#alva..yes ..of coURSE!

[quinttyz]

Taliesin (flirting): You know, I don’t like how that Alva woman stares at you. It’s like she wants to eat you. I’m not jealous or anything but I hope she saves some for me.

Ameth:

Ameth: Ok you know what Alva DOES seem suspicious

[williamkisser]

A Luca x reader would be nice........... preferably slow burn and y/n is the shy type............. I'm hungry................. Thirsty............ Would beg....... Thank you.... *dying*

♡— The Prisoner with a shy S/O

♡— Oh my god… anon… N-N… NO!!!! Anon please, don’t do this to me… breathe. Oh my god. BREATHE!! *sniff* *sob* i’m… I’m so sorry i couldn’t save you, anon…. I hope you’re in a better place now… *sob*

♡— Warnings: g/n reader, fluff, possibly ooc i’m not sure, word count is 1400

♡— Luca Balsa, despite going through a turmoil of tragic events, never did once even try to stop working on his lifelong passion, god forbid even think of it. Yes, around him there were degenerates, murderers, thieves, even mystical, strange creatures - such combinations would drive any man crazy, as if anyone in here already wasn’t. But after all, finding something you could get absorbed in is the best method for killing time, don’t they say? Not even his developing issue with memory loss can stop him now.

♡— That’s why the prisoner, most of the time, could be found in the comfort of his own dorm, sitting by the desk while brain storming for yet another solution to the new experiment he was currently developing. And to be frank, he did quite like it this way. He had his own corner in the world, didn’t need to worry about money, could eat delicious meals and could even discuss some scientific matters with a few other enlightened individuals. And the prize for winning the game was even more tempting. Just imagine how much quicker he could develop his project with all this cash.

♡— Despite all the focus on his own dreams and scientific infatuations, Luca didn’t stray from engaging in interactions with other people. He’s certainly considered as one of the friendliest and most cheerful people in here. Some wonder if anyone im here ever managed to get on his nerve. He’s just very tolerable towards most, if not all, however, clearly he feels most comfortable near people who are willing to listen to his info-dumps, or engage in smart conversations, ask questions and give suggestions. There weren’t much residents in the manor like this. Most are either uninterested or too weirded out, therefore the prisoner always appreciated the open minded ones.

♡— Sadly, Luca’s past whereabouts left a permanent scar on him, making him a little unaware to some social cues. This man can not pick up on someone being painfully visibly attracted to him. He assumes all people willingly interacting with him are either friendly or just curious. Luca likes showing off and exchanging ideas with his mentor Alva, asking Helena for advice and letting her touch all of his tools or projects, trying to connect nature with science together with Luchino, or even explaining his ideas to the suspiciously fascinated Florian.

♡— And then there was you. A person very shy, awkward even. Everyone didn’t mind your presence, you just existed in your own bubble, in silence. Sometimes, someone would try to include you in some conversation, and while you did appreciate the gesture you just couldn’t grasp why you felt so uncomfortable, barely able to form a meaningful sentence. That was until you first encountered a young, quite charming in his own way man personally. You instantly became fond of Luca Balsa. Something about him just radiated pure happiness. He genuinely wanted to talk with you, sensing your anxiety, and you have no idea whether it’s for better or worse, because, oh God - he made you feel butterflies in your stomach and needles in your heart. You’ve got a crush on the Oletus manor’s „Prisoner”.

♡— You didn’t know what to do. The newly discovered feelings for the boy made your anxiety far more intense than it already was. Something in your head just screamed to not get too attached, after all, this is Luca Balsa we’re speaking of, he most likely doesn’t view you as anything else but a companion in matches. But, of course, the heart always does whatever it wants, ignoring the brain. That’s how you found yourself standing in front of his dorm doors, reflecting on if it’s alright for you to knock on them. What if he’s too busy right now and you’re just going to be a burden? This was a part of your mastermind plan - try to get into his interests and become a closer friend, and then…. maybe the friendship could bloom onto something else? You were in deep wonder, unaware that the doors are now open and Luca was waving his hand in front of your face. Earth to you.

♡— Either way, you spent some quality time with him together. He was very pleased to hear that you wanted to find out more about his projects and shared several insights related to his future plans. His dorm felt oddly cozy. You didn’t even realize that visiting Luca became some sort of a habit of yours, entering his workplace nearly on a daily basis - it made you forget about all the atrocities you witnessed during the bloody games. His voice was so soft and gentle, his eyes beamed as you kept asking questions about what is he doing right now. Luca felt so glad to elaborate and ramble about his passion. He’d even offer you to help him, giving you simple tasks as asking you to bring a certain tool. He was well aware of your shyness, so he was as understanding as he could, not forcing anything onto you. One day, Luchino teasingly called you „Luca’s little assistant”. The intense colour of your cheeks spoke for itself. You were head over heels.

♡— Quickly enough, your small acts of kindness turned into something way more serious. At one point, you felt like Luca’s own caretaker, because he was literally too absorbed in his work to pay attention to his own well-being. After you began frequently assisting him in not only helping to build some programs, you just took care of his needs. While Luca would love to stay up all night and didn’t like when people complained about it, oddly enough, he didn’t hesitate to tuck himself into his bed after you offered the prisoner too. You made sure he went outside and ate enough. Simple gestures like that were your own way of showing him affection, as you were too shy to be verbally affectionate.

♡— The whole situationship was now taking way too long. You were absolutely crazy over Luca, while he viewed you as a good friend and a fast learning companion. Everyone could tell you were following him like a lost puppy outside of matches, and he didn’t mind it at all. You just wished he would finally pick up on your real intentions, but at the same time you felt worried. What if he won’t talk to you anymore? What if there will be weird tension between the both of you if you confess? On one ordinary day, you were sitting by his desk as always, silently reading the notes hanged on the cork board while Luca came to you and asked to help him draw a technical sketch in his work notebook, to which you agreed to. After months of practice in his dorm you already knew how to properly draw a project on a piece of paper with accurate proportions - yet this certain sketch was new to you, you weren’t quite sure how to do it. That’s when Luca held your hand and guided it, helping you be more precise, and what an amazing, ecstatic feeling it was, his hand contained a specific, electric even, feeling on top of that. You blushed so hard you were surprised Luca didn’t even notice, but you knew you can’t be with him this way. You were hurting yourself by not telling the truth.

♡— This is how you found yourself sitting on Lucas’s desk, looking down and fidgeting with your fingers after telling the prisoner to listen for a minute. The whole thing was so stressful you can barely remember anything from that moment, not sure if it’s because of your own anxiety or if it’s the curse of this wicked place you’re stuck in. Either way, your confession to him was probably the most awkward one this Manor has ever seen - and it certainly saw a lot. Luca was surprised he didn’t manage to connect the dots for so long. He was focused on all the wrong things and failed to notice your affection towards him. Those were a few painful months, but he was going to make sure you know he appreciates all the help, not only on the projects, but also helping him take care of himself. Luca asked you for permission to kiss you while holding your hand, which you agreed to, feeling happy like never, making all your shyness go away for once… which did not last long, as Florian entered the room without knocking, making a loud „EWW” sound. Luca was going to make sure no one will interrupt you, scribbling something about a doorbell in his notebook right after kissing you like his life depended on it. Turns out, Luca Balsa now has found something to look forward to in his life other that science and innovative inventions - which was you.

Thank you for your request anon… i hope you can read this fic in the afterlife at least… anyways this my first time writing a fic for a character i’m not very familiar with. I tried to be as accurate as i could so i’m sorry if it’s ooc 😭 anyways it’s 2am now… idv x reader tag how are you doing on this lovely summer night

[southernbelllle]

John Miller Headcannons

Some x reader, some random

Word Count: 2k

AN: Oh my God. I think about him so much. I just wanted to talk about him. I wish he was real. This pic 🥵.

