a good little girl and did what Blake wanted you to do, and Nyko got expelled. And then his family moved across the country. We both lost our only trans friend, we were both isolated because of you."

Anya held her glare at Clarke, refusing to feel any semblance of emotion over how Clarke's eyes welled with tears. No, she'd be strong, holding her hand up and lifting a finger. "That's the first transphobic fuck-up."

"I didn't know, Anya. I...I was just a kid, I..." Clarke started, voice thick and strained, but the way it tugged at Anya's heartstrings only made her angry. Clarke didn't deserve that reaction.

"So was he. So was I. You were old enough to know better. You'd already started towards establishing a GSA for the next school year. Of course, it also didn't help that in your GSA, you let some of those so-called 'allies' in, like Bellamy. And Finn, who literally knew I'm trans and repeatedly mocked and insulted me over it in the halls, not to mention whenever he and others could get away with it in class. Not to mention the times he'd grab at me in the halls. Here's a fun fact...Lexa only started going to your GSA meetings because Costia dragged her to it, and she only became your friend because she wanted you to have some non-toxic people in the group in hopes of eventually creating a safer environment. Which didn't work, but it was a valiant effort on her part." Anya continued, blood pumping and body on edge as soon as Clarke postured up midway through her spiel.

"Okay, I get you hate Bell and Finn and the guys, but they're better now. They've changed. The GSA helped make them better people." Clarke argued, and while her words were entirely ridiculous and had Anya laughing, just the notion that Clarke believed them wholeheartedly stung her enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Anya shook her head, trying to control her fury, her rage, her anguish, but she knew some of what she felt was leaking out of her as she placed her hands on the bedposts. "So when they paid Ontari two hundred dollars last year to date me long enough to grab some clothes of mine and some candid nudes...you're saying they were changed men? When they passed the pictures around between their friends and the rest of the school? How about when they gave one of my stolen dresses to Finn to wear in the student's council assembly...an assembly that you organized and planned out, by the way...in a blatant act of mocking me and reducing me to a man in a dress? During an assembly with mandatory fucking attendance...you're telling me they were better people?"

She'd honestly hoped to feel some satisfaction as Clarke's composure crumbled away to nothing, the girl reduced to a crying, confused mess. That she felt absolutely nothing in the way of relief only had her own tears threatening to spill over in the frustration of it all. If venting couldn't make her feel better, then what good was it?

"And don't give me shit about you not knowing I was trans. The jokes were blatantly transmisogynistic, Finn's character was named goddamned 'Asia', it doesn't take a genius to know who, or at least what kind of people he was targeting. And besides, you clapped along with all the rest of the crowd, and praised their antics as if they hadn't taken a baseball bat to my dignity." Anya seethed, grabbing her phone and setting an alarm for later that morning. "Not to mention your segue to the next skit, the whole 'speaking about mysteries down under' shit when you lead into Ontari's act? That's some cissexist bullshit, straight from the source."

"Anya...I...I..."

"Shut up, Clarke! You...look, there's a bunch of other smaller shit, like the genderbend days that were total transphobic horseshit, but you...you were supposed to be one of the good ones! You helmed the GSA and you took the side of our fucking abusers, you couldn't even tell that your friends were hellishly homophobic and transphobic! Hell, you enabled them whenever they needed it, and you couldn't see anything wrong with what you did." She ranted, setting her phone down on the dresser across from the bed, taking a deep breath or two to calm herself, at least temporarily, before things got out of hand. Her emotions were already spiraling out, so she needed to end it.

"Maybe you're not a monster like Bellamy, Murphy, Ontari, or Finn, but you dated two of the three guys, and you unleashed them whenever they asked, so what does that say about you as not just our school's LGBT rep, but as a human being? And you helped them out with hurting me and others like me whenever the opportunity came up, so yeah, Clarke. Of course I don't want to share a damned bed with you, I can hardly stand being in the same room as you." She finished, shaking her head as she marched off and out of the room, ignoring Clarke's heaving breaths and avoiding another glance at her.

Her composure fell away piece by piece with every step closer to her destination, leaving her barely holding it together by the time she gave her standard triple-rap at Lexa's door.

She couldn't see who answered the door for the tears in her eyes, but she didn't have to when the aroma of Costia's usual jasmine and green apple moisturizer washed over her, her friend's arms wrapping around her and shuffling her inside.

"It's gonna be alright, baby girl. Whatever happened, we've got you." Costia softly whispered as Anya let out her grief into Costia's neck, sobs coming out hard and fast, heart twisting in agony.

"Let's get her over here where it's comfier." Lexa added, another pair of arms guiding them deeper into the room, eventually helping sit Anya down on the bed. "I'm sorry, Anya. Whatever I hoped would happen, it wasn't this."

Anya shook her head as she slumped back against the pillows, fighting to steady her breathing as Lexa and Costia settled in at her sides. "I...I told her. About ev...everything." She let out, white-knuckling the covers. "And nothing changed. It still hurts the same. Still burns the same."

"I'm sorry, honey. Is there anything we can do?" Costia asked, backs of her fingers grazing Anya's cheek.

"I can switch places with you tonight. You can sleep here with Cos." Lexa offered, but as much as that idea sounded wonderful, she couldn't be that selfish.

"No, no. This is your last full weekend together before Costia leaves for her internship out west. You'll barely see each other before you meet back up at University...no, you two sleep here. I refuse to split you up." Anya asserted, giving her head a slight shake before wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just...it sucks so much. Carrying this around for so long and then...nothing. Goddamn nothing."

Anya didn't resist when Lexa rolled her onto her side, arms slipping around her waist as her cousin shuffled in behind her. "I wish I could make it better."

Even if all her venting hadn't resulted in a drop of relief, even if her heart still felt so damn heavy, there was always something nice about being close with Lexa. And Costia, ever so affectionate with a kiss to her forehead, always made her feel a little warmer.

And maybe it wasn't what she wanted, or what she needed, but it was enough to lessen the ache, at least for a little while.

Anya would accept that any day.

Twelve paces behind. Enough to keep sight of her companion for the day, but enough to stay out of Anya's way.

It was a wonder she'd been able to even nap after the brutal takedown earlier in their hotel room. She'd underestimated her impact, having long since tired of Anya's hostility, but as it turned out, she was deserving of it all.

Hell, I deserved a lot worse than that...Clarke mused as she checked out some fan art in the marketplace. It was a mystery why Anya even bothered to collect her and let her tag along.

It'd been a good, solid day full of panels, seminars, autograph signings, and occasional trips by the marketplace between the slots of their planned schedule. She'd only really been interested in three things that day, two of which Anya had ensured they attended, and the third was later that evening, so she had absolutely zero complaints, often finding the events she followed Anya into surprisingly interesting. Compared to the previous year's breakneck pace she and the others set, she was having a relatively relaxing time, even considering the guilt and awkwardness between her and Anya.

Which, really, felt like terrible acid reflux, burning up her throat any time she considered talking, lingering as a deep-seated pit of nauseous remorse whenever Anya looked her way or was within touching distance.

Clarke glanced to her left, where Anya was seemingly haggling with some comic book artist. It was hard to even glance at the girl, knowing what she'd done, knowing the pain she'd caused. Knowing how badly she'd let down not just her people, but all LGBT people of her school. She'd tried to be the good guy, but definitely fell far from the goal, given all Anya had told her. It'd been her job to provide safety and acceptance for others like herself, and she'd not only failed, but hadn't seen the harm her friends had caused, and in turn ended up prioritizing them as allies over the other students who needed her help and acceptance the most.

Her body had been wracked with a hurricane of emotions, but her brain had been in overdrive, trying to remember the past few years and all her decisions, all the things she said or did that might have hurt someone.

People she'd considered her friends, as flawed as she understood them to be, had led the charge in heinous acts, using her support to make things happen, and that made her sick to her stomach. How she'd been incapable of seeing the truth of their intentions, Clarke wasn't sure, but there was nothing but sincerity and anguish in Anya's eyes earlier. There was no reason to doubt her truth.

And that was a harrowing reality, leading her to scour her long term memory for much of the morning, at least until her physical exhaustion was matched by her emotional exhaustion, finally forcing her into a brief slumber.

Too brief, certainly, and she felt like a bit of a zombie, but it was hardly as if she could look forward to the end of the day. It was hard to imagine feeling worthy of sleeping on the bed when Anya had taken the bathroom floor the previous night and messed up her back in the process. Anya deserved the bed, but Clarke knew she couldn't fall asleep on the floor, if her mind would allow her sleep at all.

