#also he would totally translate all of his posts into like four different languages

[sleepdeprivationitself]

One of my favorite Adrien hcs is that he is chronically online

Not like during the day (because he’s so busy) but like he totally stays up till 2-3am just on his computer

He plays video games (tetris, stardew valley, papa’s donutarria, ect) and I believe with my whole heart he would have a tumblr. Just like. Imagine. He has a normal blog with like 12 followers who are all very concerned about the abundant lack of parenting he references on occasion, the three or four fandom blogs because he so would, and also of course my favorite his Ladybug fan blog where he goes off on how much he loves her all the time and actively defends her to the death

Also he prolly has like a gimmick blog or two

[blogger360ncislarules]

Throughout its four-season run on The CW, Nancy Drew has consistently done several things very well, including but not limited to ghost stories, gripping mysteries and stunning heads of hair.

The show’s Aug. 9 epiode, which also marked co-showrunner Melinda Hsu Taylor’s directorial debut, zeroed in on two more things the show has always done well, with Ace’s family hosting a beautiful, authentic (and occasionally chaotic) seder dinner at The Claw, with much of the meaning and tradition being conveyed through American Sign Language (ASL).

“I was very excited to do this episode, partly because [co-showrunner Noga Landau] has always wanted to do a seder on TV, and it was really important to her to portray it in a really wonderful, affirming and inclusive light,” Taylor tells TVLine.

Part of that inclusivity meant putting ASL interpreter Susi Bolender in front of the camera as a guest of the family. As Taylor points out, “the family would be engaged in the seder and wouldn’t be translating for the guests. It was a really cool thing to put Susi on screen,” an idea she credits to the show’s ASL consultant Sharon Dror, President of the Jewish Deaf Community Center. “We wanted to get the nuances of what that would look like for this family.”

“The book that everybody’s reading from was made by the props department,” Taylor notes. “It was so detailed, down to all of the food elements, the lighting of the candles and the prayers. The cast and crew learned all sorts of things, and they learned it in ASL. It was a great way to have all the characters at the same table literally playing out their various storylines. You want to find ways for all the different emotional currants, like ocean currants, to come together at this one same spot on the rocks — and they crashed in a big wave, because the ghost throws a tantrum and everybody’s having confrontations. It was a wonderful venue for all of that.”

The episode also found Nancy and Ace at odds, as they have been for much of the season. But as Taylor points out, the same chemistry between Kennedy McMann and Alex Saxon that makes fans want their characters together also serves in their favor during those confrontational scenes. (“There’s always a different energy in the room when you have feelings for someone, or you had feelings for someone.”)

Then again, they weren’t totally alone. Ace’s ghostly girlfriend (now known as Alice) was anxiously watching from her own in-between place, and Taylor made sure the viewers experienced what it felt like to be on the other side, if even just for a moment.

“It was fun to use the camera as a supernatural force to bring the audience with you on this mystical energy that was invading Nancy’s space,” Taylor says. “That’s why the camera interrupts their argument mid-sentence and you’re on the side of Ace’s face, because that’s what the ghost is looking at. She’s trying to find him, and she feels him coming to her defense and saying he doesn’t want her to leave.”

Speaking of Alice, this episode featured her first official moment of contact with Ace, a key moment in their relationship that was both pivotal and extremely technical. Following many conversations between Taylor and Landau “about how the ghost mythology works and how [Alice] would be perceived by the human eye,” it was decided that a split diopter filter would be used to keep Alice out of focus, while Ace remained in focus due to his proximity to the regular part of the lens.

“Then our wonderful people at CoSa Visual Effects married the two things together in post-production so that we could see her kind of glitching and it would never seem like there was a halfway split down the middle of the screen. They smoothed it all out, and it was amazing.”

One scene that actually turned out even more emotional than Taylor anticipated was Ryan’s father-daughter chat with Nancy, which she credits to the chemistry that McMann and Riley Smith have developed over the years.

“Riley got very emotional in his first take, which was wonderful,” she says. “And Kennedy responded to that, of course. So the two of them were teary eyed through the whole scene, and we just embraced it. I love that about directing — hanging back and just fostering this atmosphere of possibility where the actor can bring what they’ve been working on, what happens for them in the moment, and then you just run with that and get out of their way. It’s so satisfying.”

[samuel-de-champagne-problems]

It's Delicate: Part II

Summary: Spencer Reid finds himself at a gas station at 2:00 am, thinking he’s only leaving with a cup of crappy coffee. But something taped to the door catches his eye. Spencer leaves the gas station with more than he intended: the chance at a friend, and maybe something more along the way.

Word Count: 3.6 k

Author’s Note: Here's the second part in It's Delicate, my first chapter fic. I've planned out kind of where I see this eventually going! Thank you to anyone who reads, likes, comments, and reblogs. It really means the world to me.

Content Warnings: Expletive language (3 uses), mentions of drug use, sexual innuendo

READ PART I

It's Delicate Masterlist

It's Delicate

Sitting on the plane, Spencer looks out from the little window. For hours, there’s been nothing but corn fields and clouds. It’s eerily peaceful, being there high above the clouds. His whole life Spencer has felt this distance between him and everyone else, but nothing makes that feeling more prominent than being strapped in a glorified metal box 35,000 feet off the Earth’s surface. But the thing is, Spencer does need to be flying above the trees to feel lonely. He can do that with two feet on the ground.

Luke sits across Spencer, the table between them and a deck of playing cards are spread out across its surface. He has to nudge Spencer’s leg from under the table, trying to bring him back to reality as he stares out the window.

“Whatcha thinking,” Luke asks, Spencer has been noticing more and more that Luke is one of the few people that actually listens to him.

Spencer, whose mind is racing too fast to even formulate an articulate thought, attempts to dodge Luke’s question with a noncommittal shrug.

“Reid, these cases are hard for all of us, you gotta know that man,” Luke says, laying down a four of a kind.

Spencer narrows his eyes, shocked that it hasn’t clicked yet for the rest of the team. He cracks his neck, preparing to answer Luke.

“We almost locked up an innocent man, Alvez. I almost sent another man to the same fate as myself. What kind of fucked up message is that?” Spencer says, throwing down the cards on the table. He doesn’t wait for Luke to respond.

“I fold,”

Spencer walks off into the small kitchenette to make a cup of coffee. He doesn’t want to think about his increased reliance on coffee, because he knows it’s a hot cup of coffee or a cold needle of Dilaudid in his veins. Spencer checks his watch, it’s 10:17 pm, maybe too late to find a meeting at a church or rec center somewhere.

He sneaks a peak at his phone, which was still unfortunately on Airplane Mode, he hasn’t even gotten a chance to see if Y/N has responded. He doesn’t know much about her, just as much as she knows about him.

It’s a brave new world for Spencer and he’s knee deep into the unknown.

Spencer can feel Luke’s eyes on him. He just knows that the minute he gets home, a certain tech expert will be ringing him. He knows that it’s Luke’s way of caring, but for someone who’s been alone for so long, having people that actually care is almost drowning.

Walking back to his seat, Spencer hands Luke a coffee. He smiles slightly; it’s the awkward smile that he used to make when intimating police chiefs and idiot cops would look him up and down like he’s a TA. It’s a peace offering for Luke, who despite his tough looking exterior, is one of the kindest people Spencer knows.

“Look, Reid. I’m sorry that we didn’t put it together. It’s just that man that we caught, he’s not like you. He’s not innocent of crimes, he’s just innocent of this crime,” Luke says in an attempt to make Spencer feel a little bit better.

“The thing is Luke, I’m exactly like that man,”

Spencer returns to staring out the window. The cards and the coffee on the table are long ignored for the silence that is found when you’re high above the clouds.

--

Spencer hears Tara and Emily murmur quietly about going out for a round of drinks. Luke accepts, while JJ and Matt decline, eager to get home to their families. Emily looks over at Spencer, her eyes silently scanning him, his body language. Spencer knows that there’s nothing he can hide from Emily, so there’s no use in trying to pretend he’s alright when she can take one look at him and know that nothing is right.

“You guys have fun, I’m going to head home and get some sleep. I plan on visiting my mom tomorrow and mornings are usually better for her,” Spencer says, slinging his go bag around his shoulders and making the trek back to the security to check out.

He walks slowly, enjoying the sound of the crickets chirping as he trudges along. Spencer tries not to think about the man, Richard, who was almost locked up for a crime that he didn’t commit. Spencer is pretty sure that being the person to throw an innocent man in jail is worse than being the innocent man in jail.

Spencer’s phone buzzes loudly, disturbing the silence of his walk. He looks at the phone to see a couple of messages from Y/N. Spencer slides open the lock to his phone and hits the button to read her messages.

Y/N: Spencer...that has a nice ring to it. So tell me a little bit about yourself. Your big three, but as books. Go! 🌞🌙⬆️

Furrowing his brow, Spencer reads the message over again. He does not have a clue what “big three” means, but it seems like some sort of pop culture thing that he’s not skilled in. He wants to text Garcia for a translation, but he’s also not too keen on telling her how he came across Y/N’s number.

Y/N: I assume you’re working, but I'm kind of impatient so I’ll give you mine 🙃 I’m a Little Women sun, an Emma moon, and an In Cold Blood rising.

Y/N: Oh no….I hope my astrology didn’t turn you off

Y/N: Not that I was trying to turn you on

Y/N: omg Y/N please shut the fuck up

Astrology? Spencer isn’t one to judge, but he’s a scientist first and foremost. The idea that there is something written about him in the stars seems like ludicrous. He decided to ignore the other messages, particularly the ones with a little more than slight innuendo.

Spencer: Y/N- I’m sorry I just got out of work. As for my big three, I’m not sure about astrology. I don’t particularly believe in pseudoscience. But those are good choices. In Cold Blood is an excellent choice. Capote spent years researching the case. In fact his prose and technique inspired the entire “Nonfiction novel” genre. The world of journalism and true crime would not be where it is without Capote’s work.

Y/N: Oh my god. You are a total nerd. 🙀

That stops Spencer right in his tracks. He’s only a couple of yards away from the Volvo at this point, but somehow it feels a million miles away. You are a total nerd. The words replay in his mind as the small gray bubbles pop up again. Spencer can feel his heart constrict at Y/N’s words. It’s ridiculous, he’s nearly 34 and is getting upset that a stranger called him a nerd. Spencer unlocks his car and tosses his go bag, phone included onto the passenger seat.

After a couple of minutes his phone buzzes again. He’s half tempted to answer it, but the way his heart seems to beat faster tells him to ignore it.

Y/N: I fucking love it and I think you’ll love this too

Spencer’s entire demeanor changes as he reads the message. He’s always had difficulties reading emotion in writing, especially when he can’t analyze the handwriting. Sometimes, it’s even harder to judge inflection during conversations. Maybe that is why Spencer has spent all this time studying people, studying the way that their minds work. Before he can get too lost in his thoughts, another message pops up.

Y/N: Meet Capote and Second Cat

Y/N: They are the loves of my life

Spencer: They are very...distinguished looking. Capote is an excellent name choice then. Second Cat is also quite catchy.

Spencer hesitates before sending the message, he notices that Y/N uses what Garcia calls “emojis” quite frequently. He assumes that it’s some sort of “texting lingo” that expresses emotion in small graphics. Great, he thinks. He already has a difficult time deciphering Y/N’s cryptic wording and now he’s got to analyze these emojis.

Maybe he should profile her. He re-reads the message and settles on a “😄” because he figures that he can’t go wrong with offering Y/N a smile.

Spencer: I don’t have a cat, but when I was a kid I always wanted one, they’re quite good companions for those that live several different kinds of lifestyles. From active to sedentary, they are adaptable and independent. Honestly they are the perfect pet.

Y/N: Is this your way of telling you’re a crazy cat man? 😜 🙀

Spencer, still sitting in his car that’s parked in the parking lot, chuckles at Y/N’s response to his message. Maybe it’s just easier to ignore his rambling when it’s done through 1s and 0s and there isn’t a face to the words.

Spencer: I’m actually more of a fish guy

Y/N: Like a “I-like-to-go-fishing-and-post-picture-of-myself-kissing-my-catch-on-Tinder” kind of fish guy or...I can’t think of any other kind of fish men

Spencer, not totally understanding the obvious joke that Y/N is trying to make, settles on something that he hasn’t really ever tried: being himself.

Spencer: Not quite sure what a Tinder is, but I think fishing is terrifying and kissing a fish is something out of nightmares. But his name is Leo

Y/N: DiCaprio?

Spencer: Uhh, Tolstoy

Y/N: Good😉 ⚔️🕊️ 🇷🇺

Spencer glances at his clock on the control panel, it tells him that he’s been messaging with Y/N back and forth for nearly 22 minutes. He nearly forgot how tired he was.

Spencer: Y/N- I’m so sorry but, I just got to my car to drive home from work. I’ll text you tomorrow morning about the book club, maybe we can figure out some things.

Y/N: OMG Spencer!! you should have told me. I’ve been talking ur ear off. sleep well and yes please tomorrow we can talk about the book club

Y/N: Good night, Book Buddy 😴

Spencer wants to respond to Y/N, but he doesn’t know what to say. She seems to text so easily, and judging by that, she must be around Spencer’s age or a little bit younger. Besides JJ and Penelope, Spencer has never had a friend close to his age. It’s a strange new territory for him and he’s walking in head first into No Man’s Land.

He starts his Volvo, the check engine still lights but, reminding him once again to go get it fixed. Driving away from the parking lot, Spencer hands over his ID to Gina, the security guard. She checks his ID and gives him a tired smile. Spencer, as he drives home to his apartment, thinking about what books he and Y/N will read together. He wonders what kind of books are her favorite, if they have any authors that they can obsess over together, or if what she thinks a poet’s prose is.

