#and then we got angel guy with guilt issues and fail marriage

[eternallog]

in my ‘middle aged men portrait’ era

[laceymorganwrites]

somebody wanted my thoughts on Rei so here they are hehehe

I already ranted to my friend abt this but I´ll keep it more neutral and organized here haha

um I´m tagging u just in case, hope that´s alright! 

@star-doll-universe

uuuuh since this is bnha: pls no hate, those are just my opinions, k thanks bye (I mean ur still very allowed to voice ur opinon and have a different one than me, I won´t hate u cause u like her so pls don´t hate me cause I hate her)

putting this under a  cut cause spoilers

okay so let´s do this chronologically and work our way up to the point where I aboslutely started hating her (Aka the chapter 2 weeks ago)

Her portrayal:

Rei used to be portrayed as rather weak and quiet, not rlly doing much

and I never had a problem with that since I didn´t think she´d have that much of a role

I mean what I thought would happen was this: Rei is back with her family, Enji is no longer living with them, they all still hate him

um I will also quickly state my thoughts on him later when I´m done with this so yeah

now the problem I have with her ´character development´ is that it´s super sudden and feels really out of place

I mean she just suddenly barges in to Enji´s room and is being ´badass´ after not doing anything at all for her family??? aight

yeah she had her children visit her (minus Touya ofc, we´re gonna get into that in the next part)

it just really rubs me the wrong way how she´s suddenly acting like the savior and commanding people (going into depth in the third part)

she´s highly manipulative and even worse than Enji in my opinion

let´s get to why that is

What happened and why I´m a Shoto fan now:

let´s start with Touya´s childhood

Rei completely neglected him because Shoto was just her little angel and the wonder child Touya never could be

she did tell Enji to give him more attention so I´ll give her that

however it was also her fault that Touya and her had a falling out since he wouldn´t have been this angry if she was there for him

she was supposed to watch him on that particular day and she didn´t

of course she didn´t since she watched Shoto

she also isn´t shown to have cared much about the others

oh also, sorry to break the chronological stuff but it´s said that she was super cold and cunning when she met Enji and fully aware of the reasoning for the marriage obviously

so she never showed any love to him (they did go on dates and stuff and Enji still leaves her flowers, but we´ll get into their relationship in the next part)

so. she didn´t watch Touya and didn´t rlly care what happened to him (yeah she cried but only cause Enji got mad and she knew he would cause she fucking failed as a mother)

now. let´s skip to the hospital scene

she goes in like she owns everything

blames Enji for everything which just isn´t fair (again we´ll get to that)

and then she has the audacity to tell everyone what their next move should be???

excuse me maam but who the fuck do you think you are?

´our family only has one hero left. Shoto´

fuck you

that was the sentence that did it for me, guys

first of all: again, who the fuck are you to deny Enji´s hero status? who the fuck are you to paint Touya as a villain that, YOU MADE IN THE FIRST PLACE

yeah I´m biased af since Touya´s my fave but honestly...I always thought she´d be nicer to him and understand him since they went through the same thing

but no

and now why am I a Shoto fan because of this?

because I feel so incredibly sorry for him

he already has the weight of the world on his shoulders from his dad and now this???

I don´t understand how he forgave her honestly cause this guilt tripping and manipulation is worse than Enji´s ambition gone wrong

Shoto already has enough to do and she can´t tell him and command him to fight his brother

she cannot just pressure him into being the hero he never wanted to be, the perfect hero that Enji wanted him to be

I mean just imagine ur own mother sculpting u just like ur dad did when she´s the one who always told u that what he did was wrong and that she felt for you 

yes she apologized for scarring him but honestly she´d do it again

and now she´s acting as the victim again and being like: oh you all have to fight Touya (mostly Shoto tho cause he´s the only hero they have left apparently)

I don´t think Shoto even wants to fight Touya honestly

I mean he´s his brother still and if anyone can understand him it´s him

also now it makes sense why Touya wants revenge on Shoto cause he lived the life Touya wanted to have

anyway

I also don´t think Touya wants to fight Shoto since he´s already achieved everything he wanted to. he won

okay now for the final part:

Enji´s redemption:

I am outing myself now; I really like Enji´s development

he actually is aware of and sorry for the things he did and I believe him

he regrets everything he did

and still he´s being blamed by Rei

he´s already hurt enough and Rei just puts salt into his wound more than necessary

he´s just tired, man, let the man live pls

yes, Enji did fuck up in a lot of ways and he shouldn´t be forgiven for that

but everyone deserves a second chance and he´s trying so hard

he doesn´t deserve to be shut out like this

he doesn´t deserve the way Rei treats him

she doesn´t love him, I don´t buy it

if she did he´d tell him he´s a hero cause he is

she´s also kind of putting their children against him tbh

she just says Enji is at fault for everything that happened

and if we compare what they both did wrong we can see something very clearly

Rei is the victim and Enji is the bad guy

why is that?

why is Rei forgiven for neglecting Touya and burning Shoto and Enji is burned at stake for anger issues and his inferiority complex? 

they were both abusing their children

and only one of them gets completely forgiven

it´s so unfair to me

[ruffiorocks]

Kara needs to realise she's in love with Lena on her own!!