Which left her with precious few options, but she at least had the rest of the evening to figure that out.

At least I won't come away from today empty-handed...she mused, stashing an interesting looking fan graphic novel she'd purchased into her bag.

She was backing away when she bumped into someone. The market being busy, she turned and lifted a hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean..." She started, voice catching at the sight of Finn, standing there shooting her his usual sly grin.

"You know you're a hard girl to track down." He said, smile growing broader as Clarke glanced around, not spotting anyone else she knew except Anya. Which might have been a relief in another situation, but she was really pulling for Raven to be nearby to give her an easy out.

"Maybe it's because I've been a secret for so long that I just blend in now." Clarke sniped back, slipping past Finn and making her way towards Anya, who was much deeper into the market by now. "Go away, Finn."

Even with the din of the marketplace, she could still hear his usual tromping. "Come on, we need to talk about us, Clarke."

"There is no 'us'. There never was. Besides, you're here with your girlfriend, Finn." Clarke let out, holding back a frustrated groan at how packed the place was, making it harder to make a clean getaway.

"Raven's at a panel right now. And you know I love you, you know there's something here between us, something special." Finn argued, only motivating Clarke to push her way through a particularly dense part of the crowd.

"A pretty special lie, maybe. You need to..." Clarke countered, charging forward, hoping to put some distance between them, but a firm hand over her wrist stopped her dead in her tracks. "Finn, let go of me!"

"Not until we talk!" Finn yelled, squeezing harder when Clarke tried to pull her arm free, sending a ripple of pain up her arm. "Clarke!"

She winced at the volume of his voice, at the deep ache throbbing at her wrist. She could sense dozens of eyes on her as she pulled at her arm again, his hand not offering any give. "Let go!"

"Listen to her, Collins. I've called security, they'll be here soon." She heard Anya call out, breaking through the crowd, stepping in between them, her fingernails digging into Finn's hand. "Let go of her."

"This has nothing to do with you." He grit out, nostrils flaring as he stared her down.

Thankfully, he finally released his grip a second or two later, giving his hand a shake, but Clarke could hardly focus on that with Anya cradling her wrist with both hands, warm amber eyes full of concern as Anya met her gaze. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." She answered easily, before she really gave her words much thought. Still, Anya's relieved smile was worth it. "Let's get out of here. That panel you wanted to see starts soon."

"You can't just ignore me, Clarke!" Finn yelled as she ushered Anya away, his heavy footsteps following them down the aisle. "I love you, and you're choosing the shemale over me?!"

Clarke spun on her heel, thrusting a finger at Finn's chest as she glared up at him, aghast that he'd out someone like that, that he confirmed Anya's earlier assertions about his transmisogyny. "You're disgusting, how dare you! And Anya's a woman, she's female! Just because you're a raging transmisogynist doesn't mean I have to be!" She yelled, giving him a slight push. "And how fucking misogynistic are you to lie to me and start dating me when you've already got a loving girlfriend? Raven is amazing, and she loves you for whatever fucking reason, but three days after she moves to Boston, you're hitting on me, you gross misogynistic asshole!" Clarke ranted, letting out a sigh of relief as one of the con's security guards approached.

"Is there a problem here?" The guard asked, her eyes flicking between the three of them with caution and concern.

Clarke stepped closer to her and lifted her already bruising, swollen wrist. "He wouldn't let go of me, and he outed my friend over there when she tried to help me get away." She spoke, firm and quiet, holding the older woman's gaze.

The security guard looked at Anya, and then at some of the people nearby that had gathered. Clarke wasn't sure what the woman saw, but apparently it was enough, the security guard crossing the distance to Finn and removing his lanyard pass to the con. "Do either of you ladies want to press charges? I can have the police over here in a few minutes if you'd like."

Clarke looked to Anya, who gave a small shake of her head. "No thanks. We just...we just want him gone."

"Clarke, you can't just do this!" Finn pleaded, but his ugliness was clear as day.

She heard the guard detail something about him being escorted off the premises, but her focus was more on Anya, realizing that her focus had been on Finn and the guard after Anya was outed, rather than Anya herself. "I'm so sorry, are you okay? This is all my fault, it's just I was so angry, and I didn't mean to talk over you or ignore what that must have..."

"Clarke, I'll be fine." Anya interrupted, not looking entirely calm or alright, but still offering a smile nonetheless, even if it was clearly forced. "It's...it's never okay. Hearing that slur...being outed. Even if I'm already out back home, it's nice to blend in for a weekend and not worry so much, but still, it's...I've been through this before. I know how to handle it, it's nothing new from him. I'll be fine."

Still, Anya did look shaken, even a little distressed, so maybe Clarke kept close to Anya on their way to the panel. Maybe she sat a tiny bit closer for the event, and for the rest of the seated events that evening.

Even if she wasn't ideal company, she didn't want Anya to be alone.

Anya made her way down the hotel hallway as slowly as she could reasonably manage, not really looking forward to what waited for her inside. There was only so much of Lexa and Costia's alone time that she felt comfortable encroaching on while keeping the day's mishaps from them, which had her finally heading back to her room around quarter after eleven, hoping that Clarke was already asleep after such a turbulent day.

Not that her own had been a cakewalk, but Anya knew how to compartmentalize well enough. She was out back home, she was used to that, but Comic-Con was one weekend a year that she could just be Anya, the girl that loves sci-fi, combat choreography, fluffy lesbian romances, and whose crushes on Freema Agyeman and Bridget Regan could be considered a little over the top.

It was a big part of why she loved these weekends away, knowing that she could exist outside of being defined by her trans experiences. For a few days a year, she could be defined by other areas of her existence. It was a freeing feeling that she loved, and now even that was tainted.

Of course, she had University coming up, where she could be selective about who she disclosed to, but if she was open about herself there, she might have to find a new place to be free. Maybe she'd have to find the time and coin to get to San Diego's Comic-Con rather than the one in Polis, but she'd cross that bridge when she got there.

For now, she was tired as hell and ready to hit the hay as soon as she got a shower.

Of course, her short term plans had to be dashed as soon as she made them, the bathroom door closed and the shower running. Anya let out a huff and made a beeline for the bed, flopping onto it and avoiding the open laptop.

It was the closest to a comfortable rest she'd likely get that weekend, even if just for a few minutes, so she'd take it. Besides, the hotel stocked pillows were exactly her type, not too firm and not too squishy.

Wanting a more comfortable position, Anya rolled onto her back, stacking two pillows and propping her head onto them, allowing a content hum to escape. That hum tilted upward in curiosity as she focused on the laptop screen, more the fact that she recognized the website that was open, and could see a notepad file was open that had paragraphs of notes.

With her rather agile feet, she took hold of the laptop and brought it up, settling it on her lap as she checked the site and the browser tabs, finding they were all resources and pages she tended to refer people to for education on how to be an ally to trans folks, to help people understand what being trans was. It was a good first step, Clarke being proactive and not immediately riddling her with questions when there were plenty of pre-written resources online already to start with.

Still, if Clarke wanted to do research, Anya could make sure that she covered all her bases. It only took a few minutes to add a few more tabs to Clarke's browser, filling in the holes in her research just in case the girl wouldn't eventually stumble upon them on her own.

Once finished, she put the laptop back where she found it, deciding to enjoy the remaining time alone while she could, just breathing in the quiet solitude, letting it calm her as she relaxed.

After sleeping on a hard floor, it was so easy to just sink into the mattress and let the world fade away.

So very easy.

Anya's eyes fluttered open, a sharp sound from her left echoing in her mind as she gathered her bearings. It was dark, which was a distinct change from before. And she could feel the weight of the sheets folded over her body, unlike before when she'd been relaxing on the bed. She squinted towards the end of the bed, not seeing Clarke's laptop; being a very light sleeper, she would have woken up if it'd fallen off the bed.

All three bits of evidence led to the notion that Clarke had come out of the shower, caught her sleeping, and did what was possible to make her comfortable. Which posed the question of where Clarke was right now.

Carefully, she ambled out of bed and padded towards the bathroom, ears picking up a slight whimper.

"Clarke?" She asked, pressing a palm to the bathroom door, not needing to listen hard to hear the rusting of the sleeping bag's nylon shell. "Clarke, what are you doing?"