The summer air rushing in through the window is nowhere as warm and as comforting as thought of Spencer finally having a friend that isn’t able to read the scars of his past in the text bubbles that pop up on her screen.

--

When Spencer opens his eyes for the first time that morning, he isn’t sure where he is. Sometimes, before he can stop his thoughts from travelling there, Spencer thinks he’s still in jail. He hates the feeling of terror that rushes over him but he hates the idea of being vulnerable a little bit more. But the softness of his pillows and the coolness of his cotton sheets remind him that he’s not sleeping on a hard cot with only a layer of fabric over his body. The light streams in through the half closed blinds, and Spencer judges by how brightly the sun shines in, it must be around 9:45 am.

He supposes that he prefers the way the sun’s rays paint horizontal bars across his face more than the vertical bars that cast gray shadows over his cell at Milburn Penitentiary.

It’s a day off from work, so Spencer didn’t set an alarm, instead allowing his mind and his body to catch up on some much needed rest. The nightmares have been getting better, but his dreams are still haunted by the way that he hardly recognizes himself anymore. Deciding that it will be a day spent in pajamas, Spencer goes to his bookshelf in his bedroom to pick out a couple of novels to read while he drinks his morning coffee and defrosts some of Luke’s strawberry pastries.

Before heading out of his room, Spencer stops himself in the doorway. He replays the events of last night. He declined to go out with the rest of the team, while he walked to his car he thought about the crickets telling the temperature, and he read over Y/N’s messages.

Y/N.

He promised he’d text her back in the morning about their book club. Last night, she didn’t seem to mind Spencer’s long messages and awkward phrasing. He still doesn’t really know how this Book Buddy thing would work, but since he found Y/N’s number on the flyer, he can only assume that she knows what to do. He leaps on his bed, landing with thud on his belly, to grab his phone that charges on his nightstand.

Spencer settles at his kitchen table, a cup of steaming hot Dark Roast coffee in a Captain Spock mug in one hand and, surprisingly, his phone in the other. He scrolls through the messages from last night, Y/N’s cat and emojis tempt a smile to Spencer’s face.

Not entirely sure how to start the conversation again, Spencer looks around for inspiration until his eyes land on a certain fish tank in the corner of his apartment. He snaps a quick picture of Leo and attaches it to the message.

Spencer: Good Morning from Leo & Spencer

Spencer sets down his phone after a moment when he realizes that Y/N is probably not going to answer him back in a couple of seconds. He takes out a strawberry pastry from his freezer and puts it into the toaster oven on a non-stick baking sheet. His thumbs run across the texture of the book he started on the plane ride after his and Luke’s ill fated poker game. It's a thin book of collected essays on the meaning of life. Camus, to Spencer, is a little pessimistic with his droning on about the meaninglessness of life. Though Spence has seen the absolute worst that humanity has to offer, he still has to believe that there’s a deeper meaning behind it all.

His toaster oven rings, altering him so that his toasted strawberry pastry is cooked. He plates his breakfast and pours himself another cup of coffee- he’ll need it to get through Camus’s section on Absurdism this early in the morning. But the flash of Spencer’s phone screen sends him reaching for his phone. Y/N replied to his message.

Y/N: hi leo!!!

Y/N: and you too Spencer :) Did you get a good night’s sleep. You got back late it seems.

Spencer, taking a bite of the strawberry pastry, ignores the burning sensation in his mouth. He types out a response to Y/N as he washes down the bite with a swing of coffee.

Spencer: I did, thank you. Can you tell me a little bit more about this book buddy thing. From what I gathered from the flyer it’s like a little book club of our own and we meet at the bookstore?

It doesn’t take long for Y/N to respond. The little gray dots pop up almost immediately after Spencer’s message is delivered.

Y/N: That’s about right! Is it okay if I call you? Kinda easier to talk that way 🤷‍♀️

Spencer reads over the message a couple of times. He doesn’t really like to talk on the phone and only does it out of necessity. He’s pretty sure that his voice is grating and his vocal fry is quite irritating. Yet, he finds himself replying “yes” to Y/N. Soon enough, his phone buzzes in his hand and Spencer has to remind himself how to pick up a call.

“Spencer? Um, this is Spencer Reid, right?” the voice says. It’s a woman’s voice and he can only assume that it’s Y/N, considering it is her phone number calling him.

“Y/N, uh hi. This is Dr. Spencer- I mean this is Spencer,” he says, nearly forgetting that Y/N doesn’t know him as Dr. Reid, but as just Spencer. It’s been a long time since someone has known him as Spencer.

“Oh great! It’s wonderful to finally have a voice to your name. So about these buddy reads. You seem to have a good grasp of what they are,” Y/N’s voice trails off a little bit at the end and Spencer finds it natural to fill in the silence.

“Yes, the flyer was quite informative. But I was wondering, do we read the same books or do we read different books?” Spencer asks, trying to restrain himself from scaring Y/N off. But something about her made him think that she didn’t scare easily.

Y/N chuckles lightly in the speaker of her phone, “that’s a good question, uh, I was actually going to ask you what you would rather. We can read the same books, or if it’s okay with you we can choose what the other would read for that week,”

“Oh really?” Spencer says, very much aware how his voice rises a couple of octaves. He can’t trust himself to hold back on rambling over the phone Y/N, so he resorts to using his strained, brittle voice that’s full of hesitation and restraint.

“That’s the plan, so whatcha thinking, Spencer,” Y/N says playfully, like she can sense that phone conversations maybe not make him feel at ease. There’s something so natural and silvery about her voice; it reminds Spencer of an audiobook reader. While he’s not too keen on audiobooks, he’s sure that he’d listen to anything she reads or has to say.

“Um, I think it sounds interesting to pick out books for each other. I tend to gravitate towards more technical books or even books that aren’t in English so, uh, I think it would be interesting to get out of my comfort zone,” Spencer says, cringing internally at using the word “interesting” twice in a couple of sentences.

“Well, as long as you don’t pick out something in physics or anything by Ayn Rand then I’d say we’re good,” Y/N says. Spencer thinks it’s a joke, but he’s not too sure how to respond.

“Will you still be my Book Buddy if I read 1 out of 2 of those?” Spencer asks, hoping she’d get that he is trying to continue the joke.

“Oh no Spencer please don’t tell me you’re an Ayn Rand fanboy,” she says, and by the airy way she laughs, Spencer ventures to guess his joke landed successfully.

“So,” Spencer starts, he never has made plans with people outside of his team, and on top of that, there’s something about Y/N’s quickness that makes him a little nervous to meet her.

“I’m talking your ear off, aren’t I? Please Spencer, if you’re going to be my Book Buddy, you’re going to have to get used to me talking a lot, especially you pick out good books, which, I already have a feeling you’re going to be favorite Book Buddy,”

For once in his life, Spencer doesn’t really know how to respond. He lets out something in between a strangled laughter and a noncommittal chuckle.

“So,” Y/N says, mirroring Spencer’s earlier words, “so are you free tonight, I can meet you at the bookstore..”

Y/N’s voice trails off and Spencer leaps to finish her sentences. It doesn’t feel like his interjecting or interrupting, but like he’s snapping a puzzle piece together.

“Does 7 work?” “7 is great, Spencer. It’s a date,”

Those three little words send Spencer’s eyes flying wide open. He scrambles to come up with answer to louden the silence that falls, but he swears he can hear a string of quiet curses before Y/N manages to squeak out a small “goodbye,”

Y/N’s last words play back in Spencer’s ears. He scolds himself for being so weird and awkward that the very idea of going on a date with him would send Y/N in a tizzy. It’s not a date, because Spencer can’t think about it being a date. It’s not a date because of the looming photo above his mantle that freezes his future in the past. It’s not a date because of the nightmare of vertical bars that haunt his dreams

It’s not a date. It’s so not a date because Spencer would call Luke to come over to help him if it was.

“Hey Luke,” Spencer says, trying to control the nervous waves in his voice, “no man, I’m fine, it’s uh, easier if you just come over. I’m fine, really,”

Y/N: I really hope you're not an Ayn Rand fanboy 😉

It’s so not a date.

--THANK YOU FOR READING--

TAGLIST

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[tracle0]

hey hi, happy storyteller satursunday! I remember you posting a super neat ramble a while back about TSS and language? among other things you mentioned you were telling the story as a translator! I was wondering if there are any fun language facts you can tell me about how things might differ between original and translation? would there be certain untranslatable concepts? any odd idioms or phrases that pop up that we might not be familiar with? anything that might get lost in translation and require a footnote or two? :P or maybe in general, 'cause you talked about uhhhh potentially having spoken differences between spider and Spider for instance - any other funky little twists like that for how language operates? ok bye have a lovely day xoxoxo

Hi hello! Read this yesterday and went “oh boy” so that’s a good reaction! Sunday now! Hi!

So mmm yeah! The way I approach TSS and TCD is as a translator - but it’s more for convenience than anything? If I were to try to make up new weekdays and units of measurements and swears and numbers constantly, it’d be hard to follow the story because you’re juggling all these essentially useless facts.

Like. Sure, it’s cool to know that “Jyipday” originated as a tribute to the Rabbit for whatever reason, but it’s not necessary to the plot. So to make it easier and to stop myself from going “hey why would they have Thursday without Norse mythology” I just approach the entire story as if I’m translating it into normal English.

I can totally tell you some cool language bits though lmao I have a grand total of four (4) idioms that I’ve come up with since starting this.

First of all, if you were to think someone were lying to you, you might accuse them of “spitting Spiders” on account of the Spider being the god of lying. Not many people believe it’s hugely active in the world they’re wrong but they’re aware of it enough to assume all lies stem back to it.

Example in a sentence: “Can you believe that asshole looked me in the eye and said that? Spitting Spiders the whole time, I’m telling you.”

Second; if someone were to be a bit of a daydreamer or be a bit drifting in terms of attention, you could claim they were “dancing with the Magpie” - also possible as specific forms of dancing, eg: waltzing, tangoing, fukkin,,, rocking, idk, I’m a writer not a dancer. The Magpie is the god of sleep and dreams so. Yeah. Pretty self explanatory.

Example: “Dannels a good kid. Very sharp, very articulate, but he dances with the Magpie a bit too much to be the perfect student.”

Third - if you damage your nail enough that it starts to turn black (either marginally with blood trapped under it or entirely as to fall off) you’d diagnose it was a “Foxes claw” - the Fox is the god of perception, but when it sponsors people, it gives them black nails, just to mark them out really. You do not get magic if you damage your nail. You just get a damaged nail.

Example: “Yeah, the fall was pretty bad, but I’m not too hurt. Bit of a headache and a Foxes claw, nothing to worry about.”

Fourth and finally, if someone were to hyper-fixate in something, be consumed on a new topic or medium or idea to the point of obsession, you could say they were “answering the Salmons lure” (or yknow just diagnose them with ADHD or autism but whatever man). The Salmon is the god of determination, and although it doesn’t sponsor anyone, it’s often assumed that those who work tirelessly on one thing/hyper-fixate are blessed by it.

This mostly came about cause I was like hey why is there rarely if ever any mental illness in fantasy. Fuck that let’s make an idiom

Example: “I’ve not actually seen Nara for about three days. She comes down in the night for food and water, but I think she’s been pulled in by the Salmons lure again”

None of these have come up in story yet, but maybe soon. Maybe maybe.

In terms of how language exists! Re: Spider/spider/liar as different words, I’m. Mm. Settled in most places. I’d like to maybe make up specific swears and curses. I’ve been avoiding using things like “Jesus Christ!” As an exclamation cause that would imply the existence of Christianity and I do not want that.

Oh that’s a tangent actually. Religion! In world, there’s some specificity about what makes up a god - most people may accept that the gods they have are gods, but some disagree. A god has to be all powerful, and the gods they have are not - they’re limited to specific domains like sleep or heat or biology. Therefore, they are not gods. Some decide there is another, higher being above the gods they know that is a true, capital-G God, that gave the other gods their magic. Some assume it means there are no actual gods.

This is the conclusion Andy eventually reaches in TCD. The man really encounters the god of death in person and decides “nah you ain’t shit”

On! The topic of Andy, I’ll mention accents too! Glalis has a very distinct accent that’s mostly informed by the environment - because they live in a cave, there’s a need to keep their voices quiet, to prevent a horrible echo from breaking their ears constantly. The Glalis accent achieves this, hushing the harsh sounds like D or T or CH and keeping the voice soft. I personally am very happy with it

Atlas also has a fun voice but that’s not really any language or accent thing, just a hangover from original Sonder, and tiny tiny me going “well they’re not a girl or a boy, so what kind of voice would they have?” Two voices is apparently the answer, one high, one low, harmonising to make their words. They are an excellent mimic.

Maybe a good time to mention that the main characters names might not… actually be their names?

I mean, the main offender is Atlas tbh. Much like Norse mythology does not exist in TSS, neither does Greek mythology, which is the root of their name, with the titan who holds up the sky. I could brush it aside as “atlas” having another origin as a word…

Or I could be difficult about it!

See I know their name would have to be something map related - specifically because Sam comments on it at one point. I could brush it aside as their name sounding like whatever the god of the planet or earth or fakkin… mapmaking is, but I can’t see the Spider letting one of its servants be named after another god. I could also give “map” a proper translated word, work from there to condense it into a potential name, and then claim I was translating “map” from whatever this word is, and “Atlas” as a result of the similarity.

Or.

I could just.

Let their name be Atlas.

And stop overthinking this so much lmao

[misseffect]

Writing Tag ✍️

Thanks for the tag @otemporanerys :DD

Tagging @shudder-shock, @shretl and @skjeter

How many works do you have on AO3?

Seven, but four of those are from the Normandy Detective Agency series

What’s your total AO3 word count? 

