#bits and pieces of plot exist and may exist in the future?

[writing-is-hard-af]

Adore the little details and bits of foreshadowing hinting at Sam being set to be a future president sprinkled throughout the show. Like it's so subtle but also so clear. It's so important to me for whatever reason.

[zechiki]

I am never finishing this but I like the idea so I am posting it anyway

Context: Crescent is looking into an alternative universe where someone is living the life he wishes was his

Crescent belongs to @lunnar-chan

Some lore stuff below

Don't know If I'll end up doing anything with this in the future so I am just gonna ramble about it here

I know very little about him but my version of this little guy lives a sad life, being neglected by both his parents. He was an accident, Nightmare and Killer mainly just tolerate his existence and do the bare minimum. This makes him feel very unwanted and sad. He is a bit jaded but mostly a sad boio

Idk he was born to two guys in a toxic relationship-

I got this idea of him where he finds a mirror that shows him something he wishes was his. The mirror shows him a world where someone is adored and loved by different versions of his parents. Lives a happy life that he could never have. He is envious of what they have and just watches, imagining himself in those moments.

I don't know for sure but he may have also been able to talk to the person on the other side when they were near it or something. In my plot that someone would be Luna-Moon. They become friends :)

She calls him big brother-

anyway

I think It gets broken at somepoint, either by Nightmare or his own accident, idk it just gets broken

something something Crescent gets mad and pieces the mirror back together and uses magic on it to go through to the other universe, probably.

There he meets up with Luna who happily introduces him to her family and Crescent is a bit cautious and unsure about the whole thing, only to be pretty much accepted and then he'd cry.

It's supposed to be some wholesome stuff mainly :D

I'll see if I end up doing more with this later on. Though have this one extra thingy.

Haha, I am evil

[tamaaiba]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how so many of the data pearls have faded away in Saint’s campaign.

This is a bit of a longer post

Even in Spearmaster’s campaign, the ancients have been long gone. But so much of the world is still shaped by their influence. The iterators are still around at the very end of their prime, and the memories of the ancients still exist with them, passed onto the slugcats with the mark of communication. Pearls exist as archives of the time of the ancients, with many containing information of the most important aspects of ancient society and history.

And yet, as Saint comes around, the remaining parts of ancient history are at the brink of extinction. The time of the iterators is coming to an end. Ancient architecture is falling apart. Almost every pearl in the retaining wall has faded away, with the exception of two pearls.

One of these is the pearl with the song Halcyon Memories, distorted at this point. This pearl had been preserved by Five Pebbles, playing endlessly as he endures the constant blizzards.

The other is the deep pink pearl in Farm Arrays, which seems like a seemingly random pearl to last at first glance. But there’s some interesting dialogue from Five Pebbles when you show him this pearl in Artificer’s campaign.

“This is pointless. The data is a shipment confirmation to an automated farming plot.

A waste of the crystal memory complex it was printed onto. I would refresh it for use as storage, but the message has been repeatedly burned into the pearl several thousand times. Likely to prevent reuse, or loss of data.”

When you really look at it, both surviving pearls seem really mundane. Any information on void fluid or ascension is gone at this point. All that exists is a song and the confirmation of a shipment of beverages. This seemingly doesn’t tell us anything about ancient society.

But both still exist because of efforts to preserve them. Pebbles had a connection to Halcyon Memories, as it remains as the last memento of the ancients that used to view him as a god.

The message in the bright pink pearl was burned into it over and over again, and it’s interesting to think about why. Looking at the contents of the pearl from Moon, it’s an ancient thanking another community for delivering the nectar. The ancient speaks with sincerity, wishing the community well.

"We hope that the Crops are healthy, and that the Productivity with which your Facility is Blessed, leads (as it often does) to further Prosperity. May Not as long as the Stars stay fixed on their Celestial Spheres Grey Hand, Impure Blood, Inheritable Corruption, Parasites, or malfunction settle in Your establishment."

With all of that being said, it makes me think about the future in the real world. In a thousand years, ten thousand years, one hundred thousand years from now, what bits from our culture will still be around for future civilizations to look back on?

Internet culture has inspired archival to new lengths, to the point where even the most average person is interested in pieces of lost media. We hear about lost shows, movies, songs, etc. all the time, and people will spend months and years trying to locate lost media in order to preserve them and make them accessible to the public.

And in the grand scheme of things, it’s mundane. The lost pilot of a tv show sounds mundane. The source of an unknown piece of music sounds mundane. Specific dubs of a readily accessible show sounds mundane. And yet we care. We spend so much out of our life to locate every piece of mundane history, because to us, it matters.

When Everyone Knows That was found, we cheered, even if we laughed at the source. When a segment of Sesame Street many thought to be creepy was found, we cheered. When an older version of Shrek voiced by Chris Farley was found, we cheered.

All these little bits make up our history. The internet has become the most documented part of human history so far, and so much would be lost if it suddenly stopped existing.

And what if it did? What if parts of our life we see everyday become lost? What if shows like SpongeBob become lost media? What if famous musicians become completely forgotten? Even Rain World itself could be completely lost one day.

We exist now, but we will not always exist. Maybe we evolve. Maybe we die off. Maybe we completely relocate to another planet and Earth becomes a small part of our history.

What mundane parts of our lives will become highly regarded in the far future? What becomes our remaining legacy?

[proxylynn]

My theory of Hazbin Hotel's main plot.

[This may just be a hot take or me whimsically spitballing headcanon, but I have thought about this and, while I don't have all the puzzle's pieces, I think I have enough to make out a decent picture. So bear with me as I unload the insanity that has been in my head since entering the Hellaverse.]

Starting things off, I think the main villain/antagonist of HH's plot is the obvious elephant in the room...Roo aka The Root of ALL Evil.

According to Vivziepop, Roo is a "looming threat in the distance", possibly hinting toward her being a future antagonist and she mentioned that there is no character that she is more excited to get into than Roo, but, she also mentioned that it's "gonna be a long time". So likely we won't see her properly till season three but get hints throughout season two and teased at the end. I will make no claim that "defeating" Roo solves everything in the universe because that's nonsense. There is no good without evil. So you can't just off Roo who's been there since the beginning. And I mean THE beginning. I'm talking the creation of EVERYTHING.

"Angels that worshiped good and shielded all from evil."

Evil exists at the start before Lucifer does anything, this is a fact. So where am I going with this? Let's continue down the line. To the one driving my train of thought...Lilith.

For someone who didn't eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, Lilith was very aware of certain things and had independent free will. But humanity didn't get this autonomy till after the fruit fiasco, so what happened? Why did Lilith have magic main character self-awareness? Well, let's think about this...Why was there such a tree in Eden in the first place? The Angels are making this a paradise and keeping evil out of Earth. So why place a tree in there that would fuck it all up? This was why they didn't want Lucifer making shit because they were worried his ideas would be too risky and bad could happen. So again, why was this tree here? What if...The Angels didn't make it.

I propose, as her name so implies, that Roo sprouted the tree up without the Angels knowing in the hopes the fruit would be eaten and allow evil to taint the world. Lilith might have gotten a hint of what the tree granted and what simple veil that clouded her eyes was lifted enough to make her reject Adam and flee the garden. It's even said that "together" she and Lucifer share the gift of free will with Eve, but Lilith seems to take this stand back and watch approach when Lucifer gives her the fruit, almost like she's uncertain what eating it will do so she keeps her distance. This again, also hints that Lilith has had free will from the start and didn't eat the fruit because it was only when Eve ate the fruit did evil finally break the seal to enter Earth.

"As punishment for their reckless act, Heaven cast Lucifer and his love into the dark pit he had created."

Now here's where it gets a bit more headcanony because this line could mean nothing or everything. Lucifer and Lilith are banished to the newly made Hell. I repeat...Heaven cast Lucifer and Lilith into Hell. Nowhere does it say she died. So...We have the first human woman who didn't eat the fruit and never died. By technically, Lilith still has her immortality. She's the oldest human alive. It's also stated Lucifer shares his power with her (and Charlie), which makes sense if she's just some dull human. So, now imbued with this mix of angel/demon rizz, Lilith becomes even more OP and Hell's mary sue Queen that dominates like the bad boss bitch she is.

"Lilith thrived, empowering demonkind with her voice and her songs. And as the numbers of Hell grew, so did its power."

Lilith as a character has a surprisingly decent amount of info to work with considering we only saw her for the smallest moment. So here's some goodies I've collected from the wiki that are of note.

