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theeccentricraven · 8 months

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Ten Tips to Naming Characters

I’ve seen many aspiring writers express both in person and on social media that they struggle to come up with names for characters. Some have even said, “Why is it so hard?” I, however, have never found it hard to come up with character names. I’ve even been told, “Lucky you!” I wouldn’t say my instinct is just luck. From a young age, names have been fascinating for me, partly because I’m from a big family that had baby name books hanging around. If you’re struggling with character names, there are ten tips that make coming up with a character name a breeze.

Think of your favorite names

We all have favorite names. I sure do. Sometimes when coming up with a name for a character, especially the protagonist, I use a name that’s always been one of my favorite’s. Presto. My character has a name.

2. Read baby name books and websites

Baby names books or websites can be your best friend. They can help you find names under certain languages, provide meanings, common associations, popular names by country and region, and a great list you can steal from.

3. Study name symbolism and meaning in literature

When you study names used in literature as well as popular entertainment, you can find interesting symbolism that describes the character. For example, in Nathanial Hawthorne's “The Scarlet Letter” there’s a character named Arthur Dimmsdale. “Dimmsdale” in Old English means “gloomy valley”, a description that fits his character. The TV series “Lost” had special meanings behind the name of each character, such as how Jack Shephard takes on the role to be the leader of the group.

4. Consider the vibes surrounding your character

Oftentimes when I come up with a character name, I think about what kind of vibes I feel with that character and ask myself what name goes with those vibes. There might be a feeling or emotion I feel goes with a name that suits the character. If I think of a character who I feel has a strong desire for justice, then I could give the name Justin. If there is a character who I associate with love and affection or valiance, I might give the name Valerie.

5. For fantasy and sci-fi, mix and mash words

If you’re writing fantasy and sci-fi, you don’t need to be a full on linguist like Tolkien was, unless you passionately want to be. Coming up with elf names, magic names, alien names, etc. can be done just by mixing up existing words. Sometimes I take the halves of words, mix them up, and combine them. Animorphs author K.A. Applegate has said that she came up with the Andalite word “nothlit” by seeing a sign for Hilton Hotel and rearranging the letters.

6. Name a character after someone you would like to pay homage to or mock

Sometimes I name characters after someone I knew in real life who deserves tribute. I’ve also come up with villain names by naming them after people I don’t like or notable people in real life. Be careful with this technique to avoid getting sued.

7. Study languages

Again, you don’t need to be a linguist like J.R.R. Tolkien, but if you learn another language or study linguistics in general, it’s interesting to learn the characteristics of languages. I’ve studied a lot of Spanish and Irish Gaelic that I like to use for my character name creation.

8. Take names from other sources, like movies, books, mythology, religious books, history, places.

In the end, you can just steal names from places, movies, books, the Bible, etc. You wouldn’t want to do this for a unique name the author invented or one that is heavily associated with an iconic character. There are plenty of names that are free for grabs. Maybe you would like to name your character after your favorite movie side character, favorite villain in a book, favorite Bible figure, favorite saint, favorite mythological hero, or favorite historical figure, etc.

9. Use name generators

I haven’t used these myself, but I’ve seen there are a number of websites that can be helpful name generators. Examples:

www.fantasynamegenerators.com

www.behindthename.com

10. Don't overthink it

This might be the most important tip. I think the main reason why some writers struggle is that they overthink it. While the tips above are nice, they aren’t required. You don’t need to have literary symbolism behind the name or allude to some significant historical figure. In the end, it can be as simple as just using a name that you like or just randomly picking from the millions of names in baby name websites and Wikipedia.

I hope that helps. Have fun!

Photo by Tatiana Syrikova: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-unrecognizable-freelancer-typing-on-laptop-during-tea-break-3975677/

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probably-ace-ok · 1 year

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Unusual or Unique Crossovers

A small collection of fanfictions that either crossover pieces of media that are completely different, or does so in an interesting and unique way. Many are unfinished or seemingly abandoned, but I think they’re worth checking out anyway.

stand in the ashes (ask the ghosts)

My Hero Academia/Mass Effect

Izuku transported to Mass Effect universe before meeting All Might, gets adopted by Shepard. In progress.

Ghost's space adventures.

Hollow Knight/Mass Effect

Ghost gets sent to the Mass Effect universe and is pretty OP. Complete.

Diamond in the Rough

Steven Universe/Worm

Post-Future Steven gets transported to the grimdark superpower setting of Worm. In progress.

Child of the Sun (or, The Return of the Avatar)

Star Wars/Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Force stops working normally, and everyone who uses it becomes a bender instead. The Jedi Council does not approve. In progress.

Tilly Death Do Us Part

Double Life SMP/Attack on Titan

Minecraft players get accidentally sent into Attack on Titan… but can still use the Minecraft mechanics. In progress.

A Tale of Spirits

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Avatar: The Last Airbender

The turtles get send into the AtLA world and are mistaken for spirits due to their appearances and abilities. In progress.

see you in the dark

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K./Worm

Saiki gets sent to Brockton Bay and complains about not being in a comedy show anymore. In progress but hasn’t updated since 2021.

Stacked Deck (Or, Colin Wallis vs. Single Parenting)

Persona 4/Worm

Armsmaster has to deal with his brothers wife’s nephew being suddenly dumped on him. Yu has to deal with his uncle being a humanoid cactus. Also superpowers. In progress but hasn’t been updated since 2018.

Pray For the Children You Lost Along the Way

Miraculous Ladybug/Silent Hill

I actually haven’t read this one, although it got into my bookmarks at some point, but I’m putting it on the list for that crossover alone. In progress but hasn’t been updated since 2019.

Magic, not materia

Final Fantasy VII/Harry Potter

Was a bit hesitant about adding a HP fic to this list, but from what I remember, this fic respects HP about as much as I do — that is to say, not at all. Cloud shows up and stabs the Basilisk during Chamber of Secrets. In progress, last updated in 2021.

Once Again

Naruto/Gravity Falls

Mabel is reincarnated as Sasuke Uchiha, and that’s really all you need to know. In progress, hasn’t updated since 2019.

The Addams Family Thief

Persona 5/The Addams Family

Akechi gets adopted by the Addams family and fits in quite well. Complete.

All That Glitters Must Be A Rock

Kingdom Hearts/Steven Universe

Only a crossover in the loosest sense of the word, this fic is set in a world where people from the Destiny Islands are similar to Gems. Effectively complete.

More Than One Hero

My Hero Academia/The Legend of Zelda

Bakugou is a Link, and that changes everything. In progress, hasn’t been updated since 2018.

it's dangerous to go alone

Majora’s Mask/Undertale

Link falls into the Underground and meets Chara. Oneshot.

in the shadows of history (is where we roam)

Little Nightmares/Pokémon: Legends Arceus

Six is going to kill Arceus — and possibly eat what’s left. In progress, last updated in late 2022.

Revival

Batman/Attack on Titan

Eren Yeager in Gotham, what will he do? Adopt a child and befriend the local murderous vigilante apparently. In progress.

The Wheatley Parable

Portal 2/The Stanley Parable

Wheatley feels bad about what happened with Chell, but then he gets a second chance. Things go wrong immediately. In progress, hasn’t updated since late 2022.

Teen Titans: Morph

Teen Titans (2003)/Animorphs

Earth has been invaded by mind-controlling aliens, and the Teen Titans are some of the few heroes who know about it — along with the original Animorphs of course. Also, Starfire has a secret friend. Technically unfinished but satisfying to read anyway, hasn’t updated since 2014.

The Odd Duo of Blue and Pink

Persona 5/Kirby

Kirby and Meta Knight are reincarnated as humans in the Tokyo of Persona 5. In progress, hasn’t updated since 2019.

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stonesparrow · 2 months

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Dcst Animorphs AU pt. 1

Summary: For the past month, Taiju and his friends have been secretly fighting against an alien invasion, with information being hard to come by. And then they get a mysterious cry for help from the ocean, that might lead them to a brand new ally in the war against the Yeerks.