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John is the type of man you could just sit and listen to for hours.

He is a very passionate man, hence his high rank in the military. He doesn't half ass things.

He'll talk your ear off about the symbolism and metaphor of life; the joys of finding figurative language.

His favorite book (by a long shot,) is "The Sun Also Rises," by William Faulkner.

The general disillusionment of America that is central to the novel intrigued him in such a way that he himself found a strange twinge of inspiration in such disparity.

He knew that there was so many real life "Jake Barnes'" out there, some as young as the budding men he taught. It struck that fatherly urge he possessed to "help" or, "fix."

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He loves his job. That's the long and short of it.

Some people are born unto this earth with a singular, sole purpose,

and John Miller's is to lead America's youth.

On the battlefield, yes, but more so in the classroom.

He can connect to every kid who steps in "Mr. Miller's" classroom.

Every highschooler, boy or girl, who has stepped into his space would come to know that they were not just gaining a teacher, but a confidant.

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The inflection in which he delivers his lectures is cushiony and tender.

He dissects his lessons into many different parts in order to help his students understand the source material.

He'll tell you about the time a boy fell asleep during his lesson on the many poems of William Wordsworth, and how he gently tapped the boy's shoulder to wake him up.

"I'm sorry Mr. Miller," the boy said, "But you shouldn't have read the poems like they were bedtime stories."

John laughs every time he tells that tale.

No paddles or write-ups saw the young boy that day.

John knew he was right.

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His teaching outfit consisted of a dark brown corduroy suit, fit with elbow pads of course, and light khaki pants.

He wore tiny golden glasses with circular lenses.

He carried a brick red briefcase that was usually seen spread atop your kitchen table as he took a red pen to his student's papers.

You'd polish it until it shined like the top of the Chrysler building!

It was your civil duty to keep him dapper!!

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John Miller is a red-blooded American.

Which means, naturally, that he is an absolute baseball FANATIC.

When his principal approached him about the possibility of him coaching the team in the Spring, he basically pounced on the man.

He's played baseball, he's watched baseball, he's been to more games than he can count, it's a pure love for the sport.

The game is like a dance, a dance that when followed right, you could take the cake every time.

(This philosophy would help him in the war too.)

When he's not thinking about you, he's thinking about baseball.

He's sifting through the memories of happy high school boys rushing to fist bump him after practice,

he's thinking about his star player who had never wore a pitcher's mitt before he asked him to. Claiming that he could tell he had talent just by watching the boy and his friend throw a crumpled-up paper ball from one side of the room to another.

He's reminiscing on how last year, he'd led the team to state, and the rush of Gatorade that was dumped on him when they won. The big, fat smooch you planted on his lips when you ran down from the bleachers.

It's Miller's America's favorite pastime!

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He is a well-respected teacher within the halls of Thomas Alva Edison High.

He is the teacher that would let his students play trashket ball as a review game and would do absolutely anything to help a child if they ever were in need.

But at the same time, his students knew there was no bullshit to be tolerated in his classroom.

I believe the kids these days would say he has "reasonable cashouts."

Stern, but caring!

The Juniors would tell the Sophomores, "Oh you're going into 11th grade? You better hope you get Mr. Miller! He's the only teacher I've ever learned anything from."

So when the news broke that Mr. Miller would be leaving to join the fight, a dark, heavy cloud parked in the sky above the school.

While yes, you were absolutely heart broken and were going to worry about him every. single. second he was in that uniform, there were a countless number of students, young adults, college goers, baseball players, and after school studiers completely broken at the news.

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During the war, the only time he felt at home was when he was bossing his men around during the mission to find Ryan.

The young men, all reminded him of the student archetypes he'd taught before.

Jackson was the student who excelled at book work. Finished at a crazy pace, and then would run up to his desk and say, "I'm done Mr. Miller, what do you want me to do now?"

Wade was the quiet boy who'd sit in the back. He was good at his lessons and kept to himself. Until it came to partner work, where he would dominate the assignment and show headstrong qualities where it mattered.

Reiben was the rebellious student who always claimed that he didn't give a rip about school, and acted out for laughs from the class. When the clock struck 3:00 however, he was apologizing to his teacher and turning in the assignment.

He was a good captain because of the lessons he'd learned throughout his teachings.

Another fun fact, he would grade the boy's letters back home.

"Hey Capn' I wann send this letter on home to D. I wont her to think im gettin' real smart like though, so tell me if i wrote anythin' dumb."

Miller would just rewrite the letter.

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Coming home to you was in a word, euphoric. He was nervous, initially, but when he saw you sitting on the brick steps of your back porch. It was like no time had passed at all.

You were stitching a brand-new set of elbow pads onto his sport coat.

His mind stopped and sputtered.

Normalcy.

A sight he never thought he'd ever see again in his life.

And yet there you sat.

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The first hug he tugged you into didn't end for a good 20 minutes.

It was like that last scene in tangled.

You two had sunk to the ground, tightly coiled together in an embrace that couldn't be thwarted be any mere bullet or tank.

He inhaled your floral perfume through both his nostrils and his mouth.

He brushed your hair to the side and felt the softness only derived from blissful innocence.

Your first kiss reunited was even better.

Like you two were back in the college classroom where he first laid eyes on you, begging to whatever power that would listen to bring a beautiful model like you to a nerd like him.

Little did he know you were praying the same thing.

He tasted your lips.

Your pink, fruity lips dabbled with a cherry lip gloss,

lingered on his when you had (finally) pulled away.

He took a moment to bring your face into his hands, just pausing to take in all of your features.

Like a portrait he'd seen in an artbooks a thousand times over, only for this time, to see such a beauty in real life.

His light eyes looked into yours with perpetual joy and solemn. You could see the intense waves of his of emotions swirling in his soul.

You wrapped your arms around his neck to pulled him into your chest; he wept.

It was so nice to feel loved again. He didn't have to crumble under the facade of a straight edge military captain.

He didn't have to cry into his hands all alone anymore. You knew exactly who he was, he had nothing to hide around you.

Here, he was your schoolteacher husband,

that was all he ever needed to be again.

Except for that one thing....

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When John comes home, you take it upon yourself to make sure that he is fed, and clean.

He doesn't tell you everything, but you knew that his time in the service was more than painful. Excruciating.

So much so that he preferred not to be alone with his thoughts.

So, your help is MUCH welcomed.

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He would stand beside you as you cooked dinner.

He watched as you would turn the knobs on the stove and gently grasp the spatula to plunge into the casserole dish.

Your hands were as steady as an oak branch on a quiet summer night.

He couldn't help but notice.

He shoved his own into his pockets.

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For a long time after returning, he wouldn't shower without you, not that you minded of course.

The pampering of it all soothed him in a way that he had almost forgotten.

It was not sexual (most of the time...) more often than not, it was anything but.

You'd bring a stool in for him to sit on as you massaged your fingers through his short brown hair.

His favorite of all time though, was the good soak he'd get by sitting in the bath being bathed by you.

He could stretch his long legs out in the porcelain and leave himself all to you.

One such moment, about a week after he got back, he found himself in that position. You softly poured a pitcher of warm water on his head.

He felt the warmth cascade down his neck, to his upper back, back into the pool that he lay in.

He was so relaxed, that he failed to notice the involuntary twitch of his hand that hung around the white rim of the tub.

You glanced down at his convulsion; his eyes still shut from the feeling of sensation you had given him.

"John?" You'd whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Hmmm?" He hummed, barley paying attention to the worry in your voice.

"Your hand," you subtly brought his twitching fingers into yours. "Did I hurt you somehow?"