27,839 which is wwaaaaay more than I thought actually

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Can You Feel This? - post-destroy ending, Garrus POV ft. Castis and a very pissed-off Joker. Fun fact: I've never played the end of ME3 so didn't realise when I wrote this that the Normandy doesn't stay on Earth lmao

Different - ME2-ish one shot about the first time Garrus gets Shepard's clothes off. Tragically non-explicit. Probably made the no.2 spot by virtue of being the oldest.

Third Time's A Charm (tNDA) - definitely made the no.3 spot by virtue of being the horniest you dirty, dirty dogs

Flux (tNDA) - the first and probably my favourite in the Normandy Detective Agency series so far. The grey morality. The trust. The totally-platonic slow-dancing. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ 

Tinderbox (tNDA) - WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I think it's good manners. If I leave a comment and don't get a reply then I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have bothered, unless they've got hundreds of comments in which case, fair play. And I just really fucking love talking about Mass Effect.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oooff I don't think I've ever really written one. CYFT probably comes closest, just because it's mixed in with uncertainty about how much Shepard will ever be able to recover.

The next installment of The Normandy Detective Agency is angst-central though, which is partly why it's taking so ffffffucking long to write.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I know how roughly how tNDA is going to end and it's happy because god damnit they deserve it

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

No, never had much interested in them

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. The kind that never uses the phrase bundle of nerves. We have the right to use proper anatomy words and I wish to God we'd exercise it.

idk what the second part means really, but I like to read sex that feels grown-up and intimate and believable so that's what I try to write.

Sometimes I think smut can feel a bit too fanfic-y. It's hard to explain without sounding like a snob, but fic sometimes has quite a specific style of writing (I saw a post a while ago which was a PERFECT illustration and now I can't find it for the life of me - it was part of an article from CNN about, I think, Biden and Obama? Anyway, it was exactly that kind of very fanfic-y style except it was in a news article lmao) and I feel like smut is where that style sometimes becomes really concentrated. There's inherently nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't do anything for me.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also no

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but basically everything I've ever written has been co-brainstormed with @shepgarrus c:

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Guess lmao

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Looking For Ilos. Writing a really nasty Shepard was a lot of fun and I think the shakarian dynamic had potential, but the AU concept just wasn't rich and engaging enough to carry the story in between. tNDA really benefits from having the historical setting to anchor it and in hindsight that's definitely what LFI was missing.

What are your writing strengths?

Pacing. I can't stand stories that dawdle (I just finished reading LotR and MY GOD was it a slog) so I try to keep my own writing moving along. Unless there's specific value in watching a conversation play out, a thing that would take pages and pages of dialogue to talk through can usually be zoomed through in a few paragraphs.

And for AU specifically, I think I'm good at adapting from canon - especially keeping the themes, characters and key story elements recognisable in a new setting - and that's definitely the bit of tNDA I'm having the most fun with. 

What are your writing weaknesses?

Change. CYFT suffers from this a bit in the sense that Garrus doesn't really develop much from the start of the fic to the end. Shepard is awake and he's talking to his dad more and he's on good terms with Joker, but this is all stuff that just kind of happens to him; he's not really any different in himself. And maybe that's not always necessary but I think it can make a story feel like it's just spinning its wheels. You get to the end and think 'ok but what was the POINT?'

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have sections of dialogue in the next tNDA installment which are being spoken in German, but I've just written them in English and italicised them lmao

The only context I like foreign-language dialogue is for pet names. That's the cutest shit I've ever seen.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Published? Mass Effect. Otherwise, when I was a kid I used to make up what were - in hindsight - Harry Potter self-insert stories. If I'd known about livejournal and FF.net back in the day, I definitely would've been into HP fic in a big way.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

tNDA. It's just so. much. fun.

I've got a soft spot for Different too, partly because it's my first published fic but honestly some of the metaphor is just so 🤌✨🤌 I can't believe it came out of me.

[mcfiddlestan]

Fic Writer Questions

I'm bored and this was in a note on my phone from forever ago, so I must have been tagged at some point. Apologies to whoever tagged me. 🥴

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

52. Though, I used to have a few more. I deleted a few fics some years ago bc I hated that they were just sitting there unfinished. I was going through a particularly brutal bout of writer's block that affected both my fic writing and my RP writing.

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

720,782. And I was stressing about a 30-page thesis. 😂 (which ended up being over 15,000 words)

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I started writing fic in 2000 with *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, and Backstreet Boys fics. I stopped writing a bit around 2004-2007 (because of a stupid boy) and picked it up again in 2012 after reading some awesome Cherik fics and wanting to write my own FrostIron College AU when I read one that was good, but kind of disturbing. I think I write for one fandom -- Marvel -- but, like different factions of it. FrostIron and WinterFrost mostly, with a dash of Stucky, ThunderFrost, DashingFrost, and WinterIron.

4) What are your Top 5 fics by kudos?

Black Light Special (WinterFrost) - 628 kudos

Can I Bum A Ride? (WinterFrost) - 425 kudos

Empire State of Mind (FrostIrom) - 420 kudos

Dark Side (FrostIron) - 398 kudos

A Worthy Collection (FrostIron) - 309 kudos

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I really do make an effort to respond to every single comment, even the not-so-nice ones. I want people to know I've seen and read the comment they took the time to post, so even if I just thank them for reading and commenting, I respond.

6) What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Considering it features two -- count 'em, two! -- major character deaths, it's definitely Empire State of Mind. Though, I'd argue Dark Side is a pretty close second.

7) What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Probably Ghosts That We Knew. It was the final fic in the trilogy that is the Picture Perfect Series. It follows Loki and Tony from when they meet in college and ends 30+ years later.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written?

No, not really. And I rarely, if ever, read them. There's no real reason behind it other than I've just never come upon one and thought "ooh I need to read that."

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. I got a lot of hateful messages after I completed Empire State of Mind. People were really angry at me for killing off two major characters. I mean, a lot of the messages were "omg I hate you but I loved this!" kind of vibe. But there were a few that cussed me out and called me names for writing it.

I had some chapters of a Fools Rush In FrostIron AU posted a while ago, in which Loki was a female, the only daughter in both the Odinson and Laufeyson families. Following the storyline of the Matthew Perry/Salma Hayek movie, Loki meets Tony Stark in a bar and gets pregnant from a one night stand. Anyway, I got a lot of messages telling me that Odin's misogyny and mistreatment of Loki was unrealistic -- even though I had literally modeled his behavior after the movie that inspired it. 🤷🏽

I have some prompts done for the 100 Ways to Say ILY writer's block challenge and for one of them, I borrowed the storyline from an episode of Will & Grace when Will's father dies of a heart attack after they have a bad argument where his father basically admits he wished Will wasn't gay so he could have had an easier life. In the epsiode, the fight starts because Will's parents gift his baby blanket to Grace, who is pregnant with her ex-husband's child. Will takes offense, they don't understand why bc he never mentioned wanting children, and a fight ensues. Similarly, in my fic, Frigga and Odin offer a pregnant Natasha (his BFF) Loki's blanket. Some readers did not like this and did not understand why I would write it. In another prompt, one that was literally how my last relationship ended, got some harsh critiques. Those ones hurt especially bc it was such a personal experience I wrote about.

And I actually got into a fight -- like a screaming match -- IRL with my best friend's boyfriend at the time. One of my bestie's friends asked about my fanfiction and I gave them the gist of one of my stories where Loki has a brief relationship with Sif that results in a child and later reconnects with Tony. Later on, Sif offers to be a surrogate for Tony and Loki and eventually births three more children for them. Bestie's boyfriend could not fathom why a woman would purposely get herself impregnated and then give the child away. I tried to explain that this was a thing that a lot of women did IRL -- and some don't even use their own eggs, but the eggs of a woman who cannot conceive; Sif used her own eggs so that all four children were half related (two by Loki, two by Tony). But he just did not believe me and told me I must not be a very good writer. Worst night of my life.

10) Do you write smut?

I was just telling @teadrinkingwolfgirl the other night how when I first started writing fic I did not write sex scenes. It was always inferred or glossed over. When I started writing again in 2012, for FrostIron, it was my first time writing more detailed sex. I cite Jackie Collins as my smut-writing mentor. I've written almost exclusively M/M smut.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Which is like the best thing ever! A couple of my older fics have been translated to Russian. I have one *NSYNC fic that was made into an audio fic. And someone recently messaged me on ff*net to ask to translate as many of my fics as they can to Spanish. :D

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

No, not technically. I've gotten a lot of prompts and ideas from friends and mutuals, and I started reformatting my WinterFrost RP with my ex from 2014-2015 into novel form a while ago. That's tecnically the only thing I've written with someone else and published.

14) What's your all time favorite ship?

I have two that will always, ALWAYS, have my heart and attention. FrostIron (Tony Stark/Loki) and WinterFrost (Bucky Barnes/Loki). They are the two ships that I write the most, read the most, and seek out fanart for the most.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Probably The Flame. It's a fic that starts out ThunderFrost (not related; Asgardian Prince Thor semi-rescues an imprisoned Jotun Prince Loki) but eventually ends up FrostIron. It's the only fic I've ever written that features Loki with both male and female biology. I have a few chapters done but I haven't worked on it in years.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I write realistic relationships. And I think my dialogue is also realistic and easy to grasp. And I put a lot of humor in between all the angst and hurt.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I get too detailed with background. I just reread my Picture Perfect series (which I do like once a year), and there are literal paragraphs of background that in Google Docs is like pages and pages. But I want to make sure people understand my characters! LOL

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I'm a big fan of it. I featured a lot of Norwegian in the Picture Perfect series. And French. I think as long as it flows with the storytelling and it's not forced on the characters it can be really cool. It should be natural. I always leave a translation list at the end of the chapter or explain in-text what was said. Which I think most authors I've read do.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Backstreet Boys. LOL. Don't judge. I started writing my own fics after discovering BSB fanfiction written by an author named Mistress Lynz. She wrote a lot of fics about bloodletting, but I really enjoyed the fics where the guys were hooking up with each other behind the scenes, LOL explains why I write mostly M/M now. 😂

20) What's your favorite fic you've written?

They're kind of like my babies so at different times different ones are my faves. But if I really had to pick one, I would say Stay With Me is my favorite. I got some of the most amazing comments on this story from people that found meaning and themes in the story that I didn't even realize I'd put in there. It was one of my first WinterFrost fics I'd posted and the response was more than I could have asked for.

And now I have to tag people! @teadrinkingwolfgirl @incredifishface @incubigirl @rabentochter @marvelswinterfrost and whoever else feels up to it.

xoxo

[ivanaskye]

I’ve been thinking about making this post for a while, since I finished reading Wheel of Time, a series whose first book I read many years ago and hated, a series which ended up being very much one of my favorite of all time if not my single favorite, a series that has my two favorite characters ever.

A series that is very flawed.

So behold, my long answer to the question...

Should you read The Wheel of Time?

I’ll split this into three sections (but not three posts): What Even Is The Wheel Of Time, Some Likely Dealbreakers, and Tl;Dr.

Under the readmore, of course.

1. What Even Is The Wheel of Time?

A system of circular time in which the same rough eras of humanity repeat

However, the fact that time in the series operates this way... doesn’t actually matter that much.

And out of seven total repeating ages, we only spend time in one, and only know anything at all about four others.

The last three? A mystery

Don’t worry about it

Okay, that’s probably not what you were asking. You were probably asking something more like: what’s the plot of this series?

Let me be straight with you about that one.

It’s a Chosen One plot.

But,

It also has a very large cast of characters, many of which are very Protagonist in their own right

Including the main character’s immediate foil, who is absolutely not a “Chosen One” except for the fact that she freaking chose herself, basically manufacturing her own call to adventure out of the main character’s. 

The six Most Main characters (by most fans’ understanding), can IMO be divided exactly into three foil-pairs: the Central Saving The World one, the Self Awareness Whomst? I Hate People Of Course I’d Never Help Anyone (Trips over 139289131 Pictures of Helping Other People) one, and the Study In Leadership one.

And remember that Chosen One I mentioned?

Yeah, he actually has a shit deal with being Chosen

Specifically: he is 100% prophecized to destroy the world. Whether he also saves it is a little more up in the air.

He’s also almost certainly fated to Go Insane.

(...Which is why the first ~3 books of the series are just him Running Away From His Fate at Full Speed, which--spoiler alert--Does Not Work.)

See also: Alienating All Your Friends 101, How NOT To Accept Being Polyamorous, It’s War Crimes Time

(Yes, there is canon polyamory.)

(...And a LOT of canon war crimes.)

But. In order to go any further, I have to talk about the Possible Dealbreakers of these series. 

2. So, About Those Dealbreakers

Broadly speaking, I’d say there are three: length, The Gender Binary, and Oh God Why Is Everyone Such A Dumbass.

Let’s go at these one-by-one.

Length

Let me be very clear here: WoT is over four million words long in total.

This has at times been calculated as perhaps the longest word count for any series... ever? It’s certainly one of the longest English-language series that occurs to random statistics geeks to look at the word count of.

For reference, in case you needed it... that’s longer than Homestuck. This is true even if you translate images, videos, and so on into equivalent word counts. And include the epilogue. And... yeah.

It’s like, shonen-long.

The upside of this, however... is that it’s really long.

That might seem like a weird upside, but if you’ve ever wanted to get really immersed in a series... especially if you read very quickly and usually get through things fast... well.

To put things in perspective, I often read 300-page books in one sitting without trouble. WoT took me about six months.

So uh

Do you want your life, mind, body, and soul to get eaten by a book series?

The answer to that question will probably tell you if you should read Wheel of Time

The Gender Binary

Okay, so here’s the thing: in the time period WoT takes place in, only women can use The One Power (the main form of magic in the setting).

The reason for this is that the One Power, despite being called one right there in the name, is divided into the Female Version and the Male Version. Only women can use the former, only men can use the latter. And the latter has been tainted such that any man who uses it goes mad.