{According to Vivziepop, Lilith is the "big, slowburn mystery" of the show, adding that we are going to slowly start getting answers over the course of the "next couple seasons", and that season two gives some more pieces to it.}

{When asked about what Lilith was like, Faustisse described Lilith as graceful, regal, and politically charged. Lilith is someone who is exceptionally equanimous. This was implied in "Overture" as in the "Story of Hell" book she is depicted helping Hell thrive over the years using her voice and her songs.}

{When asked about Lilith and Lucifer's dynamic, Faustisse believed their relationship could be summed up with the phrase, "Behind every man is a greater woman", and that they love each other very much. They describe Lilith and Lucifer as "passionate, cheesy lovers". They are of the opinion that Lilith "wears the pants" in her family, but they think both Lilith and Lucifer are switches within their intimate life.}

{When asked about Lilith's powers, Faustisse declined to answer, citing possible spoilers for the main series. They did, however, state that they did not think Lilith had wings like Charlie and Lucifer, although saw no reason why she wouldn't be able to manifest them if she wished. According to Faustisse, Lilith can change the shape of her horns, but it's unlikely this will be shown in practice in the series as it would apparently be difficult to show that kind of constant change over consecutive scenes.}

{When asked if the Eden family have some connection to the royal family as well, Vivziepop declined to answer one way or the other.}

{Due to her origins as a former human, it is likewise unclear if Lilith is connected to the Sinners, who are deceased humans and became demons after death; as Lilith was alive when she was banished to Hell, her transition between human and demon is ambiguous.}

{Faustisse has suggested that she is somewhat good with children}

{Lilith disappeared seven years prior to the series for reasons unknown, never responding to any of her daughter's attempts to call her. Curiously, she was missing the same amount of years as Alastor. Lilith was later revealed to be in Heaven in "The Show Must Go On". Although the exact reasons remain unknown, it was heavily alluded to that she had made a deal with Adam at some point.}

You might look at all this and be like "Lynn, you dummy, we know all this. This is just random stuff". Oh, I think not. Because in just these bits we get so much. Let's begin with the character setup for diving into my main theory.

I think Lilith does love her family. She has a loving and amazing husband in Lucifer and in Charlotte (aka Charlie) the most adorable and kindhearted daughter any mother could ask for. As Queen, she took charge and made Hell less of a pit to wallow and suffer in, and more like a new home to begin anew. So then...What happened? Why would she suddenly leave and cut all communications? Here is where we dig into the meat of it all. My theory of why Lilith left.

Remember how I said Lilith didn't eat the fruit and still had free will then pounded that over and over into you? Well, going on what I said about her getting "a hint of what the tree granted", Roo could've infected Lilith and gifted her awareness while in Eden. Now in Hell where Roo is arguably stronger due to all the sin and sickness that permeates the realm, her influence on Lilith would increase. Lilith, being the big brain that she is, probably felt something was amiss when she got pregnant. Nine months is a long time to plan things out, and maybe doing a few concerts to warn others of impending danger subtlety might've worked...but only for so long. She needed something. A safety. And that safety was her family. Lucifer likely could've been useful but his depression was beginning to take hold with each failure and the worsening sinners as years passed. So...plan B...Charlie. She would instill in her daughter everything she knew and give her a "destiny".

"But Lilith's hope remained. And her dream passed down to their precious daughter, the Princess of Hell."

With Charlie, Lilith instilled that the people were important. But never explained in what way. As she continued to prepare her daughter, Lilith would come to understand this reason. Power. Roo thrives on the tainted evil that seeps from the sinners. So just as she finishes schooling Charlie, she sets up another backup plan to still Roo's intake long enough for her daughter to figure out a way of her own...And this is where Adam comes in.

"Adam is dead. Your deal is done and I'm in charge now. Your brat is threatening the very foundation of Heaven. And if you want to stay here, you're going down there, and stopping that bitch. You understand me…Lilith?"

Feeling Roo's corruptive influence getting worse because sinners just keep coming, Lilith contacts Adam. Now Adam is still salty but hears his first wife out as she caters to his ego. But Adam is wiser after millennia and knows she's not being innocent here. He bluntly gets her to just spill the beans to which she does, she needs out of Hell. Adam grabs this opportunity and says he can sneak her into Heaven but it'll cost her. He knows how much her precious people mean to her so, vindictively, he says he'll take her in if he can go into Hell and kill demons. Little does he know he's playing into her trap. She "reluctantly" agrees so long as no Hellborn are harmed, only sinners. Adam is all for it, even makes a cover story to tell Sera later how killing sinners in Hell will keep Heaven safe, and Lilith then goes about doing the hardest thing she's ever done. She tells Lucifer of some details of this new Heavenly Extermination thing and that she'll have to go away for a long time, promising to return but unsure when. Heartbroken, Lucifer watches as his love leaves him, their daughter, and their kingdom.

"Hey, mom. I know I keep calling and you must be busy... Really busy... But, um, the interview didn't go well, and... I don't know if I'm ever going to make a difference. I don't know what I'm doing. I could really use some advice, mom. I... I think dad was right about me... Ahah, oof. Eh, anyway... I'll stop talking before this gets long. Love you, bye..."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll make you proud."

Vaggie: Did you hear from your mom?

*Charlie shakes her head in dismay.*

Vaggie: Oof… how long has it been now?

Charlie: Not that long, only…seven….years, off doing something important, I'm sure! But, this kingdom was something she really cared about. Something I care about.

This is what I think it's all been leading to. Lilith having made Charlie into someone for the people and wanting to save souls in a, as funny as it is, maintaining the very balance that got fucked up way back in the garden sort of redeeming way. Restoring order by allowing the good to go where it should've gone in the first place and keeping Roo weak. Maybe Lilith can even get her own redemption, being partially responsible for allowing Roo into our world in the first place. The only added weight I have left to give to my silly little "infected Lilith" idea is how she looks at season one's ending.

She looks pissed and upset, which we can say for a few reasons like how Lute just straight-up calls Charlie a bitch to her face. Like, dude, dick move. But, with Adam dead and seemingly no progress from Charlie (that she knows of), Lute is forcing her to go back to Hell where Roo's influence can grip her once more. I'm not entirely sure just what that could mean but for the sake of the Alastor/Lilith theory fans, let's say when Roo is strong she can puppet Lilith into infecting others via demonic deals. She might have done this countless times with mixed results, only to have full success in Alastor. But Mr deer is a bit too successful a test subject and thus gets his powers leashed. Now we have Alastor trying to force his way out of this mixed-up double-power deal by roping in Charlie, the one kink in this chain that could cause everything to break if forced too much.

It would explain his latching onto Charlie and seeking a deal since the very first time they met. She's a means to an end. The key to unlocking his proverbial collar. It even explains his out-of-nowhere instant disdain for Lucifer. Of course he'd be hostel to the husband of the bitch that metaphorically screwed him and poses a threat to his current plan of using his daughter for his own means.

Well, this was a long as fuck rambling. I hope even a shred of this made sense. Now to sit back and wait for season two to come along and either be like "I got something right" or "Wow I was dead wrong on so many levels". I wonder how long that will take?

"In an interview posted on February 2, 2024, Vivziepop thought that the production of season two might take about one-and-a-half to two years, roughly the same production time season one had."

Oh...um...Looks like we have some time. So, we can expect the new episodes to land in late 2025 at the earliest. *sets up chair* I can wait.

[my-dear-anonym]

Warping the Veil: A Sovellan and Rookanis Story

When the Dread Wolf attempts to sunders the veil, it all goes horribly wrong. He should have listened to her. The world burned. Everything. The Humans, the Elves, the Spirits. And the Evanuris delighted in their massacre. Lavellan offers the chance of a hail Andraste, one last attempt to save the world. And it may very well cost her life. Together, a spell is crafted and they send her spiraling through time to try and prevent it all. If only it hadn't gone so dreadfully wrong. Lavellan wakes up confused and disoriented to an angry seeker. There's much more wrong here than there should be. With spirits whisper to her and memories not her own warn her of the future, she must muddle through this dangerous landscape. Memory can only help so much. Nightmare is waiting. The Dread Wolf howls. And Lavellan stands in the center of it all. In another world, broken and torn by catastrophe, a sacrifice is made to give this world a second chance. This story deals with the plotline of Veilgaurd, including a Lucanis and Rook romance. Beware of spoilers. The Lore surrounding what happened to Lavellan expands with every new face that appears as the story marches on.

I began this story in 2021, long before the events of Veilguard. Now that the game has released (2024), I'm excited to include a lore that fits so closely with this fic I designed. I rewrote vast swaths of this story, but the parts that were published previously have largely remained. I hope you all enjoy the Revamp of Warping the Veil. I am posting this first chapter for all of you to get introduced to the story. It's the Prequel Chapter and largely follows the events of the Prologue of Dragon Age: Inquisition. After this, the chapters will start to see more content straying from the original plot as the struggle against the future develops.

Full Chapter Available on Ao3: Prelude: Shattered

Prelude: Shattered:

Lavellan

Pain. Lancing up her arm in a sluggish, dream-like state is what finally pulls her back to the surface of consciousness. Her head pounds and her body aches. The stone is cold beneath her legs, but it helps anchor her back into the world rather than her dreams. A cold draft raises goosebumps along her skin. Didn’t they get that fixed forever ago? There shouldn’t be any cracks in the formidable walls. Though, the latest siege surely left more repairs wanting.

"Dorian—” she gasps out weakly, the skin of her head dragging against the stones as she pulls herself to her knees. Metal shackles announce themselves with a tale tell rattle with each shift, loud in the silent room. Finally, her eyes open, clearing away bits of blurriness with each blink. Thankfully, it’s a dark room. Lavellan doesn’t think her splitting headache could handle any level of brightness.