"My, oh-" he plunged his hand back into the soapy water. The realization of the reality unfolding in front of him hitting him like a train. "That's just," he mumbles. "That's just something I picked up overseas." He nervously fidgeted with his hands underneath the surface.

"John...." you brought your hands to drape over his shoulders. "You don't have to hide from me." You hushed into his ear. "I know that parts of you have hardened," you pecked his temple with plump lips. "But I'll always love those parts too."

"I-I'm sorry, I-" He stumbled again. "I was just in this- this" For the first time in his life, John Miller couldn't find a way to formulate his words. "This place, P-" he stuttered. "P-Portsmouth."

You shushed him and began to knead his temples with a butterfly's touch. Gently soothing him back into a relaxing lull. You then picked up his still convulsing hand and brought it to your lips with a sweet kiss.

It was that action that told him everything he needed to know about you once again.

He had picked the right one.

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"He have his goodness now. God forbid it's taken from him."

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[grusinskayas-archive]

Greta Garbo and her mother in Sweden, 1928.

Despite the distance separating them, Anna kept in close touch with Greta, who had gone to the USA in 1925. They wrote letters to one another. Anna cut out articles that mentioned Greta in the Swedish press and sent them to Hollywood. And Greta sent home cuttings from American papers and photographs she got from MGM. A lady journalist from Vecko-Journalen (a Swedish woman's weekly) managed to call on Anna Gustafsson in her new flat in the autumn of 1928: “There was a framed photograph of her husband, who had died young. And there was a photo, too, of Alva [Garbo's sister], who died in 1926. But there was no picture of Greta, her daughter…” “I've got one here,” said Anna Gustafsson, holding up a locket round her neck with a photograph of Greta, a present from her daughter in Hollywood. “And I've got more pictures in here,” added the proud mother, pulling out a desk drawer stuffed with piles of stills that Garbo had sent home from her films. She did not dare put them on display – “Greta wouldn't like it…” […] “Yes, I do go and see Greta in the films. I went to the premiere of Anna Karenina. As someone who knows Greta very well, I could tell she was giving her utmost.” “So you were pleased with your daughter then, Mrs. Gustafsson?” “Yes, of course, I'm pleased. Mind you, they didn't need to do all that kissing…”

Conversations with Greta Garbo by Sven Broman

[arsquare]

Merry Tanabemas @desfraisespartout! Here's a picture of Miguel and Robin getting birdmarried to fill your Robin x Bat wish!

Thoughts under cut

As to how the relationship is in this scenario... hm... I think Robin and Bat eventually get married post canon for political reasons. In my complex postcanon worldbuilding marriage isn't an institution that birdmen really participate in, and while you can have a ceremony, being married confers no additional rights to you. Most rights are either rights of an individual, or rights of a flock.

This is more of a show for the humans: marriage is something they understand. I don't think the stain on Miguel's reputation as "violent" will ever really go away, and he becomes the face of the negative stereotype of birdmen in the public consciousness.

Robin's faction obviously never even considered something like this, but as new birdmen and flocks began to pop up around the States, some began to spread rhetoric that birdmen as a whole should just abandon the violent and uncontrollable beasts like Miguel to the police entirely. When this thought persisted to a point that it was actively damaging efforts to unify birdmen in the US, Robin and Alva (it was mostly Alva tbh) made the decision to stage this wedding as a show of unity, that birdmen would not abandon their abused or mentally unstable members.

Robin, after all, is the face of the good birdman; she was the one in the photoshoots, who made the speech at in Washington DC, who was respectable in all ways. Their marriage is essentially Robin putting her stamp of approval on what Bat represents. Did it work? For the most part, yes, but there remains a small but conservative faction of birdmen who still kind of think those violent Latino birdmen are fucking it up for the rest of us even if they don't say it out loud. Sad but unfortunate.

To be totally honest Miguel had no say in this. Alva and Robin decided this on their own and kind of dropped it on him during one of their meetings and he couldn't really do anything about it (not that he really objected... it's not like he was in love with someone already, it's just. you know. shocking. I don't think he's someone who ever had marriage on his radar because his own parents' marriage ended badly)

But I do think Miguel and Robin have a special connection... Rooster of course also knew Arthur before he died but I think he looked up to Arthur more as a mentor. Miguel and Robin both treated Arthur as their leader so they still kind of had him on a pedestal, but I think both of them loved Arthur in the same way. This I think is the crux of what Robin and Miguel's relationship means to me. There's nobody else who understands my love. It isn't for you. But you're the only one who gets it.

I don't think they particularly WANT anything from each other in the relationship, either; they don't particularly want to be loved, or even feel that they deserve to be loved. They love each other as one might love a grave, because it was proof that the one who left had been there and it had all been real. Robin leverages the entirety of her political power to stand by Bat. He takes a bullet for her. They leave room for Jesus when they dance. And when they cross the dance floor you can see the Arthur-shaped negative space between them.

[crypticsketchpad]

hihi! i was looking thru your toyhouse, and i was looking through matrix’s profile and listened to the song linked there. i was astonished at how well it fit matrix’s character and lore, and needless to say it is now on my playlist.

i have two questions tho in regards to matrix! 1) what’s your favourite part about their characterization? and 2) can i draw them and post the art here on tumblr? I’ll credit you of course for making them

that’s all! i love your character designs btw :3

EHEHEEEE THANK YOU!!! a friend of mine actually said that song reminded them of matrix a while ago and i absolutely agree aljkgskg it's perfect

so 1, good question! i've always loved them being like. a typical mad scientist, i think that's fun, but also, like. this might sound weird, but it's interesting to me how delusional they are about it. in their head, they're doing this to help other monsters; they made chimera out of love, out of a desire to help their family, but in the process irreversibly destroyed all of them, mentally and physically. they experiment on other monsters in order to "benefit" monsterkind, yet see their patients as nothing but lab rats, not even treating them like living independent beings, making the lives of everyone around them an absolute hell. maybe they still do want to help, after all that, but that genuine desire is buried deep underneath layers and layers of mental instability and a morbid fascination with body modification! fun times

theyre kinda like this

also their one-sided(?) infatuation with alva is fun to play with for me because i'm a filthy shipper /lh, i do really love their relationship tho

and 2 YES YES YES ABSOLUTELY YES I WOULD LOVE THAT OFC PLEEEEASE. i love it when other people draw my characters absolutely go for it if you still want to

[bleachbleachbleach]

Verisimilitude (long thoughts about writing)

Sometimes I get mailed random books to consider for course adoption. The first one I looked at the other day was so incredibly bad I could not make it past page 12--"oh my god I hate books" bad; "trees were wasted on this!!" bad. And then there's this one. I've made it to page 30-something and I could have told you 20 pages ago that Oliver Twist it would remain, but I am still reading it to read it, and maybe keep it to recommend extracurricularly. (The protagonist Alva is a weeb for American culture, whatever the word is for that, which I think could make for interesting study!) But that's all context to say,

AH YES THE INTERNET RABBIT HOLE OF NARUTO FAN FICTION, HENTAILORD. WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE.

SO...

BLEACH MENTION WHEN????

Based on the style of her screen name, the Naruto porn, and her listening to My Chemical Romance and Linkin Park, this girl is definitely living her teenage life in the mid-00s, in ways that are searingly obvious. Which feels like it should be a massive success in terms of using verisimilitude to pinpoint a particular time and place and, by extension, person. But I don't think it does?