"Sleeping." Clarke muttered from the other side of the door. "Go back to bed."

Anya let out a sigh, not understanding how Clarke's memory was so short. "I told you, I don't have to like someone to not want them to hurt. You're injured, Clarke. Get out of there, you're sleeping on the bed."

"I got the bed last night. Your turn." Clarke grumbled, more rustling a sign of her probably shifting around trying to find a more comfortable position. Anya knew it was a fruitless effort.

"That's funny, because I had something else in mind. You're sleeping in my bag." Anya insisted, hearing the scoff clearly from through the door.

"What, this deathtrap? You hurt your back sleeping in this last night. No way." Clarke countered quickly, and Anya couldn't help but grin, knowing Clarke walked right into her trap.

Anya stepped back, leaning against the wall opposite the door. "So you admit it's a shitty place to sleep. Difference is, you're hurt and I'm not. So please, come on out."

"You know that's not happening." Clarke shot back. "I refuse to...I can't..."

The fear and guilt in Clarke's voice were palpable, and even in her post-slumber haze, Anya could put two and two together.  "For fuck's sake, Clarke." Anya let out with a sigh, walking back to the door, leaning her forehead against it. The last thing she wanted was goddamn cis guilt, a useless, selfish response that helped exactly no one. "You hurt me. You hurt any other possible trans people in our school. But you don't get to self-flagellate, no one wants a pound of flesh from you, so stop making yourself an unwanted martyr, stop making this about your feelings, and get out here."

She listened as the sleeping bag rustled some more, a pained grunt following soon after. Anya took a step back and crossed her arms in anticipation, cocking her eyebrow as Clarke slipped out, head hung. She had a sharp-witted remark on the tip of her tongue ready to be slung out, but a single sniffle stole the words from existence, cluing Anya into the slightly trembling shoulders, the hand nursing Clarke's injured wrist, the hitched breathing.

Anya didn't have time to defend herself from her annoying maternal instincts, her hand reaching out, fingertips under Clarke's chin lifting her head enough to see her tear-streaked face.

"Shit..." Anya muttered, internally continuing to curse herself as her chest and neck strained with emotion. She could never quite say no to women or girls who cried. "Come here, let's get you settled."

Clarke shook her head, breaths coming out ragged. "I'm so...so..."

She surprised herself with how quickly she wrapped Clarke up and ushered her closer to the bed, Clarke clinging to her. "Shhhhh, I know. I know." She whispered, slowly maneuvering the both of them to the side of the bed, her hand combing through Clarke's hair repeatedly. "I need you to listen to me closely, okay?"

Clarke just cried, but by the slightly tighter grip, she knew the girl was listening. "You can't make it better. I...I yelled at you earlier, and I hoped it'd make it all feel a little better to let go, but it didn't. Nothing will. So just...don't even try, because you can't. You can't." She stated, a firm whisper at Clarke's ear. "But you can be better. And I don't need your tears for that, Clarke, I just need you to learn how not to hurt us. How to be safe for us. And I need that thing in your chest to keep you in check, because we're not always gonna be there to guide you."

"I will. I...I can do it. I promise." Clarke answered, still decipherable enough despite crying into her shoulder.

Anya let out a huff, knowing it was a start. Clarke, at least, had a track record of improving, given Lexa's past incident with her. This was a bigger ordeal, but Clarke was stubborn and decently empathetic. She had to hope that Clarke would keep her word.

"Okay, then. That brings me to my second thing." Anya noted, reaching a hand over, needing stretch a bit to turn the bedside lamp on. "Sit down and let me see your wrist, Clarke."

"You're not sleeping in the deathtrap, Anya!" Clarke protested alongside an angry huff, attempting to change topics, something she'd soon find wasn't so easy with her.

"Fine, I won't." She countered, quickly taking advantage of Clarke's surprise and slackened grip to guide the girl down onto the side of the bed. "Your wrist."

Clarke averted her gaze off towards the exit, but pushed through her reluctance a few seconds later, lifting up her injured arm, the lamplight revealing deep, painful looking bruising. "It's not a big deal. I just keep rolling onto it. I move around in my sleep a lot."

Anya stared down at the mottled, purple bruising, and then back at Clarke's gleaming, cerulean eyes, knowing she had the power to stop the pain, at least for tonight. At least to a manageable level.

It was a little scary, and it wouldn't be pleasant, but she could do it. It's what Lexa would want.

"Let me get a bottle of water for you. How long has it been since you took something for the pain?" She asked, holding Clarke's gaze as the girl cocked her head to the side, brow furrowing slightly as her lips curled into a frown.

"A few hours. My pills are in the bathroom. Why?" She could feel Clarke's eyes on her as she dug in her luggage for a bottle of water. It was room temperature, but it'd do.

A few seconds later, she was back at the bed with Clarke's medication and water. "Take some." She said, handing the items to Clarke, who just stared up at her like a confused puppy.

"You're not sleeping in the bathroom." The girl insisted slowly, downing two pills and chasing it with water.

Anya let out a sigh, climbing onto the bed and crawling past Clarke. "I know. I'll sleep on the bed. We can set up a median between us to keep you from rolling around much. Or..."

She let her voice trail off long enough for Clarke to peer over her shoulder curiously. "Or?"

Anya let out a huff, rolling her eyes when Clarke angled herself down onto the bed beside her, a weird sort of hope in her wet eyes. And maybe Anya couldn't help but wipe some of the residual wetness from Clarke's face. "Or I hold you tonight. I don't really move in my sleep, so I'd keep you from hurting your wrist. And you'd owe me breakfast. And lunch. And something else to be determined."

Clarke's teeth sunk into and pulled at her lower lip, those blue eyes turning all soft on her. A reaction she might have expected if she'd offered it without condition. "I choose the option two. Breakfast at the diner?" Clarke asked quietly, earning an easy nod, because duh, she'd made her plans clear earlier. "Always better with company."

She ignored the call-back to their previous conversation and got up from the bed, moving to the dresser for something to sleep in, since going to bed in jeans wasn't advisable. "Settle in, I just need to change." She noted, grabbing some shorts and a camisole and heading to the bathroom.

Anya quickly went to the washroom, changed and cleaned up, applied a bit of moisturizer, downed a splash of water, and headed back out. Clarke had straightened out the covers and turned out the lights, but even in the dark, she could see Clarke tracking her movement as she got to the bed.

"What's more comfy for you?" Anya asked as she slipped under the covers. "Curling up in front of me, or against me on my back, or me curled up with you on your back, or spooning? Your call."

Clarke shot her a sheepish smile as she reached back and turned off the lights. "I just don't want to wake up from pain, so...whatever's the lowest risk. Probably spooning."

"Fair enough." Anya noted softly, waiting for Clarke to roll onto her side before scooting closer and slipping one arm under the girl's waist, holding her close there. Carefully, she reached her other hand over, trailing it up Clarke's injured arm until her palm was resting over the back of Clarke's hand, knitting theirs together and pulling it in to nestle against Clarke's chest. "Is this okay?"

"I sort of kick a lot in my sleep." Clarke mumbled hesitantly, sounding on edge, as if Anya would retract her offer of aid.

Without much thought, Anya flung a leg over Clarke's and tangled them up a bit more thoroughly, knowing she could sleep in any position so it didn't really matter. Still, the feel of her bare leg smoothing over Clarke's was something she had to purge to the back of her mind lest it keep her awake all night or haunt her dreams.

"Better?" She asked before letting out a yawn into Clarke's neck, the girl's body heat already sending her drifting towards slumber. She'd never needed long to zonk out.

"It is. Anya...thank you." Clarke whispered, but Anya could barely focus enough to parse the words with any real timeliness, not with a sleepy, comfortable haze descending upon her quickly.

She nuzzled her nose into her bedmate's neck and let out a sigh, settling her body in for the rest of the night. "Mmmn 'ts fine, dear. G'night."

Something niggled at her brain, feeling something was a little off, but she couldn't remember what. Warm, cozy, and exhausted, Anya decided to just leave that potential problem for the morning.