Everything shatters apart and scatters about her like puzzle pieces when a sharp, blinding pain spikes up her arm. It’s too sudden to scream. It’s too much to cry. She can only gasp in shock. Familiar and foreign. This pain is not natural. This pain shouldn’t exist. It’s not a phantom pain of a lost limb. It’s real.

Lost limb? She’d never lost a limb. Where had that thought come from? An echoing lance of pain stabs her mind and she groans until both the oddly green mark on her hand and the ache in her skull pound to the same rhythm of misery. Why isn’t she panicking? Anyone else would be panicking to find some mark upon their hand, causing enough pain to long for unconsciousness again. In fact, it’s almost comforting to find it there. Why?

Fragments of answers shaped like memories or dreams swirl around her, and she tries desperately to reach for them. Before any progress can be made, she’s disrupted by a door banging open and two figures joining her in the damp cell. Soldiers standing guard around her all sheathe their swords. Had they been there the whole time? Why did they need to keep their swords drawn? Her manacles clink. Had they been afraid of her? By the Dread Wolf, Shems really would use any excuse, wouldn’t they?

But they’re not important. The two that had entered are. Lavellan squints through the darkness, stuffing the glowing mark between her legs to dampen the glare of its light. Immediately, the name of one the women jumps to her tongue, even if she does not say it. The other floats near the surface of the murky lake of her mind but quickly submerges again before she can grasp it.

Cassandra, dressed in the familiar armor of a Seeker, stands tall and proud despite the heaviness of catastrophe. Stomach full of mantra, she burns like a beacon. “Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now?” Cassandra asks. “The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you.”

Lavellan shakes her head, trying to clear it as flashing images surface and submerge again, too rapidly for her to comprehend. Screaming. Nothing tells her anything of where she is or what’s going on. She should know. No matter how hard she claws for them, they do not return. Even if her memory refuses to comply, everything here is far too familiar. Can’t they see something is horribly wrong?

Cassandra reaches down, grabbing Lavellan’s wrist in a near fracturing hold and forces the mark onto display. “Explain this.” The Anchor flares slightly for dramatic effect, as if it knew people were talking about it. The sickly green light casts the room and her mind in shadows, illuminating only the sharpest angles of Cassandra’s face and reflecting off her armor.

Words whisper around them, words that only Lavellan hear. Incomprehensible riddles and phrases, lost before they’re found. Why is the air so loud?

“I—can’t.” Lavellan’s eyes are glued to her hand. To the anchor. Its light dances between them. The only thing keeping her alive and the very thing damning her to death.

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Lavellan insists. Finally, her gaze pulls free and snaps to the face of the Seeker. She can see it now, where she couldn’t before. Anger, yes. Anger risen out of fear. Terror. The world has come crashing down and there’s nowhere to go. Nothing to defeat. Only a hole in the sky and endless, devastating death. Wait. Hole in the sky? Her head is jumbled again, tripping over itself. What’s real? What’s delusional? That’s a matter of debate.

“You’re lying!” Cassandra insists, gripping Lavellan roughly by the collar. An act of desperation made by a terrified woman, grasping for answers in a world gone mad. The sudden wrench of her muscles sets her whole body into dull aches, as if she’d tripped and tumbled down a steep hill.

“We need her, Cassandra,” the other woman intervenes. The Left Hand. Left. Reaching. The Left Hand remembers a knife slipped to her in darkness and wonders why the flower blooms.

“It blooms because even in the darkest of night, there will always be dawn,” Lavellan mumbles, dizzy and aching.

The Left Hand freezes. “What did you say?”

Lavellan shakes her head, forcing her eyes to focus on the familiar face. “Did…” It takes her a moment more to pull back together. “Did you say people died?

The Left Hand frowns. “Do you remember what happened? How this began?”

“I remember…so much screaming.”  Her eyebrows knit together in thought. Cassandra paces. There’s a steady drip of water somewhere distant in the cell. Several sets of lungs breathe, in and out. “running,” she finally says. “Things were chasing me. And then…a woman?” It’s starting to come back to her. Her clan. Her mission. The Conclave.

“A woman?”

“I don’t know,” Lavellan says, looking up at them. “I can’t remember.”

Cassandra studies her for a minute. Her steely eyes against vivid green. Lavellan can see the moment she makes up her mind. “Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift.”

Full Chapter Available on Ao3

Tagging those that expressed interest earlier this week ^-^

@junewhenitrains

@manuveninvhenan

@bi-panic-in-my-closet

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Interrogation Methodology (Pathfinder Second Edition Investigator Methodology)

(art by @kippdipp here on Tumblr)

No matter what form it takes, the core of any investigation is, in fact, asking questions.

Before you roll your eyes at me for such an obvious observation, let me elaborate. Investigation is about asking the right questions, and about using those questions to find the relevancy in every detail that others might overlook. We’ve seen how the 2E version of the investigator does this with alchemical aids, logic, and medical knowledge, but now we’re looking at the final (for now) methodology, asking questions to people.

Now, when we think interrogation, modern media has taught us to imagine a stark chamber in a law enforcement facility with a single table, usually 3 or 4 chairs, a single lightbulb hanging low in the room, and probably a big two-way mirror for the audience of other detectives to observe. There’s Good Cop Bad Cop, not-so subtle attempts to subvert civil rights and extract confessions, and all those other things that copaganda shows do to try and make such actions seem ok or even heroic.

But is that all that interrogation can be? I certainly don’t think so, and there are plenty of fictional detectives that don’t resort to browbeating or manipulating witnesses or perpetrators to get their way. In fact, we have a perfect example in the subject of today’s art, with Columbo, a show that’s all about a detective who just talks to people, and proves just annoying and bumbling enough get people to let things slip, and walk right into his trap.

Indeed, interrogation investigators work best, at least in my mind, when they make full use of social skills and their own investigation into the facts to note the discrepancies and why those discrepancies exist, building a case until they can reveal their knowledge of the truth.

With that in mind, let’s look at what these investigators can do.

These investigators have a knack for diplomacy and for guiding the emotions of those they interact with, including calming those who might react fearfully near them. Furthermore, they can pursue their leads with someone as they are otherwise ingratiating themselves to them, getting them to open up in both the emotional and informative sense.

What’s more, they also have a knack for asking pointed questions, ones that either delight someone with the ability to share, or fluster them with how deep they cut, compelling an answer. Even if they manage to lie, the shift in their emotional state makes it easier for the detective to read them.

Additionally, there are feats tied to this methodology, including the ability to more easily pick up on lies with Lie Detector and the ability to unnerve targets with a question with Make Em Sweat.

Other feats might prove useful to them as well, such as Eliminate Red Herrings, That’s Odd, Person of Interest, Connect the Dots, Predictive Purchase, Whodunnit?, Just One More Thing, Reason Rapidly, Plot the Future, Implausible Purchase, Reconstruct the Scene, Just the Facts, and anything else that would be useful for your personal build and style.

By necessity, this methodology makes for a bit more social and affable investigator than one might assume from your more Holmes-likes. As such, a more social build may be in order, but don’t forget to put some focus into combat as well, for even the most cerebral of villains will still try to get their way with violence when their plans have been discovered.

Like every type of investigator, today’s subject really prompts the GM to come up with those subtle details that help them piece together the truth, but in this case more than others, the GM has to developing those acting chops to find ways to drop hints without being too obvious as part of their roleplay. Additionally, remember that interrogation is not their only tool here, and inconsistencies in someone’s statement can only be revealed as such if the investigator has examined all the other evidence to the best of their ability.

It may seem strange for a human to be delving into cavern elf politics, but that is where inspector Montrieux finds himself after he is asked to act as a neutral party in an investigation of the murder of an official. He sets about interviewing various members of the ruling class, but is interrupted when he walks in on a noblewoman’s estate being butchered by a masked warrior.

While the rivalry between the Ironblood and Truebranch factions is officially over, that resentment is still close to the surface. This is why every member of the Truebranch is a suspect when an Ironblood turns up dead. However, the truth is far more sinister, for a zealborn undead, a former Ironblood, was willing to sacrifice one of his own in order to reignite the violence, and without intervention, it is definitely working.

Though the art of keeping and training the various monsters and beasts of the land has recently become available to people of every level of society, there still remain those that treat it as a noble practice in Ilkwood, flaunting “purebred” heritages that are lauded as superior to what commoners have access to. When a commoner starts defeating said purebreds in competitions, people wonder if they will soon vanish, though none suspect that the commoner is actually building a case to expose corruption at the elite level of the practice.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s6 episode 22 "biogenesis" thoughts

season finale time!!! 

i haven’t watched an episode in a week to avoid having to finish the season, but i have started working on my favorite moments list so i would be better prepared. and here we are!

mulder thinks that life began somewhere that isn’t earth… because of some metallic stuff… well. let’s investigate!

i hope we get some answers on his crankiness. but i’m expecting a ton of plot and little character development in this and the next one. but i can hope to be proved wrong! even if i don’t think we’ll ever beat the s2 finale. sighs… how good we had it.

