#also like. sometimes i think. maybe chapter 3 isn't as bad as i remember. maybe folks actually do care.

[thoseyoulove]

Reacting to The Vampire Lestat - Part II (with a bit of spoilers)

I found out my problem with the narration and description isn't with Anne, but Lestat. That dude sometimes focuses on the most useless stuff instead of telling what is happening or what he's feeling. I'm like, Lestat de Lioncourt, get your priorities (not) straight? But it's not much of a problem anymore now, because it gives me a better idea of who he is and how he thinks, so I appreciate that. I enjoy the immersion, even with someone as chaotic and as distracted as he is.

Turns out when Lestat FINALLY gives me a good picture of things, it's with the WORST event possible.

Remember what Louis said about the little drink? That's the whole experience from the moment Magnus kidnaps Lestat, turns him, kills himself before his eyes and leaves him completely alone. Multiply your worst case scenario by a trillion.

Not that I would want Magnus to stay, God forbid, but the next moment is still pretty bad. You might believe it gets better after his death, but it's not immediately.

Lestat goes from being too frozen to move, to fighting with every fiber of his being and then trying to take it as a positive thing? Which, well, it's a realistic reaction to it, but also heartbreaking.

It's not exactly "rape", but it has pretty much everything a rape can have without penetration? So it basically felt like the same thing to me.

It's quite a long chapter, it's considerably graphic (at least for me), took me over 2 hours to finish it (maybe it was even closer to 3 hours, I don't remember anymore, but I struggled a lot), I kept taking pauses, whenever I thought it was over it kept going and kept getting worse.

It is well-written in the way that makes sense, that moves the story, that narrates and describes what's happening with details, that you can really picture it in your head, that is extremely intense and emotional... But it's obviously not an exciting part.

I feel bad for the way Lestat immediately shifts afterwards and tries to make the most of it. Not that I wanted him to be miserable and feeling sorry for himself, but I'm like, something terrible happened to you and it's okay to take time to deal with it. I'm not even sure he understands how traumatic that was? If he does, he doesn't acknowledge it, let alone admit it. Not even to himself. And it's just frustrating.

Even after I read it, it stuck with me and took me more than a day to get over. I kept remembering it even when I was doing totally different stuff.

It's cool to navigate through things with him as Lestat finds more about how his body and powers operate.

When he went to the village and began to experiment with his powers was fun. Him jumping, cutting trees and whatever the other silly things he was doing and I can't fully remember... It was like an ADHD child high on sugar and sort of cute.

Is that presence... Armand?

You can take the man out of the church, but you can't take the church out of the man (or the vampire), apparently.

This probably isn't necessary, but I want that scene that he sees the house with the family and reads their thoughts? The idea of seeing the thoughts of babies is so sweet... It's not even for him, it's more of a me thing, I guess. I would just like to see it. I don't know. Maybe I'm being too sensitive and PMSing lol. Don't @ me.

Lestat has kissed so many people at this point and he hardly gives details, so I'm like, what are you kissing? A cheek? A hand? A mouth? Is it a friendly peck on the lips? Is it tongue-kissing? Elaborate? I mean, I don't care because the way he does it feels as trivial as a fart lmao. The only one he really has a deeper relationship with so far is Nicki, so I only kind of care about Lestat with him. It's not really a problem, but I just find the whole thing vague and ridiculous lol.

It's not even Lestat that has BPD, but BPD has Lestat at this point. The man is intense, has crazy mood swings, has extreme reactions to things, engages in dangerous behavior, is highly irresponsible with money, has a chronic fear of being alone... I know one when I see it. And vampirism didn't fix it, it only made it worse.

A bit off topic, but there's something about France that is so enchanting? I've always been obsessed with it in some ways, some places, the architecture, the language, the art... It's not like I'm a big nerd or anything, I can't barely name stuff to save my life, but just looking, hearing and thinking about it... There's just some charm to it. I've realized that the simple fact of stories being set in France makes me excited for some reason. I would love if they filmed there and in some of my favorite spots (cough Sainte-Chapelle and Carcassonne cough), for the mere reason it would look gorgeous and they should because I said so. Maybe in a past life I lived there or something, but I've always had that fascination, God knows why.

"Why the hell did Anne write and word it like that?" moment #1, I guess. At least it was fast and I can erase it from my memory.

The book has gotten quite faster and more eventful now, it's definitely better than when I first started it. I hate when it takes too long for things to happen, so this pace is good. And crucial moments happen pretty early on, which I appreciate. It's nice to know I've read some of the most important events by now, even as disturbing as they are. One of the downsides of being in this fandom is not having the full information, so already knowing part of the big events is satisfying.

P.S. Nothing is permanent, opinions might change and this is based on Lestat's narration, which can be unreliable. I'm reading the books so I can find out more about the characters, what potential events might happen in the show, what I can expect etc. This is my favorite show in the universe, so I want to be as informed as possible. I have no idea if I'll become a legit fan of the books or not, but so far I'm enjoying it. I'm posting these comments only for fun.

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

Hey, not to be a downer during pride month but I am really struggling with accepting that I am probably aromantic. At this moment of my journey into accepting myself it just feels like I got robbed of something that the majority of people get to experience and I guess I am just grieving that.

Maybe someone has some experience or knows of ways to tackle this feeling. <3

Don't feel bad for struggling, Anon. Some people have a hard time accepting their identity, but it's very normal. It's also OK to mourn the identity or life you thought you would have. And it's OK to take time to grieve.

I think aromanticism can be especially hard to accept sometimes because as a culture we often get inundated with the messaging that romance/romantic love, etc are a very important if not the most important thing in our lives.

So my first bit of advice would be unlearning that messaging. It helps that it's not true, romance and romantic partners are a thing people have found meaning and fulfilment in but it's A. not something everyone finds these things in, including alloromantic people, B. it's not the only thing people find meaning and fulfilment in, and C. It's not the always the most important thing people find meaning and fulfilment in.

In real life people are diverse and where we find fulfilment, what has meaning in our lives, etc. varies from person to person. There's no one size fits all, or no one path we have to follow to find happiness and meaning. For some people that path is romance and kids, etc. For others the answers may be in following a passion, working for a cause, seeking out spiritual fulfilment, making different types of connections, or many other things.

It's also important not to put romance on a pedestal. This can cause problems even for alloromantic people because it creates unrealistic expectations and puts of a lot of pressure for people to be in a romantic relationship even if the relationship may not be great. It's important to know and understand that romance isn't necessary to be happy and fulfilled even if it may still be important to certain people.

Also while being aromantic may feel restricting, on another level it's also an opportunity to figure out what you do like or want. Some aros do still enjoy romance, or romance in some contexts. Some aros are more averse to romance, but still want some type of life partner like a QPR. Some aros would rather be single, but have another life path they want to follow or care about. It can take time to figure out what feels right for you, but it can be fun to explore and learn about yourself too.

My third bit of advice is seek out other aros. This can be as easy as following aro accounts and people who identify as aro on social media. It can be seeking out communities, either online or offline (some local lgbtqia+ chapters can also be useful for this), it can be seeking out media with aro characters (there's a decent amount of books and podcasts with aro characters too you can easily find through searching). People are social creatures, and finding people like us and people comfortable being like us can go a long way to helping us feel at home in our own skin too.

This is a lot, don't feel like you have to work through everything you're dealing with right away. Remember that there's also usually a gap between knowing something logically and feeling it emotionally. These things take time to process. So take your time, mourn if you need to, and go at your own pace.

Hopefully this is helpful. But if you have more questions or want anything clarified, don't be afraid to send in another ask.

All the best, Anon!

[sucantslay]

Natsume Sakasaki -Analysis

(from Reminiscences Selection ELEMENT)

and more?

DISCLAIMER + WARNING!!!

I said it before, but I'll have to say it again that this is my PERSONAL ANALYSIS. If anything feels out of place, pls, feel free to have your own thoughts on this. ( Maybe your p.o.v is different from mine )

My English is bad...sorry, but I'll continue to improve it!

I'm not good with analysis so if anything makes you confused, pls do ask. I would love to help you with any problem(that I'm capable of)

Ok~ Let's go!

For those who think the war didn't affect on Natsume much since he looked un-scratch. Then, the answer is a no and yes.

I'm not going to talk about it like, fine by physic and hurt by mental because ( except Eichi ) none character at the end of the war got any physical problem on them. Mostly came from mental then it affects their physical state like Rei or Shu.

Kanata? No, he just lost his beliefs and changed for the better good ( Chiaki saved him in time )

Rei? Got sent away and later on turned into a daunting old man. In his case, he had a bad relationship with Ritsu and his mental problem affected on him made him act and do things like a granny.

Shu, got defeated and had a mental problem after that ( He's getting better later on )

Wataru is...kinda ok actually. Since he was able to figure out Eichi's plan so it didn't do much on him.

Natsume was being protected by the 2yr members of 5 Eccentic so of course, no damage was taken either.

But the thing is, Natsume wasn't able to join the real fight, most of the time, he had to stay back and watch as all his Nii-san fell apart. One by one.

Like, when all your friends got hurt but you can't do anything but stand aside and witness their fall down.

That is why he was so angry. He feels left out.

And he blames it on himself, that he's not as good as them, and that's why he never got a chance to stand up and fight with them.

Now, let's go back in time *click click the turnback button*

He does look a bit uncomfortable when he meets Tsumugi, but most of that is after he knows that Tsumugi knew he's past.

It's like: "Oh...no no, I hate that time and I hate you for being the witness of that old me. Too bad I can't make that memory disappear out of your head so I'm just kinda uncomfortable with you for remembering that stuff."

He starts to get a little un-friendly but then later on, it gets worse, when he learns that Tsumugi is a member of Fine and watches Eichi as his friend.