In thinking about why this doesn't work for me as a reader:

1. As a general rule, I tend not to enjoy "fandom" subculture references like this in fiction, because they have never felt true to my experience of fandom, or even my experience of others' experiences of fandom. The specificity is there but not the verisimilitude. Whether this is because of an inability to articulate the breath of life that animates fandom spaces, or a feeling of needing to at least kind of translate it for the uninitiated general audience, I don't know. Not that Alva's narrative goes far enough to merit this discussion; she's just reading Naruto porn for one sentence, but it just doesn't land right for me. (Sidebar, this is probably also why I don't enjoy acafandom or fandom essays that aspire to acafandom; there's usually this attempted, manufactured critical/"objective" distance from the text that often feels performative, or at least the wrong [or less interesting] tool for the job. And even where 'in-group' positionality is addressed, the translation required to make these things legible to the out-group is just--well, not what I want in life, I guess!)

2. I am a great believer in drawing greatly from what you know and feel and all those random thoughts and behaviors and emotions and tics that make life interesting, and giving them to fiction. In fanfic especially, I am a great believer in seeing the author's hands in a text, making the story (and the original canon) unmistakably theirs. But I kind of always want them to be hands that are in the act of giving. By which I mean, I think there's a difference between all these things existing in a story and having been given to a character or a world or a story, and integrated genuinely into them.

Like, all I can think about while reading this book is how the author definitely lived through the mid-00s in a particular and very familiar way. Rather than create a richly immersive world, the details jump out of the page and leave the story behind. They don't feel like they belong to Alva (or perhaps Alva does not feel like a character with the depth to hold them and make them hers). They belong do the author, and to me, and to history, but Alva falls out of the equation. And if this is going to work, I feel like Alva can't fall out of the equation.

3. I was talking to a friend about something similar a few months ago. She was complaining about a historical fiction book she was reading with a book club she leads at the library she works at--how it was clearly very well-researched, but dry as hell. The information was not animated by the story itself. And I compared it to a fanfic I'd (not) read, where the author was very proud of all the research they'd done and how accurate-to-life its setting was. (To be clear, I'm not subtweeting Bleach fandom. Completely different fandom! Also this fanfic was published like 16 years ago.) The fic did bring in lots of specific details about trees and highways and city names--things I knew well, too, because it was set where my sister lives--but rather than be as exciting and, again, rich, as I feel like that familiarity could have been, it all felt dead. Because all these things were described specifically, but not true to how the narrating characters would describe them, or mentally catalogue them, or experience them.

And you might think, well, how would we possibly know how a character thinks about highways? It's not like he's explained this in canon. And I'd say, well, you definitely can. There are probably a lot of different ways a character could plausibly think about highways, depending on the specific shade and flavor of your characterization of them, all equally believable; but it's got to be part of the equation. There are a lot of ways to be right, and you know it when it's wrong. The wrong-est way it can be is for the way they think about highways to not factor into the way those dang highways are being described by them, in their POV.

4. I think about this both as a reader and as a writer--certainly more often as a writer, because I find that level of imagining a character's headspace the VERY best part of the process, and also because I am often concerned I am not doing it, or at least not well, lol. I'm positive I've done all the things I've just talked about not enjoying.

These concerns exist at the level of characterization work in general, but also at that level of, is the wizard behind the green curtain? Are his hands giving? Because while I do write fanfic because "it is fun" and because "this idea interests me," I am also usually writing it to work through deeply personal emotions/experiences. Which again, perhaps selfishly, I support that. But from a craft perspective I don't want it to feel, transparently, like "oh lol this author is going through it."

Moreover, from a relational perspective, I don't want that to be the relationship between me as author and the characters. Because one thing I am ALWAYS writing fanfic to do is to indulge my feelings about how much I am in complete, rapturous love with the characters and worlds in question. I don't want to just place things upon them, like a film or shroud; I want them to be given, integrated, arriving in the text wholly in their bodies and in their minds and entirely theirs. And I mean this for both the emotional arcs and conflicts and the random tics and details. I want them to have been given, and to belong, and to feel completely and inextricably theirs.

So, those are my thoughts about mid-00s Naruto porn!!!

I'd love to hear others' perspectives, as readers or writers or both. Have you had similar reactions, or quite different? Why do you write, and what do you want? What's your template for how you think about characterization, or your writerly relationship to canon/characters?

[theink-stainedfolk]

Writing Questionnaire Tag

Thank you for the tag @the-inkwell-variable @the-golden-comet and @wyked-original-writing

I have divided the questions between different characters.

1st set are for Yin Jian and Luo Xingchen from The General's Bride from beloved inkwell♡♡

1. If you could kill someone with zero consequences, would you do it?

Jian: "No. To take a life, even without retribution, stains the soul. There are other ways to undo a person without resorting to bloodshed."

Luo Xingchen: "Yes. But only if they deserved it and posed a threat to what I’ve sworn to protect. Mercy can be weakness in the wrong hands."

2. What kind of crimes are okay to do, in your opinion?

Jian: "Crimes of survival-stealing bread for the starving, trespassing to escape danger. Laws are not absolute; their worth is measured in justice, not in their mere existence."

Luo Xingchen: "Breaking laws that don't make sense. Sometimes rules exist only to control, not to protect."

3. Instant ramen or fancy ramen - which is better?

Jian: "Fancy ramen, of course. The care and time spent crafting each element speaks to the devotion of the chef. I don't know what Instant ramen is. Though I admit, I've never tried the instant variety. Should I?".

Luo Xingchen: "What the hell is Instant ramen? "Fancy ramen is fine for a special occasion, but when you're starving in the middle of nowhere, a quick bowl of Simple Ramen is unbeatable. Besides, it's less pretentious."

---

The 2nd set is of Liang Wenqing and Jin Tao from The Ghostly Aria

1. What location is always considered a home to you?

Liang Wenqing: "The opera house, despite its age and decay. Its stage, its back halls—every corner breathes with the history of my ancestors. I was born into this tradition, and even though the world is changing around me, the opera house feels like the only place where I am truly myself."

Jin Tao: "Home for me has always been the small, cluttered office I keep at the precinct. It’s not grand, but it's where I make sense of things. It’s where I can think clearly, even when the city around me is changing faster than I can keep up with."

2. Do you enjoy traveling with company, or alone?

Liang Wenqing: "I prefer being alone, especially when I’m on the road for performances. There’s something about traveling by myself that helps me focus on my art. But when I perform, I am never truly alone—the voices of past singers and the ghosts of forgotten opera fill the empty spaces around me."

Jin Tao: "I prefer traveling alone. I find that company often distracts me, especially in a city like this where every street corner is full of people pushing their own agendas. I need to observe and think—when I’m alone, I can truly see what’s around me."

3. How many landmarks in your world have you visited? Were they fun? Horrifying? A place to remember?

Liang Wenqing: "I have seen many of the grand buildings of the city—factory chimneys rising like iron giants, the bustling markets, the riverside where the smoke of industry lingers in the air. But the only landmark I truly remember is an old, crumbling temple I stumbled upon when I was young. It was a place of both beauty and horror—whispers in the wind, shadows that seemed to move. I’ve never forgotten it."

Jin Tao: "I’ve seen many parts of this city—factories, bustling marketplaces, the wharves by the river. But the one place that sticks in my mind is a narrow alleyway near the edge of the industrial district. I stumbled upon it while chasing a suspect. It was dark, filled with the smell of smoke and oil, and the sounds of the city seemed muffled there. It was a place that reminded me how far we’ve strayed from the old world. Not a fun place, but one I’ll never forget."

---

The 3rd set is for Alva, Ames, Corey and Winter from In Monochrome

1. What brings you the most comfort?

Alva: “The quiet hum of the coffee shop in the morning. When everything’s calm, and there’s no rush, that’s when I feel at peace.”

Ames: “The smell of paint on canvas, especially when it’s fresh. The moment when the first stroke of a new piece touches the surface—that’s when everything feels right.”