Basically a retelling of The Message, in which Taiju takes Cassie's role as the POV character.

Read on ao3!

My name is Taiju, and I’m an Animorph. What’s an Animorph? Well, it’s the name Chrome came up with for what we are now, the five of us who were given the power to turn into animals by the Prince Nemea. It means we’re a team, fighting the Yeerks together.

Oh right, uh. Yeerks are these alien slugs that take over people’s brains. Scary stuff! They’re at war with the Andalites—they’re different aliens, and now they’ve come to Earth to take over the planet! That’s why Prince Nemea (an Andalite) gave us the morphing power before he died. It’s a big responsibility, to fight an entire secret invasion, and it’s really dangerous. Senku says we can’t even mention our last names or where we live in case we’re discovered by the Yeerks and made into Controllers.

Being able to turn into animals is really cool, but having to fight aliens isn’t nearly as fun. We’ve had a few victories though, like taking out that Truck Ship the Yeerks were using to collect water. I try to hold onto those.

That was what was going through my mind one night when I couldn’t sleep, so I put on my shoes and decided to walk out to the barn. My grandparents stashed all the farm equipment there when they sold off the property when my parents died, so they hardly ever come out here.

Which is a good thing, because it would be kind of hard to explain Chrome to them.

Chrome raised an ear and sat up as soon as I entered the barn. Yawning, he crossed his paws and tilted his head at me.

I sat down next to the pile of blankets Chrome was resting on and sighed. “Yeah. Sorry, I thought you’d be asleep.”

<Eh, I had a nice nap earlier today. And gray wolves are sorta nocturnal anyway.>

Yeah, um. Chrome’s a wolf. Well that’s not right, Chrome’s still human, but he got stuck in wolf morph when we were trying to investigate the Yeerk Pool and so now he lives in the barn. His foster parents didn’t even seem to notice he was gone, though Kohaku’s sister definitely did. It’s been hard keeping that a secret from her, but Kohaku and Chrome don’t want Ruri involved with Animorphs stuff for her own safety.

I blinked. “Nock-turn-what?”

Chrome let out a snuffling noise like he was laughing. <Nocturnal! It means an animal is active at night, while diurnal is for animals active during the day. Wolves aren’t exclusively nocturnal, but they do frequently hunt at night.>

“Oh, okay.” I rubbed at my eyes. “I kind of wish I was nocturnal…”

“No, I…” I sighed. “I’ve just been having weird dreams lately.”

Chrome froze. “Dreams? What kind of dreams?”

“Like…I’m standing on the beach, looking out to sea.”

I blinked. “…Yeah. How’d you know that?”

Chrome looked me right in the eyes. <Because I’ve been having the exact same dream.>

I stared at him as he stood up on all fours. <We need to get the others.>

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“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Kohaku said, pressing a hand to her forehead. “For the past few days, the two of you have been having dreams about someone calling to help from the ocean, but the rest of us haven’t. Why is this important again? Maybe Chrome‘s just having weird wolf dreams and is somehow putting them in Taiju’s head with thoughtspeak.”

<Why would a wolf dream about the ocean though? You can’t just say this is a coincidence!> Chrome protested. We were all gathered in the barn since it’s hard to sneak Chrome through town without freaking people out.

“Come on you two,” Yuzuriha said gently, “let’s not argue, okay? There might be a simple explanation, but we don’t know yet.”

I smiled gratefully at Yuzuriha—when Chrome and Kohaku start arguing, it can be pretty hard to calm them down, and it really stresses me out sometimes. Yuzuriha’s so sweet and nice like that, it’s almost hard to believe such a wonderful, amazing person is friends with someone like me!

Kohaku frowned. “You’ve been weirdly quiet, Senku, what’s going on in that brain of yours?”

“Give me a minute,” Senku mumbled, tapping away at his computer. Kohaku sighed and crossed her arms impatiently, but I knew she wouldn’t push. All of us know that when Senku’s got something to say, he’ll make it known. That’s how he’s been ever since I met him.

Oh, I should tell you more about everyone on the team! Well, I really should start with Senku. He’s kind of our leader, though we never officially decided that I don’t think? I mean, even if we voted on it I’m pretty sure Senku would win anyway. He’s super smart, and he has this sort of attitude that makes you believe he can fix any problem if he has enough time to think about it. Of course, he’s also my best friend, so maybe I’m a little biased. His favorite morph is a green snake that kind of matches his hair, which he uses to gather information all sneaky.

I already told you about Chrome, but I didn’t really explain him very well. Chrome’s really smart too, and he and Senku work together to make plans for fighting against the Yeerk. Sometimes when things are tough, it’s Chrome who pulls through with an idea none of us have thought of, not even Senku. I really admire his ability to think on his feet like that!

Then there’s Kohaku, she’s Senku’s…step cousin? I think that’s right. She’s also Chrome’s best friend, which might be why they argue so much. Kohaku’s a really sporty type, and she’s not afraid of anything! Even though Senku and Chrome make the big plans, it’s Kohaku who thinks up new ways to use our morphs in battle. Some of her ideas are…a little scary, to be honest, but I know she’s right that we have to do whatever we can to defend our planet. Her favorite morph is a powerful lioness, though she doesn’t like it when Senku calls her one outside of missions.

Next there’s Yuzuriha. Man, where do I begin? She’s so charming and clever, she’s the one who makes sure we’re all staying undercover, coordinating our meetings, and making and repairing our morph suits. Not to mention she’s absolutely gorgeous, with lovely brown hair and eyes and the prettiest smile you’ll ever see. Her favorite morph is a beautiful owl with strong talons.

Can I tell you a secret? I’ve been in love with Yuzuriha since the day we met, back in eighth grade. But on the night I finally found the courage to tell her, we met the Andalite, and now…well. I feel like we need to focus on saving the world from the Yeerks first. After that…I’ll tell her for sure.

And finally there’s me. I’m…really not that special compared to everyone else. I’m pretty strong, and I like baseball, but I’m not nearly as good at fighting and athletics as Kohaku. I’m pretty dumb compared to Senku and Chrome too, and I don’t have Yuzuriha’s charm or skills with sewing. But if there’s one thing I can be, it’s dependable. Whenever my friends need me, I’m there, and my black bear morph is super tough, strong enough to take heavy hits that the others wouldn’t be able to. Because I’m going to protect them, no matter what. They’re the most important people in the world to me.

“Okay, I got it,” Senku said. “Check this out.” He turned his laptop to show us all what looked like a news broadcast, where a man was holding up a piece of scrap metal that had small symbols etched along the edge. “Look familiar?”

“Oh!!” I pointed at the screen. “That looks like the writing in the Andalite ship! The one the prince had!”

“Precisely,” Senku nodded. “I think this bit of scrap was a piece from a recently crashed Andalite ship. Which means there could be clues on the beach of a way to communicate with them.”

“Communicate,” I muttered.

And suddenly I felt myself pitching towards the floor as everything went dark.

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“Taiju? Taiju!!”

I groaned and rubbed my head as I sat up. Yuzuriha and Senku were staring down at me with worried expressions, while Kohaku was crouched over Chrome’s body lying awkwardly on the floor.

“Taiju, can you hear me?” Senku asked. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Uh…zero,” I said as I pushed myself up. “Ugh…”

“What on earth was that?!” Kohaku said as Chrome groggily rested his muzzle on her shoulder. “My head suddenly felt all weird right when you two collapsed!”

“Mine too,” Yuzuriha said. Senku nodded.

“I heard…some sort of voice, I think,” he said. I gasped.

“The voice! I heard it again! It was calling out for help!”

<Yeah, but it didn’t sound like a human,> Chrome remarked. <It was more like…like thoughtspeak. Like the Andalite.>

He meant Prince Nemea, the Andalite who’d given us our morphing powers. I shuddered as I remembered watching him die at the hands of Visser Three, the leader of the Yeerks.

I never wanted to see anything like that happen again.

“You think it’s an Andalite calling for help?” Yuzuriha blinked.