He goes soft when being with the 5 Eccentric for sure.

But it is still nothing compared to the mad and hatter-like after the war ended. When he ignores Tsumugi and anyone he doesn't care or give a sh^t about. ( He does care about Tsumugi. Sometimes he just acts a little unsettled with anyone he doesn't care/know about. It's not a completely don't care but...ya know what I mean )

( From Chapter 3/ In the rose garden )

So, what made him become like this? It was the war.

It is a yes when it comes to the war's effect on him. It's not as heavy as Shu or Rei or a total change in look and understanding like Kanata but it did have some effect on him.

Hence, it doesn't mean that he's fine. He's better than most but not fine.

How you do think that THAT big of an event can't be able to do something to him. It does!

And to whoever writes his character, I wish your pillow cold on both sides! Because he is such an interesting character to look into.

It's worth pointing out that the feeling of Natsume being an outsider isn't just an experience for him but also for the reader, the viewer who watches the anime and Element 3D version.

Consider the fact that in each episode, an Eccentric was being defeated or was mentioned about their fall.

There was nothing about Natsume but locking himself in a room and keep on writing the script for a happy ending that he was yearning for.

( this is a part of the Black Bird story/ the moment when the script got burned )

Kanata was defeated, then came Shu.

At the time Natsume was writing the script, it was already the end of it all. The situation can no longer be saved.

The Eccentric Party Night? It was all Natsume's dream.

The time when he gets to be with all his beloved Nii-san is in Episode 2. Then later on in Episode 5 when the last Eccentric are being executed.

It was the beginning and the end.

And I don't think if Natsume's plan got accepted by Wataru mean they'll win either. Yes, it is bad for the school as Wataru and Eichi mentioned in Episode 6, but I'm scared for the others who have already been defeated, can they able to gather strength after all the brutal executes their been through.

Simultaneously, the students still hate them. Their anti-fan exists.

They'll have to survive another war even if Eichi's already been taken down.

So in conclusion, if we put the Eccentric Party Night scene out of the picture, then Natsume does seem to be left out.

That why he was so mad, that why he wanted revenge. Even if none of his Nii-san want to, he wants it. Not just for them but also for himself.

He wants a chance to stand up with his own two feet, defeat the bad guy, and show all his beloved brothers that he has finally grown up.

Last but not least! He feels betrayed when Wataru joins Fine. But I think he did understand Wataru's decision. That why he still call Wataru his Nii-san, that why he just a little crappy but not a totally hated form of treatment for Wataru.

You can say he has a soft spot for Wataru, but he didn't beg nor have any rejection over it, he just went: "Why did my beloved Nii-san have to stay in the same unit as that demon...now it is even harder to take him down...what a headache."

He knows Wataru well, and lets Wataru do as he likes. And I think that was a very grown-up of him. After all that begging for the plan to be accepted by Wataru. After all that panic and suffering for his older senior to win it even if there was already no redo.

The Natsume now is calmer than before. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and more room for development, but yes, he may have some improve.

That all~ That alL~ ThaNk yOU for REAding~ XoxO!

Also made one for Tsumugi in the past if you want to read another analysis: https://www.tumblr.com/sucantslay/745663127662837760/aoba-tsumugi-analysis-from-the-animation

[sacred-stanning]

Chapter 9 Part 5: Lute and Vanessa <3

To start us off, Lute gets rid of this last reinforcement. After this, we can finally start moving up to the chests and Tana above, and to the boss room entrance down and to the right.

Franz gets the Luna mage.

I mentioned Luna's bad hit rates and 0 might before, but here we can see just how dire it is. 28 is awful hit, and since all the attack comes from the user's magic stat with no added might from the tome itself, it isn't even that dangerous in a low-level enemy's hands. Even if this guy actually did hit and crit Franz, he still wouldn't kill him.

I start to move Vanessa forward, and...Oh! What's this? A support conversation?

...with Lute???

So, some of you may have been able to guess from the very tiny and subtle clues I've dropped here and there, but I absolutely love Lute, so I'm actually going to look at this support a bit.

It starts off with Vanessa saying, "Ah, you're...Lute, right?"

I remember at least a couple of other Lute supports start off with the other person not being sure of what her name is. It's consistent enough a factor that we can guess that Lute doesn't really socialize a whole lot with people in the army. It's not surprising given her personality and her obsessive interest in specific things.

After introducing herself, Vanessa introduces her pegasus, Titania.

At which point, Vanessa has stumbled on one of Lute's interests: creatures.

So Lute proceeds to monopolize the conversation and info dump on Vanessa.

She starts by talking about the different names for pegasus. This part in Japanese involves her not only using the katakana, foreign-derived word "pegasus", but also two kanji-based words, "sky horse" and "has wings horse".

Kind of like how we often use Latin or Greek based words in English when we want to sound fancy, or for technical terms (due to the history of Europe's obsession with the Greeks and Romans often being viewed as the "initiators of European civilization") in Japanese there is a tendency for words made up of combined Chinese characters to sound more stiff, or like technical terms. In many cases, this is because these are literal loan words that Japanese educated people adopted into their language, sometimes a couple hundred-thousand years ago when China was viewed as a center of culture and learning.

I think a good example could be the word she uses for "sky horse". The two characters are jammed together, and usually in those cases, the "Chinese" reading is used, which is true here too, "Tenma". (Like I mentioned above, the "Chinese" reading is based on the pronunciation of the characters that some Japanese guy got from the Asian mainland at some point in history. Many kanji have multiple readings like this since there are many different Chinese languages in different areas of what's now China, languages also change over time, and of course, Japanese phonology is radically different from any Chinese phonology, so the pronunciations are more like approximations of how some group of Chinese people read the character at some point in time. If you look in a detailed kanji dictionary, it will often tell you the Chinese dynasty/ies in power at the time the character's reading(s) was/were adopted into Japanese.)

If this word were using "Japanese" readings of the characters, it would probably be "Sora no uma". Just based on feels, "Tenma" sounds a bit fancier and stiffer, whereas "Sora no uma" sounds very straightforward because the words "sora" (sky) and "uma" (horse) are used in everyday conversation, whereas the parts of "Tenma", "ten" and "ma" are not used on their own usually.

I explain all of this because it's interesting how it's coincidently very similar to something we can see in English too. Take a word like "autograph". It's two Greek words, "self" and "write" jammed together. These words aren't used on their own usually. (I mean, maybe this is a bad example since these two parts both are used on their own, but that's only because "auto" can be short for "automobile", and "graph" can also mean a table or chart. What I really mean is, we don't use "graph" as the word "write" in English on its own. No one says, "Please graph your name on this line here.") But these parts are frequently used to express meaning as parts of words.

Imagine how "self write" (both Germanic words) would sound in place of "autograph"? It sounds very basic, almost too straightforward. This same thing that we do in English all the time with Latin/Greek/Norman based words is similar to what they do in Japanese with the distinction between words with an "original Japanese" origin versus a "Chinese" origin.

In English, germanic words often sound straightforward and basic. In Japanese, Japanese origin words often sound more straightforward. In the same way, in English, words made up of Latin/Greek/Norman French parts often sound more educated or technical. And in Japanese, that's often the case for words made up of combined kanji using the "Chinese" readings.

----END INFO DUMP---

At any rate, now that I've info dumped at you, you may see why I like Lute so much.

Lute goes on to explain to Vanessa (who rides a pegasus literally every single day) how they fly by kicking the air, not by flapping their wings, and that their wings are used more for gliding.

To which Vanessa kindly responds that, yes, it would be really hard to ride them if they flapped their wings all the time.

She responds like this instead of, you know, getting all prickly about this random girl lecturing her about the animal she knows better than any other.

God bless you, Vanessa. You're a saint.

Lute also continues to talk about the origin of the word "pegasus" and its connections to "springs" and "oceans", and basically, go look at Wikipedia if you want to see the rest of what she said. :)

Vanessa continues to be an absolute sweety and says, "Thank you for the very clear introduction. I'm glad we're allies."

And then Lute says, "I look forward to working with you, Titania!"

Vanessa: "I'm Vanessa!"

Like a lot of people, I've jumped on the Dungeon Meshi bandwagon recently, and it's hard not to get flavors of Laius from Lute.

At any rate, the original reason I moved Vanessa there was to block the soldier from hitting Lute, and Vanessa does an admirable job of that during enemy phase.

I also discover that there is another guy with a sleep staff in the throne room. He misses Vanessa though.

You can see how low his hit is on her, with her good res.

It's this guy, here.

I start sending people up to deal with the enemies around the chests and Tana. I leave Vanessa in range of the mercenary, and Ephraim in range of the armor, though it later on turns out that that guy doesn't move.

Next time: More reinforcements, more sleep staff nonsense, and maybe we'll finally save Tana

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

November 3

I started writing this before Oathbringer, and everything I thought Kaladin's character arc could entail got immediately contradicted in like. the second chapter 💀. but i thought it could be interesting to look back and see what my thoughts were right after the end of WoR, so i stopped listening after the kaladin chapter to finish this with no further context/spoilers

The plan had been to write a fun little bit about kaladin turning into a horsegirl against his will. instead this turned into a short depressing (and, once again, non canon compliant) character study. enjoy?

(short mention of sh)

It must be against my nature, Kaladin thinks. To trust light-eyes.

Or maybe not. He remembers, an eternity ago, how he'd wanted to trust them. Revere them, even. There must be a reason, he had always thought, back when the battlefield had been a place of honor instead of pointless slaughter. There must be a reason they were chosen to rule over us. It would be too unfair if it weren't so, too unbearable.

Maybe trusting light-eyes had been in his nature, once upon a time. That would be worse, he thinks. That would mean they had fucked up so colossally they'd gotten to his genes, changed him in more than just intangible ways. Another unbearable thought.