Corey: “Being wrapped up in a cozy blanket with a good book and a cup of tea. There’s something about being in my own little world that makes everything seem okay.”

Winter: “Being outside in the cool air, especially when it’s dusk and the light turns golden. I love that feeling of the world settling down, just before night falls.”

2. Do you enjoy the warmth of the sun?

Alva: “I do, but not too much. Just enough to warm me up when it’s chilly outside. It’s like a gentle reminder that things will be okay.”

Ames: “I prefer to paint in the quiet, but I do enjoy the soft warmth of the sun through the studio windows. It feels like the light is bringing my art to life.”

Corey: “I don’t mind it, but sometimes I feel like the sun is too much. It’s bright and intense, like everyone’s watching. I prefer the quieter, softer days.”

Winter: “The sun’s warmth is great, especially after a long, cold day. I like to just lie there, soak it up, and forget everything for a while.”

3. What’s your favorite meal?

Alva: “Anything with pasta, especially a rich, creamy Alfredo. There’s something comforting about the way it melts in your mouth.”

Ames: “I like something simple, like warm bread with butter, something you can savor slowly while you’re thinking. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just real.”

Corey: “A classic grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. It reminds me of childhood, of being safe and taken care of.”

Winter: “I’m all about a hearty stew, something with root vegetables, meat, and thick broth. It’s warm, filling, and something that sticks with you all day.”

---

I'll tag @finickyfelix @willtheweaver @leahnardo-da-veggie @illarian-rambling @winglesswriter @paeliae-occasionally @thecomfywriter @drchenquill @corinneglass @seastarblue @frostedlemonwriter @vesanal

[foibles-fables]

hi foibs, hoping you’re doing well. there’s something i’ve wanted to ask you since burning shores…can you say more about why you weren’t impressed by seyka/seyloy? i’ve valued your hzd opinions for a long time and am curious and interested to learn more about this one. but if you’d rather not answer that’s fine!

Hi nonny!! I told myself I wasn't going to answer any of these, but I really appreciate your kind tone and am happy to address this again for you!

I won't go into a list of specific reasons why here. I do enjoy a good bit of piece-by-piece analysis a LOT but--frankly, picking apart another ship in a public zone like this is not what I want to exemplify on my blog, at all. It's not the kind of environment I'd like to create or discourse I'd like to foster. If those conversations are to be had at all--which, let's face it, they're probably not--they're to be had one on one, with a promise of good faith and open-mindedness between participants.

So to answer your question, I'll give a little more info, but still in generalities.

First and foremost, it's the simple fact that their dynamic, as portrayed in HBS, didn't spark for me! If y'all know me, you know that there is a very specific ship dynamic that I tend to latch onto, and this repeats ad infinitum across fandoms. I just wasn't compelled by the material, which is fine! More power to you if you were, for sure.

That loops into the second reason I'll give: yes, I did find the writing of HBS to be lackluster in many aspects, including the relationship between Aloy and Seyka. The sloppy writing absolutely influenced the way I viewed/reacted to Aloy and Seyka as a ship. To me, it did feel rushed and very much removed from the character and pacing of the series we've known for years. And that was not a boon for connecting with the presented narrative, the same way I began to feel disconnected from HFW. Once again, though, totally subjective and valid if it did hit for you!

I wanted to like Seyka so much more than I did. (This is--as I've shared other posts before--commentary on the writer's room character work, not on Seyka.) I wanted her to oust Alva as my favorite Quen babygirl (A HARD CHALLENGE, I'll admit). I wanted to be compelled by her, and by her dynamic with Aloy. She didn't, and I wasn't. And that's not an attack on Seyka herself, or on folks who enjoyed her. That's my own peeve with the writing and the way she was presented both in the narrative and in the HBS marketing.

If I can also use your ask to be a little vulnerable, nonny? It's been a hard six weeks. I feel like the posts I've put up and the opinions I've offered with regards to this have been nothing less than respectful and pleasant and, in a lot of cases, that grace hasn't been returned. From being blocked/unfollowed/vagued by other Horizon wlw shippers with whom I've built a rapport over the years (which of COURSE it's anyone's right to curate their feeds--still stings on the other side, in this situation especially)--to being directly compared to the Actual Homophobes for supporting the idea of romance options in game three (the same Actual Homophobes sending death and other threats directly to my inboxes)--it's an unfortunate state. I'm doing my best to be positive for the whole fandom, but some days it's harder than others.

In any case--I'll say, contradictorily--there is a Seyloy idea I've been working on, in attempts to connect more with them and sublimate my quibbles with what was presented in canon. So I hope any Seyloy enjoyers who might read it eventually (and this!) will take it in good faith when it's finished, as it's being written in nothing but good faith!

And, FINALLY, because every single time this question comes up, I say "I DON'T DISLIKE SEYKA" out loud in Nadja's voice, and this is the perfect opportunity to finally make the joke in public:

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 23 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: Alva, I have questions about your empire's agriculture.

DIVINER: Well, I'm not an agriculturalist or a biologist, but I'll answer what questions I can!

Zo: Do you have land-gods? Machines that tend your fields?

DIVINER: No, we had to learn to do everything ourselves! Much of it was discovered in the labs belonging to Eileen Sasaki, which is why she's one of our most revered Ancestors. The Empire wouldn't exist if we couldn't expand our fields!

Zo: I suppose our reliance on our land-gods has limited our expansion.

DIVINER: Um, this might be an awkward question...

Zo: That's fine.

DIVINER: And by awkward, I mean insulting.

BoyNextDoor: Apologizing before the insult. Erend, you can learn a thing or two here.

HIMBO: IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU'RE ALL TOO SENSITIVE!

Zo: Yes it is.

HIMBO: OH REALLY? GRANOLA GIRL?

Zo: …

Zo: So what was your question, Alva?

DIVINER: Do you um, know how to farm?? Without your land-gods, I mean!

DIVINER: Sorry!!

Zo: Oh, that. Yes, we do. Not all our villages are directly in the paths of the land-gods. We haven't expanded much, but we have some.

HIMBO: SHARING A BORDER WITH THE TENAKTH PROBABLY HELPED KEEP YOU GUYS FROM PUSHING OUT.

MARSHAL Kotallo: The Tenakth have always had fine relations with the Utaru.

HIMBO: YEAH, AND I'M GUESSING THAT ANY TIME ANYONE SUGGESTED EXPANDING, SOMEONE BROUGHT THAT UP.

Zo: One of the biggest problems my people have is that we are passive. The land-gods provide more than enough for what we need. Even in our outer villages, we rarely actually need to farm. It is always easier to just sit by and let nature take its course.

FlameHairSavior: In my experience, the people in power generally want things to stay the same.

Zo: True, the Chorus is the worst, but this is a problem common among the Utaru. As much as I wish otherwise, the Chorus are not forcing their own passivity on anyone. This is simply the way we are.

BoyNextDoor: Except for a few brave members of the tribe who will charge into a Cauldron with a couple of strangers.

Zo: You say the sweetest things.

HIMBO: EW, THEY'RE KISSING.

BoyNextDoor: How old are you, twelve?

β: flirt on your own time its science now

DIVINER: Right! Zo, did you have a reason you were asking about the Empire??

Zo: I found a story of the Old Ones about an empire making a colony. It just got me wondering if your people had the expertise to do something like that.

β: what story was it

Zo: Terra Nova.

β: i dont know that one

DIVINER: I don't either! But I'm guessing it's sci-fi?

Zo: What's sci-fi?

DIVINER: ...oh, wow, I just realized how much cultural context you're all missing.

FlameHairSavior: We are not having a movie night. At least not until I can go two consecutive days without having to put out literal fires.