“All evidence points to that being the case,” Senku nodded. “But that also means it could be a trap.”

We all fell silent at that. Then, I shook my head.

“Even if it could be a trap, it could just as well be someone actually in trouble! Can’t we investigate a bit, Senku? What else do we have these powers for?”

“Hey, I never said we shouldn’t at least check it out,” Senku said. “If we can rescue the Andalite, we gain a valuable ally in this war. But it’ll be risky—if we fail, the Yeerks win, and Earth is lost. We have to all agree that this risk is worth losing everything.”

All of us glanced at each other.

<I won’t be any help in the water,> Chrome said, <But I’m all for the rescue mission. Kohaku?>

“The Andalite prince died to give us a fighting chance,” Kohaku said firmly. “The least we can do is try to save one of his people too.”

“If someone’s in need, I want to do whatever I can to help them,” Yuzuriha said. “Just like Taiju said—what else are these powers for?”

Senku stared at all of us, then grinned.

“Then get excited! We’re gonna go get some aquatic morphs.”

#dr stone #dcst #dr. stone #au #aus #animorphs au #my writing #my fic

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twisted-tales-told · 4 months

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8 & 9 & 11 if u haven’t already answered them pls 🫶

RAE <3 I miss u we haven’t talked in too long

This ask game

8. Oldest WIP

Oh my oldest wip is a piece called Retribution and she’s gonna remain unwritten for SUCH a long time. She’s just too smart for me right now. I need better skills, I need experience. I’ve only been writing for like 2 years and she’s at least a 5 year wait.

9. Current WIP

My current wip is for the @jegbigbang festival, so it is Top Secret. But I’m very excited about it and you should be too.

11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

Oh this is a GOOD question. Animorphs by K.A Applegate was probably the first BIG influence on me, and I think it comes across in the way I write action. Same with the Pegasus series by Kate O’heran. If you haven’t read that one Rae I 10/10 recommend btw.

As an adult the biggest influences on me are Aristotle and Dante dive into the secrets of the universe, The Captive Prince Trilogy, The Poppy Wars, Madeline Millers writing for sure, V.E Schwab’s vicious & DSOM, the grishaverse, if we were villains…

Basically I feel like I take bits and pieces from everything I read—which is why it’s very important to read as a writer.

OH and there’s this book republic of the pirates by Colin Woodard, it’s a non-fiction and he got me into reading non-fiction books! I loved his writing style and it definitely helped me figure out some pacing things.

#Rae<3 #twisted games

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josephconrads · 2 years

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Title: The Visitor

Author: K.A. Applegate

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Enjoyed having this second book in the Animorphs series be more about the affects the Yeerks can have when becoming Controllers in families that have not all been taken over. Also appreciated the fact that the book was being told from another characters POV that way you get a real sense of how becoming Animorphs affect the main character you’ll be following. I know that these are middle grade novels and had probably been published well apart from one another which may have explained the opening of the novel. Still, I don’t know that I really needed the retelling of what was going on to start everything off. Like, I know what an Animorph is, I know how the characters became Animorphs, I know about the invasion. I get that, so why is it being brought up right at the start as though I haven’t? But again, it might just be a minor annoyance since I’m reading these years after initial publication.

#book review #the visitor

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strunmahalok · 3 years

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So I was sitting and thinking about the weird things we do and don’t consider child appropriate. And I was also wondering if I ever read anything as weird as Animorphs apparently was and yeah actually I think I did.

Do y’all remember “The Guardians of Ga’Hoole” by Kathryn Lasky? Those random owl books that were apparently popular enough to make into a movie? I read all 16 of those and they got wild. Spoilers btw

The series starts with our protagonist, Soren, who is a baby. He wants to practice flying, his parents tell him he’s still too young he doesn’t have the right feathers yet. They leave to go hunting and Soren sits at the edge of the nest, fantasizing, thinking about trying it anyway, before he decides he slips and falls to the ground. So he tries to hide and wait for his parents to come save him, but he gets kidnapped by a group of owls called St, Aggie’s Orphanage. Who take children and brainwash them. These kids are forced to be active and doing stuff during they day (they are owls) and then at night instead of sleeping their forced to march in circles in a special chamber until they get “moon sickness” Eventually, Soren and three other kids teach themselves how to fly and escape searching legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole to help them take down the evil orphanage. And that’s literally just the first book.

speedrunning the rest of the books, Soren is reunited with his old house keeper, a blind snake named Mrs. Plithiver, who tells him his parents have been murdered by an owl eugenics cult and his older brother and younger sister are missing. I am not kidding when I say eugenics. They were called The Pure Ones. They had an entire cast system built around around the tyto owl genus, with barn owls being the most “pure” and every other speices being increasingly dehumanized (deowlfied?) and if you weren’t tyoto at all you basically had to die, So any way, Soren finds he didn’t fall, he was push by his brother as an intiatian into the pure ones and rises through the ranks to become their leader. The pure ones and the orphanage decide to team up, the Ga’hoole go undercover, and in book six both organizations are basically reduced to nothing. Also somewhere in there there is something about iron filament putting off enough magnetism to mess with how their brains work in it’s very not good. But finally Soren gets to retire to be a dad.

Book seven we get a new protagonist. Coryn, the kid who was being groomed to be the heir of the now defunct eugenics cult. Despite them being basically nothing anymore his Mom is still raising him like the pure one can make a come back (think Kovu from the lion king 2). But something happens that Coryn decides that this is not for him, and he runs away to find out what the world is actually like. Okay, so these next bits I had to read the wiki to figure out. Coryn has the ability to see the future when staring into fire, he decides he needs to catch a special kind of coal from an active volcano, which he does, and then he takes it to Ga’Hoole to become their king. Also he kills his mom by shoving her into the path of a rabid wolf. There’s a lot happening their the the wiki is not jogging my memory enough to put any of that into context.

books 9-11 are a prequal arc about how coal catching became a thing, the developemnt of back smithing in owl society (those two things have been happening the entire i just haven’t felt the need to bring them up) and how Ga’Hoole was founded to fight Hagsfied, magic demon owl/crow hybrids. And some worldbuilding on how dire wolf society works, That has also been in the background the entire time. Note sure when it was introduced but was really important in Coryn’s section I guess

Back into the present Coryn and the original four owls we followed go looking for a magic book used by an Arch-hagsfied, Meanwhile back at Ga’Hoole, owls start worshiping the special ember Coryn caught like it’s a golden calf. They make up increasingly elaborate rituals and they built a prison overnight for anyone who is blasphemous towards it. The Band + Coryn come home, are horrified tear everything down and the special coal is thrown into a pile of less cool coals but nobody seems to beable to tell the difference and grab it out.

Book 13 a secret owl kingdom is discovered. The band, Coryn, and another owl named Otulissa are guided there for a visit by a blue owl called “The Striga”. Turns out all of the owls there are blue, but some of them have weird long feathers and can’t fly without the assistance of kites. The last remnants of the pure ones apparently stalked our protags to the new kingdom. Striga kills one of them which is a big no no, so he gets banished and our heroes take him home with them.

Ah, from there on out things become very, there is “no war in Ba Sing Se” As Striga gains influence over Coryn. The Band is banished and mass book burning are instituted. The Band tries to figure out how to fix this and discover the hagsfied are not gone, Striga is one of them. And the blue owls from the secret kingdom lived very specific lifestyles to keep the hags from remembering there were evil. It’s why to no bloodshed rule was important, it maybe woke his magic? IDK the wiki is really bad for this book, some of these discoveries were maybe made in the previuos one? And the next book in the wiki is hyper detailed and I tl:dr-ed it because it’s 1am.

Anyway, anything that comes from the secret kingdom is bad new. Coryn’s mother is actually not dead and teams up with them. I guess there’s another war. The Ga’Hoole recruit a bunch of other species to help them fight the combined forces of the hag owls and the pure ones, and some where in that Coryn drops the sacred ember back into the volcano they got he it from.

And the last book is a prequel about Ezylryb. A famous in universe blacksmith.