And yet, he still does it. Forces himself not to second guess every command given to him. Forces himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, Dalinar actually cares.

Trusting a light-eyes takes work, exhaustive and purposeful. It's battling his guts and instincts and every cell in his body. It is another storming war - this time against his own mind and body, and stormfather, Kaladin is so so tired of fighting.

But he does it anyway. Because he has to. Because his bridge depends on it.

"Stop that"

Kaladin quickly hides his hands behind his back, putting on an innocent expression. "Stop what? I'm not doing anything"

Syl does not look convinced. He sighs. It has become a bad habit, of sorts. Most of the time he doesn't even realize he is doing it. He presses his nails into his hand until they tear through his skin and go into his flesh, dripping red as a sign of his success. He'd watch as the small wound immediately closed in front of his very eyes, wondering if the tingling he felt was just a fruit of his imagination. He isn't sure why he still does it. He isn't even looking at his hand most of the time. Habits are hard to kick, he supposes. (That's what he tells himself anyway)

"Is it-?"

"NO!"

He takes a moment to thank the stormfather for the solitude around them. He'd thought that being gawked at as a dark-eyes in the light-eyes' training grounds had been bad. That had been before Syl returned to him and Dalinar officially declared him part of the Radiance, his bright blue eyes proof of the legitimacy of his title. Light-eyes look at him in fear and dark-eyes look at him in reverence and he doesn't know how to tell them he isn't worthy of either.

Kaladin tries to shake off his thoughts. What is the point of fleeing into the maze-like tunnels if his own brain betrays him? He looks down and just manages to stop himself from leaving another half-moon-shaped wound on his palm. Storms, things were supposed to be better now. But he is so damned exhausted even with stormlight running through his veins and the stormed Everstorm is summoning Voidbringers everywhere and the other highprinces refuse to listen and of course there are also his storming eyes-

"Kaladin-". Kal glares at the small-ish woman floating beside him, and Syl falls blessedly silent.

He is not used to this, not anymore. He has - rather foolishly, if he may say so - gotten used to talking with Syl about everything. And it had been great, as long as it had lasted, at least: articulating his problems into something more concrete, allowing himself to listen to someone much less jaded than him (than the person the world had forced him to become), sometimes even being able to laugh about his woes. (Something only Tien-)

So it hurt that much more when he couldn't talk to her. Not right now. Not about this.

("What does Dalinar need to do for you to trust him?", she'd demand, and he wouldn't have an answer. Because Dalinar had already done more than he'd ever expected from someone of his Status. And yet he couldn't. And all the while, she would pointedly stare at his eyes. His light blue eyes. The sign of his betrayal, for everyone to see.)

She didn't get it, not really. And how would he be able to explain it? How he himself was the most damning evidence for his mistrust?

(Roshone had sworn to protect Hearthstone when he became its citylord, only to do his best to make the life of the only surgeon - arguably the most important man in the village - a living hell. Amaram swore to protect Tien, protect his people, only to order them all to be slaughtered, all the while watching with a satisfied smile on his lips. Sadeas had sworn to fight with Dalinar and Adolin, only to abandon them to death. Kaladin had sworn to protect Bridge Four - the family he didn't deserve but had gained anyway- only for Moash-)

(He can not look past it. How it took his willingness to betray Moash - to betray Bridge Four, the very same he swore to protect with everything he had - for his eyes to lighten. How was he supposed to trust Dalinar when he couldn't trust Molash? When he couldn't even trust himself?)

But still, he tried. He made an active effort not to doubt every word that came out of Dalinar's mouth. He listened to his orders and did what he had sworn himself to never do again: he trusted him. He trusted Dalinar would keep his promises, even if they were sometimes unsaid, even if his eyes almost looked white if the light hit them just right. It went against every instinct he'd been taught, but Stormfather he was doing it. And the perhaps most incredible outcome of this situation was that he hadn't regretted it. Not yet. (He is still waiting for the moment it'll happen. Sometimes it feels like the anticipation will kill him)

Maybe one day he will be able to look into a mirror again. He thinks he'd like that.

[quinloki]

Hihi, just curious but do you have any advice on writing dialogue in general??

I'll do my best!

First and foremost, while writing often wants/needs/should/is expected to feel "formal" and "proper", dialogue does NOT have to follow this rule.

People don't normally speak properly. Native speakers can have word combinations that only make sense locally - and in some cases as an author you have to be careful to avoid local idioms, unless you're utilizing them to set someone apart.

Read your dialogue out loud. You won't have to do this for forever, but doing it while you're first learning and writing dialogue helps limit the stilted feeling you can end up with.

Speech can be messy, it's okay to shake it up a little bit, just make sure you're not writing an accent or drawl with such accuracy that it's impossible to read it.

"That's not a bad plan, don't you know?" <- not wrong, but a little too formal for, say, a northern Minnesota accent.

"That's not a bad plan, don'tcha know?" <- closer, and honestly, good enough.

"Thass nodda bad plan, don'cha know?" <- phonetically accurate, but really hard to read.

Nothing will pull a reader out of a story more than needing to decipher a sentence. If someone has a unique dialect, you can write it out, but offer up an translation from another character, or provide the translation to the reader. You want to avoid leaving your audience in the dark 9 times out of 10.

I tend to write out some vocalizations in my stories - especially during spicy scenes, and I'll vary how I write out stammering too. I'm not 100% consistent with it, but it adds some flavor.

You can write it: "I c-can't do that!" (generally read as kuh-can't) "I ca-a-a-n't do that!" (generally read as kuh-aaah-n't (or kah-aaah-n't depending on your region))

Either is fine, but sometimes I just write it out "I kuh-can't do that!" if I want more of a stutter.

and "ca-ah-n't" or "ca~an't" or hell "ca-ahhh♥-n't!" if I'm going for more of moan, whimper, or whine.

I suppose that's another thing - have fun with your dialogue. Put a heart in there to emphasize someone's euphoria, add in a smiley face if you want. I wouldn't do it ALL the time, not even once a chapter, honestly, but sprinkled into 2-3 places over a longer fic, or once in a one-shot for a punch, works well.

And said.

Said.

Said.

Look.

If we're talking dialogue, we're talking dialogue markers.

For one, unless you're remembering something, or looking back on something, my advice is use "says" for starters, and I think that will help in finding other words to use as markers.

He hisses. She growls. They intone.

"Don't quote me!" He bellows.

is different from

"Don't quote me!" He calls out with a smile.

I didn't even have to mention how he's red in the face with anger in the first one. Bellows gets me there. Not all dialogue markers are straight forward though.

"cries" has a lot of flexibility depending on the situation.

Most people who purr in your ear are either being intimate with you, or offering you a deal you should probably turn down. Or worse, offering you a deal you can't afford to turn down.

But also? Said/Says isn't a dirty word. Don't fret so much that it stops you from writing. If you can't find a word that gives you the vibe you're looking for, say is fine. Say is GREAT for neutral.

A low stakes random conversation between friends? Say/said is going to be used a lot. Anything else carries some level of emotion, and if you're having a no-stakes conversation while you're, I don' know, peeling potatoes, then you'll use say.

Maybe the farm boy down the road has dusty brown hair like potato skins and you sigh wistfully thinking about him.

Sometimes it's not what you say, it's how you say it. ~_^

[sharkiethedork]

Hi so I finished reading A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green the other day and I really enjoyed it! I do have a couple rambley nitpicks on how I thought the story was gonna go but I don't know anyone else who's read these books yet so I'm gonna throw it out here into the void. so spoilers below! (I do highly recommend these two books though so if you do read them we can talk about them hehe)

Okay I was SURE that the text that Miranda got from Maya about the the dresses was actually from Carl's Brother/One dgsdfgs like! I was reading that part and right when Miranda starts speculating on what Maya meant by that, I had a really incredible moment of dread when I remembered that, oh shit, April chucked Maya's phone out of the car earlier! I thought One got ahold of the phone or signal or whatever and sent that text to make Miranda feel bad and start doubting her friends so she would get mixed up in Altus easier! I believe Carl gives Maya her phone back in the next chapter and I was kind of waiting for that reveal to be made for a good chunk of the book, but then Maya said that she did send that text when she rescues Miranda from the Altus space. (And for a moment, that also made me wonder if that was actually a fake out too! But that wouldn't make much sense for One to do since Miranda didn't know they'd be coming to get her then anyway)

Which, isn't a problem and I know the whole book wasn't always strictly chronological so that's fine. Maybe I'm just a sucker for when the villain completely plays the protagonists (which, to be fair, was the case when it came to the Thread so I did get what I wanted in that way lol) but I was very slightly disappointed that my foreshadowing senses were slightly off there haha

And secondly. I was positive Robin was gonna die at some point lol. He's the only member of the gang who didn't have any chapters in the book, and Andy said something to the affect of "I never learned more about why Robin has issues with dating" after their heart-to-heat scene (Which was a scene I really adored btw). It just turns out that Robin just kinda...stopped showing up about 3/4th the way though.

While I definitely get that it probably wasn't feasible to have a SIXTH narrator in the book, and as an aspirational writer with a few minor projects under my belt I'm very aware that sometimes you just end up having a character that just kinda doesn't have anything to do later on and falls to the wayside, Robin's absence did kind of feel like a missed opportunity. Robin's reveal that he knew April's agent whos name escapes me soz was also working for Petrawiki was the partial catalyst that led to April "dying" in the first book, and he makes it clear to Andy that he's wracked with guilt about it. If I recall, the only interaction we get between him and April is that she hugs him when he shows up at the penthouse, and I'm pretty sure that scene ends up being his last appearance or at least his last major one. I think it would have been great if some time was spent in an April chapter where they make up. It's fine if April has forgiven him since then, but having some closure between them on the page would have been really great. Oh well.