This one for away from me! 😅

I've been seeing a lot of posts saying they wish Cat Grant would come back and tell Kara she is in love with Lena, or that Alex should tell her.

But the thing is, I don't want that to happen!

Guys, one of things that has been annoying people to no end is the fact that Kara has to be TOLD she's into someone. She had to be told she was into Mon El and she's basically being told she's into William.

Lena had to be told she had chemistry with James, a romance that came out of literally nowhere and didn't go anywhere but rock bottom because of the lack of build up, chemistry, communication and utter disrespect James had for Lena both as a girlfriend and as his boss.

Anyone who reads my posts knows I couldn't stand James, but at least he and Kara had actual chemistry in season one right from the get go. Kara didn't need to be told she was into James, she was aware of it. She did however have to be told by Alex that Adam was flirting with her.

So why would we want someone to once again tell Kara she is into someone rather than her coming to this realisation all on her own?

Should the writers ever put Kara and Lena together they need to come to the realisation that they are into each other all on their own. Constantly having to be told you are into someone is a poor way of showing a romance.

Antis would have a field day it Alex or anyone else told Kara she was in love with Lena. They would say the exact same thing we've been saying, that they had to be told this because there is no chemistry.

So no, I don't want Cat Grant to come back to tell Kara she's being and idiot and is in love with Lena. Should the writers want to make SC canon I want Kara to realise she's in love with Lena. I want the writers to stop making her an oblivious dumb ass who protests she isn't into someone only for another character to tell her she must be and for her to be like "yeah you must be right and I must be wrong " and to constantly second guess herself.

Kara had chemistry with Mon El but the relationship was riddled with problems, lies and a lack of respect. Not all on Mon Els part, Kara didn't have a lot of respect for him either and tried to push him into doing something he didn't want to do.

My biggest issue with Karamel and why I never saw it as endgame was because these two characters didn't really know all that much about eachother. Kara knew Mon El the ex royal guard and the new person he decided to be on Earth and Mon El knew Kara Danvers and Supergirl. Kara didn't know who Mon El truly was until just before she had to send him away. She found out he was the Prince she couldn't stand and they had no time to discuss it before he was yeeted into space. After Mon El came back he was someone completely different, he wasnt the Mon El she had known and Mon El finally got to meet Kara Zor El. This would have been good for me if he hadn't come back with a wife. But he did, and he still strung Kara along, even discussing his marriage issues with her to the point she told him she didn't want to hear it.

Now Kara and Lena have a similar issue. Lena got to know Kara Danvers and Supergirl but unlike Mon El she knew them as two separate people. Kara got to know Lena Luthor, Lena didn't have a secret second identity and didn't lie about who she was, she didn't pretend to be "Lena Thorul" or "Tess Mercer". Kara actively kept her identity a secret from Lena which would have been fine if she hadn't gone all OOC in season 3 and decided she could play Lena by being an ass to her as Supergirl but then come back and play nice and be Lena's bff as Kara Danvers. Yes, Lena kept secrets from Supergirl but she didn't do these things to hurt her, secrets were kept to protect Sam and it's not like Supergirl didn't keep secrets from Lena. Lena didn't tell Kara everything either, but why would she tell her civilian best friend about the top secret projects she was working on ? Or that she had met with Lex and was keeping him alive? What buisness is that of Kara Danvers?

Remember when Kara screamed at Mon El that she had given her heart to a lying Jack ass?

what if Lena believes she gave her heart to a lying Jack ass as well? Lena even told Kara that she had broken her heart.

The funny thing about these two is that no matter what they just can't forget about each other. Even when Supergirl was being an ass to Lena she was still there for her and Lena was still there for Supergirl. They may have been mad at each other but they came swooping in whenever the other needed help.

Remember the scene where Kara had hoped that what had happened wouldn't ruin their friendship? But Lena wasn't going to sit and take that and told her that she had real friends, ones that didn't lie to her and didn't ask her boyfriend to vilolate her trust? Kara or rather Supergirl looked broken and what did she do? Kara went straight back to Lena for the first time in RAO knows when as Kara Danvers so she could be with her best friend so she could have Lena in some way. But we still saw the guilt on her face when Lena said she could never trust Supergirl again.