(post-episode thoughts: i need answers. i need krycek's head mounted on the wall the way people display their ten point bucks. i need justice for skinner and to place both of the agents in a big cozy bed where they can have a sleepover.

this episode was actually pretty good! i'm a bit cynical when it comes to mytharc stuff because it is usually just TOO MUCH going on at once, but this one gave me lots to ponder. i love mulder whump and angry protective scully, so!! i was pleased. but also mad af at Certain Characters. i almost went right ahead and watched the next episode despite my system of rules, but it is a THREE-PARTER, and that is going to take me at least a week to get through ON TOP of still having to post my s6 favorite moments😭so i will just be stuck Suffering over here in cliffhanger land for the foreseeable future!)

anyway. back to the beginning!

ah. we open on the earth. i expect a monologue. oh! it’s scully this time!! i’m so used to mulder monologues on the nature of reality, this took me by surprise

scully is gonna tell us about single-celled life. from the sea. maybe that’s why she feels a kinship with the ocean. and then multicellular life comes next.

for a split second there, i felt like i was watching a nature documentary narrated in scully’s soothing voice. to be honest, i didn’t hate the experience. 

440 million years ago… mass extinction. no oceans. then plants. then bugs. WHAT? ANOTHER mass extinction after that? come on!! it was just getting good!

AND IT KEPT HAPPENING?? can you tell i’m not a science girly?reptiles showed up and then got killed off AGAIN? then birds and dinosaurs. and again. mass extinction.

okay, well i knew about the dinosaur one. give me some credit.

humans emerged 100,000 years ago. and this is the stuff i know. 

look at all of these very 90’s visuals. i feel like i’m in a bill nye episode.

“rising to a world population of over five billion people” well! it is still above five billion people. just… a lot more than that these days. 

ahh... i can just hear it. “you’re my one in eight billion, scully” (accompanied by a light forehead kiss)

she says we are all related to that one singular cell. which i don’t want to think about. but no one knows where that first cell came from. 

“is there a plan, a purpose, or a reason to our existence?” girl, you’re catholic! but i suppose even catholics who have a party line with all the answers to those big questions still muse on the nature of reality. especially if they are scientists and also named scully.

i don’t want to think about a 6th extinction… not of humans or all the birdies… and jaguars… no. we shall simply have to not die.

ah. now we have transitioned into the plot rather than musings on the meaning of life. men are shouting in swahili as something washes ashore. it is… a rock looking thingy.

intro time!!!!!! you can’t help but dance to such a spooky tune!! i still get nostalgic for watching season 1 last may sometimes! 

no special words on the intro this time… hmm! i thought we were due for some.

on the ivory coast, we see that krycek will be in this episode thanks to the opening credits. but other stuff is happening, too. the metal thing is here!!

it is taken to a university for studying. where a man (later revealed to be named dr. merkmallen) carefully unwraps another one!!! the two pieces look like they’ll fit together, but when he holds them next to each other, they merge into one and shoot across the room!

this guy’s office looks so cool. OH DAMN! the metal piece cut into his bible!!! a revelation indeed. and now it’s spinning???? and getting faster!!! he wraps it back up. 

ohhh, it cut into genesis as this fellow calls for an international operator… how… prophetic. 

three days later, the gentleman arrives at the american university in washington, which sounds like a fake name for a school, but it is a real place. he is looking for professor sandoz from the bio department. 

no! this other dude has monkeys!!! what is he doing with them??

sandoz is the monkey guy. and this other fellow is dr. merkmallen. sandoz welcomes him in and asks to see this mysterious object. merkmallen was almost detained for having it

ohhh, the monkeys do NOT like this mystery object. they are screaming terribly. i really do not like monkeys, bro. the pieces have merged together. 

oh shoot! when he asks merkmallen if he’s had any luck reading it, he realizes that is not dr. sandoz!! nooooo!!! leave him alone!!!!!!!

someone else hears the angry monkeys, and enters the room to find the metal piece missing. WHERE DID YOU TAKE MERKMALLEN? NOOOO!! he is dead on the floor!!!!!!!!!! come on, we just met the guy and you take him from us already?!

bow tie dude who found them dead seems freaked tf out

(we later learn that bow tie dude is the REAL dr. sandoz, and the other guy who dr. merkmallen was speaking to was named dr. barnes. i have to insert this note here because it makes sense when you're watching the show visually and can see the different characters, but typing this up can lead to some confusion. so. bow tie guy = sandoz. monkey guy = barnes. got it? okay)

hey! it’s skinner! polishing his glasses. saying he thought of someone, given the nature of merkmallen’s views. “i believe agent mulder is familiar with his work”

mulder is pondering. he looks good today. he usually does, but just thought i’d voice all the thoughts running through my head. scully reads his file- his body is missing. 

mulder says the word “panspermia”, which he says is a fringe theory.

OH! scully finishes his sentence. LMAO, yeah. she knows this concept: the idea that life began on another planet. mulder is watching her intently. 

skinner asks if it’s plausible, and she says it’s a theory. lots of scientific theories are plausible.

skinner hands her a rubbing of the mystery artifact that allegedly held the meaning of human existence. and dr. sandoz had made a similar claim in a SCIENCE (pointed mulder tone and look at scully) journal

but they can’t ask dr. sandoz anything… he’s missing!

scully thinks this is a police matter at best, but mulder says oh come on, skinner wants us on it!

this elevator is very crowded. yeah. force them into close proximity. hahaha!

oh… when he opens the paper, he can’t hear anything or anybody. scully thinks he didn’t want to listen to her say that she doesn’t understand his relentless pursuit of the truth, but he clarifies he couldn’t hear it!

OHHHH... scully with her arm up against the elevator….. yeah <3

“look, after all you’ve done, after all you’ve uncovered- a conspiracy of men doing human experiments, men who are all now dead- you exposed their secrets. i mean, you’ve won. what more could you possibly hope to do or to find?” “my sister”

oh, i GASPED! because at the end of the day, that’s really what it’s about. a boy looking for his little sister. sometimes we forget that with all the mothmen and slowburn stuff. but… man. my heart.

they head off to the university. where something is afoot, as shown by the shadow crossing the scene and someone snatching up crime scene evidence.

the police say they have a probable weapon with blood and prints, but no word of dr. sandoz.

dr. barnes, the head of the department, says there is plenty of speculation on what went down. “apart from his laughable ideas, my colleague was capable of almost anything to advance his rather questionable reputation” <- LMAO... so they did not like this guy or talk with him at faculty department meetings. got it.

he was speaking of a mystery artifact- scully shows him the picture and asks if he means this thing. and again, mulder hears a bunch of weird sounds!! scully watches as he leaves. and dr. barnes says that these men who claim life comes from elsewhere are embarrassments.

mulder’s trying to splash his face with water in a sad water fountain. aww. poor guy. scully asks him what it is. OH. she touches his forehead to look for a fever………… oh. see, that’s always gonna get me. he thinks it’s the thing making him feel terrible! 

she opens it and he hears it again. despite it just being a piece of paper.

scully is conducting some sort of meeting. “you’re late!” “i’m sorry, i thought this was my office” <- this is why you are being punished with evil ear noises

she called chuck to get an explanation. “you know me, this is right up my twisted little alley”, he says

chuck seems vaguely familiar to me, but not deeply. i'm sorry 💔 i guess i'm a fake fan

oh! the writing is a fake! it’s phonetic navajo, but it makes no sense in a literal interpretation. is it code?

maybe it’s a magic square? thankfully they explain what that means- it allegedly comes from god and is used for trapping and storing potential power. maybe that is what someone would want mulder to think it is.

change those projector slides. do not let the light hurt your eyes, scully! 

so barnes wrote an article exposing sandoz as a fraud. he made a career exposing science and religious fraud. but that was him at the beginning with the monkeys, right? and sandoz came in later with the bow tie? and then left?

why produce a fraud with navajo writing in africa? again! a great question! but when he puts the picture of the artifact on the projector, poor mulder's head hurts!!! 

OH!! she goes up to him and gently says “hey” and he groans….she leads him outside. so gently. could this pain have to do with what happened to him at the end of s2? where he was brought back from the dead with the navajo healing? and maybe somehow seeing the writing triggers something?

scully says she will schedule him imaging testing immediately- if nothing else, he should be home in bed! but he refuses, saying he knows what is causing this! he thinks barnes killed merkmallen! 

“well, i hope you’re not going to suggest that we arrest him on that rather baseless assumption” <- LMAO, she has time to be a little pain even when he is suffering

“no i’m not. not until after i show you what he did with the body” <-oooo, it’s getting juicy��.

they go to visit sandoz’s place, where the landlord does not want to deal with them. DO NOT WAVE YOUR HANDS AT SCULLY, MR. LANDLORD! they’re searching about…. mulder finds some luggage from new mexico. 

OUR FRIEND ALBERT HOSTEEN!! pictured on the wall with sandoz!!! mulder says that maybe sandoz was using him to read the symbols… but scully says “or write them” <- now, albert is a good man!! do not accuse him of being involved in forgery!

i guess he could have asked albert to translate some stuff and then not explain what it was for... so he wouldn't have been in on the knowledge he was being used for forgery... but still. i think he would be deeply insulted at the thought of his culture being used to make forgeries of mysterious artifacts.