Our main character is a man who can use the power.

The upside is that things actually go very un-sexistly from here. The different ways to access male (saidin) vs female (saidar) power don’t actually correlate to any consistent difference in personality or attitudes between men and women.

The fact that the MC is The One Man Using The Power and The Most Powerful, Because Chosen One... is actually also played shockingly un-sexistly. 

However, there very much always is that binary. Trans people? Nonbinary people? Uh... you can headcanon if you want, but the canon is not giving you that much to work with.

To make matters a little worse, men and women distrust each other to an almost hilarious amount in the setting. (My guess is something about Mostly A Patriarchy + Women Are The Mysterious Powerful Magic Users has really frayed gender relations in this society.) There are many, many in-character statements of “All men are [x unflattering thing]” “all women are [y unflattering thing]”, but these do not seem to in any way reflect the author’s beliefs, and are never actually true in-world; the characters are just Bad At This.

(A common example of this is “Women are all gossips!” *cut to a group of women* “Men are all gossips!”. Of course, the truth is that there are both male and female gossips and non-gossips in the series).

You would think this situation would lead to more just-women and just-men groups, but except from Magic-User Stuff, there isn’t that much of that, becaaaaause

~Heterosexuality~

Sigh, yes, this series is very het.

It’s not as het as it is binary; the Aes Sedai (female magic users) have a word for women who are having sex with each other, and there’s an onpage FF kiss in the prequel.

But it’s... not a lot.

So if you need a hit of sweet, sweet LGBTQ rep, it’s... not going to be here. Sorry. (Thankfully, a very large amount of fantasy books coming out today do have rep! It’s not that hard to find!)

Thankfully, most of WoT’s het romances are pretty good and believable/shippable. Though not all are.

And, the final likely dealbreaker...

Everyone Here Is A Dumbass

Listen. Nobody in this series drank their Having Brain Cells juice, uh... ever.

(Okay, exactly two characters--Min and Loial--did, but that’s it)

You know how I was talking about the gender mistrust? That’s just one example of an endemic problem of absolutely no one trusting other people, telling anyone things, or in any way having functional conversations

Min Literally Saves Lives By Being The Only Person Who Tells People Things

In addition to interpersonal problems, the characters’ problem-solving skills are uhh

Uhhhhhh

Uhhhhhhhh

Well, as I said, Rand, our main character, spends three books running away from his problems at full speed

After that, he’s only uh... dodging! Jogging away! Yeah

Meanwhile, basically everyone is doing the I Must Put Myself In Extreme Danger To Protect My Friends Who I would Never Accept Doing The Same (bonus points for when two people are doing this to protect each other at the same time) thing

And I Will Face God And Run Into Danger At Mach Speed

The upside is... you might like reading about these kinds of characters

But if you prefer characters who are not walking trash fires

Then I’m sorry

WoT is probably not for you

3. Tl;dr

In summary, Wheel of Time is an almost comically long series about a large cast of characters who have never functioned in their life trying to prevent the end of the world and having a really bad time.

(For some reason it doesn’t have a reputation as a Dark SeriesTM, but it actually is very dark at times. Although far from grim--every action seems to really matter, nothing is meaningless, it’s just that sometimes those actions are war crimes and people dying and a shit-ton of torture).

IMO, some of the other series that might be good predictors for liking WoT are Homestuck, Hunter X Hunter, and ASOIAF. In other words, other very long, large-casted series about trash fires.

If you want one other bit of enticement, the main character has the lowest nadir of any character arc I’ve ever seen, followed by the most impressive high and resolution. So if that’s your kind of thing, and if the dealbreakers don’t break your deals. Go ahead and give it a try.

[ladynox]

20 Questions - Writer’s Edition

Tagged by @kaydeefalls & @im-the-punk-who

How many works do you have on AO3? 15. I use to be a pretty profilic writer when I was a teenager (before AO3 thank fuck 😂) but I lost interest. Picked it up again somewhere in my 20s, only to lose interest or the drive or something again. Roswell's the first fandom I've written for in almost decade. Hopefully this time I'll be able to stick too it. Id' forgotten how much I enjoy writing. What’s your total AO3 word count? 233292. Most of that is from just the last year alone! Crazy! How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? Currently posted to AO3? Just three. Yu-Gi-Oh!, Captain America and Roswell New Mexico. If we're counting the stuff lost to long dead Yahoo groups or forgotten notebooks, or the stuff still on the internet because I can't remember my password but I will never own up to? Probably 8? With the addition of Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Digimon and Final Fantasy 7. There might have been more but I can't remember anymore. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? The 1-3 and 5 were co-written with @beautifulcheat 1. The Great New Mexico Fake-Off (Roswell, malexa, complete) Michael takes up baking after watching The Great British Bake Off and starts gifting his bakes to the people he loves. Mostly fluff and pining. 2. Milestones (Roswell, malexa, WIP) based after the series, in that nebulous well adjusted future we dream of for our favorite idiots. 😂 Maria, who has been living in a v poly relationship with Michael and Alex for years, realizes she's pregnant. Michael is ecstatic. Alex is conflicted, which dampers some of Maria's joy. Still a pretty fluffy and very domestic fic. This one's on hold because we're both busy with work, school and certification exams. So we only really have time for one, which is the following monster of a fic:

3. The Truth is Right Here (Roswell, malexa, WIP) X-Files/White Collar fusion where Michael is both Scully and Neal, and Maria and Alex are both Mulder and Peter. Yes you heard right. The alien is the skeptic. But the agents don't know he's an alien yet. hahah 4. Testing the Bonds (Captain America, Steve & Bucky) Bucky comes out to Steve during the war. 5. Petit Fours (Roswell, malexa, complete). Companion piece to Fake-Off. An assorted collection of text fics or short fics. Mostly about everyone else's reaction to how bad Michael is at keeping the secret that he's the one baking the cake. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Hmmm looking over these fics, I realize that I don't really write angsty endings. I tend to like my angst with a happy ending, or a hopeful one. Whatever that might look like given the subject matter of the fic. So I guess the closet would be The Message (YGO, puppyshipping, complete). The fic starts after an incident of domestic violence. Jou is basically working through the horror/guilt he feels at what he's done. It's not a happy ending, but there's hope different decisions will be made. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? A New Year, A New Hope (Roswell, malex, complete) is entirely made up of marshmallows from start to finish, so likely that one. Fake-Off's also tooth rottingly sweet. Surprising no one I'm sure hahaha. I love happy endings so I write a lot of fics with those. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Yes I do! I'm counting fusion fics as crossovers too. I *love* AUs in general. They're super fun. As for craziest.... well I've already mentioned Truth above, which is likely the craziest because of how ambitious it is. I both love and regret ever starting this monster. Have you ever received hate on a fic? Oh yeah definitely. hahaha One day people will figure out the back button. Do you write smut? If so what kind? Yeah but not a lot. I want to write more smut honestly but I have a hard time writing it. I don't have a problem with action scenes so it's all mental. Just start thinking it's gonna suck or it doesn't make sense or it's boring. Dumb brain, cockblocking me. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of? Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope. Have you ever co-written a fic before? All the time. It's the best. Everything Kat and I write is just to amuse the other, makes writing so much fun. Also, she and I have opposite writing strengths and weakness so it really works out well. What’s your all time favorite ship? Er? I gotta choose just one? Seems kind of pointless to pit different fandoms against each other. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I mean I have every intention of going back and finishing it but probably Six. A malex The Last of Us AU that I had a lot of grand ideas for but have lost all drive to finish. I do think that what's written can largely stand on its own as a 1 shot. One of these I'll go back edit it, give it a good "in conclusion" so to speak. XD What are your writing strengths? Hmm? Character voices/studies, I think. I like doing stream of consciousness a lot. What are your writing weaknesses? Everything. Kidding. Kidding. Probably smut and dialogue. Though I think I'm getting better at dialogue. Lately I've been getting the dialogue on paper before the descriptions. That use to not be the case! Yay! Improvement! What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Use it sparingly and carefully. Most of your readers are probably not going to be able to read that language. The last thing you want is to confuse or annoy your readers. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Gundam Wing 🤣 All of those fics are lost to time and I'm totally ok with that. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? I am proud of everything I've posted to AO3. Um... @beautifulcheat, @maeglinthebold @jocarthage, @tasyfa and anyone else who wants to do it.

[eurosong]

Undo my ESC 2021 - Semi-final 1

Good afternoon, folks! Every year, I take a look at each semi-final and share what feasible change I would make – as small as changing a few lines of the song or an element of staging, or as big as a different song completely winning a national final – to make it even better (just in my own opinion of course!) This year will be harder than usual, but I’ll try to set aside my conviction that every 2020 artist should have been able to return to see how different SF1 might look. Let’s go!

🇱🇹 Lithuania: PiN was in the Roop's hands, and whilst I fell in love with some of the underdog songs they were up again, most notably Home and Never fall for you again I wouldn't take away the chance away from the Roop. There's nothing I'd change about Discoteque, and I love their nod to On fire, but the way that they also took things in a different direction to last time.

🇸🇮 Slovenia: I may be in a small minority, but I absolutely love Amen and I loved Voda too! Ana Soklič has so much presence and stunning vocals with so much texture and depth; she can sell me pretty much everything. My only change would be to insert Slovenian language lyrics!

🇷🇺 Russia: I was initially really disappointed that we wouldn't see the iconic Little Big on the ESC stage - but I commend the way they wanted to share the limelight with other artists. The unexpected Russian mini-NF ended up being a revelation and very diverse for its size. I liked all three songs, but I think that the best hands down won. There is nothing I have to change to Russian woman, one of the most powerful propositions of the season for me. I just hope juries will value it and we won't see a Telemóveis style situation!

🇸🇪 Sweden: After a year of being happy with the result in Sweden - I was always in Dotter's corner, but who can't love the Mamas? - we return to more familiar terrain of an MF result disgruntling me. Tusse has charisma and talent, but his song is lacklustre at best for me. My fav was, once again, Dotter, and I wish that either she'd taken the win or that the Mamas got their shot at ESC as main artists.

🇦🇺 Australia: I really enjoy Technicolour, one of the more out-of-left-field entries from Oz. I am so intrigued as to what the Diane Warren song offered to Montaigne was like, as I'm certain that this isn't it, but I'm glad she trusted her gut and went for something so distinctive. My one change would be to get rid of the unnecessary key change at the end.

🇲🇰 Macedonia: When there was a nationalistic furore with attempts to stop Vasil from representing MK, I was entirely on his side even though his song for me is one of the least appealing of the edition. I'd still want him to get his chance at ESC - but his Sudbina would have been such a more compelling entry for my taste.

🇮🇪 Ireland: Lesley Roy served nostalgic pop wonderment for the second year in a row, and another song that has etched itself already onto my life's soundtrack. I don't know what I'd change, except perhaps translate one of the choruses into Irish Gaelic - it'd make the message of a return to home even more resonant for me.

🇨🇾 Cyprus: Cyprus and I haven't seen eye to eye for several years now, and it's a shame as they were one of my favourite countries of the 90s. I do enjoy El diablo more than their last trio of songs, but I find it leans too heavy on a clear inspiration from Gaga, which takes away from some of the more original elements of the song. So, I'd rework the chorus, and also change some of the lyrics elsewhere because some lines just flat out make me cringe.

🇳🇴 Norway: I seem to have been in the minority of people delighted at MGP's final results! I had bigger favourites - the rambunctious sea shanty that is Vi er Norge, the kickass empowering Witch woods or the pulsating groove of Playing with fire - but I wouldn't take Tix' win away from him given how meaningful it was for him and what the guy has been through. My change? Revert partially or entirely to the Norwegian version, Ut av mørket; for me, it hits my heart harder.

🇭🇷 Croatia: Sincerely, my biggest disappointment of the NF season potentially - I wish Damir had been internally selected, not just because of my wish to see all ESC'20 alumni return, but because his was the best Croatian song for me since Moja štikla. Tick-tock is harmless but if we can't get a Damir return in this hypothesis, then I'd go for Rijeka, which captivated me with its epicness on first listen and has just risen in my estimation since. Though, given Nina's histrionics after coming second, maybe I'd have Albina perform the song instead.

🇧🇪 Belgium: I was prepared to not be on board with Belgium this year despite my long-lived love for the country - I found Release me, whilst orchestrated beautifully, entirely lacking in dynamism; and I really couldn't stand the way the band dumped Luka unceremoniously. And yet... this lush piece of art is one of my favs of the entire season. And there's something different and singular in Geike's voice. So the only thing I'm changing here are the dudes' attitudes to ESC so that they can value it more, especially Alex.

🇮�� Israël: As one of the most naturally charismatic performers of 2020, I had high hopes for Eden's return and the original idea of a mega-NF for her seemed really promising. Instead, we ended up with an uninspired strewing of songs, of which the best didn't even get the chance to be recorded by her. Set me free was my favourite of the three that got to the final, but I feel they've really worsened it with the revamp, in between the hail mary pass of the whistle vote and the extra emphasis on "I'mma". I would have Eden perform Shoulders instead - I don't know how it NQd and think it would allow her to showcase her personality a lot more.

🇷🇴 Romania: I really enjoyed Roxen's selection last year - small but quite diverse, and I felt the best song won. My change would be to have seen a similar national final with 3 or 4 other songs of hers this time, because I'm not convinced in Amnesia anywhere near as much as I was of Alcohol you.

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: I wish they had gone with something at least a bit different rather than this cut, smudge and paste from last year that is so on the nose with its "you loved Cleopatra, so you will love this, won't you?" feel that it even namechecks the previous song. Efendi has a lot of talent and could have shown more diversity here.

🇺🇦 Ukraine: I'm getting used to the surprise revamp of Šum by now, but the question still remains for me, why did they do it? They needed to cut about a minute off the duration of the track, but to me, that doesn't explain why they also had to change the melody in large parts of the song. I'd be tempted to revert to a shortened form version of Šum version 1.