DIVINER: I'm sorry to say, I don't think this is something that can be solved with a movie night!!

β: sure it can there are documentaries on film making or whatever

DIVINER: Oh, documentaries!! Those would be so useful!

DIVINER: I don't have any on my Focus, though!

β: nether do i

β: neither

HIMBO: WHAT'S A DOCUMENTARY?

DIVINER: It's a movie for teaching you about something!

HIMBO: SOUNDS HORRIFYING.

FlameHairSavior: I've changed my mind; we can watch one.

HIMBO: HEY!

FlameHairSavior: Though I do seriously need to find a day without an emergency.

FlameHairSavior: I found a Tenakth town in the desert that is flooded, and still doesn't have any drinking water.

BoyNextDoor: What were you doing back in the dessert?

FlameHairSavior: Okay, this was a while ago. Back when I was traveling to Vegas.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Many of our villages are suffering from such problems.

HIMBO: I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT SORT OF SLAG. DON'T YOU GET MOST OF YOUR FOOD FROM THE UTARU?

MARSHAL Kotallo: We still live off the land where possible, one way or the other. We don't just steal everything from our neighbors. We are not savages.

β: also raiding is not a sustainable long term economic practice

β: pirate nations never last long and aloy said all the bandits are always starving

FlameHairSavior: Yeah. That was back in the Sundom and the Sacred Lands, though. The rebels seem to have things a little more thought-out.

MARSHAL Kotallo: They are attempting to wrest control of Tenakth society. There is more to them than mindless raiding for supplies.

DIVINER: So! I've looked over the archive, and there aren't really any documentaries??

DIVINER: Well, there's one on the history of sourdough bread, but that's probably not going to be interesting to anyone??

MARSHAL Kotallo: What in the name of the Ten is sourdough bread? That sounds like something that has been fouled and is unsuitable for consumption.

DIVINER: I don't know! I haven't watched it!

β: aloy we have a new mission for you

FlameHairSavior: I don't know what sourdough bread is either, and I'm not finding any.

β: no not that you need to find the documentary on film making

FlameHairSavior: And where would I find that?

β: youre supposed to be the anointed chosen baby or whatever thats your job

FlameHairSavior: If there's an undamaged library or something out there, no one has told me about it.

DIVINER: There's one in the Quen lands! Well, not UNDAMAGED, but much less damaged! It's where we obtained much of the Legacy we still have today!

β: see there you go

FlameHairSavior: I'm not going to the Quen lands.

HIMBO: AND HERE I EXPECTED YOU TO SWIM ACROSS THE OCEAN.

FlameHairSavior: No, but I can come back to the base to smack you.

HIMBO: OW!

DIVINER: ...did Aloy somehow get all the way back to the base in seconds to smack Erend??

DIVINER: Oh, never mind, I see.

FlameHairSavior: What?

HIMBO: VARL SMACKED ME!

Zo: How WOULD you go about finding specific data, Aloy? Surely this has happened to you before.

FlameHairSavior: Usually, if it's important, I at least have a lead. I knew Faro was at the center of everything, so I went to Faro HQ. Then I found out about other bunkers and labs. That sort of thing.

DIVINER: All right! Then that just means you have to go to Hollywood!

FlameHairSavior: [Sigh.gif]

FlameHairSavior: Fine. Where is it?

ADMIN [GAIA]: The location of the former Hollywood Boulevard is approximately three hundred and thirty-six miles south-west of this facility. Assuming constant use of striders, and not accounting for detours or sleeping, it would be wise to budget at least forty hours for the outgoing trip.

FlameHairSavior: …

FlameHairSavior: I'm not riding forty hours straight to get you a movie.

DIVINER: Aw.

β: erend what are your plans for the weekend

HIMBO: HAHAHA NO.

Chapter 23 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[fischotterkunst]

one thing i actually do love that IDV did was to release Luca Balsa and watch the fans go absolutely rabid for him, fully believing his backstory - and of course why wouldn’t we? - that he was framed and his mentor was a greedy evil cultist etc. Poor Luca! He only ever wanted to carry on his late father’s work! We love him for his tortured genius and his playfulness despite the hardships his former adopted father put him through!

…Only then Alva Lorenz debuts and. He’s a cultist, yes, but he’s genuinely gentle and nurturing and sweet and cares about Luca specifically because Luca’s father was Alva’s dear friend (historians remember them as being very close) and his story implies that yeah Luca fully did murder him and Alva doesn’t seem to fully understand (or remember) why. We even see the exact same scene of one attacking the other with the roles reversed.

I love this so much. I love both these characters and I genuinely have no idea which one is right and which is the villain. They both have amnesia so we might never know. It’s so good I hope IDV leaves it ambiguous forever.

(THIS IS NOT IMPLIED SHIPPING LUCA AND ALVA IF YOU SHIP THEM GO FUCK A CACTUS)

[quicksilverdrabbles]

Morana: *leaving Movarth's Lair with Taliesin and the others at her side* I guess you were right about Alva wanting to take a bite out of me..

Taliesin: Of course I was. My instincts for predators are never wrong.

Morana: ... *ducks her head down, trying to hide her trembling lip and watery tears*

Taliesin: *sighs* You're upset about the girl, aren't you?

Morana: S-She didn't have to die like that.. *sniff* She didn't deserve it.

Taliesin: Oh, Morana.. *pulls Morana into a hug, stroking her hair gently as she wraps her arms around his waist, shaking* There was nothing you could have done. The damage was there from the moment we stepped foot in Morthal.

Morana: Why does it feel like death follows us no matter where we go? Every day we have to kill somebody, every day, someone else dies...

Taliesin: That's the cycle of life, dear. And while we sentient creatures can be rather cruel...

Morana: ...

Taliesin: .. People will die no matter where we go. That's.. just the cost of the life we live.

Morana: *hic* .. I wish we didn't have to fight anymore.

Taliesin: ... Yes, so do I.

[vulpeskorsak]

Day 3 of Whumptober 2024: Biggest fan

No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you.”

AO3 got banned in my country and VPNs have not been working well on my PC lately, so I am not going to post these there for now. But hopefully I can do that at some point.

This is taking place in a hidden-supernatural modern day setting.

Alva is a radio host found of the supernatural, horror and mystery.

This is a moment from his childhood.

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

Biggest fan

"Could you change the channel, please? This guy is beginning to piss me off."

"I thought you'd never ask," Irina laughs, following the request.

She also hates this useless demagogue, so she has no objection to watching anything else.

"-king news! Richard Jeremy Swanson was found dead this morning. His body was found at 11 am in the recording room of the Stellar Station building. It has been cordoned off and the investigation is ongoing."

A plate almost slips out of the soapy hands of her husband Joshua who stares at the screen in complete disbelief. Every morning of their family would start with turning the radio on and listening to the Show and they would often do the same in the evening. It has been a household tradition for, what… almost five years now?

Irina silently stares at the screen, wondering if this is really happening, until she hears a soft creak behind them.

Oh no.

"A witness present in the building during the incident claims that the other member of the locally famous host duo of "The Thomas and Jeremy Show", Thomas Baxter, has been arrested under suspicion of murder with extreme atrocity. The witness claims that the body was found in a condition that could only be described as-"

"Josh…"

She grabs the controller knowing well it is too late. The TV is turned off. She looks at him and then slowly points behind his back with her wide-open eyes as she puts the remote on the counter between them.

They turn around to see their son staring at the darkened TV screen with a blank expression. Irina's stomach drops. It is his favourite show. How could she explain this to him? How could she comfort him?

"Honey?" She tries, taking a step towards the boy. "Alva? Is…"

Alva runs towards her with intense determination and surprising speed. Sensing his exact intension, Irina snatches up the TV remote and raises it above his reach just as he makes a jump for it.