EUGH!! scully asks him to make good on his body prediction, and when mulder opens the trash, he does indeed find just this! it’s merkmallen!!! or just his head. NASTY!!!!!

the agents go to skinner, saying they think that sandoz is innocent and framed- just afraid for his life because of what he knows and has.

skinner asks him if it’s this (passes over the rubbing) and mulder is struggling….. “scully could you please tell…. what your medical exam found in the lab report?” he asks with his eyes closed. 

body parts were missing. all of which would show radiation. and they did find some radiation! cosmic galactic radiation! mulder insisted that they test for it!!!

OH SHOOT!!! he is getting worse… and says to skinner that he knows there’s someone else on the case that he’s not telling them about!!! “i hear it… in my head” “mulder, let’s go” 

ohhhh... she says he’s losing it!!! but he claims skinner is spying on them!! i do not think skinner would do this. scully banishes him home, saying she will look for the artifacts. and he doesn’t really put up a fight, which i know means he has something planned…

but shoot!! skinner closes his door…. and there was a camera in his closet!!! he pulls out the tape and hands it to KRYCEK!!!! NOOOO!!! because he has the kill switch!!!!!!! for his weird disease!!! nooo!!!

oh, skinner…. this is so sad. and how did mulder hear in his head that skinner had someone else on the case just from the rubbing of a piece of metal?!

krycek leaves after skinner and him stare at each other for a bit. 

scully heads down to a new mexico hospital, where she finds someone being rushed to another room. is that albert? there’s a translation of the writing on the artifact! IT’S A VERSE FROM GENESIS!! the same one that the artifact ran into at the start of the episode!!!

and it was mr. hosteen being wheeled out!! the nurse says she cannot tell her what is going on, but scully flashes the badge and says she knows him, and she confesses that he has cancer and is dying. :(

mulder is wearing casual clothes- one sleeve rolled to his elbow, one pulled down to his wrist, a bold fashion choice- in the university where barnes teaches. boy is doing some recon, i guess. he sneaks in somewhere he shouldn’t be…..

ah! he’s in his office!!! and barnes comes in…. realizes that his things have been touched…. and rushes back outside…. he goes to find the monkeys. where mulder was hiding!!! 

but mulder hears the stuff again!!!! and he keeps hearing it as he walks down the hall. bro is going to collapse in this hallway full of undergraduates. he tries to go up the stairs. but it isn’t working well. he’s crawling on his hands and knees and he falls!!!!! what is going on!!

meanwhile, scully is waiting for albert, who is rolled back into his room. but someone was watching him!!! and she chases after him!!! was that barnes?? where did he go??? the music is so creepy…..

she finds him!!!! it’s not barnes!!! it’s sandoz!!! she says she needs answers from him!!!

mulder is still on the ground, writhing in pain!! FUCKING KRYCEK FINDS HIM!!!! and just walks away!!!!! WHAT DOES HE KNOW?!?!

where is he going…….. he goes to barnes and says they are destined to be great friends, handing him the tape. why do they know each other....

back in new mexico, sandoz says that albert was the only translator that didn’t dismiss him- he recognized the importance of the artifact. but it was only one fragment. until merkmallen found two more. 

oh! he thinks the bible came from the aliens!! so would that make navajo the original language of the aliens??

scully is very skeptical. the newest section of writing on the artifact seemed to be just random letters, and albert was working on translating it when his health got bad. and it starts spinning in front of them!!!

phone call time. where is mulder??? he says he’s at home, resting. was he with marita? a woman answers...

scully is not pleased with his idea that aliens put us here. WHERE IS HE?? he says it explains everything. “mulder, i will not accept that. it’s just not possible” “well, then you go ahead and prove me wrong, scully” (cranky sick man hangs up)

HE’S WITH DIANA?!?!? I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH THIS!!!! 

okay. so it is his apartment, which now has a bed. a very cozy looking bed, may i add. i'm happy for him in that regard. but in every other way, this situation is deeply unfortunate.

and diana is in his apartment. she’s calling someone, saying mulder is in distress, and she’s not leaving until she finds out. AND SHE TAKES HER SHIRT OFF???

GIRL, HE’S DYING!!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!

she was talking to CSM?!?

holy hell... is diana going to assault him........? what tf is going on.

scully narrates again… the big bang. an act of violence. who did this?

no! albert is being taken to a funeral pyre!! she looks at the stars above. 

wait! he’s not dead. it’s the healing tent! sandoz asks if she wants to come, but scully doesn’t think it’s right for her to join, as she doesn’t share their faith. this is very respectful of her.

skinner calls!!! mulder is in serious condition!!! she has to get here now!!! but she told skinner that sandoz is in new mexico!!! will skinner have to tell krycek?? how quick can you get to DC from new mexico?!

somehow she gets back, but he's not telling her what is going on. skinner calls her dana and grabs her hand….. (omfg... has he ever called her dana before?!) and he says he doesn't know what is going on, but he knew she would want to be here.

mulder’s walking around in a padded room!!! mumbling!!! screaming!!!! and diana is here, too!! 

he’s too violent for them to run more tests!!! he should be in a coma!! scully says to let her try talking to him!! he wouldn't be a danger to her! OH........ oh.... :( she thinks he wouldn't hurt her.... oh. my heart.

“can we speak in the hall?” “about what?” <- OH! she does NOT have time for diana’s tricks… but skinner says her name… and opens the door. and mulder looks up at the camera watching him. 

OHHH what is going on here…??? skinner says that scully has evidence the case is a fraud, and she turns and says “i never sent you that report” <- OH!!!!!!

diana is asking if she can help him- she asks scully to tell her whatever she knows... she says she found him in the stairwell and he could barely speak.

OH!!!! she tells diana she’s a liar and goes to leave. skinner grabs her wrist and she says “you’re both liars”

OMFGGGGGGGGGG….. treacherous skinner CONFIRMED…. but it isn't his fault!!! she escapes from his grip. and he stares at diana.

back in new mexico, more chanting is taking place around albert. sandoz is there.

scully runs into the office, looking for bugs. and she finds a camera in the smoke alarm!!!! but just as she does so, the phone rings. is she going to answer….?

sandoz calls her from new mexico…. she says it’s not a secure line. why did he call right then?! he says the stuff on the artifact, when translated, reads as coordinates for the human genome!! 

but the horses are stirring out in new mexico by sandoz… and there is a gunshot…. and krycek picks up the phone!!! the rat bastard!!!! so did skinner tell him where sandoz was?? or was krycek listening in on the line?!

36 hours later. back on the ivory coast. scully is here!!! trying to find more pieces of the artifact!!! she is led to one….. and she reached in the sand…… and it’s huge!!!!!

it’s some sort of spaceship?? space cathedral?!? huh???? vaguely churchy music plays as the camera pans out...

to be continued?????

girl…. WHAT is going on!!!

skinner is being manipulated by krycek. sure. that’s fair enough. and diana is using mulder for CSM. but to what end!!! did she drug him?? why did she take off her shirt??? can they cure skinner and get him to stop doing all of this?? how long have they been getting spied on??? did the syndicate get to watch their whole baseball flirting session through that smoke alarm camera? is skinner attempting to plot his own resistance? it seems like he is just going along with the whole thing! and that is deeply unlike him!!

UGH!!! how will mulder get better??? was he okay in the time that scully was away??? she must have felt so horrible flying to another continent while he was so sick...

i might break my own rules and watch the next episode tomorrow, and THEN edit my notes. and i’m usually SO principled. i think i’ve only done it once or twice in the entire time i’ve run this blog. but i NEED to know. because like. this diana issue must resolve itself. and what about albert!!!! and fucking krycek!!!

ahhhh!!!!!

oh, FUCK ME!!! i clicked onto the next episode, and i saw that this is a THREE-PARTER, not a mere two-parter!!! so i basically cannot do this plan of watching them all at once!!! because i would get super backlogged when it comes to editing my notes!!! and i still have to do my favorite moments list from s6!! i simply cannot bite off more than i can chew!!! FUCK!