Then we had the reveal and great RAO!! That was one of the most emotional scenes the show has ever produced. Kara was broken! She knew what she had done was wrong, keeping the secret for a while wasn't wrong but all the bull shit that came with it and the length of time was what was wrong. Kara herself has admitted this. Kara was practically hyperventilating when she revealed herself and when Lena just walked passed her she was broken. The look of utter relief when she believed Lena had forgiven her was amazing. Personally to me it looked like Lena really did in some way forgive her and couldn't bear to see Kara like that. She's always been weak around Kara, but the moment she was alone with the AI and only her thoughts for company the hard side of her that closes of any feelings of love came out.

Then we had Kara going out of her way to try to make Lena happy. She flew around the world to her her favourite things to make her happy. Lena really looked like she appreciated this , I know that she was pretending but part of me thinks she really did appreciate it. It only took a request and one pouty face from Lena for Kara to break the law, to go against advice not to do it just to make Lena happy. Non of that was healthy for either one of them, the problem was that they didn't really discuss the 3 years of lies and everything that came with it. They had a few tears and a hug and suddenly were bffs only with super benefits now. We know why Lena didn't bring it up, but Kara was willing to accept that everything was absolutely fine and she didn't really question it, she was to over the moon Lena seemed OK with her.

Then we had the scene in the Fortress. Lena may have been trying to play the big bad I don't need you Luthor in this scene but she failed miserably. This was Lena's turn to absolutely break down like Kara did at the award ceremony. There are true feeling of love between these two whichever type of love you decide it is. You don't break down over someone you don't care about. Lena shot Lex to keep the world and Kara safe even though she felt betrayed by Kara. Now I know people hate that Lena used Kryptonite , but I'm sorry Kara showed no signs of pain, only heart break. Plus no one gave a rats ass when Jonn or Alex used it on her and she showed it bloody hurt. Even after she was released from the fortress she showed no signs of being in any pain, so any 'torture' commentators can sit down before you hurt yourselves.

Kara STILL believed in Lena and didn't want her hurt when she was about to use the medusa virus. It was Alex who used and manipulated her. Kara was almost getting through to Lena before Alex decided trick her then to point a canon at Lena! Rememeber it was Hope that shot at Kara, Lena didn't want that to happen at all.

Lena is still fighting to help save the day even when she supposedly hates Kara. She helped during Crisis and even if she did 100% hate Kara and the super friends she is still the reason 1000s are still alive. But no one wants to remember that. No one wants to remember she's the reason National City survived the Daxamites, no one wants to remember how she helped with Reign. No one wants to rememeber how she re-created Harun El and cured cancer. No one wants to rememeber that she mass produced Harun El and gave it to Alura along with the recipe so Argo could survive. No one wants to remember she saved Argo a second time when she shot Lex. No one wants to remember that she saved all the aliens of National City from the isotope. No one wants rememeber she had a suit ready to save Supergirl from the poisoned air. Shall I go on? Lena Luthor is a hero, she's going down a dodgy path because she is hurt, confused, betrayed and traumatised but it doesn't mean she's evil. A lot of fans don't seem to understand the definition of the word at all, Lena isnt being good right now by any stretch of the imagination but she certainly isn't evil.

People keep saying how she should finally have her redemption, and how bad it is that the guys get theirs. But here's the thing, all those things I mentioned above? Those ARE Lena's redemption. To be completely honest, Lena came into the show with people believing she needed redemption because of her name. But she didn't, it wasnt Lena herself who needed the redemption, it was the family name. Lena hasn't redeemed the Luthor name so much because Lillian and Lex kept f**king it up, but my RAO she has more than earned her place as hero and not like her family at all. This right here? Is a set back and everyone likes to conveniently forget everything she's done.

The writers have made Lena very OOC this season. Personally I think she will give up on this idea of hers. Lena isn't an angel, but then neither is Kara, or Alex, or Jonn or Brainy. The only actual angels at the moment are probably Nia and Kelly since we haven't seen them do anything dodgy or kill anyone (I'm assuming bad past Brainy did) and have it glossed over like it didn't matter.

But now we have Kara still not being able to stop talking about Lena. Even in regards to possibly starting a relationship with William she can't help but compare it to what happened to Lena.

Now that was a lot, but bottom line is if Kara is in love with Lena SHE and only SHE needs to come to that realisation. Having someone else tell her would cheapen it and make it look like the writers had no choice but to have some tell Kara to make it real, just like that have been doing non stop so far.

Plus Lena and Kara can not start a relationship any time soon. That would be a terrible idea. They can realise they are in love but starting something together would be rushed and unhealthy. THERAPY! They have Kelly there! But personally I think Kelly giving any kind of therapy to her girlfriends sister and her brothers ex would be a conflict of interest. She would be biased in Kara's favour whether she would realise it or not.