[kbrown78]

Monthly Wrap Up: April

So April has been my lowest month of the year. While some things improved, my reading slump didn't really didn't and it shows. This month I only completed 7 books (but I'll be reviewing 8 in this wrap up), which is by far the lowest amount of the year. The month did not start out well, with a DNF, then a 1 star that I really wanted to DNF. The next 2 books were better, not great but still decent with 3 stars, and the last few books managed to pull off 4 stars. I was able to continue with the PopSugar Reading Challenge, and completed both books I read for the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge, but I didn't manage to do Tome Topple this month, which was disappointing. I think my continued slump, and the reason the ratings were so low this month is because I spent more time away from my preferred reading genre (Adult Fantasy) than I would have liked. The first 3 books of the month were a mix of literary fiction genres, but were all distinctly lacking in any mystical elements. While I thought one of these books was decent, I hated the other 2 and found them incredibly disappointing. The rest of the month transitioned into more fantasy reads (and 1 dystopian) and from there things slowly improved. Next month I'm definitely going to shift things to focus more on the books that I want to read, regardless of the genre.  

Eldest by Christopher Paolini: Technically I finished this one at the end of March, but I forgot about it and didn't want to go through the stress of adding it to my already posted March wrap up, so I just decided to add it in this one. Eldest is probably my least favorite book in the Inheritance Cycle series, and while that remains to be seen, it definitely was a step down from Eragon. In fact I ended up skimming quite a bit of it to ensure I finished it on time (since I was renting it from the library) and didn't take notes, so this review isn't going to be as thorough as it could be. What was probably the biggest cause of the book's slump was one of the 2 new POVs that was introduced, Eragon's cousin Roran. In Eragon Roran  leaves to train as a blacksmith so he can marry is sweet heart and has a close relationship with Eragon. While he's just got the bare bones, and was only in the first quarter of the book, he's still an established character. So why did I dislike his POV? I was so bored with it. It was basically Eragon's story but with a lot less excitement. A young, noble boy fights to save his village and is admired and respected by everyone except the villains. It was just one of those wonder boy, chosen one narratives (which I'm already pretty tired off) and unlike Eragon, who is novice but very powerful and deserves respect, it makes no sense why everyone seems to make Roran the de facto leader. I knew his POV was coming but I didn't realize how much his POV character dominates the narrative. I used to like his POV as kid just because it had a long journey/ escape aspect to it and I used to love those as kid (at this point I think they work better on TV) but this time around it helped emphasis one of the flaws in the series, and that is the fact that long journey's are over quickly. I mean the people of their hometown left at around the half way point and reached their destination before the book was over despite the issues they encounter. Roran's POV contained the most glaringly obvious flaws, but I can't say that it was irrelevant because it was it's own independent narrative, and in the later books it's nice to see Eragon and Roran together as family. Speaking of Eragon, I thought his chapters were okay. Didn't love them, didn't hate them. Ultimately I thought they were pretty forgettable because of how generic they are. He definitely is still this wide eyed wonder boy at the beginning of the book, and then he goes off to do training and ends the story a different person. I still don't like that he's one of those characters that the universe just seems to hand everything too, and most of his time with the elves I found to be simultaneously boring and rushed, but they did show his evolution as a character (sort of). By the end of this book I think he's more aware of who he is, the role he has to play and the power that wields. At the end he has a startling revelation about his lineage and his relationship with another characters. It was a twist that I think both made sense but was genuinely surprising (although not the second time reading it). I have yet to see if this is something that Eragon will brood over, which I really hope he doesn't because I think that will drag his character further down into that of a generic fantasy hero. The one thing I do remember of his chapters because it surprised me was his romance with Arya. When I first read the series as a kid, I totally shipped them. Now I don't ship them, at all. Arya and others repeatedly make it clear to Eragon that their romance would never work, including the fact that she is grieving the loss of her previous lover. In this book I thought there was so little chemistry between that I honestly don't understand Eragon's romantic feelings toward Arya. This might change in the later books, but this was something I just wanted to briefly mention. The other new POV was actually my favorite part of the story, but it was only 2 f**king chapters, out of 60 . The third POV follows Nausuda, the new leader of the rebel group the Varden after her father's death at the beginning of this book. She was briefly introduced near the end of Eragon, and while I liked her I was worried she was just going to become a Eowyn type character. That, fortunately, did not happen. She demonstrates herself as a capable leader, and a threat to her enemies. Despite her young age, she is well aware of the political machinations and is able to maneuver things well. She can come off as harsh at times, but it's because she grasps the severity of their situation and doesn't have time for any nonsense. Most of the people she is closest with or relies on the most are women, which I love because it means she respects and values a persons abilities, regardless of gender. My favorite scene in the entire book is where she asks the head warlock (who is woman and whose name I am forgetting) to make lace because it's easier and quicker to make by magic than hand, and can be sold for a profit that will help support the war effort. This shows Nasuada's ability to take a situation, however minor it is, and make it work to her advantage in a way that makes sense and can be applied to real world tactics. If the entire series had been filled with moments like this, than it would have worked much better for an adult audience. As a whole there were bits and pieces that I thought were good and helped propel the story forward, but there were a ton of generic fantasy elements and filler narratives which really dragged the story down. Eldest received 2 out 5 stars.  

The White Princess by Philipa Gregory: I've been wanting to dip my toes into more historical fiction, especially ones that aren't set during WW II because there are so many of those (not that I'm unopposed to them) and Philipa Gregory's novel's seemed like a good place to start. I was initially going to read the White Queen but I happened to find this one at a book sale, and thought it would work out fine. What I really want in a historical fiction is you take familiar historical figures or events and make them come to life, you make them personal, and it's probably difficult to find an author that does just that. This book is set during the Late Middle Ages (a period of history that has always fascinated me) at the conclusion of the War of Roses with the marriage of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII, which I believe was the inspiration for Game of Thrones, and featured an introduction discussing women of that time period and how even though they are constantly being put in the corners of history, they certainly weren't doing nothing and could even be quite powerful in their own right. Basically this book had a very promising premise and during the first few chapters it seemed like it was going in a good direction. Unfortunately that quickly came to a halt. Elizabeth was an insufferable protagonist. She had zero agency whatsoever, kept being pushed from one bad situation to another had did little or nothing to change that, was blissfully ignorant about everything around her, and served as nothing more than a mouth piece for the narrative and a baby making machine for the king. To put it simply, she was early Sansa Stark who wasn't even being subjected to a psychopathic despot (at least that wasn't how the narrative was portraying Henry, though he did have other issues which I will get to in a minute). She was the exact opposite of the protagonist that I expected for this book, and it was very disappointing. In fact there are only 2 women that seemed to hold any sort of power, Elizabeth's mother Elizabeth Woodville and Henry's mother Margret Beaufort. Elizabeth Woodville has both power and experience at playing the game, but we don't get to see much of that because she's sent away about a third of the way into the story and Elizabeth of York remains ignorant of all her mother's doings. Margret Beaufort, on the other hand, wields a considerable amount of power because she is the only one the king trusts, but she's clearly being portrayed in a villainous light. She does everything possible to undermine Elizabeth and her family, exercises absolute authority without anything keeping her in check and does this to accomplish some awfully petty and mean tasks, and on top of that is a zealot. There is fine line between being devoted to one's faith and being a zealot, and since Margret again uses her power to get in with the Catholic Church, uses her faith as the justification for most of the things she does to Elizabeth, and brings about how the outcome was “God's will” in every other conversation she has, I think she's leaning more on the zealot side of things, and one of the fastest ways to make me hate a character is to make them an obnoxious zealot. I think Margret could at least have been put in a sympathetic light because she does know how costly the game is and wants her son to be safe in a dangerous and constantly shifting environment, but we never get this. So the female character that clearly has the most influence and power is the one that the readers are designed to like the least. This seems to go directly against everything that the introduction set out, and it's not just disappointing, it's a bit infuriating. The other major black stain on this book was the romance, and just like the female empowering narrative, was something that had potential in the beginning and was shattered upon Elizabeth and Henry's first meeting. I don't mind arranged marriages, in fact they are something I like to see if done well, and this was not done well. First there's Henry ignoring Elizabeth, like keeping her family sequestered in one area until after he's coronated. While not a promising start it was a reasonable political move and is something the relationship could still recover from. Then they final meet, I believe around Christmas, and the very first thing Henry does to Elizabeth is have her dance for him so she can feel like a slut, then proceeds to rape her when they are alone together. Gregory has now created a relationship I absolutely cannot get behind. After that he insults and degrades Elizabeth, is very blase about the rape (like he's entitled to it and even says when they are married it's not rape), doesn't try to form an emotional relationship with her and is constantly accusing her of conspiring against him (despite her crippling ineptitude), and even makes it clear he would have raped her sister if she hadn't proven fertile. This doesn't just make the “romance” awful, but it also makes Henry a pretty awful character. Plus the fact that he has a rather unsettling relationship with his mother, who again, constantly works to undermine Elizabeth's family. The fact that the only happy and tender moments between the couple that I can remember occur after Elizabeth has given Henry the son that he wants, makes those moments just feel cheap and unsatisfying. Ultimately I didn't see the characters improving, I didn't the relationships improving, and if I wanted to know how the rest of the story goes I could just do basic history search (and probably get more details on the events of the time). I ended up DNFing this book and needless to say I gave it 1 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “based on a true story.”  