🇲🇹 Malta: Another unpopular opinion, but I'm just not that into the Maltese song this year. The lyrics are great and Destiny has poise and presence and PIPES and I'm sure she'll do well, but the style - a glammed up Electro-Velvet, essentially - doesn't heat me up, and I feel like the different parts of the composition are too dissonant from each other, like we have 2 or 3 songs in one here. My change would be for her to have gone with something more soul-ish in its sound, like AOML was.

And the AQs of this semi

🇩🇪 Germany: How did juries decide upon this, especially when there seems to have been many promising artists in the German selection? No shade against Jendrick who seems like a lovely chap, but the song sounds like the cheerful four chords on a ukulele you hear repeated as royalty free background music on Youtube tutorials, merged with a post-chorus breakdown taken from a Stefan Raab b-side. I would have gotten out my phone book and given Lilly among clouds a call - she gives me the vibes of being able to create something totally show-stopping.

🇳🇱 Netherlands: My original slight disappointment at this was more because of how high I have Grow than any fault of its own. It's another gorgeous composition from Jeangu, with probably the best set of lyrics of the year, and this is going to be a moment. I change nothing.

🇮🇹 Italy: I like Måneskin and their performances at Sanremo were brilliant - but they were far from being at the top of my favourites list. I would have given the win to Madame with Voce, or Ermal with Un milione di cose da dirti. Both would have been my #1 of the entire year, both move me deeply. Madame showcases contemporary Italian style with classic songwriting, whilst Ermal almost created a companion piece to Fai rumore - Diodato wanted to hear the sound of his loved one, whilst Ermal struggles to make a noise and say what he feels about his love.

Join me soon as I take a look at SF2 and its songs (and France, Spain and the UK, the auto-qualifiers from that semi!)

[psychedellic-phase]

Fifteen (pt 3)

A/N: Thank you so much for the support so far! This is the first fic I’ve posted anywhere in a long time. I’m totally down to do any requests! There are some season 6 spoilers in this part so SPOILER Alert!! xoxo R

tw: none! just more fluffiness

word count: 2444

(part 1) (part 2) 

masterlist

The third envelope, which was labeled #2, was much thicker than the first two. Spencer held it in his hands for a while, just tracing over where you wrote #2. He always made fun of you for writing it like a kindergarten teacher. 

“Adults make a two with the loop at the bottom,” He would joke any time you had to write it. 

“Good thing I’m not an adult,” You’d reply. 

He smiled at the memory. That’s one of the reasons he fell in love with you. You were so incredibly intelligent but also so clueless at the same time. You were definitely book smart. But common knowledge and sense? Not much of that in your pretty head. He liked that though; it meant you didn’t take yourself too seriously. You were down to Earth and kept him there with you, a trait he had to learn as he grew older. He didn’t even realize you taught him so much; he was always too busy trying to teach you. 

Ripping open #2 he started to read, a warm fuzzy feeling filling his chest: 

“Item 2 is a ticket to the Korean Film festival we went to together. So take it out and admire how bent and worn it is. I was so nervous that day I folded it into tiny pieces in my pocket just so my hands had something to do.”

He took it out of the plastic bag you put it in. It really was bent and worn, so much so you could barely read the name and date, July 7. 

“That was our first official date, though we had a lot of time to bond between November 17 and that day. Emily died. Well, not really, but we thought she did. We’d take turns crying on the other’s shoulder. Some days I’d show up at yours and you’d immediately know that I just needed you to be strong for me. I’d often return the favor. We were still just friends then, but our pain bonded us in ways no one else really understood. We get each other, Spence, or at one point in our lives we did. I’m not so sure I understand you anymore, at least not like I used to.  Sometimes I’d come over and we wouldn’t cry. You’d teach me chess and card games. But usually we would cry, and that was okay. 

That was the start of our platonic sleepovers. Do you remember our first one? The night I cried myself to sleep on your couch and instead of kicking me out you put a blanket over me. You thought I was out cold, but I felt you tuck it around me, your hands lingering for a second too long. For the next few weeks we did that when we didn’t have cases. We’d talk about Em and life and everything and cry, and one of us would crash on the other’s couch. Then, if Hotch didn’t send the bat signal for us, we’d get coffee and pancakes the following morning at IHOP. It became a sweet tradition, born out of one of the darkest times in my life. You always took me at my most vulnerable, loved me, and kept me safe. I don’t think I ever really thanked you for that. So, thank you. 

Everyone else didn’t think they were platonic. I mean if I were them I wouldn’t have thought we were ‘just friends’ either. The fact that we started carpooling together after our sleepovers probably didn’t help our case. I remember one time I brought you to work with me after an IHOP blueberry pancake breakfast. Rossi ran into us in the elevator and commented that you had on the same exact suit as the day before and that we had been coming to work together a lot lately. We both blushed profusely; we knew what his side eye meant.  It’s funny how everyone else knew we loved each other except us. Some profilers we are. 

Okay so back to the ticket. Emily’s loss made me look at life differently. Before she died, I confided in her how I felt. She’s the closest thing to a best friend I ever had. Being her usual supportive self, she told me to go for it. That you felt the same about me. That we’d be perfect for each other. That you adored me. I desperately wanted her to be right, so I selfishly believed her. 

When she left, I realized how quickly we can lose each other. And her support of us told me what I needed to do. In some weird way it felt like I was doing her justice by pursuing you. I decided I wasn’t going to wait and risk losing you too. So I bought tickets to the Korean film festival in Georgetown you talked about for weeks, even though I know zero Korean. I walked up to you and flashed two tickets. The look on your face is one I’ll never forget. Your eyes lit up and you smiled bigger than I had seen in months. You (thankfully) agreed to go with me. 

“I didn’t know you knew Korean,” You said as I drove us there. (I sneakily put on Stacy’s Mom then too, but I don’t think you realized)”

He chuckled. He most definitely did notice that, but what you didn’t notice was how he looked at you as you mumbled the lyrics to yourself. It was dusk and the street lights illuminated your face just so. It occurred to him then that he’d never seen anyone more beautiful than you in that moment, and probably never would again. 

Spencer put the ticket and letter down on the table and got up to pace again. He knows exactly how this story ends; he wrote it with you. And in this story he’s the villain. 

His stomach twisted up in knots. He rushed back to the table to grab the letter, but his eyes were too bleary with tears to read any of the words. Truthfully, he didn’t want to read them. He wasn’t ready to relive it yet. He wasn’t ready to feel it, because up until now he still got to see you and talk to you. He was able to protect you, just like he had all those nights when you cried in his arms. 

He blinked forcefully a few times, forcing his vision to clear enough to keep going.  

“I told you I didn’t know Korean. All I know is enough Spanish to get myself through cases. You smiled at that. 

“Then why did you want to come?” You asked me. 

“Because you wanted to come.” My answer was honest. I love so many things I never thought I would because of you, Spence. You didn’t answer me; the smile on your face was answer enough. Naturally, I got even more nervous. 

“So since there are no subtitles will you translate for me as it happens?” I asked; you nodded. 

We were strolling around the park the festival was at. It was warm out but you still had on pants and a dress shirt. I don’t know how you did that. I had on a dress and was still sweating. We got there early and were waiting for the first movie to start. 

“You know, (Y/N), 1.2 million Americans speak Korean. Korean culture is becoming a vibrant subculture in America. The success of things like anime, Korean Dramas and Korean pop music are just going to add to that number.”

That’s when I looked at you. Your hair had gotten a little longer, but it was cute. Looking back, every hair you’ve ever had was cute. I miss running my hands through it to mess it up. Your eyes were trained on the people milling around us, and mine were on you. I love when you spew out stats. Contrary to popular belief, smart IS sexy. But anyways, your eyes looked so brown and reflected the lights so beautifully. I’ll miss staring into them and getting lost. I once told you I never liked the color brown until I saw your eyes. That’s still true. 

“But like 50 million speak Spanish. So I think my tenth grade skills are more applicable,” I joked. 

“It’s actually 41 million and I agree. Spanish is a very important language to know. But only a tenth grade level? Say something in Spanish.”

“Tú y yo va a ver una película,” I said in the worst Spanish accent ever. You laughed and said some beautiful Korean like it was nothing. I grabbed your hand. You flinched and looked at me confused. I gave it a reassuring squeeze and ran my thumb across the parts of your hand I could reach. That’s when you realized this was a “date” date and not a friend date. I could almost immediately see the red creep up your cheeks. 

We found a place to sit and the movie started. It was called The Housemaid. And true to your word you translated the whole thing for me, much to the dismay of everyone around us. I found myself nestled into your side with your arm around me. You were whispering everything in my ear. Your breath tickled my neck and sent a chill down my spine. Truthfully, I missed half of what you said because I was too focused on not losing my shit. Here you were, the guy I was in love with, arm around me whispering sweet foreign words in my ear. Anyone would melt instantly. 

We got through two and a half movies that night. I don’t remember the other two—“

“Sisters on the Road and A Frozen Flower!” Spencer spoke out loud then, as if you could hear him. When he realized you definitely couldn’t hear him because you were in Seattle, and definitely not in his apartment, he groaned and kept reading. 

“We had already watched like four hours of movies and I was getting hungry. So, we stopped and got ice cream. I scolded you for getting a large when we both know you can’t have dairy, to which you just shrugged and said, “Dairy allergies are the most common in the world. 65% of the population has issues with lactose. You can’t expect 4,485,000,000 people to not eat ice cream, especially when it’s delicious.” 

I rolled my eyes, “Well don’t come crying to me when your tummy hurts later.”

“Oh I most definitely will be coming and crying to you.”

We walked like that for a while, hand in hand, until the chill of the night got to us. We made our way back to my car and you opened the door for me like a gentleman. I wanted to invite you back to my place, but I thought that might give the wrong impression for a first date. So instead I drove you home and you didn’t invite me in. I was a little hurt, honestly. I have been in your apartment more times than I can count, so what was one more? It’s okay though. You made up for it. Remember? 

We were sitting on the side of the street and you didn’t get out of the car yet. The windows were down and the radio was off. We listened to the sound of crickets and passing cars as we enjoyed each other’s company in a different way than we ever had before. 

“It’s almost midnight, get some sleep. Your brain needs rest after all that translating.” 

“Your brain doesn’t rest when you sleep, your body does,” You said and turned to me. Our faces were probably only six inches apart. Your breath was hot on my cheeks and you kept doing that damn tongue thing. 

“But you need some sleep (Y/N). You don’t sleep well.”

“I sleep well on your couch,” I said and you smiled. The space between us had gotten much much smaller. 

I put my hand on your cheek and felt the slight stubble there. You made the first move Spence. All I did was hold your face, you’re the one who closed the gap. 

That was one of the best kisses of my life. It lasted maybe ten seconds, but it was ten seconds that took years to get to. It was all that longing and pining and pent up feelings released at once. Nothing in the world is as special as kissing you, Spencer Reid. 

That next Monday we got shit from the team. Garcia is such a blabbermouth. Derek and Rossi made fun of us like middle schoolers. Hotch gave us that big bad ‘one of you will have to leave speech’. Deep down they were all happy for us. We all needed something to be happy about. And we were happy Spence, so so happy. Until we weren’t. 

So take this bent up ticket and admire it again before placing the memory of our first date on a shelf in the corner of your mind that will get dusty. I hope someday you’ll brush it off and relive it. 

There’s a Korean proverb I learned from you, that means: ‘At the end of hardship comes happiness.’ 

I hope that’s true.

xo,

YN”

Spencer put the letter down and picked up the ticket. He walked across the living room to a corkboard on the wall. There he took a pushpin and fastened the ticket to the board. It was surrounded by pictures of everyone he loves. Group pictures, his mom, Henry, pictures of the two of you. But in the center of it all was that ticket that had been so bent up because of how nervous you were for your date. He never told you how nervous he was then too. He had to make sure he wasn’t stuttering through the translations. Your close proximity to him, the smell of your perfume, and warmth of your body pressed against him made it hard to think. He held your hand so tightly that night because he thought that maybe you wouldn’t notice how badly they were shaking. He only got up the nerve to kiss you because when you weren’t looking he texted Derek, and he told him he had to. He remembered how his heart felt like it was leaping out of his chest when he closed the gap, how you sighed into him, how you sucked on his lower lip ever so slightly. You were right, nothing is quite like kissing the love of your life. It’s like every kiss you ever had before that kiss, the kiss, didn’t count. It’s the only kiss that matters. 

He admired the ticket one last time, before reaching in to grab envelope #3. 

Part 4!

tags: @l0ve-0f-my-life​

- if you would like to be added to the tag list just let me know! 

[thou-breath-of-autumns-being]

Fic Writer Meme

@worriedaboutmyfern said she tagged anyone who wanted to do this, so I did it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

57

...why is there a very large font size I can’t fix. tumblr is a website

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

183877

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi, Disney Descendants, glowfic, the Magnus Archives, NBC Hannibal, Cthulhu Mythos, the Alexander Trilogy, the Screwtape Letters, Academia RPF, Mad Max, the Vorkosigan Saga, Sacrifices Arc, Zootopia, DCU, Avatar the Last Airbender, MCU, Star Wars Legends, Star Wars sequel trilogy, Lord of the Rings, British Actor RPF, Disney Animated Canon, Taylor Swift RPF.

I... tend to hop fandoms a lot. Most of these are things I wrote one fic in. 

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

By far my most popular fic by kudos is You Know What They Say About Foxes (They’ll Break Your Heart). Fucking furries. 