At the very least when it comes to him not being a narrator, I can easily imagine them asking Robin to help write the book but he's just like "Hey it was your guys' job to do all the work on the ground, my job is to be your agent and get it out there, let me do that well."

Other than those two frankly minor nitpicks I thought ABFE was really good! I wish I had read them sooner but they came out while I was in the middle of my like five years where I didn't read shit, and also I hadn't been paying much attention to Nerdfighteria so I was only vaguely aware of the books for a while. I think I slightly prefer An Absolutely Remarkable Thing although I'm not super sure why I do, but you can't just stop at the first one!

[guardiandae]

Tagged by the wonderful @rayadraws!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 70

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

710,529

3. What fandoms do you write for?

One Punch Man, Marvel. Formerly BTVS.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

" - 2,391 kudos "Natural" - 2,448 kudos "5+7" - 3,341 kudos "Milkyway" - 4,601 kudos "Salvaged" - 6,567

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

Oh yes! But i have a habit that tends to backfire on me... I'll respond to all comments for a while and then after a couple weeks I'll stop responding because I want to finish a chapter first.... this is fine except sometimes by the time I let myself respond to all those old comments it's been like.... 5 years. LOL. But I really do like to reply to every single one.

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

The Distance Between Us

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

Sugar & Spice

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Lmfao. Surprisingly rarely! I've maybe gotten two actual hate comments on my more spicy account. I've gotten more hate comments for making Saitama transmasc, but not by much. But like... I didn't make him transmasc anyway, it just happened. But yeah if people are whiny little bitches and I just roast them and then delete their comment because that doesn't fly for me, especially the transphobic weirdos.

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

Hell yeah. Ummm I like it when the weiners touch 👉👈

Actually lemme see. On my main account, my top tags are kind of all over the place. Mainly fluffy stuff, dirty talk. On my secret second account we'll get better results.... Watersports/Urination - obviously. Anal sex - duh, but boring. Dubious consent - spicy. Felching - MM. 🙏 Male lactation - MILK. HIM. 💦

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Only "Now Recruiting", which still gets a lot of love tbh. It's about the Avengers trying to recruit Saitama, which isn't too crazy. Fun though!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

WOOF. I hope not. The sites that scrape fics are scary.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oh yeah 💜 I love my international fans, and I always say yes when someone asks to translate. I just ask that they remember to link up with mine!

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

My memory is bad but I really don't think so. I don't play well with others >.< Also why I have turned down RP requests every time.

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

Wade/Nate. It might have hibernated for years, but it came back with a vengeance when it came back. But any ship I've written for, it's gotta be a hyperfixation for me, so I promise I love them all.

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

[Redacted]. But I'm not sure it's that I never will - it's that I think I overshot my ending and I actually need to hack it back a little and just end the fic. The way I kept going, it would've added another small arc to the fic that made it end on a sad note. And That, I'd probably never finish. The fic is old enough though that even thinking about opening it up to do that makes me cringe.

Secondary: Salvaged. But don't panic! It's not that I'll never finish it, it's that I will but still not any time soon. ;; It'll be a lot of work to open it up again and finish it. I wanna finish some other projects first, including new ones (oops). But I don't feel 'cringe' about opening it again. Just a loooottt of files to sift through.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm told my dialogue is amazing. I think it's because I enjoy practicing the lines, over and over again, and pacing everything out to make sure it sounds like something the character would actually say, and somewhat flow in real time.

I'm also quite lucky at being able to have details fall into place in really interesting ways. So that thing that seems elaborately planned out, who knows, lol. It's sort of half elaborately planned and half happy coincidence.

People also tell me that I manage to capture their imagination and especially their emotions. 🫶

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing. Haha. I'll either catch stage fright if something gets really popular (especially if there's a sex scene, oop) or I'll get bogged down with things needing to be perfect, or a secret third thing - I get really attached and don't want to end the AU because then I worry I'll forget it exists.

Memory problems. Returning to a fic is harder because even after a month I don't remember what happened. And if I'm going without writing for any period of time I feel like I forget who I am as a writer completely. Sometimes I really can't understand who wrote a fic of mine, because it doesn't feel like it was me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Ummmmm I do this very sparingly because I know that google translate is very flawed and I'm not fluent in any other language. Sometimes a little bit of french or spanish has been appropriate for a Deadpool fic, but not full dialogue.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Buffy The Vampire Slayer <3 I didn't include that in my fic count tho.... I don't dare go back to That Place, even just to look (FF.net)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I'm gonna have to break it up by ship otherwise this ain't even fair--

"Hello, Handsome" - Cablepool - it's just soooo creative and fun! and COMPLETE! "5+7" - Genosai - another really fun one, emotional ups and downs but ultimately soooo fluffy and nice and one of those fics that changed my life. Almost done! "Yours" - Skirth/Agony - a rare f/f pairing but I really enjoyed writing them <333 COMPLETE "Milkyway" - Eddie/Symbiote - can something be a fluffy family fic AND really dirty filthy kinky at the same time? Apparently, somehow. COMPLETE.

Tagging @aeriamamaduck @pohjanneito and @theomnicode!

[elytrafemme]

i’m gonna be real with you, i’ve saw like maybe two or three origins streams ;-; ooo, i would like to hear about them whenever if you’d like!! and if you don’t want them to to public or anything, you can always dm if you want to! gosh, i love headcanons, feel free to come to me and tell me about them anytime you wanna :D

poetry is so nice. i used to write poetry sometimes when i was in really bad moments of mental health stuff, so most of my poetry is really triggering probably. i totally understand you with feeling like characters are living and breathing people, i feel that so much. i had an oc who i adored some years ago and haven’t touched on her since those years ago. unfortunate, i miss her so much (her name is june btw). i miss writing, it’s one of the only things i’ve ever truly shared and created because i used to be good at it, but now i think i’ve lost a lot of that. the last thing i wrote was a short c!ranboo poem that i posted a few months ago (i think). and i completely get you, makes total sense. i think writing in that way is really nice

oh? that’s cool then! i don’t know if you remember, but someone asked you a bit ago what names you’d pick for cs!tubbo if his name wasn’t tubbo, and i can’t remember if that was on anon or not (i think it was, and that was me actually. so we have cs!tubbo and cs!ranboo, haha. mhm, i get you, but i wanted to! because the fic is genuinely so fucking incredible and i wanted to add to the lovely community for it, but turns out it was a guy in my brain. i haven’t seen her in a while…. she’s incredibly mentally ill so she’s weary of being around. but if i see them anytime soon, i’ll let him know you said that. i’m sure they would appreciate that. oh no, she’s fine with it. one of the names he goes by actually is mare, because of you, so i’m very positive they’re comfortable with being associated with you and everything? also please let me know if her using a name of yours makes you uncomfortable, he wouldn’t like to make you uncomfortable :]

HELLO I AM SO SORRY I AM REPLYING SO LATE hope you are well <3

i don't have all the energy atm to explain my full headcanons but basically i had a fic AU set in a modern, non-fantastical universe where the osmp cast lived in this smaller quaint town and eventually o!Ranboo left to move into the city after a natural disaster event happened in the other town and caused her some trauma. her relationships are generally strained but are better with some people than others but inevitably she is able to find her way home. there's more to it than that but that was my idea hehe

poetry is so so so fucking healing seriously, and honestly like! any kind of writing is so important to keep regardless of whether it fits on this metric of "good/bad", like. it's coming from the heart and your experiences and these characters that you connect to (june sounds lovely by the way, <3) and that's what's most important. i've had to give myself a lot of grace with cough syrup about whether or not i was writing it perfectly because, yeah, the first couple of chapters are objectively on the shittier end compared to the rest of the fic. but what matters is that it conveyed what i wanted it to, and it gave me a way to spend that summer, and it meant a lot to me.

i hope this isn't uncomfortable to say but the fact that your csranboo uses the name mare because of me makes me like, tear up a little. and yes, i remember that anon! i find it so interesting how many people have asked me about alternate names i'd give the characters for purposes of fictives because to be entirely honest i am so ungodly shitty with names that every time i flounder LMAO, but it's very sweet that people ask me haha . also tell your cstubbo i say hello as well , there are many brain guys in this community too and i think that's realy neat honestly

[darling0ne]

@kitty-selfshipping @sunshine-ships

i hope y'all don't mind that i answered these together ! also uhh some of these kinda overlap for me so some of them are combined

1) what's a hot take you have about your f/o? also uh. 2) on what do you disagree with other fans of your f/o?

hmmm i'm not 100% sure if this is that spicy of a take but,, i'd have to say that he is nowhere near as stupid as people make him out to be! yes, he takes a while to register certain things, but that doesn't make him stupid ! plus, some folks forget that it's literally stated in his introduction that he's a top honor student??

3) did you used to ship your f/o with anyone before realizing you wanted to ship them with yourself?

no but like? almost. i'm not even gonna lie ish.imondo has a lot of tropes that i like in ships (i.e. enemies to friends, the switch to first-name basis in the japanese version, opposites, y'know that kinda thing) so i was just like. maybe i'll ship this. someday. any day now. and then one day i realized that i like. liked taka and. it became pretty clear why the ship managed to lack that kinda appeal to me.

5) what’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard about your f/o, either on the internet or irl?

man ok,,, once i heard somebody like. say that the ship between him and mondo was canon?? like not in a joking manner or in a “there's a lot of evidence that hints at it” kinda way but just?? 100% canon? but this wouldn't have been such a Stupid Take if they didn't say that. kodaka may have unintentionally made it canon? like im sorry ship what you want but ?????? how does somebody make a game and unintentionally make a ship completely canon?