"No! Let me see! There is some… misunderstanding! They have to say something about it! He would never do something like that! They were friends!"

Tears are streaming down his face and he continues to jump again and again. There has to be a mistake. A misunderstanding, maybe? He needs to see what else they will say.

"Alva, honey, we… we cannot know-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I HAVE TO KNOW! Tom would never hurt anyone! He had to have been set up! Or… They actually did get him! As Jeremy said They might!"

"That was just a joke." Joshua sighs, trying to find the words to explain. "A comedic conspiracy he made up, so the Show would be more interesting to listen to."

The boy vigorously shakes his head. He stops jumping, trying to catch his breath as the tears have begun choking him.

"No! … I mean… Please!" He begs, reaching out of the remote. "I need to know the details!"

Irina is unable to find words to comfort her son. The child raising book that she has read from cover to cover says nothing about what to do if your child's hero gets killed by your child's other hero. She is completely out of her depth. And her husband is looking just as dumbfounded as she feels.

"How about we wait a little?" she suggests, hoping her gamble would work out. "Give the investigators time to work? Let's not worry too much before there are concrete evidence, alright? Maybe, we can watch the evening news and by then the police would have found something different out."

"Yes! Of course! Evidence!"

Alva suddenly stops crying, appearing to be deep in thought instead. Joshua moves out of the way as his son approaches the almost empty sink to wash his face. He wonders if there is anything helpful he can actually say buy the words just won't come out.

"You are so smart, mom!"

Alva grins wiping his hands with a towel before turning around and running off towards the front door.

"Alva? Honey? Where are you going?"

"To find evidence!" He responds as he puts the shoes on.

"They will not let you in there, my dear." Irina shakes her head.

"But I have to try!"

He is out of the house with the bike before she can say anything else.

"You cannot be serious!" Irina cries out.

"Good luck!" Joshua yells simultaneously, waving the soapy dish and almost dropping it again as his wife elbows him in the stomach. "Ouch! What?!"

"Do not encourage him!"

"I just wished him good luck!"

He sighs finally turning around to deal with the plate.

"Should we go after him? Or do you think he'll get kicked out by police and return home?"

Irina mimics his sigh. She is well aware that will not happen.

"Let's… give him half an hour and then drive over to the station to pick him up," she says turning on the TV again, though the segment is already over.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Faro's Tomb

Yesterday I just did some prepwork insofar as the getting to Horizonverse San Francisco was involved. This morning, however ... I woke up waaaaaaaay too early with the whole "pain-spasm in the legs" thing and could not get back to sleep so I thought ... fuck it. Main quest time.

YESTERDAY

Okay. Totem. Up the mountain we go!

...Too far up the mountain. This is a Sunken Cavern and I don't need greenshine that badly. I suppose it's in that cabin down there. But there's Sunwings and--

Oop. That's a Stalker. Lemme clear the field a bit.

Right. Totem of War iiiiiiiiiiiis ... Kratos. I guess this is what they mean by Easter eggs.

Moving on - gotta get to San Francisco. Minus the flowers in the hair.

Of course I had to do this shit at night. I guess it makes sense story-wise, though. Off I go!

Right. What've we got in this area? ...TALLNECK!

Tallneck ... in the water. And ... damaged. Okay, what stole the parts this time?

Glinthawks. Great. A-swimming we will go-- FUCK THERE'S SNAPMAWS.

Can I lure the Snapmaws up to the surface so I can poonk them? *tosses rock* Nope. But they're over there for now and I will just ... play with crates.

Okay. Sneak-swim and...

FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKNOTENOUGHSTEALTHKELP!

Phew! In the building. They can't bother me in here. And up I go.

Aha! Part! And ... fuck, that nest I looted over there wasn't the one I needed so I have to go back!

...Oh thank the gods there's a zipline. Bye, Snapmaws!

Second part. Now, where do I need to put these?

Ah. Thank the gods for the rebreather. Aaaaaaand--

Oh fuck I'm going to have to swim some more.

Okay, I can jump on from here. That'll work. YEET.

For once I get to climb the moving Tallneck! I missed this!

Override and SPLOOSH back into the water for that shelter I saw over there. Now that I'm more or less established, I can quit here and do the rest when I have a few more spoons.

THIS MORNING

Okay, over to Legacy's Landfall-- Ooh, drone!

I admit I am getting better at finding the ways to climb things to get drones and the like. Plus it's a good distraction from the OW.

Got that ... now, Legacy's Landfall.

OHAI QUENFOLK. Um ... wut.

They call their leaders Ceo? As in CEO? Oh gods. Not sure if hilarious or creepy, so I'm going for both.

Bohai, you are ... untrusting and a bit grumpy. Which I get. Ceo, you are ... friendly in that creepy "I do not and will not trust you" way. I have a feeling this is going to be shitty.

Alva and the rest are pinned down by a Thunderjaw? You have, like, an army; can't you--? No, of fucking course you can't. I'm on it.

Quick stop for datapoints, and then Thebes. ...I didn't even know there was a Thebes in Egypt, but turns out it's around Luxor. Huh.

YES I KNOW THERE'S A THUNDERJAW; THAT'S WHY I'M STICKING TO THE RED GRASS-- Fuck.

Okay, that wasn't so bad. Hi, Alva-- Oh. You fuckwads followed me. Great. So down we go.

Ah. Gene-locked to Faro. I got this.

Swimswimswim... Aha, here we go. Aaaaaaand ... okay, the audio logs from this Kayla are already freaking me out and I've only seen one of them. This is going to get ugly, isn't it.

Ceo ... what the fuck are you wearing? You-- You consider yourself the reincarnation of Ted Faro; that explains the Fucking Creepy. Fine, you want to be a weirdo, go ahead, but-- YOU WANT ME TO WEAR WHAT?!?

So here I am in an approximation of Sobeck's favourite outfit, which they would have killed Alva if I hadn't worn it, going down into Thebes and getting ever so much creepier audio logs. I ... have a concern about this whole situation.

I'm sorry - Faro installed WHAT in people's heads?!? Oh, this is just gross.

So he was working on the same "eternal life" tech that the Zeniths have and ... it ... sounds like it didn't work so well? That's ... as far as this goes, right? He gave himself cancer or something. Right?

.........Right?!?

.....................wrong. Hooooooooboy. That is fucked up.

Yeah, no, guys, you really don't want to see that--

No, guys, you really don't want to do that--

Guys, what the fuck is your problem?!?

Fuck it; you want to get burned alive by trying to kill us while we run? Go ahead.

Please let the stupid Faro statue collapse with Ceo on it--

YES! VINDICATION!

Hi, Bohai-- Yeah, no, Alva, Bohai knows Ceo's a fuckwit. Let's just tell him that Ceo was a fuckwit and get on with our lives.

Okay. Quick stop for a black box, turn all those in for parts I really don't need to buy just to finish the quest, aaaaaaaand ... I guess it's time for work.

Oh, today's going to suck. I'm in less pain (the paracetamol has kicked in a bit) but I am exhausted.