Peace ✌

[theajaheira]

2019 fic roundup

december was INSANE and i spent most of january dealing with the aftermath of Terrible Parents, but i am finally doing this! in nearly-february! good grief!

tagged by @catty-words​! always a delight, cori <3

Total 2019 Word Count: 541,906 Total 2019 Hits: 29,555 Other 2019 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 3,184; Comment threads: 787; Bookmarks: 509; Subscriptions: 223.

Total 2018 Word Count: 338,835 Total 2018 Hits: 22,374 Other 2018 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 2,192; Comment threads: 453; Bookmarks: 280; Subscriptions: 69.

links and titles to 2019 works (buckle up, folks.)

[btvs] imperfections (148,374 words) y’all know about the braveryverse already but i’ll bring up some good points: jenny and giles accidentally adopt the entire scooby gang. also faith gets some actual support and is actually eventually stable enough to date buffy. good times.

[btvs] deliberate obstruction (5,492 words) the one where jenny is petty as fuck and attempts to sabotage every single one of giles’s dates after their breakup. not her best look, but it was really fun to write jenny being Not Great. she deserves to have that option.

[btvs] arch-nemeses (2,171 words) who doesn’t love some of that good old-fashioned ripper au nonsense? particularly when it’s spike and ripper being confusing nemeses who sometimes drunkenly make out (jenny thinks this is very funny).

[btvs] sick day (3,097 words) written because someone should take care of giles, damnit! probably not jenny, tho. she’s not the best at it. lucky for her giles loves her so much.

[btvs] simpatico (10,096 words) sister fic to the grieving process! set circa btvs season six! jenny is connor’s awkward aunt! giles is a repressed disaster who’s still pining but refuses to admit it! 

[btvs] honesty’s the best policy (3,830 words) that one where giles and buffy are hit with a Truth Spell that means they say exactly what they’re thinking. is that all that bad for buffy? not too much. is it a little iffy when you’re a repressed watcher man who still haven’t told your girlfriend how much you love her? uh.

[btvs comics] i router, you giles (1,111 words) GOD this was written BEFORE i knew that giles and jenny were dating in the reboot comics and isn’t that a concept? a snarky-cute first meeting! ok not really that cute bc they just yell at each other a lot! but definitely snarky!

[btvs] transitional (3,152 words) good golly this is cute and i honestly forgot that i wrote it. which makes sense, bc there is a lot of stuff on this list. set in between season one and season two, in an attempt to bridge the giles/jenny gap between “awkwardly friendly coworkers” and “oh my god i think i like you”

[btvs] across the pond (5,323 words) FUN FACT this got nominated for a headline award and i’m SO PROUD OF THAT?! epistolary fic! giles leaves for england in s6 but without his wife! his wife is very mad and writes him VERY MANY LETTERS TO YELL AT HIM! perfect for those people who sometimes think “god, i wish jenny had been in s6 to yell at giles.” 

[btvs] very really married (66,987 words) giles and jenny got drunk-married in las vegas and are keeping the marriage going so they don’t look like terrible authority figures. giles does not want buffy to know about his fake wife. giles does not want his fake wife to know about his real slayer. giles has a lot of problems and it doesn’t help that he might be catching feelings. big mess.

[btvs] bad dreams (2,267 words) GILES/JENNY/ANYA IS BEST SHIP NEXT QUESTION

[btvs comics] an open mic enthusiast (2,250 words) yet another giles/jenny comic-reboot meet-cute written before i knew they were dating!!! this time: jenny gets to see giles playing guitar. repeatedly. because she keeps going back to watch him at the open mic.

[btvs comics] blindsided (2,024 words) my first (and definitely not last) giles/anya fic! a shorter version of a plot bunny i hope to chase down in 2020 (ahaha did i say that WHOOPS)

[btvs] uncharted (16,469 words) my jenny calendar day fic! also known as “jenny calendar has a guilt complex: a novella.” no prophecy dream outs jenny to the group -- but she tells them anyway. and blames herself. and breaks up with giles while she’s trying to Fix Things. absolute mess. (thank god there’s a happy ending, right?)

[btvs] on the mending of hearts (9,236 words) that giles/anya fic where giles shows up at anya’s failed wedding and sweeps her off her feet and they have sex in his hotel room! except uhhh there’s a lot more drama and crying and anya really just needs some cuddles, tbh.

[btvs] extracurricular activities (1,003 words) straight up this one BARELY counts as a 2019 fic. i wrote it back in 2016 and forgot about it and found it on my hard drive and wrote an ending to it. it’s tiny, but it’s cute! lots of early-relationship calendiles fluff, as is My Brand.

[btvs] cookie dough and boy talk (a remix) (3,976 words) dawn, but in the ripper au! she’s a precocious little bab and ripper babysits her and gets semi-adopted by joyce. it’s a thing.