My second is my other Zootopia fic, Stretch Yourself, followed by Slicing Free (trans girl Mal from Descendants), An Isolated Outbreak of Virginity (Finnpoe virginity kink porn), and The Most Social of Human Interchanges (Ben loses his virginity by being gangbanged by the Core Four). 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I don’t respond to comments because I didn’t realize this was a thing you were supposed to do, and now I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to most of them. I do read every one and they make my day every time. 

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

uh good question

I feel like I’m going to have to give the award to “that’s what woods are for”, because I had to put increasingly unambiguous tags about how miserable everyone in this fic is to keep people from posting things complaining about how unhappy the ending is. Now no one posts this but also no one reads it. My genius is unrecognized in its own time. 

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t usually write crossovers (outside of glowfic) but I am the QUEEN of fusion fanfic. Every time I consume a piece of media I’m like “what if this were mdzs fusion instead.”

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Someone took a whole hell of a lot of offense to Blessed Art Thou Among Women (my fic about how in the Descendantsverse Frollo canonically has a child) and left me an extremely nasty comment about it. It wasn’t clear to me what they were offended by. 

There’s also a lot of vagueblogging about An Isolated Outbreak of Virginity being racist which, I promise you, I write this shit in every imaginable fandom. I am not at all reserving it for black dudes.  

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes.

I write angsty, character-focused, relationship-driven smut; if there’s a choice between hotness and developing the relationship, I pick the relationship every time. One time Grace said about one of my fics “this is the least sexy porn I have ever read” and I felt deeply understood. (That was one of the less angsty ones, actually, it was just K*hneman and Tv*rsky bickering about whether wanting anal sex was a cognitive bias.)

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. :( 

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

I mean, I’m a glowficcer, so...

A lot of my fics wind up so influenced by grace that even though they’re technically independently written by me they wind up 20% cowritten by grace anyway. It’s less so now because we’re in different fandoms. :( But their fingers are over every inch of hymns. 

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

how can anyone answer this question???????

14. What’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

My Screwtape Letters fanfic wound up falling apart, mostly because I lost contact with most of the people who were going to beta it for Christianity accuracy and haven’t found other people who would be equally good.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I’m funny. I do really good characterization and character-driven fics. I’m pretty good at writing angst. I have excellent weirdtopias, particularly related to sex and gender worldbuilding, as well as coherent economics. 

smut

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I sometimes tend to drop into my own voice and lose the character voice. I have a hard time coming up with original characters. Plot is not my strong point when it isn’t character-driven. Weirdly, I have a hard time writing combat, even though it seems like an identical skill to writing smut. I start many many many projects and do not finish them. 

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m a monolingual English speaker so I mostly don’t. I tend to go with the “he said in Russian” approach. My glowfic has ever had dialogue which I used Google Translate for, but glowfic tends to be lower effort in this kind of way

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. (It was really bad Mary Sue fanfic.)

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

mm right now probably ‘only hymns upon your lips’? It’s good. You should read it. I PROMISE I WILL FINISH IT AT SOME POINT BUT MY BRAIN IS ONLY SANGCHENG

no obligation tags: @irrealisms, @wolffyluna, @regicidal-optimism, @another-normal-anomaly, @existentialterror

[siuilaruinofthegale]

Fic Writer Review

i was tagged by ye olde devil @snickiebear

1. How many do you have on Ao3?

uhhhhh. *checks* 6. We don’t talk about the ones that are more than five years old, though.

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2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

...embarrassing, tbh. 438,632 words.

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3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

how many have I written for, or how many have I published for?

if the latter: Naruto, Mass Effect, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Harry Potter

if the former: Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Game of Thrones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Naruto, ATLA, World of Warcraft, The Hunger Games, Star Wars (sequel trilogy), Avengers, and....... I think that’s it.

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4. What are your top 5 five by kudos?

lmao i barely have 5 so i’m just gonna list the four that don’t make me want to hide from all existence

- melodies of the warborn, 379 kudos

- red strings & lilac skies, 236 kudos

- Who Holds The Devil, 97 kudos

- ethics & odd wings, 72 kudos

.

cutting here because i realized how long this gonna be

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?  

I try to respond to each and every one..... except for the hate mail. that gets promptly binned. my lag time on replying to some comments is legendary but so far the only one(s) i haven’t responded to are the ones where someone comments saying “DO THIS YOU NEED TO DO THIS”. there’s a difference between “I would love it if you did this” and “you HAVE to do this” and what i’m talking about are the latter.

i don’t respond well to orders.

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6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

*muffled snorts of laughter* yeah, uh, about that, i....... have only actually finished one of the multi-chapter fics i’ve posted on ao3. so technically rs&ls wins by default because it’s the only one with an ending.

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7. Do you write crossovers?

i’ve been known to dabble here and there but most of it is self-indulgent nonsense drabbles that’ll never see the light of day

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8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

i got one (1) rude review from A Known Troll on rs&ls. presumably they go through the kakasaku tag periodically and talk shit. i laughed at it until my stomach hurt and then i deleted it. don’t feed the trolls.

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9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

yes. and..... what do you mean what kind??

like do you mean what kind of participants does it involve? or what kind of detail i go into?? one night stands vs relationship smut?? kink smut or vanilla smut?

i’ve only ever written f/m smut, being that that is where i have experience to draw on, but i will be trying my hand at some gayer smut soon, i think.

i try not to go too detailed but i am VIGILANT about where hands and legs go. there will be no magically appearing and disappearing limbs in MY smut.

also i will write anything at least once. most of what i’ve written is probably fairly vanilla, and most of it is... if not within the confines of a romantic relationship, within the confines of a friendship

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10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nop. let me know if you see someone posting me stuff elsewhere, the only place i post these days is Ao3 because FFN is circling the drain and also i can’t remember my FFN password

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11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

NOP

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

perchance.

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13. What is your all time favorite ship?

*dodgy eyes* in what fandom?? i have too many fandoms for this to be an easy question to answer!

...i’ll just answer for the fandoms i’ve posted for.

Naruto: KakaSaku (don’t @ me)

ATLA: Zutara (don’t @ me)

Mass Effect: S H A K A R I A N  TRASH

HP: Dramione (don’t @ me)

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14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

joke’s on you, m8, i plan on finishing everything...... some day.

there are a few things i started literally ages ago -- like, 10+ years ago -- that i’ll likely never pick back up, and some of them were cool concepts, but.... that’s life.

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15. What are your writing strengths?

uhhhHHHH. I don’t actually know what I’m strong at, so I’m just gonna list the things people tell me I’m good at.

- dialogue! apparently it’s Very Relatable and realistic

- accurately depicting neurodivergent people (gee i wonder how i managed that)

- making things feel very vivid and palpable, especially in emotionally charged scenes

- writing kids who act their age instead of like mini adults

- poetic turns of phrase out of the blue

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16. What are your writing weaknesses?

description. how much is too much? should i go lavish? people read Tolkien describing trees for three pages. can i get away with describing a dress for half a page??

.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

UHHHHH that’s a weird question. most of the dialogue i’ve written in ‘a different language’ for a fic is from a conlang (elvhen) so i don’t fuss too much over that. other than that, I do try to avoid it, or to keep the phrases something short that google translate isn’t likely to fuck up. if i was going to do anything more than like “where’s the bathroom” i’d find a native speaker to help me.

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18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

.....just like Snickie, I, too, first wrote for X-Men. specifically, Evolution. the fic(s) are still out there... on the internet... with their self-indulgent self-insert Mary Sues......

i was twelve, leave me be

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?  

anyone who goes here (here being my blog) knows the answer to this.

RED STRINGS AND LILAC SKIES

i don’t fuckin care if people think smut is gross. i think this story is art. i fucking love it and i am SO proud of it. i dead-ass bugged the boy about it until he read it and he’s never seen an episode of Naruto in his life and he thought it was good. i know it’s considered blase to like your own work but i think rs&ls is HELLA good.

I will not apologize for it, either.

.

tagging... @stsathyre @thornspun @nekophiliaff @favouritequeeronthecitadel

feel free to tag yo’self if this looks interestin to you, just tag me in it so i can creep on you... in a loving way.

[jackalgirl]

Quick Note & Glossary - Foreigner

(not the band)

I'd like to explain a little bit* of stuff for friends who are not familiar with C.J. Cherryh's s-f series, the one that starts with "Foreigner", if you're all confused about who the hell this Machigi guy I've been posting about lately and what's going on here.

* I'm totally lying. It's a lot.

TL;DR: the series is amazing and I highly recommend it. I will explain why below the cut because <sigh> as always with me, it's long.

Most of the stories take place on the earth of the atevi.

The atevi (singular: ateva) are the indigenous inhabitants of a planet in a star system Somewhere Out There. Hundreds of years ago, a human colony ship on its way to establish a colony in a known place got lost when something unexpected happened during travel through folded space. Eventually**, it ended up in the system of the atevi sun.

** Important other things happen that play into the politics of what the humans do next, and also later, in the series.

The humans realize that the only inhabitable planet in the system is already inhabited. The people there have reached their equivalent of the Steam Age. There is much argument as to what to do about this.

Ultimately***, a group of humans ends up on the planet.

*** I'm glossing over it, but it's important for Many Reasons.

At first, everything is great. The atevi (generally at least a head taller than your average human, with black skin and pointed ears, and golden eyes that, yes, pick up and amplify the light in low-light conditions and glow, like cats' eyes) and the humans appear to be getting along swimmingly. But it turns out that they are dangerously misreading each other, each assuming the other is wired like they are. They aren't. At their most fundamental levels, where it really counts, they are completely alien from one another, and while the humans have been handing over advanced technology to atevi under the mistaken impression that they are "friends", what they've actually been doing is destabilizing the atevi political and cultural landscape.

So the atevi go to war, during which they almost completely wipe the human settlement off the face of the earth.

Because those innate, wired-in, instinctive differences are so critically important, and because all of the languages of the atevi are really really really difficult (but the court language of the main political power in particular), an agreement is made between the atevi and humans: humans get their own enclave on a large island, and they'll stay there. There will be one, and only one, human who will be allowed by law to speak to the atevi (any atevi) in Ragi (the aforementioned language), and that is the paidhi -- the translator. This person will advise both the atevi and human governments and will be able (via veto power) to control the transfer of technology from humans to atevi in order to ensure that the rate is slow enough to allow atevi culture and politics to adapt to it while remaining stable.

The whole series is mostly from the point of view of Bren Cameron, who is the current paidhi, and deals with all of the things he has to deal with. I love him, because he is linguist and a diplomat, so when he gets into trouble, he armors and arms himself in words. He is not atevi, and that's what makes him useful to atevi -- he can see beyond their innate wiring and find angles and compromises that they might not have sussed out themselves (although, on the other hand, sometimes his own human wiring gets him into trouble too).

Some terms from Ragi (the lingua franca****, of the atevi)

**** Shut up, Max

aiji - ruler. Plural: aijiin. A gender-neutral term for the person in charge of an association (see below).

ateva - member of the sentient species of the world. Plural: atevi.

aishid - a close group of associates. Typically a lord will have four (4) bodyguards, who with the lord form the complete aishid unit of five (5).

ashidi'tat - association. An alliance of clans and/or sub-associations. On the world of the atevi, the most powerful association is the Western Ashidi'tat, led by Tabini-aiji. This is the atevi government that human government is bound, by law, to deal with (via the paidhi, see below). Machigi is the aiji of the Marid, an association of clans to the south, who for a great part of the series is responsible for a great deal of, shall we say inconvenience, for both Tabini and Bren (and everyone else).

paidhi - translator. Plural: paidhiin (although there's only supposed to be one. But as one would imagine, it does get complicated for Reasons as the series progresses). This is the human who, by law, is the single point of contact between human and atevi culture.

man'chi - attachment. Often defined as "loyalty", but that's a human word so it's not right, and it's much, much worse to try to define it as "friendship" (that sort of thing leads to wars). It is, in essence, a flocking instinct: an ateva's instinct to turn towards a leader. Most of the animal life on the world of the atevi experiences man'chi (it's not just the atevi). It is an instinct that all atevi have and feel it towards someone, with the exception of aijiin (who receive the man'chi of others, and it is that receiving of man'chi that binds them to duty) and unattached people who are the ateva equivalent of sociopaths. Because actual neural wiring is involved here, it is not at all a metaphor to say that aijiin are born, not made.

nadi - gender-neutral term of respect for non-nobles, a polite form of address. Plural: nadiin. Usually appended to the name (e.g., "Banichi-nadi").

nandi - gender-neutral term for a noble, an extremely polite form of address for the nobility. Plural: nandiin. Also usually appended to the name, but sometimes proceeds it (e.g., "Nand' Bren" or "Bren-nandi")

-ji - suffix of affection (e.g., "Banichi-ji").

A note on the Ragi language: atevi are hard-wired for math. This is part of what makes the language, especially the language used in court (which is absolutely necessary for diplomacy) so incredibly difficult. There are different pronouns and word-endings for different quantities of what's being talked about -- it's so rampant, in fact, that Bren discovers that he can do rapid mathematics in his head by simply thinking in Ragi. But as such, it is very, very, very rare for a human to ever become fluent, even after a lifetime of study. Bren Cameron is a truly extraordinary person in that he is.

Additionally, a deep deep feature of atevi culture (and this is mostly universal) is an understanding that, essentially, even numbers are unlucky and odd numbers are fortunate. An ateva will be very uncomfortable if presented with two options, for example -- they will be on edge, on a very deep psychological level, until a third option appears. The fact that human culture is often centered around duality is one of the many, many reasons why a paidhi is absolutely necessary.