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake: I received an ARC of this book from Macmillian Publishers back in February, completely out of the blue. I had never heard of this book or author before, and it's not the kind of book I would consider reaching for unless there was a ton of hype around it (like The 7 Husbands of Evelyen Hugo), but because it was my first ARC I felt compelled to read it. Almost immediately, I had issues with this book. The writing of the book was a strange hybrid between dry, precise writing and the flowery purple prose, and it just didn't work. The other big issue I had with the writing itself was that the time lines and character POVs were all over the place. During almost the entire first half of the book, so for around 200 pages, I could not grasp what decade it was unless explicitly stated. The POVs weren't much better. The story was written in third person, but this didn't actually help me with identifying who was who because the POV would jump around so much, even within a chapter, that it took me awhile to finally identify who was who. This may due to the fact that there wasn't anything distinguishing about any of the characters, they could have literally been the same person with different names. This did change, but that didn't reflect well on the characters. One of the first scenes were I felt any sense of identity came from Kitty, in the first generation time line, and it made me hate her pretty quickly. I was already inclined to dislike the Milton family because they were privileged snobs, but again I didn't really get any sense of character. There was nothing specific about them that I liked or disliked. That all changed in the scene with Kitty at the Island, where I think she rejects taking in a woman and her son specifically because the woman is Jewish, and the rest of the group present constantly shut down this woman's conversation because her valid points about Hitler's rise to power made them feel a little morally uncomfortable. This was the scene that really defined who the Miltons are, and the thing is they never really improve even in later generations. Evie, one of Kitty's grand daughters, is struggling to ensure that they keep the Island. She tries to project herself as this progressive woman yet works to hold onto the very symbol of her family's corrupt and racist history. It makes her come off as a hypocrite in the worst way. I also had issues with the minority characters (mostly how they felt like token characters that served the purpose of redeeming the racists) but honestly I wouldn't be able to do a good job of discussing them because of the last major issue I had with this book, and that's the overall story itself. So this is definitely a “slice of life” narrative and while I don't generally gravitate toward those, I have found ones that I enjoy. In order to do this well I think you still need good characters and a complex plot with a clear conflict, even if it's just a personal one. For this book nothing works. The characters are bad on multiple levels, and I don't want to see racists who are vehemently denying their racism and issues be redeemed, and there wasn't any real conflict except for the family trying to keep their Island house. What plot I could identify was boring but most of the time, I couldn't tell what was happening. This is the main reason why I couldn't really review this book in detail. Ultimately nothing worked in this book, not the characters, not the story, not the writing. This wasn't a book I expected to love but I at least thought it would be decent and go somewhere, and it still failed at that. The Guest Book received 1 out of 5 stars from me, and if you want more articulate reviews them I do recommend looking at the Goodreads reviews.  

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia: I guess I've lately been reading books that are outside of my typical SFF genre. As my reviews of the previous 2 books indicated I have not been having a good time exploring other genres. Fortunately this was an improvement, but I still didn't love it. The biggest struggle I had with the book was my inability to connect with the main character Eliza, and I blame that more on my personal issues than the book itself, and here's why. Eliza lives something of a double life online, where she is the creator of the popular web comic, while in reality she's a quiet nobody who struggles with daily interactions. Her 2 worlds start to collide when she meets new kid Wallace, who happens to be one of the most popular fanfiction writers for her comic series. The two slowly start to form a relationship and Eliza starts becoming more active in the real world, while starting to struggle with her online personality. Above all this entire story felt like a love letter to fandoms and online culture. Talking about online friendships, trolls, fandoms, creative pressure and escape. I really, really liked the story that was told, and Eliza is the kind of character that I think many young adults can relate to. I liked reading about Eliza's various relationships, from her online friends, to her family, and romance. Each one brought out a different aspect of her and each one had their own set of issues. So why didn't a get a higher rating. Well like I stated earlier I still I was never fully invested in Eliza, despite liking the book objectively for the narrative it tells. I think it's because outside of her being “average” in real life and a famous creator online, I never got much of a sense of who she is. It also took a little while for me to get into the book, and I don't feel that the rest of the book was good enough to fully recover from that slow start. The other thing has to do with Eliza and Wallace's romance. It started out really cute, but I don't like how things ended with them. They had their struggle's, which I thought was good because I wanted to watch them overcome their issues. Once they did encounter a problem though, things went downhill pretty quickly. Their dynamic got worse until it exploded and then quickly remedied itself and is never addressed again. I didn't like how often it's implied that things are fixed and getting better but we're not really shown any of it. I wish I could have liked this book more than I did because I think it's a good story that works well with a modern audience, but I just couldn't get fully attached to the characters and the conclusion left something to be desired. Eliza and Her Monsters received 3 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “book about a hobby.”    

Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson: Oh man. I picked this book up because I was in the mood to read a lighter fantasy, and I wanted to get around to reading the rest of the series. I had hoped that my opinions of the book would change from the last time I read it, but my reactions and opinions were all exactly the same. The best thing that probably came out of the reread was now I can discuss more precisely what exactly it was that I didn't like about the book (which is one of the reasons I reread books). First there's the pacing and the plot, or I should say lack of. The book immediately kicks off with Lia running away from her arranged marriage on the day of her wedding, so we're immediately thrown into the action. I usually don't like that, but the book remedied that problem by using the first few pages to show Lia's feelings on the wedding and how others in the court regard her, including her own father. So when she runs away, we sympathize with her and want her to succeed. Then the book shows her and her loyal hand maid arriving in the city of Terravain where they intend to live the rest of their lives working at an inn. This time delay and again was used well because it showed Lia's determination and adjustment to her new life. The book also splits POV's between the prince she was supposed to marry, and an assassin who was sent to kill her. Since this is my second read through, I already knew who was who, so the suspense of those scenes was gone, and I started to view them as unnecessary to the plot. A few chapters after the prince and assassin arrive, is when I started to have problems. The book really does nothing, there's no romantic, political, or personal drama. It's just a bunch of filler until Lia decides to go back which leads to her being kidnapped, and that's well after the half way point. After that things do pick up a bit and the book starts to resemble the beginning narrative, but it's a case of too little, too late. By the time we got to Lia's cross country journey (which I've made clear I struggle with those story lines) I just wanted the book to be over and while I could identify interesting, relevant or even emotional points, I found myself not caring. For example when Lia finds her brother killed in a battle near the end of her journey, she buries him and his entire platoon with her bare hands because she refuses to leave him for the animals. It's clear that this is supposed to be emotional scene but it doesn't work for 2 reasons. One, like I already stated I just wanted the book to be over and didn't care but that's a personal reason. Two, we only saw this brother in 2 short scenes through the entire book, and during Lia's entire time in Terravain, there are no moments when she's fondly thinking of her brother. So the readers aren't emotional attached to this guy, and even Lia doesn't seem to come across as emotionally attached to her brother, so the burial scene fails to make the impact that it was trying to. My other big issue with this book was the female characters. I have mixed opinions on the female characters in the book. On the one hand, it's great to see multiple female characters with different personalities that Lia gets along well with. Even Lia herself seems like a decent protagonist, she's rebellious but matures, and she has that underlying intelligence and determination (which is actively demonstrated in the book). On the other hand none of the female characters, besides Berti, really has a personal conflict that doesn't involve a male. Lia running away from her arranged marriage and not going back because she doesn't want to marry the prince. In fact whenever she talks about her past with the other characters, it always has to do with the marriage and how it makes her feel like a set piece and she's determined to hate the prince she's never met. Gwenyth and Pauline are both women with children but no husbands, and Pauline spends the majority of her screen time gushing about her beloved, then spends a decent chunk of time mourning his “death.” It undermines the independent female narrative when it always comes back to the men. Even the conversations among the women does this, where almost all, if not all, are on the subject of the males in their lives, be it family or love interest. I'm not even sure if this would pass the Bechtel test, and that really bugs me, because the narrative really tries to present Lia as this strong independent woman. Surprisingly I didn't really have any issues with the romantic plot, in fact I think I would have liked to see more of it. Originally I thought that the love triangle was pretty good because I could see Lia falling for Rafe or Kaden. During this reread though, it's apparent that Lia prefers Rafe because he's the one she's always thinking of and wants to spend time with (which is fine, he's the one I prefer). There is still a good chance for a love triangle to arise due to the reveal of which boy is the prince and which one is the assassin, which completely changes Lia's dynamic with the 2 boys, so it will be interesting to see how the romance is played out in the next book. Ultimately there were things that I liked about this book, there were things I didn't. There's a lot in this world that I think was underdeveloped (like the world, conflict, and even characters) but there is clearly a lot of potential for the series, because this first book gives you that feeling that it's building up to something. I have heard that the series improves, so I am hopeful that I will like the next book better than this one. Kiss of Deception received 3 out 5 stars.  