7) did your f/o deserve better? and 12) aren't you tired of being nice? this is an excuse to rant. [also uhm. D.R1 chapter 2 nd 3 spoilers in this one !]

ohhhh man yes 100%! he was treated terribly by both other characters and the developers nd it really shows y'know! like,, literally before characters even get to introduce themselves folks are already bashing him ! nd then once he introduces himself he just,, gets called annoying?? even tho all he really did was compliment the protag's name and tell him to work hard?? and then thru-out the game he keeps getting bashed nd then like,, after mondo gets killed off and he literally goes catatonic like. nobody cares?? everybody except like? two characters ignore him?? nd then when he gets killed off everybody continues not to give a shit abt him? and plus when he gets killed off it's right after his character arc started and the game itself completely ignores him except when it relates to the other character who was murdered in that chapter ! anyway uhm 😳 kinda started rambling tho. anyway. he did deserve better <3

9) do you distance yourself from other fans of your f/o or their source?

not at all ! sometimes folks are a bit :/ but i'm far from distanced from the fanbase

[a-glimpse-of-fantasy]

The Heist - Part 11

This is a fanfiction game which starts here

You can find the previous chapters here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Or you can refer to the dedicated hashtag ^^

***

English isn't my first language so please spare me for any grammar mistakes🙈

Breathing hard, deep as I could, I racked my brain, looking for a way to get Jake to talk about his past. Where should I start? From this Mark Willow?

I was scared. Scared to know what stories his past held. Jake himself stated that Mark Willow was a man who’d do anything to get his work done. And obviously, he was an evil man.

How in the world did someone like that become Jake’s mentor? Does that mean Jake himself was working with him in the past? Doing evil stuff?

I took a deep breath, calming my heart, thumping anxiously. ‘Let’s trust him. Jake is the man I love. If I don’t trust him…who else will?’ I chanted in my head, taking his rough, wounded hands into mine.

“Jake. I…really didn’t want to pry into your past….” It was harder than I thought; how could I get him to talk without hurting his feelings?

I was too naive. For Jake, his past was painful, whether Jake himself was good or bad. ‘Let’s do this quickly. Let’s not get emotional. Be rational. Rational…’

“I tried my best not to. But I can’t, not anymore.” His eyes trembling, Jake stared right into my eyes. He knew.

He knew for sure what I was going to ask next.

“MC-I-I’m sorr-” I held my finger on his lips, interrupting him. An apology was the last thing I wanted to hear from Jake. My heart ached whenever Jake would apologize or look at me apologetically. Besides, they couldn’t bring us anywhere.

“Jake. Stop saying sorry and tell me. Please, I think I deserve to know that much.” As my grip on his hands strengthened, his head fell further. Jake was unable to look me in the eye.

This was something I had noticed in the past as well. Jake tends to declare his opinion and leave without giving me a chance to argue. Well, not anymore.

“How did you meet him? How did he become your mentor? What sort of work did you do together? I have tons of questions for you.” Hearing him sigh heavily, I cupped his cheeks in my palms, gently raising his head to face me. “You told me that you were one of the good guys. I could tell that as I worked with you to find Hannah too.” I kissed his forehead, to which he stiffened up, “And I believe everything you said. Jake, I believe you.”

--------------------

“Jake, I believe you.”

Those words were the words he desperately wished to hear four years ago. He wanted someone to believe him, that he never had any ill will. That everything he did, was for a good reason.

But why was he hearing those words from this woman? She didn’t even know him at that time. She knew nothing about what kind of a person he was before they met.

Yet this woman convinced him.

He had to tell her everything. For once, he ‘wanted’ to share his part of the story.

Licking his dried-up lips, Jake cleared his throat. “I first met master while I was in the final year in the uni. My friend Kyle and I used to develop programs for fun. We sometimes entered competitions as well. Kyle nor I had great financial situations. So we used to split up the prize money. That year, we won an international competition.”

She nodded lightly to let him know that she was listening. “Many well-known companies offered us jobs after that. So we chose the best one out of them. Just as we graduated, we were hired, and the paycheck was also high. We thought…” A lump in his throat swallowed his voice. Remembering the past…was much harder than he imagined, especially with all the tragedies that fell upon them afterward. "-that all our misfortunes was over." After a pause, he continued.

“Master was our supervisor at the company. He was a great man who was very skilled as well. I always respected him, though he eventually became my hero.”

--------------------

Jake’s eyes kept reddening as he continued. “Maybe I considered him a father figure. You know…” He said, a faint smile on his haggard face, “For kids, their father is their hero. But for me…I grew up never knowing who my father was. I only found out by chance.”

My heart sank. Though he was Hannah’s and Lily’s father, Jake’s father had never seemed to have considered Jake as his son. I wanted to go to Duskwood at once and kick him, at least once.

But this was not the time to get emotional. Be rational.

“One day, master told us a secret, me and Kyle. He was a vigilante. He would hack into government officials’ computers and reveal their corruptions. Even some well-known companies were shut because of his work. I believed he was like a modern-time Robin Hood.”

"Kyle didn’t want to get involved, but I did. Unlike Kyle, I didn’t have a family to protect, so it felt alright for me to take a little risk.”

“So you worked together with him as a vigilante as well?” I asked, to which he nodded, confirming.

“We meddled in many things, especially in government affairs. Corruption was everywhere. I was disgusted with people while my respect towards master only increased day by day. Then one day, Kyle called me in the middle of the night. He seemed to be in a hurry. He told me, ‘Master was not the man you believe him to be. He is deceiving you so he can use you.’ He hung up and disappeared since that day.”

“Disappeared?!” I exclaimed. Jake nodded. He seemed to have gotten more calm and collected.

“Soon, I found out what Kyle meant. Master’s real job was to work for other organizations to bring down the power of the other companies. A gap in the hierarchy will appear whenever high officials or powerful companies are brought down. Those people would fill them. Master even worked for foreign governments, sometimes even leaking the national security data.”

Why Jake was so persistent in not trusting anyone was clear now. His father figure betrayed him; of course, he wouldn’t want to be betrayed again.

“I tried to expose him then. But before I could, the FBI suddenly came to arrest me. I managed to run away, then found out later that master had exposed me. After that, for four years, I tried my best to find Kyle. He seemed to know something. But there were no traces of him at all. Apparently, he had moved out with his mother and sister. His trail was cut off from there.”

Jake leaned forward, tightly gripping my hands. His eyes seemed to plead. “Master always sees one step ahead. MC, even now, he must be planning to kill us and I-” His lips trembled, Jake was stressed, and he looked so helpless. Helpless for me. “I am honestly not confident in protecting you. So please-”

Jake’s plea was cut off by a loud sound in the living room. Jake immediately moved in front of me, guarding me against any harm.

@geocait0815  We are starting again from you...

Next Chapter

[mettywiththenotes]

This isn't unique to MHA at all but it feels like spending too much time interacting with the fandom compared to the source material ends up ruining the experience. Like I got the Team Up Mission books for Christmas and ended up crying at Melissa's story and it reminded me of why I fell in love with the story in the first place. It feels like the fandom is determined to nitpick everything to death and suck all the joy out of the story.

Oh yeah definitely

I feel like with fandom, you have to pick your battles, because it can escalate really quickly. Not necessarily with other people, but just like, your perception of the story, characters, even your perception of the writer

I mean, I remember loads of times where people went off about Hori being an abuse apologist or a misogynist. I think there were a few that called him racist, but I can't be sure of that so take it with a pinch of salt (if I remember correctly, they were about Hori's choice for Satou's design but mostly with the Ujiko name thing)

And there were a lot of times where I bought into that kind of thing. Where I started to think, actually, Hori is bad and horrible. I started to lose faith in his ability to write and tell a story because people kept harping on about Endeavor and Hawks and the kids and just everything

Even just the negativity in general effected the way I saw the story. It sucked

Fandom can really mess with your perception of things. You kinda have to take a step back and realize that maybe your opinions are being influenced by a collective mindset

And it is hard to separate yourself from fandom sometimes. You have to be able to decide what is good and bad in your own opinion, and not as a collective one

Of course you can take bits and pieces from other people's opinions. Sharing what you think and being open to other perceptions is a good thing! But you also have to be able to say "I don't agree with your view but I accept that you have it", go off and do your own thing

Also, you don't even have to agree or disagree to an opinion. You can just say "That's interesting to think about" and take it into consideration if you want

That's one of the reasons I don't do leak nights. The whole "collective mindset" thing with the first impression of a chapter really messes with what I'm supposed to personally think, so instead I just filter the tags, read the chapter on the friday and then read what everybody else thinks afterwards. If my impression was positive and the fandom's was negative, I can at least know that I have my own opinion of it and that it wasn't influenced by anyone else

Anyway, point is: I think you're absolutely right that the fandom nitpicks so many things

It's a shame, really, because bnha is a good series. I like that it's different. I've wanted "different" for years now, and Hori delivered

That's my opinion on it, and I'm sticking to it

If I'm to give you any advice, it would be

1) Have faith in Hori.

It sounds a bit too hopeful, I'm sure, but the guy does know how to round things out. Trust that he knows what he's doing, even just the littlest bit. Hang onto that little bit of hope. I say this as someone who has seen the up-and-down phases of the fandom

2) Be sure of your own opinion on the series.

Take a step back once in a while, even just briefly, and ask yourself if the fandom is effecting your view negatively. If it is, and it's in a very intense way, it may be time to take a break from the fandom. That doesn't mean you have to stop reading bnha! Just enjoy it away from all of the hate for a while, however long you want

If you decide to be interactive about avoiding the negative stuff, you can also make your own posts about what you like about the series. Even just something about the art. Personally, that works for me and it's improved how I look at the manga. Obviously, there's no shame in staying away from the fandom for a while, but it's an alternative if you'd rather not take a break🙂

3) Above all, remember that the series isn't over yet.