[bulletproof-korean]

BTS 팔도강산 (Satoori rap)

This post will be a bit different (and way longer) because this song is in Korean dialects (사투리 in Korean) which is not ideal for language learners (can be confusing). However! I think Korean dialects are fun to tackle because there is such a variety and their sound is so unique. A disclaimer: I am not a native Korean speaker, I am still learning so if there are any mistakes you can let me know and I’ll fix it. And beware of my messy handwriting~

First of all, we have to talk about geography and more specifically Korean provinces because they mention them in the hook. On the picture below, you can see the main regions of South Korea as of today. 충청도, 경상도 and 전라도 are officially divided into their northern (북) and southern (남) parts [for example 전라북도, 경상남도] and the provinces officially do NOT include the metropolitan city areas (such as 서울특별시, 부산광역시 and so on).

So there is in total 9 provinces in today’s South Korea. 

The title of this track is 팔도강산, in hanja written as 八道江山 (eight, road, river, mountain) which is a four-character saying (사자성어) which can mean either “scenery of all parts of Korea” or “every corner of the land”.

강산 means either “landscape/scenery” or “country/land”

팔도 are the 8 provinces that Korea was divided into untill 1895 during the Joseon dynasty. They are still reflected in today’s division into provinces. Here they are (Jeju used to be part of 전라도):

BTS use the dialects from their respective hometowns (they talk about their 고향[hometown] in Ma City as well as in Where You From).

Most of them are from 경상도 and this dialect is often said to be the most “famous” one because it has some very distinct characteristics but we have each rap line member from a very different dialect region! 

(경상도) Jimin and Jungkook are from 부산, Yoongi (D-boy) and Taehyung are from 대구 - both cities have a (similar yet slightly different) strong and recognisable dialect - it’s often associated with tough guys and if a girl speaks it it makes her automaticaly cuter (many many dramas / movies are centered around it)

(경기도) Namjoon is from 일산 and Seokjin from 과천 - both are close to Seoul, the language used there is almost the “proper language” 표준어 but there is a slight dialect in 경기도 as well, different from 표준어

(전라도) Hoseok is from 광주 which also has a strong distinctive dialect (he  mentions his hometown in CNS), it’s known for sounding very cheerful, friendly and happy

Now let’s actually look at the lyrics. It helps a ton to recognize the dialect when you know what part of Korea each one of them is from 🤓 I will put the proper language in cursive:

RM: 서울 강원부터 경상도 충청도부터 전라도 From Seoul, Gangwon to Gyeongsang-do, Chungcheong-do to Jeolla-do

Jimin: 마마 머라카노 (What) 마마 머라카노 (What) [야 야 뭐라고 하니 (What) 야 야 뭐��고 하니 (What)]

Jimin starts it off, he is from 부산 so he uses 마 (short for 인마=buddy) instead of 야 (hey) and the phrase 모라카노 is well known, many people parody it, it means “what are you saying?”

RM: 서울 강원부터 경상도 충청도부터 전라도

J-Hope: 우리가 와불따고 전하랑께, 우린 멋져부러 허벌라게 [우리가 와버렸다고 전하라니까 , 우린 멋져 엄청나게]

Tell them that we’re here, we’re really cool 

랑께 and 부러 are some of the typical word endings in 전라도 사투리

Suga:  아재들 안녕하십니꺼 내카모 고향이 대구 아입니꺼 [아저씨들 안녕하십니까 내가 뭐, 고향이 대구 아니겠습니까 ]

Hello uncles/misters! Me? well my hometown is (obviously) Daegu

그캐서 오늘은 사투리 랩으로 머시마, 가시나 신경 쓰지 말고 한번 놀아봅시더 [그래서 오늘은 사투리 랩으로 남자, 여자 신경 쓰지 말고 한번 놀아봅시다]

So today let’s have fun with some satoori rap, no matter if you’re a guy or a girl

You can notice how instead of 다 and 까, Suga says 더, 꺼 and the terms 아재(아저씨), 머시마(남자) and 가시나(여자) are pretty well known across the country.

J-Hope: 거시기 여러분 모두 안녕들 하셨지라 [저기 여러분 안녕들 하셨지요?]

Hey everyone, have you been well?

거시기 is a famous word from 전라도 dialect that can be used as anything, that, umm, when you forget what somehting is called or even hey like 마/야

오메 뭐시여 요 물땜시 랩 하것띠야  [오머 뭐예요? 이 “물때문에” 랩 하겠어]

Oh my, what’s this? How can I rap in here? (there’s multiple translations for this part out there and I’m honestly not sure myself, help) 물 means water but if used as slang, it can mean atmosphere in a club or at a concert; 땜시 is a dialect for 때문에

아재 아짐들도 거가 박혀있지 말고 나와서 즐겨잉, 싹다 잡아블자고잉 [아저씨, 아주머니들도 거기 박혀있지 말고, 나와서 즐겨, 싹다 잡아버리자고]

Uncles and aunties too, don’t stay home, come out, have fun, let’s get everyone

other typical word endings for 전라도 are 잉, 띠야

V: 마 갱상도카모 신라의 화랑 후예들이 계속해서 자라나고 [야, 경상도라고 하면 신라의 화랑 후예드이 계속해서 자라나고 ]

Hey, speaking about Gyeongsang-do, there’s still descendants of Silla’s Hwarangs growing here

JK: 사투리하모 갱상도 아이가, 구수하고 정겨운게 딱 우리 정서에 맞다 아이가 [사투리하면 경상도 아니겠어? 구수하고 정겨운게 딱 우리 정서에 맞지 않아?]

When it comes to dialects, isn’t the Gyeongsang-do one the best? It’s tasty and warm/comfy, it fits just right to our sentiment

아이가 is a word that you use to ask “right?” but you don’t really expect a negative response. It’s kind of like ~지(요) but less polite

Also 갱상도 is not a typo but the actual way they’re calling 경상도 in the dialect

J-Hope: 아따 거거 우리도 있당께, 뭣좀 묵엇단까? 요 비빔밥 갑이랑께 [아, 그거 우리도 있어, 뭘 좀 먹었어? 이 비빔밥 최고야]

Ah, we have that too. Did you eat? This bibimbab is the best

The tastiest bibimbab is said to be from Jeonju (in Jeolla-do) and the whole region is famous for its cuisine.

아직 씨부리잠 새 발의 피이니께, 쫌따 벼, 개안하게 풀어블라니까 [아직 말하자면 새 발의 피니까, 좀 이따 봐, 시원하게  풀어볼거니까 ]

So to say, this is only a drop in the bucket (=insignificant amount), watch me a bit later, I’m going to let it out straight

Suga: 가가 가가? 이런 말은 아나? 갱상도는 억시다고? 누가 그카노?  [그 아이가 그 아이니? 이런 말을 알아? 경상도는 억세다고? 누가 그래?]

“Is that the one we’ve been talking about?” Do you know this phrase? That Gyeongsang-do dialect is rough..? Who said that?

가가 가가 is a very famous phrase from this dialect. You can see that Gyeongsang-do dialect shortens many words and has a lot of “rough” sounding word endings like 노, 라, 나... but it’s mostly a stereotype about the dialect

Jimin: 머라케샀노? [뭐라고 하는거야?] What are you saying?

Suga: 갱상도 정하모 아나바다 같은거지, 모 니가 직접와서 한번봐라 [경상도 정이라고 하면 아나바다 같은 거지. 뭐 네가 직접 와서 한번 봐라]

The 정 from Gyeongsang-do is all about sharing, well come see for yourself

JK: 아 대따 마 [아 됐어 인마] Man, that’s enough

Suga: 대구 머스마라서 두말 안한다카이  [대구 남자라서 두말 안한다니까]

I’m a guy from Daegu so I stick to my word

하모하모 갱상도 쥑인다 아인교,  아 주라 마, 우리가 어디 남인교  [그럼 그럼 경상도 죽이지, 아이한테 줘라 인마, 우리가 어디 남이야?]

Of course of course, Gyeongsang-do is the best, give it to a kid man, we aren’t strangers, are we?

Giving it to a kid is a phrase from baseball games, when the ball flies out into the audience, people shout 아주라 and you’re supposed to give the ball to the closest kid to it.

J-Hope: 시방 머라고라? 흐미 아찌아쓰까나 [지금 뭐라고 했어? 흠 어떻게 해야 할까]

What did you say? Hmm what should I do

전라도 씨부림땜시 아구지 막혀브러싸야 [전라도 말하는 것 때문에 말문이 막혔어?]

Did your mouth get blocked because we’re talking about Jeolla-do?

I only noticed thanks to a video but 시방 and 씨부리다 really do sound like 씨발*, the infamous swear word (was that intentional Hobi?)

흑산도 홍어코 한방 잡수믄 된디, 온몸 구녕이란 구녕은 막 다 뚫릴 텬디 [흑산도 홍어코 한 입 잡수면 되는데, 온몸 구멍이란 구멍은 막 다 뚫릴 텐데]

Heuksan-do, skate fish, you just need to taste it once, every hole in your body will open 

- Your mouth is blocked so have a taste of the stingray to open it up.

거시기 뭐시기 음 괜찮것소? 아직 팔구월 풍월 나 애가졌쏘 [저기 뭐 음 괜찮겠어? 아직 팔구월이지만 풍족한 달이지 나 아기를 가졌어]  

That that/hey you, umm, are you ok? I’m pregnant with a kid in the 8~9th month

무등산 수박 크기 20키로 장사여, 겉만 봐도 딱 가시내 울릴 방탄여 무등산 수박 크기 20키로 장사야, 겉만 봐도 딱 여자 아이들 울릴 방탄이야

It’s as big as the watermelons from Mt. Mudeung, a strong guy of 20kg, just look at him, he’s a bangtan who is going to make girls cry

Very big watermelons, can be twice as big as the usual watermelon, from Mt. Mudeung, in Gwangju. (a tall mountain and huge watermelons - a metaphor for success and rise of BTS?)

Here they’re just arguing hahaha

Suga: 형아가 좀 솔직히 함 생각해봤는데 경상도 남자가 좀 잘생긴 거 같다 [형이 좀 솔직히 한 번 생각해봤는데 경상도 남자가 좀 잘생긴 것 같다]

I’ve been thinking, and honestly, I think men from Gyeongsang province are more handsome

J-hope: 형님 거 아니어요 형님 [형님 그게 아니에요 형님] Hyung-nim, that’s not it, hyung-nim

Suga: 맞다니까 I said it’s true

J-Hope: 아니랑께 [아니라니까] I said it isn’t

Suga: 맞다니까 I said it’s true

J-Hope: 아따 조용히 하쇼 그냥 [아 조용히 하세요 그냥] Just be quiet

RM: 아 이 촌놈들 난 Seoul state of mind Ah, you country bumpkins, I have a Seoul state of mind

난 서울에서 나서 서울말 잘 배웠다 I was born in Seoul (technically in Ilsan) and learned the Seoul language well

요즘은 뭐 어디 사투리가 다 벼슬이다만 그래 인정할게, 악센트들이 멋은 있다 Though lately dialects elevate/signify your position, okay, I’ll admit, the accents are cool

하지만 여긴 표준인 만큼 정직해 But here, this is the standard so it’s honest

처음과 끝이 분명하고 딱 정립된 한국말의 표본으로 정리되지 It’s set as a prime example of well-established Korean that has a clear beginning and end

Only ours goes with English, yall never understand it

Okay 솔직히 솔직해질게 Okay, I’ll be honestly honest

경상도 사투리는 남자라면 쓰고 싶게 만들어 Gyeongsang-do satoori makes guys want to use it

전라도 말들은 너무나 친근해, 한번 입에 담으면, 어우야, 내가 다 기쁘네 Jeolla-do words are so friendly, once I “put it in my mouth”, wow, I become so happy

Why keep fighting 결국 같은 한국말들 Why keep fighting, in the end, it’s all the same Korean

올려다봐 이렇게 마주한 같은 하늘 Look up, we’re facing the same sky like this

살짝 오글거리지만 전부다 잘났어 It’s a bit cringy but all the dialects are great

말 다 통하잖아? 문산부터 마라도 We can all communicate, right? From Munsan to Mara-do

Munsan is in the north of SK, close to the DMZ and Panmunjom Mara-do is a tiny island south of Jeju island and it’s the southernmost part of SK

I got help from DKDKTV’s explanation video because otherwise it would be almost impossible for me to translate 😭 and they have really nice clips to demonstrate how it sounds as well so I recommend you check it out ^^

I included my interpretation at times though, I don’t agree 100% with their translations so it’s a teeny tiny bit different. 

The dance is also made so that members from the same regions rap together/hype each other up (right off, V is hyping up Suga). J-Hope has RM and Jin as hypemen because he’s the only one from 전라도.

And it’s basically one big argument that RM ends with “we’re all Korean, stop fighting” 😁

[checkoutafrica]

Urban Village; A legacy in the making

Soweto based 4-piece band, Urban Village, have released a new EP, UBABA, their debut for Parisian label Nø Førmat! (home to Oumou Sangaré, Blick Bassy & Mélissa Laveaux). Marrying the day-to-day experiences of black South Africans with ebullient elements from traditional Zulu music, Urban Village is the alias of four experimental musicians all born and raised in the township of Soweto at the tail end of Apartheid; singer/flautist Tubatsi Mpho Moloi, guitarist Lerato Lichaba, drummer Xolani Mtshali and bassist Simangaliso Dlamini.

Urban Village’s UBABA 4-track EP is released with a new single and visuals carrying the same title. The video created for Ubaba (which translates as ‘father’) by fast-rising filmmaker Justice Mukheli is an evocative rendering of daily life in one of the many Soweto hostels which in the 1900s housed black male South Africans, forcibly separated from their families whilst working in the city’s mines. Speaking about the video, Urban Village note; “Justice is our brother from Soweto. From the moment we discussed his vision for the Ubaba video we trusted he would bring the song to life on the screen. The video shows the different roles played by fathers in society; to nurture, to care, to love, and to protect their families. Salute to all the Ubabas out there present in the house”.

How long did it take you guys to settle on the name Urban Village and why that name? Did you guys have any other names in mind?