[stellerssong]

user stellerssong you disabled the comments on your aloy/beta fic so i couldn't come comment for the third time.... i just wanted to let you know i played burning shores and got dismayed by the glaring lack of beta screentime.... so i went to get my fix from fics and—user stellerssong... no one writes beta like you.... you get her.... "painfully shy and haughty as a king all at once," my god, your brain.... (i am ill)

!!!!!!!!!!!!! hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm so sorry for locking comments on you, but i'm SO touched the spirit moved you so much that you came to find me here instead! and i just. god.

look okay here's the thing about Beta. the THING about Beta is, that, even though she's spent her entire life being fucking negged into the ground, she's also spent her entire life being told that she is the heir (the inferior, borderline-unworthy heir, but the heir nonetheless) to THEE Sobeck legacy, the legacy that de-extincted humankind and (from the Zenith perspective) will save humanity's best and brightest to boot, AND the closest thing she has to peers are the Zeniths themselves, a bunch of rich chodes utterly convinced of their own importance, AND she grew up on an interstellar luxury cruise ship and now she lives in an underground bunker which may or may not have running water. so, like, mixed messaging, right? and while we do like to lean into the whump-hurt/comfort of the abused genius child backstory, the thing is she also does have a certain stubbornly self-important streak that both helps her maintain a sense of autonomy in the face of the aforementioned lifelong emotional abuse and makes her kinda difficult to be around!

(Aloy has this streak too, which is why even though she grew up in a wet cardboard box all alone she still had the guts to make her hail-mary run at the Proving. maintaining a sense of personhood in the face of unimaginable neglect and rejection! but also, as not the person playing the game or writing the fic, wtf who is this little feral ginger and why is she gnawing on my shinbones i am literally just standing here)

anyways. i do feel kind of bad that i've sort of fallen out of the fandom, knowing that the baeloy contingent is such a lovely group of people, so for your trouble, a snippet of Your Girl:

It’s not that Beta’s afraid to leave the server room. Of course she’s not. The entire planet she’s on is in danger of being razed down to the bedrock, there are immortals with highly advanced technology out to find her and imprison her for the rest of her natural life, and if you left the base and walked approximately twenty feet you’d be promptly attacked by bloodthirsty killer robots. There’s sort of a lot going on at the moment. So it would be stupid to be afraid of something as trivial as, say, “going upstairs, where all the other people in the base are, in order to get some water before bed.” Yes, that would be very, very stupid. It’s a good thing she’s not afraid, and she can go upstairs whenever she wants, and that it’s normal to get a drink of water just because you feel like it. It is further a good thing, she adds to herself as she creeps up the stairs and peers around the corner to make sure the coast is clear, that this society doesn’t appear to have any idea what “affirmations” are. The central common room is empty at this hour, which is how Beta likes it. No loud music emanating from Erend’s Focus (Beta isn’t even sure how he gets those little speakers to output that loudly—Aloy must’ve helped him mod them), no Zo asking her intrusive questions like how are you feeling or is there anything you need or have you eaten today, no Alva Looking at her in that way she has where the capital letter is very evident. Beta dares a few steps out of the stairwell, careful to keep the wall at her back. She wouldn’t’ve minded seeing Varl, but she also won’t die if she doesn’t see him, and besides, he’s got better things to do than wait around to say hi to her. The one point of concern: there’s no sign of Aloy’s friend lurking around, she of the blood-red lipstick and upsettingly defined abs. GAIA’s still working on getting full access to the base, so they hadn’t been able to offer her a room of her own, but she’d taken that in stride and made up a makeshift bed on one of the benches in the common room. Her pack is there in the corner, her blanket balled up on one end of the bench—but no Talanah. Yes, troubling. Beta sidles along the wall, eyes catching on every little flicker of motion from the LED displays, darting towards every sound of the base settling in the cold alpine night. Talanah’s been staying at the base to rest and resupply on her way back east, which is fine, it’s not as if Beta has any say in other people’s comings and goings. Beta just—doesn’t love being around her, that’s all. Something about her sets Beta’s teeth on edge. Her cat’s smile, maybe, or that purr in her voice, or the way she runs around the wilderness in a cropped top for no earthly reason. Something like that. Well, she’s not likely to jump out at Beta from around a corner, shrieking and waving her arms. This isn’t a horror holo, or one of those vids that had been so popular in the early 2000s, the ones where the hosts would play increasingly elaborate pranks on unsuspecting marks before revealing their deceptions to the blare of obnoxious theme music and pre-recorded laughter. Talanah’s probably just spending time with one of the others, waiting for Aloy to get back from whatever errand is keeping her out and about so late. She’s probably completely forgotten that Beta even exists. And Beta is thirsty, dammit. Quite annoyed with herself all of a sudden, Beta curses under her breath and crosses the empty room in a few long strides, making for the bathroom.

[saltysplayt00ns]

Thought to nicely show this, the repeat of this dialogue and scene, but has no significant purpose of the parallels, except that the author forgot this was done before, adding on to the repetitive scenes, dialogue, poses and many many more.

Usually parallel scenes adds a dynamic, blunt or subtle way to keep note of, as people read the story in either characters, words, plots or scenarios ( there's probably more but these are the few I have seen from consumed work ). In this case, there isn't one shown here of WHY the scene was shown again TWICE, yes the rabbit I can see go for Jahla if she was far off, but there isn't one for Ronja to go look for Roamer since he's a baron, she doesn't need a baron to ask why the members are leaving cause she's over a baron, unless she's not available to give command. More so of that this feels like Ronja doesn't know what to do and asked a baron for help, like what would roamer do? cause if you're hoping to like use intimidation then - yeah meteor has not changed and do not blame them for leaving after what Roamer did to bear dog.

(top) Ch. 10 - Light in the dark pg. 532 || (Bottom) Ch. 13 - Yearning pg. 762

Instead, It should have been reversed of Roamer and Kargo speaking with each other and saw over the hills of meteor members leaving with packed supplies. Curious and concerned, Roamer asked Kargo to look for Ronja of his observation and will still flow the same way of Why Galti, Javo and Alva are leaving? and wanted to know.

Another is have the same scene of Roamer and Kargo looking down but roamer they saw Ronja discussing with the members that seems to not be pleasant, adding with the packed supplies went down to check on them.This would build up on what's about to be revealed, it also adds of Roamer quote " what's going on?" to be more better then what was shown. Ronja going to Roamer for assistance and then have Roamer being ahead and asking what is happening should have already been done ahead of the curve. Side note roamer being ahead shouldn't be a problem but there has been too many times characters ( you know who they are ) being ahead of another, being of the one to take credits, make decisions, or lead. doesn't matter if it made sense or logical cause that never existed and everything is done on the page without looking prior or have a script. - Keirr with Aira of taking credit of burning the bodies AND the one to lead the pack to burn said bodies despite not knowing where to place it. didn't help that he lied about them looking for meteor and becoming a family, since he left her in Whispervale and he can now visit whenever he wants, while she's in a tribe she didn't want to be in to begin with. It amazes me Ferah never realized that Aira was literally the beast that caused her to fall and be captured, she's the only dog with that design pattern.

- The SS escaped members encountering Jahla and leaving. Never understand why the son is the one to give why they had to leave and be the one to confirm his own mother that she can tell Jahla. - Rome and Jahla literally, and many more cause there are others who does the same pattern and more so of the " I am concerned and confused why that's put their to convey one thing, but should have been another. "

Dialogue of course needed work cause elaborating more of the undead would've been better along with not wanting to stay cause of the expose barrier, roamer being a baron overall and that they want to move on. people forget that these three dogs despite shown poorly of the trauma have dealt with a lot before Ronja came in after literally 30+ years, heck under 6 months would be a yikes. especially that now we have now burnt bodies coming back and vibing under meteor, would have me packing. Don't even get me started on how confusing the conversation and Vigr telling them they're cowards just to make himself look better, the dog barely did much except be a comedy relief, heck he's not even doing what his role is supposed to be - a pup did more and they're barely a year old 🤦only time he would stand up for Ronja is because Ronja agreed with his idea of using Rogio's scent on Ranach

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I wanna talk a bit later of the discussion of the Undead scene from Rogio going through the Journey all the way until the scene the members left, cause Roamer is definitely acting like a selfish and self-centered dog especially of the Big plot-hole I wanted to point out, but not on this thread.