This post was not supposed to be this long. It was supposed to be a"wow adults let me read a 16 book war series about way eugenics is bad actually and it wasn’t considered to dark for children?” But I ended up summarizing the whole series ‘cause it’s even weirder than I remember. And now this post is too long and I don’t want to get started on the spin-off series “Wolves of the Beyond” which is a six book series about why ableism is bad actually. Wolf society in these books is very ableist even in the owl-centric books it comes up decently often.

So yeah, this was one of my favorite series when I was kid and I think I started reading them when I was seven. I eagerly awaited the next book coming out and I legitimately don’t think my Mom ever checked what they were about. They were just the owl books I liked.

#guardian's of ga'hoole #soren #coryn #kathryn lasky #i remebered the demon owls were a thing #but i forgot exactly how weird they were #this series went places #i should reread them #i still have the majority of them on my book shelf #was the movie any good?#i could never convince my parents to take me to see it #i have some of the beeny babies though #eugenics #ableism #owls #wolves #i have no idea what else to tag

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cinemamind · 3 years

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I really love your work, especially your animations! I love that VHS quality you sometimes put in. Have you ever heard of Animorphs? It’s a YA sci-fi series around the late 90s. Your art really reminds me of the more horror-saturated moments in the books, particularly the body horror aspect. What drew you to drawing body horror like you do with your artwork?

Aw, thank you so much!

I'm ashamed to admit, I haven't read any of the Animorphs books, but I loved the surreal covers and premise! I also keep hearing that the books are way more awesome and terrifying than expected. I need to read up on them once I have free time again.

The VHS influence is right on point! I wasn't allowed to watch horror movies as a kid, but I loved browsing the video store and stare at the vhs art in the horror section for hours. I had to imagine what the movies were like and what kind of terrors they held.

That kind of creative, colorful and inviting horror is something that I absolutely adore. I'm happy that it comes out in some of my work as well ^-^

#cinemamind #horror #body horror #gore

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carriagelamp · 2 years

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I’ve had a pretty fun summer of reading so far! I haven’t had as many chances to just zone out with a book as I’d like, but what I have had has been exactly the sort of healing I’ve been needing.

Animorphs: The Message

I know this series has come up on a previous book roundups, but I continue to (very slowly) work through Animorphs. It’s one series that I had never gotten to as a kid — I saw it all over the place, but I found the covers rather unnerving so I never gravitated to it. And after a certain point I simply felt too old. I’m glad I’m finally reading it because Katherine Applegate continues to be an undeniable genius and this series is already knocking my socks off, and I’m only four books in. What’s not to enjoy about genocidal aliens and crushing levels of stress and trauma placed on the backs for five kids who are being ruthlessly hunted but have to try to maintain a sense of normalcy while they attempt to save all of Earth from devastation? And for once, it’s a kid series that actually ADDRESSES how deeply fucked up that all is instead of skating past it. Big fan. And I’ve finally met Ax! I cannot wait for the next book! Heck, I can’t wait til I finally get a book in his POV!

Demon Slayer v3 - 4

I finally know who the is boar-headed guy is! The kids recommending this series to me were all very excited for me to finally meet him and now I have! What an absolute idiot, he’s a delight! Demon Slayer is definitely a bit of a Classic Shounen but it does it so well I can’t even be upset. The main character is such a genuinely enjoyable character, and so far the side characters all have big, amusing personalities, so it’s very appealing, especially when it’s wrapped in such lovely, nostalgic art. (It really does make me think of more old school Inuyasha art rather than what I consider more contemporary manga art... does that make sense? Is anyone else on the same page as me?) Oh, and I would die for his sister. Sibling relationships instead of romantic relationships? Yes PLEASE, not enough series focus on strong sibling bonds.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation v1

Wow. This is easily my big gold star book of the month, hands down the best thing I’ve read in a while. I couldn’t put it down! I can see why people have been freaking out about this series and its various adaptations now; I had to go out and buy the next book IMMEDIATELY when I realized I was only fifty pages from the end. I was expecting a much more serious historical style novel, you know the sort with lots of political intrigue and a bit of magic thrown in on the side. I was not expecting something so funny and playful and it’s really stolen my whole heart. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are such a pair of idiots and I can’t wait to see where things go in book 2.

Haikyu v39 - 41

SO CLOSE TO THE END OF THE SERIES, I CAN’T WAIT! I’m always impressed by how this author manages to keep up tension and engagement through every match, especially one as long as this most recent one, but the four different views on what it means to be a short volleyball player is fantastic, and then Hinata FINALLY running out of stamina and collapsing??? I’ve been waiting for that trope to appear since like book 2 so I nearly SCREAMED when it finally hit! Ah!

The Iron Giant // The Iron Man

This book was originally published as The Iron Man but because of the movie adaptation calling itself The Iron Giant (I believe to avoid confusion with the Marvel character?) that’s what it tends to be published under know. It’s very different than the movie, but both were really good. This book was a bit less emotional than the movie, but it has a very pure, classic, 1950s fun whimsical kid’s novel vibe to it that makes you just feel really cosy and nostalgic. A strange, scary, possibly dangerous robotic man appears from the ocean! What’s it going to do? What can people do to stop it? What will happen when people suddenly need it to save them?

And this specific edition had the COOLEST art and page design, if you go to read it I really recommend getting your hands on a physical copy of this one because it’s SO much fun to read.

The Iron Woman

The sequel to The Iron Giant that I didn’t know existed. I was trepidatious at first because these sorts of sequels are usually not… great. But straight up? I think I liked this one even more than the first. It deals with environmentalism and capitalism’s effect on the natural environment in shockingly harsh ways. Damn, it had more worthwhile things to say, and pulled less punches, than a lot of modern media when talking about environmental devastation, the massive and all consuming consequences on ecological collapse, and what amounts to the morality of environmental terrorism. The character of the Iron Woman emerges from the depths to share the agonized screams of every animal that’s being impacted by water being made uninhabitable. I highly recommend this book, it was BEAUTIFUL and I would kill for a Ghibli-style adaptation of it.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation wins for my favourite book of the month, but only because I’m queer and simple in my pleasures. This book probably deserves it more though -- while the ending was a bit weak, the rest of the book was masterfully and chillingly written in a way that is approachable to children and powerful for adults.

Lore Olympus v1

I’m always here for a Persephone/Hades retelling, and I’d heard a lot of good things about it, so I was excited to give it a read. I have to admit, the beginning was… rocky. The characterization was rather weak and felt like it was mostly built on cliches and half-assed jokes, but by about the halfway mark it felt like it started to come into its own. And that’s not surprising for stories published online, they tend to improve as the creator gets a better sense for their story and characters and craft. I was enjoying it quite a bit by the end and am looking forward to getting my hands on book two.

Minecraft: The Mountain

I was as shocked as anyone that I enjoyed the first book of this Minecraft isekai novel, but what can I say: Max Brooks can write a pretty damn convincing survival novel. The Mountain starts after The Hero has left their island and has begun their exploration of the bigger world looking for answers and, hopefully, a way home. While the first book is largely built around the character developing understanding and rules for survival and perseverance, this book is about them finally meeting another human and developing a set of rules for how to be able to work and live with someone who may have different priorities and values than they do. They also introduce the nether and a host of updates to the world that keeps The Hero wrongfooted and learning.

I didn’t love this one as much as the first, but it was enjoyable enough. One of the big downsides for me was confirming that The Hero is male. I really admired how the first book left The Hero gender neutral and allowed the reader to imagine themselves or their own characters onto the protagonist. Book two took that away and it was jarring. Still, I’m at least intrigued by the prospect of a third book in the series.