AHHHHH!!! well. i guess that means i’ll get these notes up tomorrow and then start on the favorite moments list. and not have answers. sadly kicks a rock….

so, i have many questions, and i anticipate that few of them will be answered. why is krycek working with dr. barnes? are they trying to expose the x files as fraud? because that is what dr. barnes does- exposes people for fraud? but then why would dr. barnes kill dr. merkmallen? unless dr. barnes is part of the syndicate... there's a pretty big difference between writing a scathing academic article calling bullshit on your coworker's alien theories and actually committing murder. so he must know of the importance of the artifact but is trying to conceal it... because that is the only explanation as to why he would kill somebody over it. and krycek said they were destined to be great friends... and i can't tell if that implies if they knew each other already...

so clearly dr. barnes is lying, because he knew dr. merkmallen was coming, and he asked if the writing had been translated yet. so he knows that the thing is powerful. okay. it's not super clear how his interests correspond with that of the syndicate, but maybe he's an alien?

so. the artifact. the bible MAYBE comes from space, and the aliens use the navajo language. sure. why not?

if it means we get to see our friend albert again, that makes me happy. but he isn't doing very well. it's almost like the writing on the artifact made him sick... because sandoz said that he fell ill when she started to translate it. maybe whatever is happening to him is also happening to mulder? and mulder is in the early stages of whatever it is? and so if scully can find a cure, maybe she can help them both?

or maybe it's something totally different, because mulder was screaming and having his brain go wild, whereas albert was said to have cancer. maybe one progresses into the other?

i am so troubled by skinner working with diana and krycek and CSM. obviously he doesn't want to be doing this! but is he just going along because he knows if he doesn't, he'll die? but he made that promise on his death bed to do better and help the agents more!! is he somehow sabotaging them? did he call her "dana" to tip her off to the treachery? he knows scully isn't stupid...

and scully knew right away that this wasn't a matter for the FBI, but once again mulder got taken in and fully believed the promises of investigating aliens with no real evidence to support it... only that it was coming from skinner, one of the few people he should be able to trust, and the terrible aching desire to find his sister that keeps him up at night and makes him so easy to manipulate...

fucking diana. i thought she was gone!! i should have known better. what is she doing with him? he goes from hearing things to having crazy brain activity when she conveniently finds him? did he really call her and ask for help? i don't buy the story for a second! and she calls CSM and says she won't leave until she knows what is going on... and then she takes her SHIRT off... is she trying to manipulate him? or did she straight up assault him? he's dying!! he doesn't want to see your boobs!!

scully immediately clocking that diana and skinner were lying to her face... yeah. this is immensely satisfying to me.

well. now i have to edit my other notes before i can watch what happens next. and as i type this up on a sunday, i imagine that it will be tuesday at the earliest before i get to watch part two. and then goodness only knows when i will be able to watch part three! this is deeply unfair! but alas. i stick by my routine.

diana and krycek... you freaks deserve each other... although i still think krycek/spender is far juicier. even if spender might be dead. sorry. i will speak my truth.

[whereismymonsterlover]

Tanaka Is a Wizard - Theory

PART 1

I think Tanaka is a wizard. Lemme explain.

Tanaka is a mysterious, older character whose place in the Phantomfam is protector and vendor of wisdom. He's ciel's 'guardian angel' and this may be stretch but i want to look at the non-canon section of season 1. Though different, elements of these sections have appeared in canon, for example: Drossel Keinz's similar design to Joker and his connection to the cult's dolls, similar to the bizarre dolls. This lends evidence to bits and pieces of season 1 as being Yana's underdeveloped ideas for future manga plots and characters. Ash and Angela are two 'fallen angels' and I initially forgot this 'fallen' detail cus i hadn't given the end of season 1 any thought since i was like 12. But this differentiation from entirely holy, cut-and-dry 'angels' actually works in this theory's favour because fallen angel's are not wholely 'good' beings.

Angels are overplayed. They disrupt real life philosophy and they'd disturb black butler's philosophy if they were introduced in the canon. Angels are holy, unreachable feats of good that we cannot conceive. Demons on the other hand are no mystery, really. Is Sebastian as mysterious as we think? No! Demonology is a ginormous field because it is entirely human. I believe black butler is about Sebastian learning his own humanity from Ciel. We are learning beside him and it is nothing holy but entirely human.

A fallen angel on the other hand? Maybe. They imply the existence of Angels still and Introducing this species as we see them in season 1, when in chapter 139 or smth we are proven through the eyes of Ciel that God does not exist, completely crumbles the narrative around humanity that Black butler is about. However, I like the idea of Yana bringing in the foundations of the fallen angles quite satisfying:

I believe Tanaka is this human force that doesn't deceive himself with holiness but as a principle stands for goodness the best he can, similar to the fallen angels' morally grey purpose of purifying souls as this act of 'good' that is actually disruptive and negative to these humans' lives. He protects the dubious operations under Phantomhive manor but labours to keep a balance in the evil with wisdom and advice. Vincent had an ego which Tanaka had to protect him from. He's this grounding force, the sole survivor of the fire. Now he balances the new evil in Ciel.

[beifong-brainrot]

Good evening you have the rumors concerning the new avatar series? what do you think?

Good evening (I say as i type this at 13 o clock)

I have heard the rumours and I've read the article I think you're referring to.

I know this has caused a bit of a mixed reaction from the fandom, some folks being excited and curious, while some are more sceptical, if not outright upset with the direction being taken. Personally, I try to never write off a piece of media until I've personally experienced it. So write me down as neutral or cautiously welcoming of the new Avatar.

The article gives us a few hints to the future Avatar. She is supposedly a young homeless girl with an amputated leg. Apparently, her animal companion is supposed to be a large catlike creature, so I have big hopes for the beeeg kitty. I'm glad Avatar seems to be sticking to their guns of representing disabled people, Toph, Teo and Ming-Hua being a very enjoyable change from disabled characters usually being excluded from combat and action scenes in most shows like this.

The character also supposedly has a twin sister, who is powerful in her own right, and apparently trained by the White Lotus. It will be interesting to see this dynamic played out.

Earthbending twins fans stay winning. 🥳 Also if there is no mention of the Beifong twins I'll riot.

[Still not over the fact that atla had Poi and Ping and tlok had... Wei and Wing. The creativity is absolutely astounding.]

The concept of the Four Nations no longer existing is probably one of the biggest surprises to me, as they were always such an intergral part of the show. Apparently some near apocalyptic event had happend, Korra being forced to stop it and restructure the Four Nations into seven "havens". It's possible that this event is what killed Korra, however that's just a theory. A game theory as the kids say.

It will be interesting to see a restructured world, and it will allow us to get to relive the thrill of discovering a new fictional realm. But it also feels a bit bittersweet, since it may feel as if everything all our favourite characters previously worked towards is null and void.

I'm not terribly excited about the likely futuristic sci-fi enviornment the show will probably be set in. It was bound to happen, and I'm sure it will appeal to some folks. I personally rarely enjoy the science fiction genre, as I often find it boring and generic. There are exceptions, like Signalis or Katedra, however these pieces of media have more of an existential horror-y vibe that I don't think would be plausible in the Avatar franchise.

And I worry that thw Avatar franchise will slip into a 'generic sci fi' aesthetic and lose what made it unique as it strays further from the cultural influences that made it so unique and beloved. I hope that they'll be able to maintain what I love about the series. As Netflix's 'Over the Moon' managed to blend sci fi and chinese influences, I hope the next Avatar series is able to blend the cultures they drive inspiration from.

Apparently the designs for the new Avatar and one of her friends have been leaked, here. Though I'm not sure if this is legit, I'm a bit dissapointed. The new Avatar looks adorable, but their outfits look so generic. Like they could be background Voltron characters and I would not bat an eye.

Atla and Tlok had very clear influences with the patterning and cut of their clothings. Tlok merged these influences with early 20th century fashion, but still maintained more traditional clothing for characters not from Republic City.

While the potential new designs bear some hallmarks of the other shows' character design options, such as baggier trousers and longer designs for upper body clothing, they lack most of what made avatar clothing styles unique.

It is a shame if these are the real designs, because other than theit clothing, the character themselves look fine. The potential new Avatar, Pavi looks fucking adorable and looks to be South Asian, which is about time, since the whole concept of the Avatar comes from those cultures. And I will defend her from the racist, misogynists and abelists that may potentially argue that the show about a world entirely made of poc is going woke.

I do hope the best for the new show, despite my reservations, and hope the best for the new Avatar and that she doesn't get too much hate for coming after Aang and Korra. I hope the creators will take notes from what they did wrong in tlok, as well as have more creative freedom due to not being so much under Nickelodeon's control.

I think it's also important to remind everyone that just because we're getting the next Avatar, doesn't mean we won't get to see Korra or the Krew again. Atla comics were releasing while tlok was happening and are still in works at the moment. So it's very possible that we will still get to see Korra's adventures in comics and even potential movies. As the adult Gaang movie is going to probably be in thetres next year, so we may very well get Korra movies too.

Though I'd like to remind everyone that adult Aang's VA in the upcoming movie is Eric Nam, who has expressed pro Israel sentiments.

Having this man play Aang, a genocide survivor is a slap in the face to both the character, his fans and actual victims of genocide, so I will not speak about this movie until he is recast.

[une-sanz-pluis]

The Ambition of Eleanor Cobham

One of the questions I have about Eleanor Cobham is just how much anxieties around her social mobility, her gender, class and sexuality, have impacted the way she was viewed and is now remembered. So Take, for instance, her ambition.

We know she was ambitious because, well, we know. Everyone says so, it must be true. But the idea of her ambition rests on two pieces of evidence. The first is her social mobility itself. That she went from damsel to concubine to wife and duchess. The second is her downfall, the accusations that she had employed witchcraft to bring about the king's death and ensure her rise to to queen.