A lot of discourse and hate, I've noticed, is about current problems in the story. Please remember that any of those problems can still be fixed. There's still time to change the situation. There's still time to address it. Don't write off about how Hori has portrayed so-and-so as such-and-such-a-thing, this is the worst - it can still be changed.

4, and this is a personal thing I go by but I want to share if it helps) Hori is Just A Guy.

The vibe I get from Hori is that... he's just someone who wants to tell a story. And he wants to do it in his own way. That's literally it. Fandom treats him like he's the worlds last hope at a good story but it isn't true. He's just a guy who sits in his office, draws and writes a story he wants to tell. He is simply vibing (also stressed but like. in terms of story and laying things out, he is vibing)

I hope this helps, at least

[stardustloki]

Love + 3, 4, 5, and/or 11 for the fic asks if you like!!

Ahhhhh thank you so much for this ask and also for the two comments, seriously you have absolutely made my day so thanks so much!! <3

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

5: What part was hardest to write?

11: What do you like best about this fic?

Gonna do the questions in the wrong order because I am sleep deprived and want to ramble! Apologies, you probably weren't expecting a ramble but oh dear am I currently revelling in the opportunity to explain my thought processes!

11 - Honestly, this is really hard, because there is so, so much I like about this fic. I seriously hope this doesn't come across as like egotistical or something because it isn't meant to, but basically as I wrote this 3.5 years ago it sort of doesn't feel like my writing, it feels like reading a fic that someone else wrote. So, instead of reading through it going 'well, this is probably crap, I hope people like it!' I could read it and go 'I like that, I like that, I like that...!' Probably, what I like best about it was that it touched upon a subject that I hadn't seen written about by anyone else. The fact that River and some of the Doctor's companions hit the Doctor and narratively it is presented as being okay - like wtf that is abuse and it is being shown on the TV and even been presented as comedic or necessary, like it's something the Doctor needs.

This brings me to question 4 - and actually, this bit wasn't my favourite part of dialogue when I read it this time, and I had remembered it slightly wrong, and this line wasn't as good as one one in my memories (maybe I should edit the fic?) but the line I always think about whenever I think about writing this fic is the Doctor rationalising things, realising that she's rambling (and obviously that's 'bad', and it's therefore excusable or even right that River etc. should slap her): '"...I ramble on about things and no one gets what I'm saying, I need to be snapped out of my own head sometimes, I think. And, well, it does work, it stops me doing this. I…" The Doctor trailed off, looking nervously at Yaz.'

3 - this bit was really difficult, it's small details I really like, like the doctor shoving a custard cream into her mouth, scrunching up her nose, details that make me think, yes this is happening to the characters! For a sentence that makes sense without dialogue attached to it though I would go with: 'Yaz walked through the archway to the library, preparing to return the seventy-fourth edition of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (complete with historical introduction and interactive holograms) when she found herself suddenly assaulted by a "Yaz!", a blur of blonde hair and arms hugging tightly around her neck' - I just like the detail about the book and also vwoom! armful of Doctor!

5 - I put A Lot of effort into the characterisation. Like, I needed this to feel real and reading it now I think with all the bits of dialogue and descriptions I actually really think I pulled this off! I couldn't just write a rant about how furious I was with how the Doctor had been treated, I put so much effort into making it feel real and not OOC, as well as self-indulgent (and angry.)

Anyway, thank you so much for this, I have very much enjoyed the chance to ramble about this, and to feel proud about my writing for once too lmao.

(If anyone else is reading this and is interested, you can find 'Love' at https://archiveofourown.org/works/16705030/chapters/39178753 )

[dragon-kazansky]

Made with love | Helmut Zemo

Chef Zemo AU 👨‍🍳

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

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Part 3

It had been a whole year since your trip to Sokovia. Here you were again, exiting the airport in Navi Grad, excited to be back. You had invited Wanda to come along with you, of course she couldn't say no. This was her home country, she hadn't been back here in years.

She looked so excited as she looked around, taking in the familiar and unfamiliar sights. The city had been improved on a lot since she was last here, yet a lot of the buildings still looked the same.

"My home."

You chuckled softly. She looked like a child who had been told they could explore all they like in a new area.

"Your photos didn't do it any justice," she said, playfully glaring at you.

You glared back, just as playful. "Oh, thanks."

She gave a little giggle and grabbed your arm, wanting to look around immediately. You just let her lead the way.

Along the way she pointed out some places she remembered, telling stories of things she and Pietro used to get up to. She had many stories to tell, and you loved listening to all of them. It gave you a little more insight into her life.

Eventually you came across the square. Wanda looked rather smug as you both stood in the middle of the semi-busy square.

"Ah, yes, just as I remember it."

Up ahead was your new favourite restaurant. It looked just as it did a year ago. It was like a warm welcoming hug to see it again.

Wanda was looking at you, smug grin on her face. You looked down, blushing.

"Want to see him?"

"Not yet," you grab her hand and pull her along, walking in the opposite direction. You ignored her teasing comments as you marched onward.

It's not like he would remember you anyway. You were just one person he met a year ago.

You took Wanda to the little hotel you stayed in last time. You booked a room for the pair of you, only staying a few nights. Wanda instantly lay down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"We should eat there tonight," she says.

"Why? There's plenty of other places to go eat," you tell her, trying not to make it obvious you really wanted to go and see Helmut.

"You know why. Play coy all you like, but I know you want to go."

You turn to see her looking at you.

"You just want to see him," you say, turning back away from her.

"I do. Maybe I can be your wing woman."

"Wanda!"

She sits up, crosses her legs, and looks at you intensely. You sigh and sit on your bed, looking at her.

"Fine, we'll go. Just don't do anything Wanda. He's just a nice guy, so be nice, and enjoy his food. Seriously, it's the best."

Wanda chuckles and gets up.

"Why don't we go now. Maybe he will recognize you."

"I doubt it," you tell her, "it's been a year."

You find yourself standing outside Escorpión Morado. You have missed this place. You can tell just from where you're standing that its hasn't changed in the last year.

There were a few people dotted about enjoying their meals. It gave you that homey feeling again.

You go inside.

Wanda looks around you both make your way over to the bar. You each take a seat. You turn to Wanda.

"Well?"

"It's very nice. I can see why you like it so much," she smiles at you.

A man comes to a stop in front of both of you. He's not someone you immediately recognize, perhaps he is new, or you didn't see him last time.

"What can I get for you both."

You look to Wanda to see what she wanted first, but you did not anticipate her to say what she did.

"We'll have the chef please."

The man blinks, trying to comprehend if he had actually heard what she said. He was about to ask again, but she beat him to it.

"The chef, please."

You stare at her, mouth agape, eyes wide.

"Wanda!" You hissed.

The man left and went into the kitchen, fetching the man Wanda had asked for. You sat there in great embarrassment.

"What are you playing at?"

Wanda laughs, ignoring the way you were glaring at her. You bury your face in your arms against the counter and try to block out her laughter.

Wanda is still giggling when you hear someone stop in front of you. A cold sweat began to break as you dreaded looking up. Was this him standing over you? You hoped to high heaven it wasn't.

"Someone ordered the chef?"

Well fuck it all. You kept your face hidden, not daring to show your face. It didn't matter if he remembered you or not, you were far too embarrassed to look at him.

You knew his voice. Remembered it. The smooth way he spoke, that amusement that hung off the end of his sentence. They sexy tone he uses.

Helmut Zemo.

Oh, you have missed this friendly stranger.

"Yes, my friend here wanted you." You hear Wanda say. You could murder her sometimes, you were sure.

"Is something the matter? Sam, get them some water, would you?" You hear him say.

You hear, presumably Sam, fetch you some water.

He didn't recognize you. Good.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," you reply, though your voice was heavily muffled by your arms. You wouldn't dare lift your head.

"Perhaps if you sat up. We could move you closer to the door, get some fresh air, yet sit in the shade," he offered.

You felt Wanda place a hand on your shoudler.

"Come on, Y/N. Look at him," she whispered.

You sigh and take a deep breath. You slowly move your head up, looking up at the beautiful bastard across the bar. Is it even legal to look that good?

He stops his worrying when he sees your face.

He remembers?

"Y/N?" He smiles.

"Yes," is all you can bring yourself to say. His smiles drops a little.

"Helmut, remember? Last year?"

"I remember."

His smile is soft as he looks at you. He doesn't look any different than you remember. If anything, just more handsome than memory serves.

"Did you forget me?" He asks, seeing your laid back reaction.

"No. I'm just surprised you remembered me."

He stands there, hands on his hips as he grins at you smugly.

"How could I forget someone so interesting. Also, you are wearing that coin." He nods, respectfully, at your chest where the coin was hanging.

"I am." You clasp it gently between your fingers.

"It's good to see you again," he speaks softly, genuine happiness lifting his expression.

"It's good to see you too," you smile back at him. He looks far more elated now you're smiling at him.

"What can I get for you? I can't imagine you came here only to see me," he grins smugly again.

"Food," Wanda said. "Though he is quite a snack, isn't he?" She whispered the last part. You turn to her sharply and glare. Zemo hadn't seemed to notice what she had said.

He was too busy watching you.

"Shall I surprise you again?" He asks.

You turn back to him and smile.

"Yes. Do that. I trust you."

Hearing those made him happy. Helmut points his chin up a bit and glides back into the kitchen, though not before telling Sam to fix you up some drinks.

Wanda nudges your shoulder.

"You sure do have taste, and I am not talking about the food."

"Wanda, please, stop!"

She laughs as Sam puts two drinks down in front of you both. You resist looking at her any more and thank Sam for the drinks, he smiles and then leaves you two alone to enjoy them. You take a sip.