Sasaki and Miyano v1

This was a benignly cute little manga that I bought on a whim because of a recommendation. Honestly, I read it at the beginning of the month and it didn’t stand out in a huge way… there’s not much I have to say about it beyond I enjoyed reading it and will probably read it again at some point now that I own it, but it didn’t really make any waves. I won’t be seeking out book two; it didn’t really do anything that felt memorable or different, but if you want just a cute little, slightly clueless, romance, then it’s worth picking up.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath

I recently reread the Spiderwick Chronicles and just finished book five. It’s about a family who moves into their great aunt’s old house to care for it now that she can’t. Jared and his siblings gradually start learning the secrets of the old house and what their great-great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick had discovered about the creatures that share their world. It’s such a wonderful take on fairy mythology, with lots of excitement, and the art is beyond stunning. It is consistently well written, with a tight story, and spot on characterization the whole way through. It’s a huge recommendation for kids and adults alike; now that it’s been printed as an omnibus it’s really easy for an adult to pick up and read as one big novel rather than five separate novellas/chapter books. I’m going to have to read the second arc... it hadn’t been out when I originally read this series as a kid but I really love the world Black and DiTerlizzi created here. The fairies are beatiful, but not the standard bland design, they all feel like they could be real, dangerous, slightly alien creatures.

On Stranger Tides

A supernatural pirate story that I was actually really enjoying. Let’s be honest, Our Flag Means Death just got me hungry for more interesting pirate media and I saw that this was considered a pretty highly recommended classic. Very well earned — a bit racist, a bit misogynistic but over all a really fun adventure! I didn’t actually finish it, sadly… I kind of petered off. I’m not sure why it couldn’t hold my attention, perhaps I was just feeling too busy and stressed? Or maybe I was just feeling grumpy about it being too hetero after experiencing OFMD hahaha. I’m considering myself “done” with it for now, which is why it’s here, but I may pick it back up again at some point… Genuinely worth the read if you’re also looking for an interesting pirate adventure.

Witch Hat Atelier v3

I really love the magic system this series introduces, and the art is absolutely beautiful. It really feels different from what any other manga I’ve seen lately is doing. It sort of reminds me of +Anima in ways I really couldn’t describe... The story isn’t really keeping me that interested, sadly, I’m kind of neutral to it, but it’s pretty enough that it keeps drawing me into the next book every so often. I’ll probably grab book four from the library at some point.

#book review #book reviews #manga #queer lit #spiderwick #minecraft #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #witch hat atelier #on stranger tides #iron giant #iron man #iron woman #haikyuu #animorphs #demon slayer #holly black #max brooks #katherine applegate #chatter

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bigcats-birds-and-books · 3 years

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22 in 2022

**ANNOTATED FOR A MIDYEAR UPDATE** (not me, meaning to do this for like two months as a Check In On How It’s Going™)

Rules! Choose 22 books you want to read or goals you want to achieve in 2022. That’s it! It can be a mix of books and goals, or 22 books, or 22 goals…. it’s up to you. Then tag some friends to play along.

Tagged by @sixofravens-reads. Thanks!! I’ve got a mix of Goals, Preorders I Wanna Read Close To Release Date (#8-13, not in release order), Backlist I Can See That I Keep Meaning To Read Soon (14-20), and Rereads That I Deserve Because I Deserve Joy* (21-22)

1. I would really super like to stick to the “read five books and you’re allowed to buy one (1)” thing, not including Writing Victory Books (or preorders). I’m hoping this’ll help me clear out backlog TBR.

oh this one’s Absolutely Failing Horribly, i’ll try again XD

2. I want to cycle through my Lit Fic box and actually. Read some of that backlog. (It’s harder for me to remember to bump them up my TBR when they’re all boxed up lol. I just need to cycle through them. Regularly.)

another Horrible Fail. i may or may not try again XD

3. Flip the TBR and Recently Read books through boxes more regularly also, for some Variety.

yikes. are you sensing a Pattern?? scuttles off the blog to pretend i’m cycling books

4. Get back into taking book pictures!! I really enjoy it, I just...haven’t been doing it....

hey i’ve done some of this!! not as much as i wanted to, but some!!

5. I want to find a couple more writing/craft-adjacent books and notes my way through those between writing projects. (I did Craft in the Real World and Meander, Spiral, Explode last year, and it was delightful!)

OH I’M WINNING!! okay so A Swim in the Pond in the Rain was actually delightful, and I got my hands on a copy of Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin that I’m stoked for, and on my way to me currently is The 10% Solution by Ken Rand. Nice!!

6. Actually intentionally read non-fic while working on writing projects.

i did pretty good at this while i was working through rell! i haven’t quite gotten there for driscoll yet, but i have curated a short stack by my bed, so that’s cool. Braiding Sweetgrass and The Kingdom of Rye and Against Memoir are toward the top of said stack, and there’s an architecture book in there too!

7. Find a balance of knitting and reading.

lol balance whomst?? i don’t know her. (i do suspect this goes in Waves for me--i did a bunch of frantic knitting recently, and then a bunch of frantic reading. i do not control the hyperfocus, but, hey: i’m both knitting and reading so that counts for something?)

**okay these next ones i’m just striking through if i’ve read them!**

8. Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir (steph--same hat!!)

9. Gallant - V. E. Schwab (same hat!!)

10. Seasonal Fears - Seanan McGuire (same hat!!)

11. Alone Out Here - Riley Redgate

12. Portrait of a Thief - Grace D. Li

13. These Prisoning Hills - Christopher Rowe

14. The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow

15. The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo

16. The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series - K. S. Villoso

17. Docile - K. M. Szpara

18. Animorphs #1 and #2 Graphic Novels - K. A. Applegate and Chris Grine

19. Finally finish Avian Flight by John J. Videler to get it off my Goodreads

20. (Maybe get crazy and also finish Africa: A Biography for the same reason?)

21. MURDERBOT REREAD - Martha Wells (I deserve nice things)

22. Reread Gideon and Harrow (as Nona prep!!) - Tamsyn Muir

Tagging (only if interested, no pressure if not!): @asexualbookbird, @thebacklistbook, and @gaywinemommarianhawke

*(Joy may or may not present as suffering but please they’re BOTH SUCH GOOD SERIES!!!)

**FIN ANNOTATIONS**

overall i’m doing pretty good, i think! i’m considering scratching PORTRAIT and CHOSEN off the immediate TBR and reading those closer in line with writing projects that i know i’m not getting back to this year (alicia and lrrh, respectively). i also have no clue if i’ll be able to get to bitch queen by the end of the year because it’s a Chonky Series all lined up together, but i feel good about the rest!! this was fun!!

#books #reading #22 in 2022 #book meme #booklr #do i have a coherent tagging system??#no absolutely not #i also don't wanna do all the titles and authors so....oof #reading goals #six-of-ravens #asexualbookbird #thebacklistbook #gaywinemommarianhawke

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djmarinizelablog · 3 years

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A Conversation with the Author of City Comma State, kippielovesyou/ForcedSimile

Had a short interview with the author of City Comma State, @kippielovesyou/ForcedSimile and asked her if I could share our conversation online---she said yes!

Did you know that Hange and Levi in her work was based on Spongebob and Squidward's interactions?

Read the entire transcript below:

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djmarinizela (D): if i may ask, where and how did you learn to write so good? what inspired you to write city comma state?

kippielovesyou (K): i don't mind at all! it's genuinely just years of practice. i've been scribbling stories since kindergarten (i had a long standing multi part series in first grade about all my classmates). i think one thing is certain: having a strong understanding of characters whether you borrow them or they are your own is pretty key.

a lot of points [in Isayama's story] could have been better thought out or tighter. however, we all love his characters. a weak plot (or in the case of city comma state: no plot) can be ignored or forgiven if everyone loves the characters

i'll be honest, i spend a lot of time trying to understand why a character does things or reacts a certain way. and yes, sometimes, that means i act out scenes in my car while driving. it's embarrassing...

there's a lot more to it, but to me that's the most important thing

as far as how city comma state came about: i wanted to do a slow burn romance centered around levihan, but I also wanted to show how all these characters care about and support each other. i knew in the confines of the AoT world, anyone could die at any moment and that didn't work with the softer feelings i wanted people to enjoy. how can you enjoy the friendship between mike and hange if he dies? it's possible, but it upends all the warmth we were enjoying. so i wrote an AU. i wanted to keep levi with a rough background with many walls, and i wanted hange to have her own issues that they can work through together. and i love the idea of them adopting/supporting the 104th kids without the fear of sending them out to war

D: your answer is so profound and helpful, thank you so much! I can honestly say you pretty nailed it when it comes to character development---everyone has a character arc in your fic! [my next question] is about the gender discourse in your story. I know you started City Comma State pretty early in 2014, but even back then, the nonbinary identity wasn't widely known before. How were you able to flesh out the discourse on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and play it out on the dialogues and backstories?