The first seems to confirm the second, the second the first. But when we separate the two, when we don't automatically assume that Eleanor was ambitious, and look at each incident on their own, then they don't necessarily confirm anything.

Let's start with the witchcraft accusations. I could write thousands upon thousands of words about the accusations themselves so I'll try to be brief. The main accusation against Eleanor and her associates (Roger Bolingbroke, Thomas Southwell, John Hume and Margery Jourdemayne) was that, on Eleanor's instigation, Bolingbroke, with Southwell and Hume assisting, had drawn up Henry VI's nativity chart that predicted he would die soon, unless he managed to avert this future through prudence. They then publicised this prediction, with the intention being that the common people people to withdraw their love from him (apparently, being king was a bit like being Tinkerbelle - if people didn't believe in you, you ceased to exist). The indictments for Bolingbroke, Southwell and Hume suggest that they were imagined to have used demonic assistance to draw up the chart. It's not clear what role Margery Jourdemayne played in this plot.

The accusations against Eleanor also seem to have included love and fertility magic. Eleanor was accused of using love magic to induce Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester to marry her and the marriage was annulled as a result of this idea. It's possibly in this area, not in the necromancy and astrology, that Margery was involved.

The main motivation ascribed to Eleanor throughout is her ambition. Her only motivation mentioned by chroniclers is that she wanted to know to which estate she would come. Which means she wanted to know if she would become queen which means she wanted to become queen which means she wanted Henry VI to die. In short, she was imagined as desiring the death of Henry VI to ensure her rise to the top - and, retrospectively, her status-defying marriage was recast as one of coercion born from her ambition.

There is no real consensus between historians on Eleanor's guilt or innocence of these accusations. It's fairly common to find the idea that she was guilty of "no more than foolishness" or curiosity or fertility magic, and that the idea that the charges were exaggerated or politicised. But there some historians who think she was completely and utterly guilty, and there is no evidence for there being a conspiracy against Eleanor or Humphrey.* There is also an idea that Eleanor was entirely set up, though this is fairly rare to find from historians.

While we can't acquit Eleanor, we can't convict her. Which means there is reason to doubt the accusations against her are proof of her guilt and proof of her character. And even the accusations were true, that she wanted to know when Henry VI would die, her motivations may have been less two-dimensional and more complex than "ambition". Concerns about Henry's health, mental or physical, may have been behind Eleanor's alleged inquiry, as well as insecurity about her position should Henry die and Humphrey succeed him. We certainly can't take her admission of using fertility magic as "proof" of her ambition and treason, as some historians have done. Her society was deeply patriarchal and based on primogeniture, it would be natural for her own to have felt anxiety about her lack of children and try to remedy it. Not long after Humphrey's death, anxiety about the succession would become an open issue, publicly remarked upon, but it seems logical to imagine that this anxiety was present before Humphrey's death and before Eleanor's downfall. Henry VI was unmarried and childless, his heir was an ageing uncle who had no legitimate children. Even if it wasn't openly expressed, the wider ramification of their childlessness would have affected Eleanor. If she and Humphrey had a child, it would have relieved this anxiety. Yes, it would mean she might become the king's mother (assuming she survived the birth, assuming she outlived both Henry VI and Humphrey) but accusing her of callous ambition because she wanted to have a child in the middle of this anxiety seems a very narrow view.

I'd also add that while her admission of using fertility magic seems very reasonable, it may not have been true - she may have cracked under pressure and admitted to it in effort to stop the questioning. She may have attempted to acquit herself of the more serious charges by admitting to something lesser.

At any rate: we cannot take it as a given that the witchcraft accusations were true and we cannot take it as a given that they were proof of her ambition. What they might tell us, instead, that she was perceived in a way that made her vulnerable to such allegations. Whether that perception had any basis in reality is not known or recoverable. In other words, the idea that the accusations "prove" her ambition must remain doubtful.

To move onto the first piece of evidence, the idea that Eleanor married Humphrey out of ambition... this is even harder to be certain of.

That Eleanor made a status-defying match is clear. That she made a meteoric transformation from damsel to concubine to wife to duchess is undeniable. That this would arouse suspicions of ambition and greed - and of witchcraft - is also obvious. But does it actually mean Eleanor was ambitious? That she deliberately seduced Humphrey to rise herself?

It does appear that the idea of a high-status man being seduced, manipulated or bewitched by an ambitious woman of lower-status to fall in love with them was the standard explanation for these matches in the first place. Alice Perrers was accused in Parliament of bewitching Edward III, Katherine Swynford was figured as having bewitched John of Gaunt by chroniclers, Anne Boleyn was accused by her enemies of bewitching Henry VIII (though witchcraft was not a charge laid against her), while Elizabeth Woodville's marriage to Edward IV was sometimes accredited to sorcery performed by herself and her mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg. All women were presented as ambitious in their witchery. Eleanor's alleged seduction and bewitchment of Humphrey thus fits into a pattern where the women of lower status were figured as overly ambitious and employing witchcraft to seduce a high-status man into loving and potentially marrying them. While most people accept that witchcraft and magic aren't real (or, while "real" to the people who use them, have no real power), these accusations become transformed into proof that these women were beguiling temptresses, raised to rise and/or driven by ambition or a desire for self-aggrandisement, that they used their sexual wiles to manipulate men into loving them.To put it another way: the woman was an ambitious witch-whore and the man her hapless victim, a sexual weakling.

Of course, it's possible that one or more of these women were really ambitious, that they did set out to seduce their lover. But we should be careful to accept the misogynist constructions of medieval and early modern chroniclers and commentators as factual evidence, particularly when we see this same idea presented over and over again.

It's also interesting to note how the idea of any of the women mentioned in the example as "ambitious" loses or gains currency depending on the view of the woman. For example, the idea of the ambitious Katherine Swynford only has currency in Ricardian/Yorkist circles where it is used to denigrate the Tudors' Beaufort heritage; she is more likely to be figured as a romantic heroine than an ambitious upstart. Similarly, the view of Elizabeth Woodville as an ambitious schemer tends to have greater currency amongst those Ricardians who figure her as Richard III's enemy and those who use her as a repository for the misdeeds of Edward IV, while those more sympathetic to her see the story as a misogynist smear. Similarly, Anne Boleyn might be a romantic heroine, victim or a cold-hearted schemer depending on where one's opinions on her lie. For Katherine, Elizabeth and Anne, their status-defying marriages can be construed as proof of romantic intentions. Katherine, in particular, is almost universally rendered a romantic heroine because of her transformation from governess to mistress to duchess.

Neither Eleanor nor Alice appear to have been read as sympathetically, perhaps because the nature of their downfalls seem to confirm the view of them as ambitious upstarts and/or because there is no popular counter-narrative seeking to redeem them. Or perhaps it is the obscurity of their lives outside the misogynist vitriol of chroniclers or the lack of a great dynasty descended from them that makes this negative view of them seem so tempting.

But to view a concubine or a woman marrying up as either a romantic heroine or an ambitious schemer places her in a binary and relegates her to two different stereotypes, both with misogynist elements (reducing a woman down to her romantic life is a form of misogyny). Recent scholarship on medieval mistresses have acknowledged the power dynamic between them and raised the possibility of coercion. In Women in the Medieval Court: Consorts and Concubines, Rebecca Holdorph notes that:

Given the power dynamic, many women and their families would have found it ill-advised or impossible to resist the advances of a nobleman or king. Some families probably encouraged women to acquiesce to a powerful man's demands, whether or not those demands were welcome.

In other words, a woman's ability to consent to the relationship may have been compromised; she may have faced pressure from her family, her lover or from both. I don't say this to mean "every mistress was coerced" but to raise the probability that some mistresses may have limited choices in their relationships. It is impossible to tell when this was the case with Eleanor or, indeed, any mistress; evidence expressing their perspectives on their lover or situation simply does not exist. Ruth Mazo Karras, in Unmarriages, raises the possibility that the union between a concubine and her elite lover could be arranged between the woman's family and her lover similar to how a marriage would be arranged. If so, Eleanor's relationship with Humphrey may have been begun through an agreement between he and her father, than through her own actions.

How Eleanor would explain how and why she entered a relationship with Humphrey and why she married him cannot be recovered. She may well have been ambitious and used her body to rise. She may have felt she had little to no choice, that pressure from her family or from Humphrey was too much to resist. She may have fallen in love with him or felt he was a kindred spirit - they seem to have shared intellectual interests. She may have been motivated by a combination of these reasons or more. In short, the idea that her relationship with Humphrey was borne of her own ambition is unknowable and cannot be "proof" of her character.

There is little evidence for Eleanor's ambition outside these things. In a letter petitioning Eleanor, she is referred to "the right high and full mighty princess and full gracious lady Duchess of Gloucester", but this seems like a more standard address of a high-ranking noblewoman than proof that Eleanor demanded to be referred to in such terms. It might tell us that this was how she was perceived as wanting to be addressed and seen as but it does not tell us if this was something she actually felt and believed.