      Princess Academy by Shannon Hale: This is a reread that I have been putting off for awhile. Why? Because I was worried that it wasn't going to be as good as I remember it being. The last time I read it was probably in elementary school, and based on the fact that there has only been one reread I liked, let alone loved, from all my junior high rereads I had some legitimate concerns. Princess Academy ended up being a delightfully cute reread, that I overall enjoyed. With the last 2 books, I knew I wasn't really enjoying them because I got to a point where I just wanted the story to be done and rushed to the ending. I didn't have that feeling with Princess Academy, and it probably helped since the book itself was fairly short. Since it's a book geared for more children than teenagers, it does keep things fairly simple and quick, yet still managed to convey a good story with a positive message. The story's about Miri, a 14 year old from a village in the mountains who, along with other girls from the village, must now attend the titular academy because the prince will choose his wife from this group of mountain girls. Miri at the start is a delicate and sheltered girl who lacks confidence and sees herself as a burden because she's not allowed to mine the mountain, and by the end she is confident in who she is and what she wants. Of all the books I've read I honestly think she has one of the better character arcs. I liked how organic and straight forward it was, and that education played a huge role, and her determination and love of learning become core traits. With her growth in confidence also comes friends. In the beginning she's basically an outcast, which drives her to fill the void with books, and then she slowly makes more friends due to a mix of her new confidence and selflessness. The book has a few plot driven moments, like entering the Academy, the ball, and the bandits, and I think these moments were well spaced out and appropriately added in at the right moment so that things are moving forward at an appropriate pace. The romance is cute and light hearted, with 2 good people who were childhood friends being sweet on each other. It's not a romance that tugs at my heart, but it's the kind of romance I love seeing and wish I could see more of. The world building was kept fairly simple (it is a children's book) but it still felt plausible and had a distinct identity with the quarry. There were only 2 things that I did dislike, the “magic” and the teacher, Olanna. So the magic in this book is called quarry speech, and what it does is allow people to communicate through the linder stone itself (the stone in Mt. Eskel). What I didn't like was how subjective it was, but it really is a minor aspect that connects to some bigger themes of the book very well. It's an important part of the identity of the people of Mount Eskel, and helps Miri connect to the other girls and grow in confidence. So while I don't love the quarry speech itself, I like what it does for the characters. Olanna on the other hand was something that had no redeemable qualities. In the beginning she acts as more of an antagonist than a tutor. Not only was she very snobby, constantly talking down to the girls and trying to belittle them, she was also flat out abusive to them. Hitting them, locking them in a closet, and wouldn't allow them to go home to their families. Olanna also acted as a hindrance for Miri gaining any friends because she would collectively punish the group for something Miri did, essentially putting a target on Miri's back. I really like good student/ teacher relationships (not romance) and those are hard to find, so it's disappointing that Olanna is the exact opposite of the supportive teacher that I wanted, but that isn't her worst offense. She only changes because the girls force her to change ways, and ultimately sees no consequences for her horrible behavior, which really grated my nerves. Putting adults like this in positions of power, and letting them go free after they've proven what an ass they are is something I put under the category of “yes, it happens in real life, but I hate seeing it in fiction.” I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, since it is geared toward a young audience, and ended up giving it 4 out 5 stars.    

The Fifth Season by N. K Jemisin: I finally, finally got around to reading this. This was my other Pick-It-For-Me Challenge (the first being Eliza and Her Monsters) and I was a little worried about because everyone (and I mean everyone) that reads it loves it, and it's an award winning series. I also tried reading a bind up of Jemisin first work, The Dreamblood Duology, and I put it down after a couple of chapters (I might pick it back up). While I do think this book was as amazing and unique as everyone says it is, and it worthy of the praise it receives, I think the bar was set just a little too high for it. As more time passes I'm beginning to realize that while I don't love this book. It's good but not great. It's unique, it's heart wrenching, it's contains relevant themes, but I personally didn't get super attached to this book, and there are some opportunities that I think the book missed out on. I noticed that one of the best elements of this book and probably the driving force for the narrative are the themes. Books that are theme driven do generally leave a good impression on me and have a good impact, but I don't fine myself loving them as much as could because I think they kind of lack a personality (the exception to this is In An Absent Dream whose themes and the way it presented them happened to really strike a cord with me). The major themes in The Fifth Season are oppression and motherhood, as well as humans being tied to the earth. All important topics and I do think this first book handled well, for the most part, but it's that “most part” bit that drives the book down a smidge. I wanted more of Damaya's POV because I wanted to see more of how a child deal's with oppression and how it shapes them (also school setting). I wanted to see more growth in Essun and Hoa's relationship since he starts out as this strange surrogate child who follows her after she's lost her son and is searching for her daughter. These things might be further developed in the later books but I just don't know. There a few other things that I wish were done differently, but since they contain spoilers I'm not going to go into it here. The strange thing is I think this book was so hyped up I expected it to be a perfect book rather than just a good book. I still really liked this book but it also disappointed me to an extent. The Fifth Season received 4 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “own voices book.”  

The Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood: It's a little surprising that I enjoyed this one as much as I did. I fully expected it to be a very depressing read that I just wanted to quit and get rid, so I thought I would be putting this off for awhile. Instead something compelled me to pick this book up and I ended up reading it much sooner than I expected. While there were definitely some uncomfortable scenes, I think this book did a fantastic job at conveying the message that it did, and this was a book I wanted to continue reading despite my initial hesitancy. For those who don't know what this book is about, it follows Offred, a Handmaid (whose entire purpose is to produce a healthy child) as she tries to survive her daily live in the oppressive new American regime. There isn't much plot, since the whole story serves as a cautionary tale. The characters in this book aren't much either, they really don't have much depth to them, however they don't need it. They mainly serve as set pieces, including the narrator, to illustrate the world around them and all the injustices now present. In fact the narrator, Offred, distinctly comes off as a passive set piece, not just because of her current oppressive circumstance but even in flashbacks, she basically reacts to others around her. While this doesn't always make her a likeable character, it works here because she really is trapped and has essentially no options, she has to go with the flow in order to survive. It's a very introspective novel and there is something about Atwood's writing that makes the story work, despite the lack of elements I usually enjoy in a story. The downside I would say about that is it's easier to forget specifics and just remember the feelings you had at certain moments throughout the story, and I struggle to write about something when I'm just going based off of feelings. It's why I don't have much say in this wrap up. I think it's one of those books where you have to read it for yourself to see what all the hype is and honestly if a book like this can last in the mainstream media for as long as it has then that that says something about both the book and the environment it's in. It's a testament to both Atwood's writing and the current socio-political environment that this book still appeals to a modern audience. My rating of The Handmaid's Tale managed to stay same, leaving it at a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank You Everyone

Keep Calm and Keep Reading

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Crunchyroll Favorites 2016, Part Three: Everything Else!

Superhero friendships ended, the Death Star plans were stolen, we experienced more reboots than you could possibly imagine (although really, that's every year), and Emily cooked a lot of food. After looking at our favorite anime and manga in Part One, and our favorite games in Part Two, we're gonna close up Crunchyroll Favorites 2016 with our favorite EVERYTHING ELSE--movies, books, comics, and more! Let's get started!