In a simpler way, the name Urban Village had already been formed by Lerato Ntsane Lchiba in 2013 when conceptualising on the vision for the music. It took the first thought on the name to settle on it and the name came from an inspiration of our residential field in Johannesburg- Soweto location and there were no other names prior that we ad tried before.

 How long have you guys been a group and how did the group form? 

The concept for the ban was formed in 2013 as you know. Lerato Ntsane Lchiba (Guitar and Backing vocals). He invited Tubatsi Mpho Moloi (Lead Vocals, flute, mbira and guitar) whom he met as a teenager at local jam sessions, Xolani Mtshali (Drums and Backing Vocals) was next to join, with Siman Galiso Dlamini (Bass) the final ‘villager’ to come into the group. Each member was originally friends from childhood coming together to pursue their musical dreams together in this lifetime.

 What was it like growing up in Mzimhlophe in Soweto?  

Growing up in Mzimhlophe has been very interesting due to its a place that was politically driven and most old artists and leather gurus spent their time. It also overlooks the landscape of the city of Johannesburg and thus has the township’s vibrant energy and vibe.

 How would you describe Maskandi to people that have never heard this style of music?  

Maskandi music is one of the traditional music forms of South Africa sound scape, it’s genre mainly played by zulu culture people and it’s musical language amongst the Nguni people. 

How would you describe Urban Villages sound because I see that you guys like to blend a lot of genres together?  

The sound of the Urban Village is layered with elements of folk, maskandi, rock, jazz – a blend of the modern and the traditional. Growing up in Soweto played a major role on how we merge the folk/ indigenous sounds and the experimental modern world music sound. Keeping the identity is the deliberate delivery as we are messengers of the values of our culture.

What is the story of your ep, what is UBABA about?  

With our first Ubaba EP, we took inspiration from the rich musical heritage of South African soil. A totally original synthesis of Zulu guitars, indie- folk, maskandi, South African choirs, and jazz, all carried along by an undoubtable energy and charisma. The project opens with the powerful folk of “Ubaba”; then comes “Izivunguvungu” with its poetic sanza loops and harmonious choruses borrowed from the Zulu music style Isicathamiya; “sakhisizwe” follows with its contagious riffs and maskandi guitar melodies and message of “building a nation”. Finally, french DJ and producer Chloé has revisited Izivunguvungu with a trippy and techno twist – to spread “the spirit of futurist indie-folk through nightclubs”. This EP is a journey through all the colours of Soweto, a dormitory town designed to better monitor those who were sent there, that has become the laboratory of music where the hopes of an entire people resonate, even today.

Explain the visuals of the UBABA video.  

This story is a period piece that captures everyday life in a Soweto-based hostel during the 90s. The song, entitled Ubaba (Father) and the inspiration behind the film is centred around a place that was predominantly for men, most of them Ubaba’s (Father’s). During the apartheid regime, hostels were a tactic from the regime to separate  Ubaba’s (Father’s) from their families, most of them working themselves to an early death in Johannesburg’s mines. The visuals explore those spaces and all the activities that happen in the environment. We see all aspects of emotion from vulnerable male figures, unity, love, dedication, and talent.

 If you could describe Soweto in 3 words what would they be?  

Soweto is vibrant, cultured and legendary   

What are your hopes for the future of SA music? 

Our hopes for the future of music SA music is to grow more and get more opportunities in our media space for alternative traditional music    

Our hopes for the future of SA music is to grow more and get more opportunities in our media space for alternative traditional music.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

In 10 years we see ourselves running an art based initiative of sharing skills and engagement to empower young aspiring arts. Feet in the tradition, head in the future.

Listen to their EP here;

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[what-even-is-thiss]

Fic, Off of Land, Out of Water, Part 1, Time.

Yeah this is part 1 of the merman fic I should’ve posted like a month ago. I’ve got the first three parts written. There will probably be six in total. It involves both humans and merpeople heavily so I hope you like it. Only the core four are here so don’t ask where the dark sides are.

Warnings: None I can think of. 1,986 words

Abstract: It’s time for something to happen. Logan and Virgil have different ideas about what it’s time for. Virgil knows more than he’s willing to admit.

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1. Time.

Logan floated along lazily, smelling the dust he occasionally sent up into the water. A turtle swam above him. Technically he probably shouldn’t be in waters this shallow but today it would be the only place to get some alone time. There would be people all over town, getting ready for the new years celebration and the graduations tomorrow. The boats above still wouldn’t see him. It wasn’t a big deal. He closed his eyes.

“Stone and stone they placed, ten thousand strong.” he mumbled to himself. “Sand compressed to glass and…”

“Practicing?” said a familiar, ominously deep voice.

Logan opened his eyes. A fanged smooth face hung several feet in the water above him, the messy black, silver, and white pattern on his tail made for camouflage in much deeper waters than these, his light freckled skin free of scales and contradicting what his tail normally would have done for him.

Logan smiled with his mouth closed, refusing to return his friend’s playful threat.

“And where have you been?” Logan asked.

The other merman turned upside down.

“Not so much as a ‘Oh, so good to see you, Virgil.’ Christ.”

“What?” Logan asked. He didn’t understand that last word.

“Nothing.” Virgil said quickly, also turning himself right side up. “I’ve been out exploring. You know me. Scared of people. Need some time away. Whatever.”

Logan turned himself upright as well. “Well did you remember where you went this time?”

“I’ve conveniently forgotten it again.” Virgil said in a series of noises and clicks.

Up until now they had been speaking in English. Logan wondered about this. Normally he and Virgil spoke English together. Virgil spoke the local human language very well. He had taught Logan when they were younger. It was like a secret code between them. He had given Logan a “human name” as he called it.

……….

“Logan sounds like logic.” thirteen year old Virgil had said.

“Okay.” thirteen year old Logan had said, counting the decaying plastic beads they had found just outside the city, arranging and rearranging them in his hand. “So humans made these?”

“Yeah they make them out of oil or whatever.” Virgil had said. “Uh, I haven’t…” he made a series of clicks to translate the word “oil”

Logan shivered at that word. He remembered a story that he was made to memorize from just before his own lifetime. A story of a human boat carrying that substance that had caused a great famine that had forced all of them to move to their current location. A location where he, and he assumed Virgil, was born.

“How could something that destructive make these?” Logan asked.

Virgil carefully picked all of the purple ones out of Logan’s hand and shrugged. He left the blue ones.

“Don’t go finding out, Logan. It’s not worth it.” he had said.

……….

In the present day Logan fingered the ruined beads held to his wrist by a braided rope. He did this purely out of habit. He also double checked to see that Virgil was wearing the purple ones purely out of habit. He was. Logan switched to the mer language, guessing that maybe Virgil wanted to practice. He did have sort of a speech impediment. For all Logan knew he had been teaching him the wrong pronunciation for the human words all of these years.

“So are you graduating too?” Logan asked.

“Tomorrow? I doubt it. I’ll probably never graduate if I’m being honest.” Virgil said.

They both started swimming against the current to go back to the city. The water opened up dark and deep below them as they left the reefs. Virgil was always a faster swimmer and never really slowed down. Logan had to strain to keep up with him. Virgil slowed as they began swimming downwards.

The city was carved into rocks and lit by the sun. Sunlight captured in glass orbs, jars, and bottles that would look like windchimes if the current didn’t blow them sideways and encourage them to float.

As they slowed down even more, Logan grabbed ahold of Virgil’s arm. Virgil didn’t protest and pulled him along, giving the weaker merman some rest.

“Hey blank face! You’re back!” someone yelled from a window.

“Who was that?” Virgil asked.

“Doesn’t matter. Ignore them.” Logan said, pulling Virgil’s head away from the source of the calling. “Can’t have you killing anyone today.”

“I don’t kill people.” Virgil said, obviously resisting the urge to look around for whoever had called him the name. “I just… get defensive.”

……….

Logan grabbed the new kid’s face and whistled in genuine interest.

“You have no scales on your face.” Logan said. He pulled his arm and looked at his back. “Or anywhere else but your tail.”

The new kid backed up quickly and looked horrified. He showed his fangs in a serious way.

“Don’t touch me!” he said, his words slurring together and sounding almost like a two year old.

Amused clicks, whistles, and laughs sounded around the classroom. Logan looked at the other teenagers kicking up sand with their tails and arms and clearly having fun at this kid’s expense. The teacher on break in the corner was carving something into the stone wall. It didn’t look like she was going to intervene.

Logan took a breath, letting the saltwater clear his head.

“Apologies.” he said, holding his hand out, palm up. “I was unaware that you don’t like to be touched. It is unusual but I’ll adjust.”

The other kid seemed to be unsure of what to do but after a moment carefully placed his palm on top of Logan’s, formally accepting the apology.

“I’m Virgil.” he said. “Watch yourself.”

“Can I ask about the scar?”

“Absolutely not.”

……….

It was routine at this point. Had been for years. They got back to Logan’s parents’ apartment, now just Logan’s apartment.

“Can I ask about the scar?”

“No.”

Always the same. Almost like an acknowledgement that they were home. A greeting. Except for this time.

“Can I ask about the scar?”

Virgil paused as he adjusted the magic bottle full of sunlight hanging in the middle of the room to be slightly brighter. He ran his fingers through his short black hair. He looked back at Logan. With the way his eyes moved it looked like he was considering the different shades of blue scales winding around his friend’s torso until they rested just above his eyes on his forehead.

“Tomorrow.” Virgil said.

Logan paused.

“What?”

“You can ask me about it tomorrow.”

“Why tomorrow? Is it because we’re coming of age? Graduation?”

“You’ll see.” Virgil said solemnly. “Or hopefully you won’t.”

Logan was immune to Virgil’s cryptic tone at this point so he shrugged it off.

“Alright. Are you staying here or going to your place?”

“Staying.”

They secured the doors and slept together. It’s not like merpeople have to hold each other while they sleep anymore. They live in a modern world. They have buildings now. The tides won’t take them away from each other. But instincts die hard. Old habits die hard. Old assumptions die hard.

So they clung to each other through the night, on the stone floor. Logan slept. Virgil just listened to him breathe, hearing the water move impossibly through a human-like respiratory system. In his dreams Logan thought he heard a voice.

“Why don’t you question why we have lungs?” It said.

……….

“You are swimming off again?” Logan asked.

Virgil stopped. His bare back and arms tensed and then relaxed when he registered who it was. He floated slightly away with the current.

“You’re my only friend here. If I’m forced to keep coming back I’ll always come back to you.” Virgil said.

“Fine, don’t tell me where you go. But if you miss our graduation I…” Logan couldn’t finish.

“Your graduation.” Virgil said, turning around. “I will never graduate from this.”

“Falsehood.” Logan said.

“I wish I’d never taught you that word.” Virgil said.

The buildings towered above Virgil’s often abandoned sand level apartment. Crabs and other bottom feeders often wandered into it by mistake only to be crushed under Virgil’s bare hands. Unlike almost every other merperon Logan knew Virgil didn’t carve pictures into his walls. They were just as blank as his upper skin. Except of course for the…

No, it was impolite to harp on that more than he already did.

“Where do you even go?” Logan asked. “We left the north seas generations ago. Nobody knows who we are in that area of the ocean. I’ve been trying to figure it out, and you won’t tell me. If I’m your only friend then it’s only logical I should know everything about you, but I know nothing. It has been almost ten new years since we met. Still I don’t know why you live alone or who your parents are.”

“My parents aren’t from here.” Virgil said.

“Then where?” Logan asked. “A twenty two year old shouldn’t be living alone unless your parents are dead like mine. I have tolerated this for far too long. Who are you?”

Virgil swam close fast and put both hands on Logan’s shoulders, a gesture that Logan had only ever seen Virgil use for a friend. A frightening gesture that usually meant dominance over a slain enemy but for some reason in Virgil’s world meant that he was about to tell you something serious. Something that requires your full attention.

“I am an adult, Logan. I am more of an adult than you. You don’t understand yet but you will. Until I come back, don’t go to the surface.”

“I was not planning on it.” Logan said. “I’ve never been there. Why would I start now?”

“Good.”

Logan tried following him. He said “But you’re not an adult. What are-“

Virgil swam away too fast for Logan to keep up. He didn’t finish his sentence. It wouldn’t be logical if Verge couldn’t hear him. Logan watched the distance until his friend was just a dark speck in the water, no bigger than a normal fish swimming about. Logan considered yelling. Letting out a long sorrowful farewell akin to the crying of a whale. But that would be too public. Not like him. Not like Virgil. It would be too primitive. He began reciting things to himself instead.

“And then the ancients learned to shape the sand and the magic henceforth remaned in…”

……….

“Did you sleep?” Logan asked.

“No.” Virgil said

“It is tomorrow. How did you get the large inverted scar on your stomach?”

“Logan, what do you know about human history?”

“Nothing.”

“Do you know what I work to memorize and why I will never graduate?”

“No. Because you will graduate even if you don’t tell me what you are memorizing.”

“What is your job again, Logan?” Virgil asked.

“To preserve the knowledge of our community. To memorize our history and the history of merpeople worldwide as much as I can. I am being tested on this today. I will have to recite all that I’ve learned since birth. I was chosen. You know this. You were chosen too. You are studying to be…”

“You don’t know enough then.” Virgil said. “Hopefully you make it to the test.”

“What’s with the scar?”

“Do you know how humans are born?”

“Like mammals?”

“Than you should know what this scar is.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. The test will be starting soon. I knew you wouldn’t tell me.”

“I’ll tell you after the test. If we have time.”

“Oh I am so sure of that. That last statement was sardonic.”

Virgil didn’t laugh at that like he usually did  when Logan pointed out that he was being sarcastic. Instead he nervously looked around and followed Logan out the door.

“You seem nervous. We are adults now.” Logan said.

Virgil took a shaky breath.

“That’s exactly why.”Next