K: it's pretty funny, a lot of the LGBTQIA+ has always been discussed i my family. we've had gay, lesbian, trans, gnc, bi and asexual people in my family for generations, as far back as the 20s (that we're aware of). hange's gender being debated made it a prime opportunity to write such an experience, some of which is borrowed from my own life. when i read older chapters i see certain slips in dialogue where i could have made an effort to be more neutral. we're in such a binary society that sometimes even if you feel in between, it slips in. in fact, i'm sure some people might take issue with the fact that i stuck with she/her for hange. i'm not sure i'd make a different decision today. i like this version of hange the way she is, and i hope hange's nb/gnc status comes across in more than just pronouns. hange's full identity is so much more than that and that is what i wanted to explore. and i think no matter where you fall on the whole LGBTQIA+ spectrum, you are more than just the label you've chosen. yes, in this story levi is bi/pan. but i don't think he ever says that explicitly, and he avoids labels. it seems fussy to him, which feels levi. discourse would not be his thing. i think even having a debate about whether or not he was bi or pan wouldn't be something he would want to engage in, he just wants to do what he wants. instead it's heavily implied. i think we forget since so many of us experience this discourse online and want to label things that there are people who don't want to involve themselves in it. it goes back to how would this character act. for instance, based on how levi is in canon, i can see many ways to interpret his sexuality. there's cues for a lot of different takes. but levi doesn't seem like the type that would need a definitive label in order to be happy. there's many ways to interpret hange's gender (and i've written several takes, some where they're more insistent on their pronouns), but i think hange's more excited to explore life than worry too much about much about how they're addressed or how someone talks about them. maybe another character might be more caught up in labels but hange and levi not so much

D: No, don't be sorry, I am more than thankful for your answer. I really appreciate it! I don't get to have these kinds of conversations with other writers, so I am grateful for your insights.

K: a really funny anecdote for you: i loosely based the idea of my levihan off of spongebob and squidward. you know, since they start out as neighbors and hange is more invasive than levi is used to

D: that's.... a stretch. but thanks for the tidbit! was the annual star wars contest also something that you do in your family? that part as well as all the geeky references won me over tbh!

K: it was an extremely loose inspiration! but hange mowing her lawn in the middle of the night so levi wouldn't be mad at her is on par with a spongebob move. and um...my family, while they can be a little nerdy, is not nerdy enough to do the star wars tournament! i made that up entirely

i just imagined hange having eccentric family, so they have very unusual traditions that none of the children question

i'll be the first to say a lot of city comma state is unrealistic and a little bit of a domestic fantasy. there's a lot of problems with money, employment and such that hange and levi SHOULD have but that's a little too real and not what i want to be the focus of this story. like hange landing a job that gives her a day off and she doesn't suffer a severe pay cut as a result? unrealistic. but i have other things i want to tackle. plus, in canon we have humans that turn into giants and 3D maneuver gear which would probably kill its user in real life. i think making certain parts of this fanfic a little idealistic is okay

D: are there other works that influence your writing? or authors that inspire you to write?

K: There's too many influences to count. reading is so important and even things that are bad are helpful. i actually was trying to read a YA series that seemed really cool and i had to stop reading because so many things were so annoying (I won't reveal which, since i think it has a small but dedicated fandom and i don't want to rain on their parade, it is purely a taste thing to some degree). instead of being upset and thinking that I wasted my time, i took note of what made me stop reading (that is a long list of things i didn't like so i won't bother to outline each one). even if it's something as small as a fanfiction that you had to click out of, ask yourself why you stopped. Especially with fanfiction: you already like these characters, what you're looking for is usually pretty specific (a pairing, an au, a specific scenario, etc). why, when this author has ticked all your superficial boxes, did you stop reading? and when you love something as yourself why. Ask yourself why you love the source material even! do you really love the plotlines and the world or do you love the characters? Is the dialogue strong? something to also pay attention to: people in general. how do they speak, gestures, facial expressions. really listen to how people talk (Youtube podcasts are really good for this!).

i think people would be surprised, a lot of what i really like to read is very all over. from surrealist novels, to classic literature, to science fiction aimed at children (i'm finally reading animorphs after almost 20 years!). and what i write for original fiction doesn't reflect what i'm probably best known for.

D: thanks for this, Kippie! looking forward to reading more of your works!

K: i'm still amazed at the response! writing is so solitary to me and i don't really look at my numbers. it never occurred to me that people would be discussing my fic!

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If you haven't read Kippie's Levihan fic yet, here's the link to get started: City Comma State

#levihan #aot #snk #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #interview #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #mine #djmarinizela

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curligurl0896 · 4 years

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So getting to read @thejakeformerlyknownasprince 's FMA AU reminded me of my own ideas for a FMA/Animorphs fic. A crossover, in this case, a Megamorphs of sorts (complete with rotating narration) because I really want an excuse to have the Animorphs interact with the characters of the FMA universe. I don't have enough ideas worked out to confidently write a whole fanfic yet, so I think I'll just share some of my ideas so that at least they don't stay inside my head forever like the vast majority of ideas that I either never finish enough to post it or just never get around to at all, especially when my brain is always generating new plot bunnies instead of focusing on developing the ones I already have, it's so distracting lol

(Also maybe y'all could give some suggestions if you wanna, I'd definitely appreciate it lol)

Anyway, here it is:

First off, the answer as to how exactly the Animorphs end up in the FMA universe: I was kicking around a few ideas for this, and was originally thinking something along the lines of like, a freak accident that somehow results in them ending up in front of the Gate of Truth, but I think a better idea would be for an alchemist (or perhaps even several alchemists) to end up in the Aniverse, get Yeerkified, and the Yeerk (or Yeerks, as it may be), intrigued by the memories and knowledge of an alternate Earth where you can manipulate matter and shape it according to your will with nothing more than a well drawn chalk circle (or even less than that if you've been through the Gate, as the Yeerk(s) will eventually discover), lured in by the idea of a legendary object that supposedly can be used to circumvent a pesky little law known as Equivalent Exchange, decides to pull something of a "Tom's Yeerk and his Yeerk buddies a la book 52" deciding to start their own colony in the FMAverse where they won't have to answer to the Council of Thirteen or the Visserarchy (well, at least the ones higher ranked than the Yeerk in charge, who, I imagine, would have to be a Sub-Visser at the very least to have the power to arrange all this) in addition to being able to use alchemy, which, much like the morphing power, can be used for a massive variety of things, ranging from merely convenient to pretty damn useful in a pinch to OP as fuck to even just downright terrifying.

It takes a lot of time and meticulous planning, of course, as they have to find a way to transport the Yeerks, their ship, and all the other stuff they'll need to thrive over there through the Gate and into the FMAverse-- all while in a universe where alchemy flat out doesn't work. The Yeerks have to figure out how to get around that issue, and it takes at least a year of research and using their new hosts' alchemical knowledge to work out a solution, but they work it out, and soon enough they get everything set up and ready to go. At some point, the Chee find out about this secret unknown project going on, inform the Animorphs about it, and Jake decides that they should at least check it out on the off chance that it's something big.