  NATE MING (@NateMing)

Voltron: Legendary Defender- I think it's safe to say that Voltron--the US edit of Beast King GoLion--was what got me into anime in the first place, so I was pretty skeptical of this new take on the story by the creators of The Legend of Korra. Thankfully, I had absolutely nothing to worry about, as this is a really fun reboot that not only keeps the high-energy feel of the original, but also pays homage to both Voltron and GoLion. I can't wait for the next season (also, Shiro's totally gonna die).

    Ip Man 3- The first Ip Man was a cool quasi-historical beat-em-up with some great setpieces, but the second was only okay despite bringing in the legendary Sammo Hung. We're back to the good stuff with the third go-around--the Donnie Yen vs. Mike Tyson headliner is pretty awesome, but the real star is a rival Wing Chun instructor, played by Max Zhang.

    Star Trek Beyond- I've always liked Star Trek more than Star Wars, and while Rogue One was great, the real surprise for me was Star Trek Beyond--co-written by Simon Pegg--going back to the series' optimistic roots and giving every character a chance to shine. Justin Lin already has experience delivering with ensemble actioners, and the Enterprise herself has never looked cooler. Just goes to show you can't always judge a movie by its trailer.

    Shin Godzilla- This isn't the alpha predator from the 2014 US reboot--the King of the Monsters and reluctant, almost accidental protector of humanity. Hideaki Anno's Godzilla is a ruthless force of nature, death personified that leaves a trail of destruction and levels the heart of Tokyo in mere moments when pushed. Bureaucracy is the real enemy here, as the film constantly switches from meeting to meeting to planning session and back to another meeting to discuss the results of that planning session--sure, Godzilla's blowing stuff up, but nobody wants to take responsibility and act. I hope Anno gets another shot at the King, because this was fantastic.

    The VVitch- Low-key, creeping horror can be very hit or miss, but The VVitch wins by never letting you settle down or feel safe. Spot-on period presentation brings us into an American colonial family banished to the frontier for being too religious for settlement life, and how their fanaticism is just as destructive as the dark forces that are literally at their doorstep.

    Baskin- On the other hand, Baskin just goes all-out in its ferocity and surreal visuals, where five overly-macho cops investigate a cult and all hell breaks loose. Baskin is horror purity, almost like watching David Lynch join forces with Gareth Huw Evans--hold on tight, this one is absolutely not for the faint of heart.

    Batman vol. 2 (The New 52)- Western comics rarely end, or at least they very rarely have good stopping points, which is why I was so satisfied with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's New 52 run on Batman. From introducing new villains to really focusing on Batman's relationships with Alfred and Jim Gordon, this 50-issue run came to a close this year with an awesome, gigantic kaiju battle in the middle of Gotham. What's best, you barely need any background character knowledge to get started--just pick up Court of Owls and read all the way through to Superheavy. It's so damn good.

    Monstress- Gorgeous, mysterious, and part of an intricate and sometimes terrifying world, Monstress has me hooked. Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have crafted something that I try and show off every chance I get, something I want everyone to be a part of--a fantasy-horror story of revenge and intrigue set in an Asian-mythology-inspired world is just too good to pass up, especially when it looks this good.

  by 多無

  Fanart Friday comes to an end- After five years, I decided to close down my signature Crunchyroll column so I could focus on other projects. Fanart Friday - The Final Edition came on September 23, 2016, the exact fifth birthday of Fanart Friday, and it was great to say goodbye to the audience that was there every Friday for a half a decade. What's coming up next? Shaw City Strikers, a martial arts comic (and homage to shonen manga) I'm working on with some friends, and my new column BETTER NATE THAN NEVER. Stay tuned!

    That one tweet- It's nice to see this tweet still making the rounds. The initial explosion was a sight to behold--it just goes to show that 1) being in the right place at the right time is a real thing and 2) you know you've made good content when people brazenly steal it and claim it as their own. Also, 3) you know you did a good thing when it makes actual Nazis mad.

  PETER FOBIAN (@PeterFobian)

  Crunchyroll x Funimation- My personal favorite anime couple of 2016. The partnership between Crunchyroll and Funimation may just be the biggest news for western anime fans since Crunchyroll itself appeared. It’s one of those “everyone wins” situations that’s almost unbelievable. More free streaming anime, subbed and dubbed, for everyone.

    Westworld- I’m a die-hard Anthony Hopkins fan, love westerns, and love love love psychological thrillers with existential implications, so basically Westworld was made specifically for me and me alone. I’m extremely concerned with the direction the story is taking with the finale, but everything this season has been tremendous. Their use of a hybrid maintenance process/psychological evaluation to drive story is inspired.

    Monstress- I have a love/hate relationship with American comics, and often take refuge in independent works. Monstress has me more excited about a Western comic than I have been since I started reading Powers. The world, designs, and style alone are so gorgeous I feel like I bought an art book, and the story holds a lot of promise with a supernatural revenge mystery with a predominantly female cast and divine implications.

    Netflix Horror Serials: Stranger Things, Penny Dreadful, Hemlock Grove, Black Mirror- I’m not exactly a horror junky, but I’ve definitely spent a lot of time with the genre and couldn’t be happier about Netflix Originals diving in. After years of sitcoms, procedurals, and conspiracy shows dominating the environment it’s great to see some new blood (usually a lot of it) making its way out of cinema and into more available media. Not all of them are revolutionary works of art but they’re bringing in new ideas.

    Captain America: Civil War- Like almost everyone, I’m a fan of the Marvel movies and feel like the Avengers movies turned over a new leaf with Civil War. Where previously they were the campier, less-directed collaborations of the more interesting personal narratives of the heroes solo adventures, Civil War was just right, reigning in the theatrics of Age of Ultron with a much tighter, character-driven story. I’m eager to see what the Russo brothers do with the MCU.

  KARA DENNISON (@RubyCosmos)

  Working in the Crunchyroll Newsroom!- I've worked as a subtitle editor/QCer for Crunchyroll's anime side for a while now, but this year I made the switch to the newsroom and it's some of the most fun I've had in ages. The people I'm working with are awesome (and a couple are old friends) and our chats throughout the day are both informative and hilarious. And hey, I can put on my resume that I've written about Tezuka's mouse porn.

    (Re)Generation Who- This was my second year working with this awesome Doctor Who convention, and I was so pleased to be back with them again in Baltimore. I got to meet Peter Davison, Anneke Wills, Michael Troughton, and so many others who made the weekend amazing (not to mention re-meeting Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, and even more). Hanging out with them -- whether during an interview or at the bar -- is a delight and a privilege, and I can't wait to see what year 3 will be like!

    SPACE.- Curiosity's 360 view of Mars posted as an interactive Facebook video. Watching the Pegasus XL rocket launch live. And the fact that the rest of the world is enthusiastic about it. I'm a big space geek and I always love finding more big space geeks. The fact that the majority of the people I encounter are just as ready to freak out about how awesome space is as I am is... well, AWESOME.

  EVAN MINTO (@VamptVo)

  Chapo Trap House- In the US, politics defined 2016, for obvious reasons. And for many like me on the left side of the spectrum, the political comedy podcast Chapo Trap House has served as an unexpected but welcome guide through the past year. But don’t let me get TOO sincere on you; the hosts have got a penchant for the ironic and absurd, as you might expect from a podcast named after a drug cartel that started off with analysis of pundits’ sexual pathologies and satirical praise for the Turkish deep state. Then again, between the brilliant comedy, they’ve inspired a lot of listeners like myself to get more involved in local politics, a feat that’s likely as baffling to them as it is to the political establishment they love to hate.

    Zootopia- Who would have thought a talking animal Disney movie would steal the hearts of jaded adults like me in 2016? On charm alone, Zootopia is one of my favorite American animated movies of recent years, with its carefully observed and animated animal behavior. The diverse cast of animals allows the animators to portray a similarly diverse range of exaggerated personalities — the tiny, timid rabbit, the brawny, surly bison—and the breezy script puts them all to brilliant comedic effect. But what really impressed me was Zootopia’s social commentary, which uses a mess of stereotypes of both predators and prey to shine a surprisingly stark light on real-world issues of race relations and criminal justice. It’s classic Disney meets contemporary Disney!

    Captain America: Civil War- I’ve got a bad case of Marvel fatigue (you’ll notice Doctor Strange didn’t make my list), but sometimes the Marvel Cinematic Universe still surprises me. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, back after the previous high point of the film series, The Winter Soldier, deliver a similarly gray portrait of the Avengers, with the character flaws of the famed superheroes laid bare. It’s not as political as I would have liked, but Civil War is a surprisingly personal film with a deliberately unsatisfying, morally ambiguous finale. And yes, though he feels like a bit of an afterthought, the movie also has the greatest on-screen Spider-Man yet. Homecoming couldn’t come any sooner.