"We're going to get you a boyfriend, Y/N."

"Wanda, please, I am begging you, stop!"

She laughs again.

"I'm joking, but it would be a real big shame if nothing came out of it. You two would look so good together."

You ignore her statement.

Zemo returns and places a dish in front of each of you. He stands back, smiling, and watches you both take a bite.

Wanda let's out the strangest moan you had ever heard. You have to cover your mouth as you laugh at her.

"What was that noise?" You ask, just about getting through your mouthful of food.

"This is so good."

Helmut chuckles.

"Success!"

You take another bite and nod. You swear there isn't a bad thing on his menu. This man knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to his restaurant.

"Do you like it?" He asks, specifically asking you this time.

"Yes, very much."

He smiles at you.

"I got your letter, by the way."

"My letter?" You ask, confused on what he was talking about.

Helmut digs into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. It's crinkled and has been early opened several times.

Now you remember.

"Oh, that letter."

"You wrote him a letter?" Wanda looks at you. "You didn't mention that."

"It's not important," you tell her.

"It is to me. It's the only goodbye I got when you left," Zemo said, holding the letter carefully in his hand. His dark eyes were scanning over the words you had written a year ago.

"It meant that much to you?"

"Yes, actually," his eyes cast to you.

You sat there, biting the inside of your cheek softly, pink dusting your cheeks and the tips of your ears.

Helmut smiled at the sight. He folded the letter and tucked it away into his pocket.

"I'll keep it forever," he says, mostly just to tease you.

"Please don't."

He chuckles and leaves your side to see to other customers. Wanda sits next to you, smiling wickedly. You dare not look at her, nor do you let your eyes follow Zemo as he walks away.

"You have it bad," Wanda chuckles, giving her nose a little scrunch with a grin.

"I know," you admit.

Wanda chuckles softly and leans in a little closer.

"He likes you too, you know. I think you left an impression on him."

You glance behind you, seeing Zemo taking an order. He was talking to the customers, smiling at them.

"Really?"

"Yes. I saw it in the way he looked at you."

"You do realise I only met him last year. I only saw him twice," you look at her, doubt written all over your face.

"Doesn't matter. It only takes a moment to fall in love with someone." She winks at you.

Zemo smiles at you as he passes by, disappearing into the kitchen.

"I think you're overreacting a little."

She shrugs and sips her drink, eying you with a mischievous glint in her gaze.

Zemo brings the couple their orders and returns to you and Wanda. Meals finished and drinks empty.

"Went down well I see."

"Very much so," you say, smiling softly.

"Would you like another drink?" He asks, his gaze lingering in you more than Wanda.

"I would," Wanda says, holding up her glass.

You chuckle, "just one more."

You had no idea how happy he was you agreed. He wanted you to stay a while longer. He grabbed your empty glasses and took them away, bringing you fresh drinks.

As Zemo poured behind drinks, he chose to ignore the way Sam was looking at him.

You took your drink gratefully as he handed it over. He stuck around again, seemingly happy to spend his time with you two.

Wanda carried most of the conversation. Zemo and yourself were sharing glances, though always just missing each other.

Wanda finished her drink and made an excuse to leave. You wanted to follow her, but the look she was giving you, and the way Zemo was looking at you, told you to stay.

You watched her go.

Zemo leaned forward on the bar, arms folded and supporting him as he smiles handsomely at you. You smile, though slightly awkwardly.

"It is very good to see you again, Y/N."

"You too. I see business is booming."

He chuckles softly.

"For now."

"For now?" You furrow your brow and tilt your head slightly.

"You didn't see it?"

"See what?"

"There is a new restaurant being done up in the city. Bigger, grander, more elegant than this place. At least, that's what they're saying."

"Oh? We didn't see anything like that. We have only been here a shirt while though. Wanda was showing me some of her favourite places."

"I see. Do you like Sokovia?"

"I do. It's so pretty here."

He smiles.

"I'm glad you think so. You would do wonderful here."

"What do you mean by that?" You watch him curiously, wondering what he was implying.

"I mean, you would be well suited to Sokovia life. If you were to live here," he smirks, hands flat out on the bar as he looks at you with sparkly eyes.

"Really? I don't think so. I stand out too much from the locals."

"Exactly. They wouldn't care. They would have someone so stunning to see every day. I would get to see you more too, a bonus for everyone." He winks at you.

"You're such a flirt!"

"Of course I am. Money keeps the business going, but charisma brings me my customers. I have to make an impact, no?"

You chuckle softly.

"I see how it is," you say, sliding off the stool. You take some money from your pocket and place it on the counter. Zemo tries to stop you, but you don't let him.

His hand hovers over yours as you leave the money on the counter.

"It was nice seeing you again, Helmut, but I must go."

"Will you come again?"

"I expect so."

He smiles.

"Don't leave without saying goodbye this time," he tells you.

"We shall see."

"I'll come looking for you if I have to!"

"No, you won't," you grin as you leave.

Zemo watches you go, his heart doing somersaults in his chest. How could one stranger make him feel so much?

Sam looks at his boss and grins.

"You have it bad, Zemo."

"Get back to work, Sam."

"Yes chef."

Zemo glances down at the money you had left for the drinks. He slides into his palm and puts it into the register.

He will count down the seconds until he sees you again.

@namethathasnotbeentaken @belle82devart @cathrin2405 @lieutenantn @wilder-fangirl @latenightartist-author @lucky-luck-lucky @hb8301 @charistory @thatoneartgalsstuff @thesuitkovian @malkaviangirl @zemosimp420 @realremyd @the-chaotic-cow @lostghostgirl94 @zafiro-draco @lazygurl05 @pinkcutiepiee @goddessofmischief03 @whovianayesha @myybebe @awesomesauce-abbie @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @zemo-is-my-muse @nonamec0s @apparrio @scuttle-buttle @alex-the-nb

[larrysballetslippers]

Hey, I saw you write fictions. Could you help me understand how to go about writing fictions and what are the basic steps? I want to write a larry fiction but english isn't my first language and my vocabulary isn't advanced. I, however, do want to give a try maybe a short fiction. How do formulate a fiction? I have some ideas but I can't divide them into chapters and generate enough scenes. I have tried to write sometimes but it's always a dead end and I don't know to proceed.

Personally I like how read story where there's seeding in every chapter with some backstory which gradually gets revealed. I am into a/b/o phase right now and want to write a good story with basic yet great plotline which keep my readers hooked.

I have so many questions to ask. Sorry for this long ask and Thank you if you respond.

Hey sweetie. How do I say this without sounding self-deprecating? I'm still a beginner, I technically wrote two fics. I'm currently working on my first "advanced" fic, which means I'm still learning, A LOT. I can't really be a teacher right now, but I can give you some tips. I can help you with what I learned since I started writing and link some good blogs/posts. This is going to be long, so cut.

First, some tips.

1. There are so many superior writers out there, but everyone has to start somewhere.

You can't start writing with the idea you're the greatest writer on the planet. I wrote down my first story when I was eight. Did it have a good plot? No. Did it have well thought out characters? Absolutely not. Did I make a story inspired by my favourite superhero show? Yes. It was probably 300 words max and with horrible grammar. I'm a very imaginative person, so I make stories up in my head, but that was the first one I wrote down. I haven't written much since then, just some school projects and little things here and there. I only started really writing in April, I think. It was rough, but fun. It was a canon-compliant story, so it didn't need that much planning out, I thought. When I finished, I was so proud. Then I started my second fic and I realized my first wasn't the best. I was so sad when I read it back, disappointed it didn't turn out the way I had in mind. But I shook it off, realized it was my first fic, EVER. So I shouldn't put myself down. You have to start writing to get good, you can't expect to be Jane Austin without putting one word down. Don't COMPARE yourself to others.

2. Plot is never truly original.

Like music, there isn't somsthing like an original plot. Everything is taken from something else. Every plot in the world has taken inspiration from somewhere else. You can write an a/b/o fic with a spy theme, it's very clever, but not original. You've taken an a/b/o plot and combined it with a spy plot. Don't be afraid to write a cliche plot, it's about the way you write it. That's why no two fics are the same, the writer is different.

3. Find a beta you trust.

When I first started the first part of my fic (it was a series), I didn't know what a beta really did, so I asked someone to correct my grammar and that was that. In the second and third part of that fic I didn't even do that, I tried to correct everything myself. Part 4 of my series I asked a beta to help me, it was wonderful. It's the best part of my whole fic and I'm forever grateful for that beta. We weren't the best match, so we couldn't continue working together. The fic I'm writing now is much longer than anything I ever written, so I needed a good and available beta. I found one, the angel of all angels. You need to find someone that will help you with your story, but also encourage when you feel like complete trash. Believe me, you will. It's important you have someone to brainstorm with and laugh with over your your character's dumb jokes.

4. Your English is better than you think.

I'm not a native English speaker, shocker right? No, I'm joking, I'm not the best. BUT I'm understandable, right? That's important. You don't need to have fancy words to write a story. Use the words you know and if you want to improve your vocabulary, do that, with time. You don't need to be an native speaker in a day, it takes time. I'll link some good sites for vocabulary.

5. Read more fics

A good way to improve your vocabulary, read more fics. You clearly enjoy it, use it to improve yourself. Not only for vocabulary but for the plot, characterization, world-building, etc. Take in the things you want to remember, forget the rest.

6. Copy and paste

Maybe a bad thing to say, but copy and paste things you like. If there's a sentence in a fic or book you like, copy it. Of course, don't just paste it in your fic, but take inspiration out of it. Why do you like it so much? Why does it come over so good? Any words you want to use? Is the structure of the sentence appealing? Think about it, so you can improve your fic. Especially with areas you struggle with, take a look at other works.