That's where the story officially starts: with our team of traumatized teenage shapeshifters at the location where this thing is being set up (haven't figured out the where yet). They've spent the past several days spying on these Yeerks, but still aren't sure what exactly is going on-- they keep talking about opening a gate-- and aren't sure if it's worth it. Marco's convinced the whole thing is ridiculous, especially after overhearing a human Controller mention something about a "Philosopher's Stone" ("What is this, Harry Potter? Are they gonna wave wooden sticks around and yell in Latin?") . Rachel is bored at this point, and just wants to kick ass and call it a day-- they were probably up to no good anyway. Cassie isn't particularly keen on the asskicking part, but she's been having a bad feeling about all this that she can't shake, and Tobias agrees that something fishy is going on and says they should wait a few days-- after all, from what they've gleaned, whatever plans these Yeerks had would be set in motion very soon. Ax, being Ax, declares as usual that he'll just go along with whatever Prince Jake orders, though when Jake presses him about his opinion, he just says he isn't sure what to make of it. In the end, they keep it up for a couple more days, and sure enough, the time comes for the Yeerks to "open the gate", whatever that means.

After all the time they'd spent spying on the Yeerks, it is conveniently now, when the Yeerks are about to do their thing, that they're discovered. It quickly turns into a fight, and the Animorphs attempt to bail as they're soon overwhelmed-- and then the Gate is opened.

None of them had any idea what to expect next. They certainly weren't expecting the blue lightning that erupted around them in a massive circle, seeming to originate from the curving lines that had been so painstakingly carved into the floor. They aren't expecting the atmosphere to turn dark and purple and creepy, or for a giant grey eye to suddenly appear beneath them, or for wavy black tentacle arms to come out of that eye. And they definitely were NOT expecting to abruptly find themselves in the white void of Zerospace.

Only they aren't in Z-space, exactly. Surrounded by it, sure, but somehow they stand there, as if on solid ground, surrounded by the eerie blankness that had once nearly suffocated them to death.

Each Animorph is utterly alone, with nothing and no one else in sight. That is, until they hear a voice, one that sounds like several voices speaking in unison, and suddenly they see a figure-- or, more accurately, an outline of a figure, with only shadows to mark where the figure ended and the void began. The figure is shaped like a human in all but Ax and Tobias's case: the figure Ax sees is shaped like an Andalite, and Tobias's version takes the form of a bird.

Truth gives the whole "I am God, I am the world, and I am also you" speech, then informs them they can't pass through the Gate without payment. Suddenly, there's a huge gateway where previously there was nothing. Truth is unconcerned with the fact that these "A-ni-morphs" have zero clue what's going on-- it simply takes the required toll and sends them on their way.

Except the toll is literal body parts-- which, even then, isn't usually a big deal for an Animorph, but in this case it absolutely is a big deal, because, as they'll soon discover, there's no way they're going to just replace their lost limbs through morphing. It's expressly forbidden for one to simply have nice things in this universe; in other words, Truth isn't letting them off the hook that easily.

The discovery that they're not able to replace their lost body parts through morphing is especially horrifying to Ax, because, well, y'know... book 40. The one that every Ax fan, and really anyone who otherwise genuinely enjoys Ax's character, would like to pretend never fucking happened.

In fact, given Truth's precedent for irony when extracting payment from people who've opened/been through the Gate in the series, I have no doubt in my mind that Ax would end up suffering the exact same fate as Mertil. Andalites, after all, place high value on their tail blades, especially the warriors; it's their number one go-to weapon when shit hits the fan. Ax himself is such a warrior, in fact it's a huge part of who he is as a person. Needless to say I think yeeting Ax's tail blade would be the exact kind of twisted irony that Truth would employ.

He gets over himself eventually-- well, sort of. However, it takes him a long time to truly come to terms with it-- instead of accepting that the attitudes he'd been taught his whole life regarding those who aren't fully able-bodied are actually shit, I feel like he'd be more likely to double down on them, internalizing them, and actually go into full-on self loathing as a result.

He holds his metaphorical tongue, though, upon seeing that Tobias has suffered a payment that is arguably far more cruelly ironic-- given that Tobias is a bird, given that his initial attraction to the morph that eventually became his default body came from the sense of freedom and escapism only provided through flying, I think it's fairly obvious what Truth would take: his wings.

As for the others: Rachel has lost her arm (for basically the same reason Ed did), Cassie loses her hands (which she uses to, you know, help injured animals and stuff), and as for Jake... well, it was a bit of a struggle, the best I could come up with is the idea of him going blind much like Mustang did after being forced to open the Gate (though maybe not for the same reason, though... idk. If anyone has any better suggestions, please let me know lol, I couldn't think of any solid ideas for what body part would be ironic for Jake to lose). Marco is the only one who doesn't lose any outwardly visible body parts-- what he loses is his voice.

At some point, they are discovered, taken into custody by the Amestrian military, and eventually they end up in Colonel Mustang's office. Mustang listens to their story with a massive dose of skepticism. He isn't sure what to make of these bizarre barefoot children, nor their claims of fighting bodysnatching slugs from outer space by turning into animals, nor their wingless pet hawk, nor... well, he could only assume the other creature was some sort of chimera, although he had zero clue what animals could have possibly been used to make something with blue fur and extra eyes.

At this point, they're about to do a morphing demonstration to prove to the Colonel that they aren't completely batshit, when suddenly the door is slammed open, and a teenage boy with blond hair and sharp golden eyes comes sauntering in, accompanied by a hulking giant covered head to toe in a suit of armor.

The boy immediately starts shouting at Mustang, calling him a bastard and accusing him of wasting his time, to which Mustang responds by merely rolling his eyes and sighing, as if this sort of thing happens all the time (spoiler alert: it does). After a moment, the kid stops as he takes notice of the other kids standing in the room.

"So," he says, calmly, as if he wasn't yelling at his superior just a moment ago, "what's the deal with these fuckers?"

The casual use of the kind of language that would have surely landed them in hot water back home was quite shocking, but they don't comment on it. Instead, Rachel says, in a voice sweet as honey, "Oh, look, Marco. He's just as short as you are."

Before Marco could turn to glare daggers at her (come on, it wasn't like he could argue back in that moment), the boy goes absolutely ballistic, and the armored guy has to physically restrain him as he screams obscenities at Rachel ("The fuck did you just call me, you freakishly oversized bitch? I'll show you too-fucking-short-to-fucking-sit-at-the-fucking-table-without-a-fucking-booster-seat! Call me short one more fucking time, I fucking dare you to! You think I give a shit that you're a girl? I'll fuck that pretty face of yours right up, just you fucking wait--")

"Brother!" The armored guy cries. "Calm down!" Then, to the Animorphs: "I'm sorry about my brother's behavior. He's, um, a bit sensitive about his height."

"A bit sensitive" is the understatement of the century, but none of the Animorphs call him out on it. They're too dumbfounded by the sound of his voice, which sounds sweet, innocent, and, despite his size, sounds like it belonged to a boy no more than nine or ten years old.

And that's where I'm going to leave it for now, since I've spent way too long on this post already. I have a few other ideas, but mostly in bits and pieces, not really any more comprehensive plot points beyond this point. Please do let me know what you think!

#animorphs #fullmetal alchemist #crossover fic #partial outline #i really just want to write them interacting #and to talk about ed's staunch refusal to kill in comparison to the fact that the animorphs have crossed this line countless times #even cassie who's the pacifist of the group #but besides that ed and al could pretty much be honorary members of the team #even if they can't morph #i mean they definitely have enough trauma to qualify don't they?

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rotationalsymmetry · 3 years

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I’m just getting to the climax of Animorphs Book 1, so let me share some initial reactions I’ve had from the end of the construction site scene through now. I’ll post “some time to think” reactions when I’ve finished the book. Book 2 is already waiting for me at the library; the next may take longer because I’ll have to buy it.

Animorphs be like: today is a lovely day, and conservation of matter does not exist. We're just dropping the neutered thing like no big deal, all right then.

(I had a huge emotional reaction to Jake in dog morph, and it was an immediate reaction, but that’ll be in the delayed reactions post because figuring out how to explain my reaction is more complicated and I want to keep this post relatively light.)