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- We’re just one year into the new annual schedule of Star Wars movies, so I can still muster some excitement about Disney’s reimagining of one of my all-time favorite franchises. Rogue One stumbles a bit at the beginning, introducing too many characters and planets without justifying their presence, but once the team comes together and heads off to steal the Death Star plans, the movie really kicks into gear. Seeing a classic Return of the Jedi-style space battle is enough to awaken some strong nostalgia even from me, but it’s the thematic resonance with the later films that really makes it all work — the forgotten art of the force, the Rebels’ desperation in the face of the Empire, and of course, the sheer terror of facing Darth Vader.

  SAM WOLFE (@_Samtaro)

  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- Despite the release of The Force Awakens last year, Disney has already released a new Star Wars movie this year, and it’s a breed apart from what we’re traditionally used to. Rogue One took risks, and while some die-hard fans may have left the theater conflicted, the movie succeeded in exploring a side of the Star Wars universe never before seen on the big screen. This is the first time in history that two Star Wars movies have been released theatrically in two years consecutively, and although some fear that the brand might suffer from overexposure, it certainly hasn’t gotten stale yet.

    Chris Niosi- A smaller story, but one that deserves recognition. Artist Chris Niosi, better known as “Kirbopher”, landed the role of Arataka Reigen in the English dub of Mob Psycho 100 this year. Niosi is known for numerous projects, including animation work on Skullgirls, lending his voice to several shows, and creating the web series TOME, a love letter to anime. This role, in my opinion, is significant because it cements Chris as an anime fan who made his dream of being an anime voice actor. Way to go, Chris.

    A Personal Note- Look, 2016 was a rough year for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. Without trying to sound too preachy, as we move into 2017, remember to be kind to one another. It’s very easy, and dare I say it, trendy, to be cynical and apathetic when the chips are down. Take time to recognize what you have to be happy about, and how you can make a positive difference in peoples’ lives around you. If anime has taught us anything, it’s that when somebody knocks you down, you stand right back up and look ‘em in the eyes. I hope everybody has a good 2017!

  NICK CREAMER (@B0bduh)

  Italy- I took a family trip to Italy this past spring, and visions of Venice’s nestled alleyways and Tuscany’s rolling hills have been dancing through my head ever since. The rural European aesthetic of shows like Kino’s Journey and Haibane Renmei has always been one of my favorite settings, and actually walking through cities that realized those majestic worlds felt like wandering through a dream. It was an inspiring trip, and I hope to one day return.

    Westworld- I haven’t really been making enough time for the big western TV dramas, but I was able to catch this year’s Westworld, and I’m glad I did. Though I found the show’s focus on mysteries at the expense of all else a little draining, the fundamental world it established was a fascinating place, and the show built up to some remarkable dramatic high points. It’s the kind of messy but ambitious narrative I always tend to root for, and the fact that it was populated by icons like Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris certainly didn’t hurt, either.

    The VVitch- I’d actually almost forgotten The VVitch came out this year, but it was likely the most gripping new film I’ve seen. In lieu of jump scares or gross-out violence, The VVitch constructed a breathing world that promised danger around every turn, where the fear and distrust of its human characters was every bit as terrifying as its supernatural predators. There’s something fundamentally ominous about the New England countryside - a sense of old secrets and old grudges, a place where humans are not meant to tread. By emphasizing the alien danger of the natural world and tethering it to a precise and claustrophobic moment in history, The VVitch stands as one of the most powerful horror films in years.

  EMILY BUSHMAN (@yumpenguinsnack)

  Personal Favorite Anime Food of 2016: Mushroom and Cheese Gyoza from Food Wars- This dish never made an anime appearance in this season of Food Wars! but, having read the manga, I really wanted to try this dish out. Soma teaches the gyoza folding method to a class of kids he's teaching, and he lets them fill the gyoza with whatever they want. One kid picked mushrooms and cheese, which at first seemed weird but in hindsight obviously worked out well. Chop the cheese and mushrooms finely and toss with some sauteed onion. Mix with salt and pepper. And simply wrap in gyoza wrappers. It's simple, it's fun to make with friends or on your own, and holy cow, is it amazing! Best of all, the ingredients are easily interchangeable with your own personal favorites, so it's a great recipe to experiment with. I told my housemates that they could eat all the extras I'd made...and sadly had nothing to show after an hour in the kitchen. I'd eaten them all.

    Fan-favorite Anime Food of 2016: Katsu Pirohzki from Yuri!! On ICE- This was a big surprise for me. First of all, it's not the easiest thing to make at all. It requires a lot of focus, lots of parts working together, and an ability to handle sticky dough, in excess. Second, it wasn't actually all that amazing tasting. It's an extremely hearty dish, like a lot of Russian foods, and left me feeling over-full after eating one. I also found that I had to dip it in a sauce to heighten the flavor pay-off. For a recipe designer, the ideal is to have a perfectly seasoned, delicious dish, which isn't exactly what happened. But the story behind the dish makes it all worth it, in my opinion. Who would have guessed that this show would be so popular? I love the character dynamics, and the plot was just charming. Best of all, it inspired lots of people to try making this dish, to recreate the magic for themselves. I got more hits on this recipe than anything else this year on Crunchyroll, which is why I designated it the fan-favorite dish of the year.

    Magical Roommate Favorite Anime Food of 2016: Sukiyaki from Princess Jellyfish- My roommate, Sarah, is my savior in times of crisis. When I have too much food, she always helps me eat it without a single complaint. So, I felt it was only right to give her a chance to choose her favorite recipe of the year. Princess Jellyfish is by no means a 2016 original, but I came across the recipe for this dish late 2016, and made it for my friends. We all love this show, and had all watched it together when it aired a few years ago. So, I had a hunch they'd enjoy a recipe from the anime, and I was right. It was an instant hit! My darling roommate, who I depend on to eat basically everything I make, elected this as her favorite dish of the year. According to her: "I like it cuz it was just as good as the one we had in Japan and I liked how interactive it was with not only the food but with our friends. I loved the veggies just as much as the meat and the sauce was to die for. It was super fun to eat with everyone and compete for the food with our friends."

    A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab- A brilliant sequel to a fantastic first book. The story focuses on a guy named Kell, one of the few remaining members of his kind of magic wielders, and his struggle to protect his adopted family from harm while also living free of their over-bearing protection. Along the way he makes friends with a cut throat thief who keeps him alive, mostly to suit her own desires, a prince who's too good at heart for his own good, and a dashingly dangerous ship's captain who's in the business for the keeping and collection of the deepest and darkest of secrets. I was startled to find that this book not only added onto the world building of the first novel, but did so in a way that skillfully integrated the events of the first book into the second. A heart-wrenching and gut-clasping read the entire way through. The first book in the series is called A Darker Shade of Magic. Not 100% necessary to enjoy the sequel, but it would definitely help.

    Morning Star by Pierce Brown- A great cap to a fantastic space opera-y series. This story follows the life of one man, Darrow, and his quest to overthrow a government that takes care of the best of society at the expense of a those considered the lowest. Racism at its worst. What else is new in a sci-fi novel? It's a familiar plot carried out with the elegance and grace of a particularly dangerous chess game. This book takes no prisoners, cuts your throat, and leaves you to die. And while you're busy trying to return from the dead, it carries on carving a savage path of friends loved and lost, lives risked and gambled away, dirty, secret games played in the dark, and an ending that eviscerates you, heart and soul. The first in the series is called Red Rising. I recommend you start there, unless you like working your way backwards.

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And that's a wrap for our three-part series! Be sure to check out Part One and Part Two if you missed them! If you're still in the mood for past CR Favorites, check out the previous years' features here:

  Crunchyroll Favorites 2015 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2014 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2013 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2012 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll News' Best of 2011 Part One Part Two

  What were your favorite "everything elses" of 2016? Remember, this is a FAVORITES list, not a BEST OF list, so there's no wrong answers--sound off in the comments and share your favorites with us!

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Nate Ming is the Features and Reviews Editor for Crunchyroll News, creator of the long-running Fanart Friday column, and the Customer Support Lead for Crunchyroll. You can follow him on Twitter at @NateMing.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com