7. Smut is scary, but don't be scared to try.

Is smut something you want to write? You don't have to, but if you want, don't be scared. As someone who wrote two smut scenes in her life, I'm struggling, but I'm trying. Take all the tips above this and just try. Things may go terribly wrong, but that's why you're practising.

8. Research research research!

Things like smut, fantasy, minority groups. You can't just write about it without any knowledge, research it. Articles, youtube videos, blogs on tumblr, etc. A simple kiss scene can be difficult if you have no knowledge about it, read people's first kiss stories or something like that. Want to try and write BDSM, read about it on a BDSM blog. Research the heck out of it.

9. Just to say it again. DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS.

Just to summarise, you're you, don't try to be someone else. You're writing style isn't worse than someone else's, it's just different. It makes your work recognisable, your text original, your hours of writing easier. Someone told me I can write young people really well, I owned it. Find what you're good at and own it.

Now that I have given you some important tips to start, I'll answer your question. How to go about writing fiction?

Everyone is different first of all, so please don't take my word for it. This is my routine, I just made up.

1. What do you want to write?

Is it your own idea, a prompt, a fic fest, an exchange?

2. What universe does take part in?

Does take place in the real world or a fantasy world? The past, present or future? Realistic or supernatural? Which country?

3. What is the goal?

Are they supposed to be lovers at the end? Do they have to defeat something/someone? A quest? Where do you want to end the story?

4. Where does it start?

Where does your story start? At the birth of your characters? In the future and you work your way back? In the middle? When your important characters meet each other for the first time?

5. What does it take to get from start to finish?

What happens in the story? What developments happen? Is it a road trip and your characters need to get closer, how do they do that?

6. What are some subplots you want to add?

Are there things that don't really matter for your goal, but you want to add? Friends to lovers but maybe they help someone's mom out one day.

7. Who are your characters?

Their personalities, appearances, quirks, relationships.

8. Who is the protagonist?

Who is the story about? Who is the main character?

9. In whose point of view is it?

Who is telling the story? You, the protagonist, the love interest, a random bystander, etc?

10. Outline.

Write down what you want to do with your story. Every scene needs to be written down. You can always change it of course.

11. Write, write and write.

Take all the tips and write.

I want to give you some links I always use. I will also recommend some blogs.

This tool lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept: https://www.onelook.com/thesaurus/

This article about body language: https://www.writerswrite.co.za/cheat-sheets-for-writing-body-language/

This tumblr post about body language: https://badassunicorn2016.tumblr.com/post/145725344712/writing-tip-june-4th

This article for alternatives for 'said': https://owlcation.com/humanities/400-Alternative-words-for-said

This tumblr post about writing smut: https://larryficsvol28.tumblr.com/post/660062510531182592/smut-101-a-tutorial-for-beginners

This tumblr post about how to make smut sound sexy:https://larryficsvol28.tumblr.com/post/658604597068365824/making-smut-sound-sexy

This tumblr post about turning ideas into a story: https://larryficsvol28.tumblr.com/post/659430707796557824/i-get-lots-of-ideas-for-stories-which-are-just

I have some blogs you can follow that talk about writing.

This podcast blog @roseanddaggerpodcast

This blog has a podcast too and some good fic recs @allwaswell16

These writing blogs @ficsex @writingquestionsanswered @bhficfest https://wordsnstuffblog.com/

Some veterans writers and also have some good fic recs @twopoppies @justalarryblog @kingsofeverything @louandhazaf @hershelsue @lululawrence @pocketsunshineharry @fearlesslysweetcreature @indiaalphawhiskey

I hope I could help you a little. In some weird way I helped myself, hehe. I hope you can finally write the story you want. If you ever have any questions, just come by. I don't know if I can always help you, but I'll try!! Good luck!!

[deafeningwizardsquare]

An iconic duo sharing a moment while people IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT SEASON 3.

As many of you may assume, this is definitely a Quidditch stan account. I adore the storyline, the characters are liveable and funny, Orion & Murphy & Skye are the true definition of "iconic", the dialogues are catchy, definatly my gallery is going to kill me one of these days for that and even if it's not free from the infamous plot holes and (in)famous presence of questionable people inside I'm fine with the final product.

So fine that I decided to restart again just for the Quidditch.

Lies, I have four account. Felix won't kill me if I spend most of my time with the Slyterin route in a Quidditch camp instead of, you know, earning house points.

The first two seasons had their strong sides (such as the characters's structure, a genuine good plot and an impressive mature way to talk about really huge things) such as their weaks (Ethan Parkin, Ethan Parkin, Ethan Parkin, way too much drama, SKYE, Rath'a logic that sometimes went on a vacation on the Maldives, Murphy and the zoom, Orion and his murderous Orionism and of course Penny that is everywhere at anytime) but season 3 is a big interrogative.

Is it good or bad?

Well, let me tell you: well but not so well?

Starting from the fact that this was supposed to be the season in which it is essential to test yourself to achieve a purpose and how SKYE HAS STOPPED BEING THE MANIAC OF THE VILLAGE(SCREAM!)

There are some weird stuff (no sense could just be a good synonymous but it fits better "boring") and honestly they are making me turn up my nose.

A lot.

The premises were objectively excellent and I will tell you, although they recycled the mechanics of "atomic bombs did much less damage than Erika Rath's bludgers" it must be said that the plot pretext was used well (hitting the captain it surely is a best plot twist than Skye's rips, it gave me a better impact and surely is a practical way to showing at the player what you are going to focus this year) because when the poor Orion made a presumably fatal fall (but it's the magical world of Hogwarts Mystery so let's avoid serious considerations) we could see that yes, Skye's development was a little bit too fast (with that genre of father with a certain mentality clarly the matter deserved a more concrete action on the material level of events but Skye remains human and the way of managing all that emotional tangle that the dear daddy had kindly offered her is justifiable since the method with which things are lived changes from individual to individual. Whatsoever if we consider that a conversation like the same that MC had with both father in daughter it's the deus ex machina of the TLSQ, show must go on, staying another second hearing Skye's existentialism's crisis could have ruined the mental stability of the palyers and we needed to move on for delevelopments it's fine. Rushed but fine. For who is Skye it can work) but effective thus allowing a relaxation on his part both towards Erika (best girl since forever) and towards Orion (some of their interactions are pure GOLD, the scene of the infirmary is one of these).

Above all seeing the team falter was a touch of class.

Funny how for Orion's sake everyone was ready to murder someone from the Rath's team and dying for the motherland while when the same thing happened to Skye nobody cared.

AT LEAST WE KNOW WHO IS THE TEAM'S FAVOURITE.

Good also the disciplinary measure from Madame Hooch (GO AND DO THE RESPONSIBLE ADULT THAT IS MISSING IN THIS GAME YES), nice to see Erika and Skye in the Great Hall doing the chores for detention "cinderella's style", good the secret-not-secret (as everything in this game DUH) and good that MC has embarked in his journey to obtain the leadership with your favourite partner in crime.

They give me "Mark Antony & Octavian" vibes.

Speaking of Skye and MC and since only now Murphy is remembering having a spoken role, let's not forget the former absolute protagonist of the scenes!

ORION AMARI.

Although the season had started in tragedy Orion in the lower chapters was the same good looking guy with an Italian surname, the most piercing of eyes and an enigmatic aura.

But since "enigmatic" perfectly rhymes with "problematic" it's been 7/8 chapters yet he disappeared with his superpowers and comes back just for doing screen time and for the fandom with all of his mysteries.

What happened to him?

Now, THAT was sa good point to start. Because you know everything about Skye, Murphy isn't exactly a closed book and Erika speaks for herself, but Orion?

What we know about him expect the old "I'm parent free?".

The fact that he lost hus spark and that maybe this could be a new opportunity to discover something else it's intriguing. He was never an authoritarian leader BUT aware and responsible of his position. And this made him perfectly functional to his role. Because he was the original guide of a team that needed someone who would put some limit on Skye and managed well all the dynamics that have happened in the span of 2/3 years.

Guys, he faced Ethan Parkin (a little parenthesis but IS ALWAYS AT HOGWARTS? That is, sooner or later he will start to work or do they get stuck in the air and bludgers in the ribs?) he and Rath had had babysitting Skye for the whole second season while MC was there like "MIND MY OWN BUSINESS, MIND MY OWN BUSINESS, MIND MY OW- OH DAMMIT!" and now things are getting complicated because we don't have many chances to talk to him and his rather arcanic tone does not help to clarify.

How MC will arrive at the objective (presumably to be a captain) is important. It's personal grow and characters NEED this. But Orion too is growing in a completely new direction. Don't overshadow him for ANOTHER Skye' drama prototype please.

What happened to him is not up to us mortals but we can do some hypothesis.

Orion, dear, WHAT HAPPENED?

You have a crush for Skye and you're thinking to visit a doctor? Did Snape attacked you? Ethan Parkin is (sadly) real? They served you some pineapple pizza? Italy won the Euro 2020 but you cheered for England?

DID YOU NOT RECEIVE THE SALARY?

Hopefully the triology of "yeah let's make a deja-vu and let's show to the players that we remember the whole 'heart/mind' stuff and that we are COHERENT' will end soon and we'll move on. Again.

Sigh, for now they were two pretty boring chapters.

Or should I say, the training with Andre, MC under the guide of coach Erika that singed "I'L MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOUUU" between a near death from fatigue (as if we were in The Sims), Skye doing what Skye usually do so screaming at people for (YOU HEARD THIS SCOMING) reasons and MC trying the hero pose as he/she was in Miraculous Ladybug were nice sketches.

BUT.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ORION'S CENTRIC.

Give me a joy JC, and I'll may forgive you about all the messes that YOU crated in ALMOST four years.

:'l