[btvs] a history lesson (698 words) a brief ripper au interlude between jenny and dru. dru tries to point out that jenny and ripper are in love. jenny very unconvincingly denies it.

[btvs] faith, hope, and pancakes (3,236 words) ripper au, now with faith! and she gets to hang with college-age jenny! who is dating her idiot boyfriend ripper! the Most Fun of times.

[btvs] compromises (750 words) this....was supposed to be a three-sentence prompt but I Can’t Do That. giles and jenny discuss (read: jenny yells at giles about) giles attempting to attack angel on sight.

[btvs] valentine buzz (3,422 words) i wrote this in may lmao but i just REALLY WANTED to write fluffy braveryverse valentine’s day nonsense!!! lots of cuddles and kisses and softness abound in this fic.

[btvs] days in goodness spent (5,893 words) this fic's point was a little more abstract and a little less blunt than most of the rest of these, but i wanted to explore the concept of giles slowly going from idealizing jenny to genuinely loving her. i hope i did it justice.

[btvs] to have and to hold (7,861 words) giles and jenny get married in the braveryverse. that’s really all there is. also i posted this on my birthday (may 23rd) AND it is the 23rd fic on this list!!!! WILD!!!!!)

[btvs] saw her in the streetlight, making all the world bright (5,738 words) took me like a year and a half to write the first fic in the ripper au, lmao. in which jenny is a snarky eighteen-year-old, ripper is a snarky college dropout in a band, and neither of them are at ALL good at communicating. especially not ripper.

[btvs] perfect (1,465 words) ripper au: it’s revealed that jenny hasn’t had sex before. ripper handles this with his characteristic maturity and grace (just kidding lmao he FREAKS. but it’s bc he loves her.)

[btvs] respite (1,106 words) i wrote this after issue 5 of the reboot dropped bc i was very emotional about canon power couple giles and jenny. in retrospect, i gave giles’s emotional maturity WAY too much credit--esp. given what’s going on now--but it was still fun as heck to write.

[btvs] shouldn’t we be getting together (3,193 words) this fic’s existence is a combo of me reading a summer camp ya novel and liking the Aesthetic but not the Culture & me talking endlessly w/ @jackalopingintothevoid​ about ripper and jenny’s teenage dynamic. so many of these fics have her galaxy brain takes woven in and i KNOW she knows that. lov u, jack.

[btvs] fragmented (6,158 words) written because of that one time my brain was like “but what if jenny WAS haunting the school?” happy ending because it’s me and g/j deserve some kisses.

[btvs/hp crossover] buffy summers, muggle-born (22,070 words) i CAME BACK TO THIS in 2019 and wrote a few chapters and DROPPED IT LIKE A HOT POTATO. hopefully 2020 will bring me the courage to pick it up again!!!!!! who DOESN’T want a carelessly-mashed-together crossover where the scoobies and the golden trio are all going to hogwarts together for some reason????

[btvs] in bloom (8,452 words) this was SUPPOSED to be the end of the jenny-anya-tara trilogy. it was not. (more on that later.) this was also supposed to be a fic where giles and jenny get together. jenny and anya got together. writing things is wild sometimes.

[btvs] i still want to be your girl (35,165 words) straight up i am so proud of this fic! s7 au: jenny was chased out of town by angelus. giles does not know this. jenny has been working with angel in la, but left with faith to try and help defeat the first. giles is not the guy she remembers. (but jenny’s not exactly the lady giles remembers, either. so maybe things might work out.)

[btvs/leverage crossover] what’s in a name (4,421 words) sophie’s & jenny’s relationship to their names & identities always so totally fascinated me! this fic was my way of exploring that. (also i got to give giles and jenny a toddler. that was fun too.)

[btvs comics] live a little (6,700 words) i had so much fun coming up with a backstory for giles and jenny in the comics that i am kinda tempted to eventually try and do it again. this one was fun to write, tho.

[btvs] kind of like hydrogen peroxide (7,501 words) THIS was FUN. ripper au, but it explores both jenny’s longing for High School Normalcy AND ripper’s fucked-up relationship to magic. also senior prom is a thing.

[btvs] mending fences (6,093 words) sequel to the aforementioned epistolary fic! lots of first-person self-loathing from giles, but also a LOT of love for jenny and his kids. also the man really truly needs to stop repressing.

[btvs] her father’s daughter (1,982 words) 2020 will bring us another chapter of this fic i swear to GOD. literally there’s only one chapter up so i cannot even TALK about my plans for it but uhhh if you want giles and jenny and their three daughters pls feel free to go to that prologue and check it out.

[btvs] a thousand different ways we fell apart (4,888 words) the au fic to encompass all au fics! inspired by the comic reboot and me being like. christ. do they go through this ridiculous shit in EVERY universe? ....and then i wrote a fic where jenny was a space traveler looking through multiple universe to try and fix her marriage with giles. extra fun.