Oh, thank goodness Marco picked up on Tom being a Controller. It’s I guess in character that Jake would be very reluctant to suspect his beloved big brother, but if I got smacked on the head with any more unmissable hints…

2-3 minutes is actually a really long amount of time to spend shifting shape. I thought there might have been an initial morph at the construction site, but if it takes multiple minutes for them to shift right now they would have gotten slaughtered. So good thing they didn’t.

“It’s terrible when birds have to be locked up in cages.”

I’m just… very into the whole “let’s explore the emotional experience of being different animals.” Love it.

…Tobias ends up getting stuck in hawk form, doesn’t he?

Cuuuuuuult.

Ok, seriously though. (The Sharing.) Tiered membership. A show of positive fun/friendly stuff for new people. Active recruitment. People losing their previous interests/having major personality changes. Talking about it in "life changing" terms. Cryptic statements that hint at some knowledge being held by the in group that isn’t shared to newcomers right away. Seeming normal and fine and wholesome on the surface. Actually, presenting itself as better than normal, actively positive. Getting invited by normal people that you know personally. I’m not sure Applegate is intentionally making a “here’s how actual cults work in the real world, just a heads up” thing but it sure functions that way.

Jake. Are you out of your mind. Do you not think your brother would recognize the family dog?

Well. I guess one of the fun things about having a group of kids save the world is you don’t need any justification for them making incredibly bad decisions, other than them being kids. And incredibly bad decisions do make for entertaining stories.

Ok, he does realize he has to keep out of Tom’s line of sight. Good, I guess? Yeerks do know about morphing technology after all; they don’t think any Andalites are alive on the planet, so they’re not suspecting it, but still.

Ah. So the cover morph is a lizard, not a snake. I wasn’t sure.

Having to set down the book while lizard!Jake was pinned down by his tail was excruciating. I mean, I know how he’s going to get out, but still.

The spider is still alive?????? I take it back, the cover illustration expresses perfectly how this story is going to be.

Yeurgh aaaaaa blech

Jake is having a horrible, no good, very bad day.

…is there any remotely plausible reason there would be a secret underground room hidden in the back of a broom closet in a school? Eh, I guess this is what “suspension of disbelief” is for.

Why don’t stories for adults ever involve turning into lizards and swallowing spiders whole?

(While they’re in The Gardens getting gorilla DNA for Marco and someone who actually works there comes up) how the heck do these kids survive dozens of books without getting caught?

So far there have been three falls and all of them have been Jake.

Omfg these idiot kids are just running into animals’ cages are they nuts?

Of course it’s a frikkin’ tiger.

Ahem. Please do not break into animal cages at a zoo or similar. I don’t care that much about protecting you from the consequences of your own bad decisions, you get to make your own risk assessment in regards to your own personal safety, but I do care about protecting the zoo and the big cats or what have you from the consequences of your bad decisions.

Anyways! It's a book! I'm reading it! So far I haven't had a single "yes I remember reading this before" but I honestly don't know if that's because I didn't read this book or just because it was sufficiently far in the past that I don't remember anything. More thoughts later!

#animorphs read through #animorphs book 1 #long post #think I'm going to keep these concentrated rather than spreading them out #so that my blog doesn't become unreadable #for people not interested in the readthrough #that really should be one word shouldn't it #oh well #too late now

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stonesparrow · 2 months

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Animorphs AU time

Yeah the wip train isn’t ending anytime soon. C’est la vie.

Read on Ao3!

My name is Taiju, and I’m an Animorph. What’s an Animorph? Well, it’s the name Chrome came up with for what we are now, the six of us who were given the power to turn into animals by the Andalite prince. It means we’re a team, fighting the Yeerks together.

Oh right, uh. Yeerks are these alien slugs that take over people’s brains. Scary stuff! They’re at war with the Andalites—they’re different aliens, and now they’ve come to Earth to take over the planet! That’s why Prince Nemea gave us the morphing power before he died. It’s a big responsibility, to fight an entire secret invasion, and it’s really dangerous. Senku says we can’t even mention our last names or where we live in case we’re discovered by the Yeerks and made into Controllers.

Which is a good thing, because it would be kind of hard to explain Chrome to them.

Chrome raised an ear and sat up as soon as I entered the barn. Yawning, he crossed his paws and tilted his head at me.

I sat down next to the pile of blankets Chrome was resting on and sighed. “Yeah. Sorry, I thought you’d be asleep.”

<Eh, I had a nice nap earlier today. And gray wolves are sorta nocturnal anyway.>

I blinked. “Nock-turn-what?”

“Oh, okay.” I rubbed at my eyes. “I kind of wish I was nocturnal…”

“No, I…” I sighed. “I’ve just been having weird dreams lately.”

Chrome froze. “Dreams? What kind of dreams?”

“Like…I’m standing on the beach, looking out to sea.”

I blinked. “…Yeah. How’d you know that?”

Chrome looked me right in the eyes. <Because I’ve been having the exact same dream.>

I stared at him as he stood up on all fours. <We need to get the others.>

—————

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Kohaku said, pressing a hand to her forehead. “For the past few weeks, the two of you have been having dreams about someone calling to help from the ocean, but the rest of us haven’t. Why is this important again? Maybe Chrome‘s just having weird wolf dreams and is somehow putting them in Taiju’s head with thoughtspeak.”

“Come on you two,” Yuzuriha said gently, “let’s not argue, okay? There might be a simple explanation, but we don’t know yet.”

Kohaku frowned. “You’ve been weirdly quiet, Senku, what’s going on in that brain of yours?”

Can I tell you a secret? I’ve been in love with Yuzuriha since the day we met, back in eighth grade. But on the night I finally found the courage to tell her, we met Prince Nemea, and now…well. I feel like we need to focus on saving the world from the Yeerks first. After that…I’ll tell her for sure.

“Oh!!” I pointed at the screen. “That looks like the writing in the Andalite ship! The one the prince had!”

“Precisely,” Senku nodded. “I think this bit of scrap was a piece from a recently crashed Andalite ship. Which means there could be clues on the beach of a way to communicate with them.”

“Communicate,” I muttered.

And suddenly I felt myself pitching towards the floor as everything went dark.

—————

“Taiju? Taiju!!”

I groaned and rubbed my head as I sat up. Yuzuriha and Senku were staring down at me with worried expressions, while Kohaku was crouched over Chrome’s body lying awkwardly on the floor.

“Taiju, can you hear me?” Senku asked. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Uh…zero,” I said as I pushed myself up. “Ugh…”

“What on earth was that?!” Kohaku said as Chrome groggily rested his muzzle on her shoulder. “My head suddenly felt all weird right when you two collapsed!”

“Mine too,” Yuzuriha said. Senku nodded.

“I heard…some sort of voice, I think,” he said. I gasped.

“The voice! I heard it again! It was calling out for help!”

<Yeah, but it didn’t sound like a human,> Chrome remarked. <It was more like…like thoughtspeak. Like the Andalite.>

He meant the Andalite prince who’d given us our morphing powers. I shuddered as I remembered watching him die at the hands of Visser Three, the leader of the Yeerks.

I never wanted to see anything like that happen again.

“You think it’s an Andalite calling for help?” Yuzuriha blinked.

“All evidence points to that being the case,” Senku nodded. “But that also means it could be a trap.”

We all fell silent at that. Then, I shook my head.

“Even if it could be a trap, it could just as well be someone actually in trouble! Can’t we investigate a bit, Senku? What else do we have these powers for?”

All of us glanced at each other.

<I won’t be any help in the water,> Chrome said, <But I’m all for the rescue mission. Kohaku?>

“The Andalite prince died to give us a fighting chance,” Kohaku said firmly. “The least we can do is try to save one of his people too.”

“If someone’s in need, I want to do whatever I can to help them,” Yuzuriha said. “Just like Taiju said—what else are these powers for?”

Senku stared at all of us, then grinned.

“Then get excited! We’re gonna go get some aquatic morphs.”

#dr stone #dcst #dr. stone #ishigami senku #oki taiju #animorphs au #au #aus #my writing #my fic

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