[btvs] no such roses (4,814 words) this one turned out a TINY bit rushed, but the concept of jenny bringing giles back from the dead is always something that i love exploring. i might come back and rewrite this, someday.

[btvs comics] no perfect choice (4,801 words) OOF. wrote this one after issue 8 dropped. a lot softer and more tender than what actually happened, tbh. maybe i will reread it again to make myself feel better about comic calendiles and their brutal split.

[btvs] family (3,545 words) wrote this one p early in the year and came up with an ending to it much later! ripper au: the story of how xander came to live with giles and leave his parents. angst-with-a-happy-ending abounds.

[btvs] a california january (2,206 words) jenny and giles attend a funeral together. that’s pretty much it. this is defs one of the best things i wrote this year, tho.

[btvs] how i survived my summer vacation (volume two) (25,027 words) swear to god this is gonna be the next thing i update. the braveryverse NEEDS to continue. it’s got married calendiles, for god’s sake.

[btvs] clear and impartial judgment (3,977 words) that fic i wrote when i got mad at a lack of resolution wrt helpless. like!!! giles drugged buffy!!! do we not get to talk about the psychological ramifications that would have on her???? (well. canon doesn’t. but i do.)

[btvs] sunshine ladies (10,188 words) THIS FIC WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN and i say that with incandescent love in my heart. i intended for the ‘verse to be giles/jenny, and then i intended it to be jenny/anya, and then i was like....jenny has two goddamn hands, and there’s foreshadowing here for endgame giles/jenny, and i wanna write some giles/anya. let’s fuckin go. (DEFINITELY writing another installment in 2020 about this iconic ot3 of mine.) 

[btvs] spirit-touched (4,769 words) the first smut i write and it’s calendiles ghost sex. i really think this is on brand for me, esp. considering that swath of asks in 2016ish where everyone wanted to know if ghosts could jack off. incredible.

[btvs] dear friend (28,865 words) this fic had such a rushed ending :( it’s a cute premise (you’ve got mail giles/jenny au!!!!!), but i lost interest halfway through, and as a writer i can rlly see that when i read it. another thing i might like to go back and rewrite at some point, tbh!

[btvs] familiar (2,034 words) AUGH i am SO proud of this fic. SO SO PROUD. it’s a concept i really can’t explain and the little twist at the end is something i really really like, so...just read it.

[miss fisher’s murder mysteries] unbearable (5,670 words) i need to write more mfmm in 2020 but the amount of good fic out there is deeply intimidating/delightful. this one was my little “what if it was phryne who thought jack was dead” and tbqh i had a lot of fun with it? bc pining phryne (who makes brief but extremely poignant appearances throughout the series) is an awkwardly, heart-meltingly sincere lady.

[ace attorney] man’s duty to society (544 words) wrote this as my first foray into aa fic while getting emo about miles edgeworth. would absolutely still die for that man.

[ace attorney] fancy running into you (5,887 words) lots of schmoopy narumitsu fluff! gregory edgeworth is alive! miles is trauma-free! phoenix is an artist! just!!! goodness!!!!!!!

[ace attorney] big sister (2,741 words) set in the same gregory-edgeworth-is-alive ‘verse: babey franziska comes to live with miles and his dad. she is a little impossible but miles kinda does love her.

[ace attorney] prince charming edgeworth and his incredible tux (8,042 words) this fic came from me being like “i want to write phoenix swooning over miles in a tuxedo and being like HE LOOKS LIKE A DISNEY PRINCE” and spiraled into something much longer!

[ace attorney] fate, choice, and everything in between (4,384 words) SOULMATE AU. nothing i love more than deconstructing soulmate aus. but like. in a romantic way. also phoenix and miles ARE soulmates and that is JUST facts.

Favorite Fic: I WROTE SO MUCH STUFF THO LIKE !?!??! how can one expect me to distill it to just one fic? i’ll make it my top threeL

a california january (I AM SO PROUD OF THIS FIC. it is soft and angsty and silly and devastating and tender. all the calendiles feels.)

i still want to be your girl (same mood!!! i’ve wanted to write this fic for literal years, and it’s one of those rare occasions where the picture in my head actually turned out BETTER when written out!)

sunshine ladies (this is like my giles/jenny/anya ship manifesto and it still makes me happy to think about them all co-running the magic box together and smooching a lot.)

Hardest Fic: OOF uh i went through a rocky period of writing when transitioning into college? no such roses and dear friend were hit the hardest by my insecurity & my desire to Finish Things rather than actually spend time on the craft. but i’m much more settled in now and my writing is DEFINITELY in an upward swing (as my newest fic -- as day follows night -- attests to quite nicely, imo)

Do You Plan to Take Prompts in 2020? always always yes! (i’m bad at following through with them, but am ALWAYS accepting them.)

What was the best thing about 2019? there were almost too many good things to COUNT, but i think all of them were made possible by me working extremely hard to get myself the FUCK out of my abusive parents’ house and into my first choice college!! i’m thriving, y’all.

What was the worst thing about 2019? realizing that both of my parents are fundamentally terrible people. that part kinda sucked.

Any last thoughts for 2019? i finally understand what it’s like to fall asleep feeling safe, and to notice the way the leaves change color, and to get excited about self-indulgent things like food and cuddly stuffed animals and my own fic and art. 2019 brought a lot of happiness into my life, and oh yeah also i’m in love! lots of cool stuff going on.

Goals for 2020

finish the latest braveryverse installment!

MORE ART JUST IN GENERAL. i love drawing, but there’s not a lot of free time for artsy celia when they prioritize writing so often!

write one of the many incredible longfic ideas that’s floating around in my head. it’s honestly probably only like two or three big ones, but at least DECIDE which one i’m gonna focus my energy on.

more giles/anya this year!

more giles/jenny/anya this year!

diversify! still gonna be writing about jenny forever, but like. it might be fun to write about a few new things here and there.

maybe some more ace attorney fic? maybe even some mfmm fic again? phryne and jack are never far from my heart.

not tagging anyone bc this is....january. but if you wanna do it, feel free!

[lostsoulobsidian]

She likes detective stories

ElongSue fanfic, Ralph Dibny/Sue Dearbon (kind of, implied I guess). The Flash CW

After an interview with Sue’s former boyfriend, Ralph thinks about her and he's shocked to notice he's starting to see her as something else than a case.

It hadn't been easy, getting an appointment with Mr. Wladon. He was quite busy, being the head, in Washington, of the consulate of Modora, a tiny but wealthy republic in Eastern Europe. 

He was also the man whom Sue Dearbon had had her most serious relationship with, according to her parents.

Ralph had had to call to the consulate several times, but his secretary kept giving him the round around, because he was a nobody, until he decided to throw discretion away and say it was about Sue’s disappearance. After that, the secretary rushed to call him back to make an appointment.

Once he was, at last, at his magnificent (and maybe a bit pretentious) office, he got to study the guy. Bito Wladon was a handsome, well dressed and dark-haired man, with a fancily trimmed beard and almost as tall as Ralph himself. Obviously, that young lady was used to have only the finest in everything - clothes, jewels... and boyfriends.

"Mr. Dibny". He greeted, extending his hand to him; his English had a weird accent. "My secretary informed me that you want to talk about Susan Dearbon. I-I didn't know she was missing. I thought she was on a trip across Europe''.

Sue's parents had spread that excuse around for all the not-so-close friends, relatives and acquaintances for the sake of discretion. Starting a nationwide search when she could have just fled for her own will would have entailed a scandal for both the Dearbons and Sue herself.

"When was the last time you saw Miss Dearbon?"

"In July of last year, when we broke up. We went separate ways since then."

He sharpened his senses. Being dumped is a good motive for revenge.

"I know this could be a little personal to ask, but why did you break your relationship? Was it a mutual decision or...?”

Wladon seemed embarrassed but answered anyway.

"She did break up, but it was my fault. I... proposed to her, I think before she was ready. Maybe I scared her. She said she was sorry but didn't want to tie herself down to anyone."

"Sorry to hear it", Ralph tried to sound sympathetic.

"I knew she didn't believe in marriage, but I had to try. She is the most amazing woman in the world, and I would have been the luckiest man if she had accepted me. But I doubt there’s someone so lucky. She never got too attached to anyone. She’s a free spirit".

For some reason, Ralph started to feel uneasy.

"Do you know if she had enemies, anyone who would want to harm her for some reason..."

"I don't think she has enemies; she is the kind of person who everybody likes. But she might have gotten into trouble".

"Trouble?", Ralph raised his eyes from his notebook. "Could you explain that?"

"Well, she has a thing for detectives".

He blinked in confusion.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, she likes detective stories, mysteries. With passion. She has read all the books about mystery and crimes, and has watched every movie and show with detectives, especially the noir genre. Though her favorite are the ones of The Thin Man series."

"The Thin Man?"

"Yes. You know, the classic films with William Powell and Myrna Loy. They are her favorite movies."

"The Thin… all right". Ralph wrote the title on his notebook. He didn't know whether it would be useful but knowing his target's thoughts and preferences could help him to track her steps.

"She liked this detective thing so much that she liked to play it in the real life. She used to think her life as a mystery, adventurous story; and see herself as a detective amateur."

"Like Nancy Drew, you would say?", Ralph pointed out.

"Sort of", Wladon nodded with a smile. "She used to see hints for crimes or conspiracies everywhere and liked to follow the tracks she considered to be the most important, like it was an actual investigation", he recalled. "Her friends and I didn't mind that hobby of hers, it was one of her little eccentricities that made her so special. But now I think she might have run into something dangerous. Maybe, a real crime."

"I see", Ralph answered. "Do you remember something she could have said about those so-called 'investigations' of hers? Anything remarkable?"  

"I don't know, she liked to follow up so many seeming clues... I remember once she told me she thought there was a dark, criminal organization wherein the highest echelons were involved. I didn't pay her much attention; she was always with those conspiracy theories. I'd wish I had listened to her so I could provide you with more details. I don't know whether she was right or wrong, but I couldn't forgive myself if something has happened to her."

Should he follow up on that "dark organization" track? Maybe he should gather more information from other sources. Until that, it seemed too vague for centering his investigation on it.   

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Thank you for your time, Mr. Wladon."

Ralph was quite sure that Bito Wladon was not responsible in Sue Dearbon's disappearance. Husbands, boyfriends (including former husbands or boyfriends) ... used to be the first suspects when a woman went missing, and usually not without a reason. Ralph's instincts didn't use to fail him. He used to know, just looking into the suspect's eyes, whether they were innocent or guilty. Many times, the husband or boyfriend was the culprit, like Regan Gimlin.

But that was not the case. Wladon's eyes didn't show guilt nor fear. He seemed to be ambitious and condescending, sure, and there was something in his eyes that Ralph didn't like, but he felt it had nothing to do with Sue. He seemed truly worried about her, maybe a bit more than worried. If he had to, Ralph would had bet that he was still in love with her.

Maybe he didn’t like him simply because he was a politician. Ralph had never liked politicians.

He turned to leave, but Wladon called him:

"Mr. Dibny?"

"Yes?" He turned again to him.

"Please find her and make sure she's safe".

"I will", he promised.

His suspicions were correct: Wladon still loved his ex-girlfriend and couldn’t cope with having lost her. Ralph couldn't blame him, though. He would have felt the same if he were in his place. Not that he would have the chance of knowing how it would be like, ever. He never was able to make work his relationships with regular girls, so a top-class one like Sue Dearbon would never even look at him.

That night, he looked again into the file of his case. He took a photo of his target and looked to it for a while. It was a pretty recent one, maybe from a couple of months before she went missing.

He had to admit she was quite attractive. No, she was gorgeous: her dark hair framed an angel face, and she had beautiful blue eyes and a cheerful, sweet smile. Her features were classy and somehow fragile, the kind that made you want to wrap her in your arms forever, to protect her. And something in her eyes was inviting and defying at the same time.

"A free spirit", Wladon had said.

The kind of girl who could drive any man crazy.

The kind of girl who could become any man's dream.

"She has a thing for detectives..."

He shook his head. What the heck was he thinking? Those thoughts were out of character for him. He was a professional, and she was his target. Nothing more.

He would have to be careful or would end up like the guy from that classic movie he watched ages ago... Laura, it was called. In that movie, a detective investigates the murder of a pretty, classy woman (not very different of Sue Dearbon), and he obsesses so much over her that he ends up falling in love with her memory...

(Later, it was revealed that she's alive, but that was not the point).

Sue Dearbon was not dead, he could feel it. She was alive somewhere, but she surely was in trouble, like Wladon said. Why else had she vanished with no trace, nor telling a thing to her worried parents.

She was alive somewhere, waiting to be found. Waiting to be rescued.

And he was the right person to do it.

"She likes detective stories"...

He searched for The Thin Man first movie and found it in one of those TV on demand channels. The main characters, played by Powell and Loy, were Nick and Nora Charles, a married couple who investigated mysteries together. The story was a little predictable and Ralph solved the crime much before the end of the movie, but he liked it. It was quite funny, and the Charles' relationship was couple goals.

But later, when he went to sleep, he had quite a weird dream. He was in The Thin Man universe, he was Nick Charles, and Sue Dearbon was Nora, his wife. And, just like the Charles, they lived an adventurous life, investigating mysteries together. And they were madly in love.

He woke up abruptly, sweating on his futon. Even more than usual.

"What the..." he muttered astonished. "Stop with this nonsense, Ralphie. Now", he ordered himself.

That dream was totally stupid, of course. But somehow it made appear a strange feeling of longing in Ralph's soul that didn't go away for a long time.

TRIVIA:

Bito Wladon, in DC comics, is the ruler of Modora and the villain Sonar. In The Elongated Man miniseries (1992) he's the main antagonist and in Justice League Europe issues #46 to #50 he even tries to steal Sue away from Ralph to make her his consort.

It is stated that Ralph and Sue Dibny characters are inspired in Nick and Nora Charles, from The Thin Man book (by Dashiell Hammett, 1934) and its subsequent film adaptations, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.