While Humphrey's manor at Greenwich known as La Pleasaunce was a grand manor house and tower that emphasised his stature and was associated with Eleanor to some degree, it is also clear from Rachel Delman's discussion of Margaret of Anjou's building work at Pleasaunce that the residence as Margaret received it was not grand enough for a queen. Eleanor did not construct and build with Humphrey a home that overemphasised her status or revealed her ambition to be queen..

Basically, the main pieces for evidence for Eleanor's ambition are open to doubt. If Eleanor was innocent of treason and did not want Henry VI dead or if Eleanor married Humphrey for love or for some other motive, then the view of her ambition changes dramatically. In the end, the belief in her ambition becomes a product of circular logic. We know she was ambitious because she seduced Humphrey and attempted to murder Henry VI with magic to become queen. We know she did those things out of ambition because we know she was ambitious. We know she was ambitious because---

And the view of her ambition is a stereotype. Most people desire to improve their standing in life, few do it such two dimensional, caricaturing ways. The real Eleanor, even if she was driven by ambition, was probably more complicated than the cold-hearted, scheming seductress she is usually presented as. The (unevidenced) claim that she was "raised to rise" may well be a story of a girl and woman who was exploited and pimped out by her family seeking to find security. The view of her callously trying to determine when Henry VI would die may well have been a desperate move by a woman who felt threatened by her husband's enemies and seeking to gain a powerful position from which she, not they, would have power. This all builds off the idea that the accusations were true and that she was ambitious, clearly - but attempting to give her more complexity than "she's an evil ambitious witch". She may well have been moved by love and a desire for children, not ambition at all. The point is: she could have been anything.

*The idea that Eleanor was completely guilty and there is no evidence of a politicised attack has become quite a common pattern amongst historians writing revisionist histories of 15th century figures who are known as Humphrey's adversaries, namely the Beauforts and William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk. Most also treat Humphrey very harshly, and in these cases it is clear that Eleanor is treated as no more than an extension of him.

[forever-will-last]

hello again, it’s me, 🧿

i know it’s been a while, but i couldn’t find it in me to not write you this particular message considering the fact that it was hard to ignore the impact your last 3 chapters (of a thousand pictures) did to me/for me.

it’s been a difficult time to say the least. for the longest, longest time, it’s always felt difficult because… it’s actually been difficult. life is full of it’s trials and tribulations, but at some point (at least for me) it’s hard not to exist in the “why” of it all. in order to keep it short however, that’s the space in which i have been existing in for many years, creating a monster of inner conflict of its own. it was difficult to understand the point of everything, but part of your story was a gentle reminder that life happens, whether we get it or not, and we go through it in bits and pieces; and that was my calm.

with that being said, i want to highlight the significance of what brought me here, and at first it was supposed to be chapter 4; i knew that crying while reading that chapter meant that it struck something inside, but wow how i didn’t expect the storm that came with 49, let alone with 50 :)

your ability to capture not only these very specific and important perspectives, but to simultaneously align them together (seamlessly might i add) and make a meaningful journey that explores these complex characters just showcases what a gift you have in writing. i saw a lot of myself in these characters, particularly in regina (but in unbelievable different ways), and it was beyond cathartic to have a moment of reflection like that through your storytelling.

i wasn’t realizing what an impact some parts of the story had on me, but when it clicked it felt like a true reflection of what i’ve been feeling that i haven’t been able to put into words, so i’m here to say: thank you for putting them into words and for writing unforgettable, memorable, and purposeful stories.

thank you for being such a thoughtful author, it’s truly been a treasure to read your work.

take care, and warmest regards,

🧿

🧿, I read and reread this ask several times between last night and today. It's absolutely amazing to me that people not only like my writing, but it's had such huge profound impacts on people. It's crazy to me, because this whole thing, all of this, started with a friend jokingly asking what would happen to the plot of mean girls if Aaron just straight up died in the middle of the plot. Now, here we are, six months and 350k words later.

I'm genuinely so moved by this ask. I never, ever expected this story to have such a profound impact on people, even when the topics were very serious. It just never clicked in my brain, I suppose? I always went into this fic with the mindset of "I want to depict grief, loss, and all of the ways in which it manifests as realistically as possible". Sure, some of these things aren't directly connected to grief, but it's all interwoven. They may not really often think or talk about Aaron in their day-to-day lives, but it is without a doubt that his death set their lives in a completely different direction than what they ever intended.

I'm so glad this work has been able to have a positive impact on your life and the life of others. I hope to continue to make stories, both in the threequel, pretty good, and in other fics in the future.

Thank you again, and I hope you have a fantastic week 💖

[mthofferings2023]

Tiptapricot

See Tiptapricot’s existing works here and here.

Preferred contact methods: Tumblr: Tiptapricot Email: tiptapricot@gmail.com Instagram: tiptapricot_vibes

Preferred organizations: - Autistic Self Advocacy Network - Native American Rights Fund - RIP Medical Debt - The Bail Project - Transgender Law Center (See the list of approved organizations here)

Will create works that contain: Sfw: Fluff, angst, horror, inhuman exploration, domesticity, falling in love, nonsexual intimacy, role swap, missing scenes, time loop/time travel AUs, sci fi, mixed canons from media, trans exploration, aspec exploration. Nsfw: explicit content with any of the above, transmasc porn, t-dick smut, frottage, grinding, monster sex, tentacles, aphrodisiacs, cock warming, weird sex, voyeurism/exhibitionism, more if asked.

Will not create works that contain: Yandere, dark!AUs, intentional OOC, scat play, piss play, non-monster blood play, heavy BDSM, bestiality, underage sex (whether between minors or between an adult and a minor), incestuous content, childbirth, period sex, cannibalism (aspects of monster-related eating may be discussed), race play, age play, medical abuse, suicide/self harm (references and content may be discussed), heavy non-con/dub-con (aspects involved in kinks may be discussed), heavy gore/heavy sexual gore (can be discussed in certain contexts), explicit and visceral murder, religious alteration/other religion AUs for Jewish characters, plural erasure/separate body/no system AUs for plural characters, magical genderswap/other gender AUs (fantastical trans explorations may be discussed), Bemis's run, Pepose’s City of the Dead characterization (though plot elements from CotD are welcome to be utilized), OCs, reader inserts

  -- Fic or Other Writing --

Auction ID: 1125

Will create works for the following relationships: Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Layla El-Faouly/Steven Grant/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Logan/Charles Xavier - X-Men: Evolution Miguel O'Hara-centric - Spider-Verse (animated films) Miguel O'Hara/Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson - Spider-Verse (animated films) Jean-Paul Duchamp/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Layla El-Faouly/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Greer Grant Nelson/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Jean-Paul Duchamp & Layla El-Faouly & Steven Grant & Jake Lockley & Marc Spector - 616, MCU Astronaut Marc/Jean-Paul Duchamp - 616, MCU Yehya Badr & Steven Grant & Jake Lockley & Marc Spector & the Midnight Mission crew - 616, MCU

Work Description: (This is my SFW listing, if you are interested in explicit/sexual work, please look for my other auction.) This listing is for a generally safe for work fic piece starting at ~1,000 words. Each $5 bid will increase the piece’s word count by ~500 words, up to ~5,000 words maximum. If desired by the winner, the resulting word count may be split among multiple smaller fics. It may also inhabit a lower word count than the maximum if it is hit in bidding (IE: even if this auction hits a $55 bid, if you would like only a 2k word fic, I can do that). Word count is not exact and I may go slightly over or under depending on what fits the story best, but I will try to stick as close as I can. Due to current projects and plans, I will not be able to begin active prose work on this piece until early 2024 (likely early January, if not a bit later. I will communicate my availability with the winner). Discussions, planning, and an outline are welcome to be discussed and hammered out before then. This piece as well as my other listing will be taking the place of two regular commission slots for my January opening, and it is unlikely I will open more slots at that time. Winning a listing from me here is the best way to guarantee a slot from me in the near future. Clarifications for listed relationships: For any group platonic relationships or polyamorous romantic relationships, I am open to the whole group listed, as well as any combination of characters listed within that group (IE: I am open to writing polyamorous Marc/Steven/Jake, as well as only Marc/Jake or only Marc/Steven. This applies to platonic groups like the Midnight Mission Crew as well, as in I am open to writing stories only featuring Badr, Reese, and Soldier being friends, or only Steven and The House of Shadows). If a relationship you are interested in is not listed here but seems to fit with what I’m open to (IE: Greer & Frenchie, House of Shadows-centric, or even Miguel & The Moon Knight System), you are welcome to bid and reach out to discuss it with me. I may not be open to all pair ups or explorations, however, so please make sure you are at least interested in a story with what I already have listed currently. The "Astronaut Marc" listing refers to Captain Spector/Commander/MK-1 AKA the spaceman alter featured in the Lemire run, and his inner world version of Frenchie who fights alongside him. I am open to headcanoned characterizations/stories for these two, as well as larger AUs should the winner want to do something extra fun with them. Further content clarifications: I am open to melding aspects of different universes together in whatever way the winner would like (IE: MCU Moon Knight System interacting with Lemire Run events). Additionally, characters regularly a part of the chosen cast but not listed above are welcome (IE: Gena, Crawley, Lyla, Mayday), and additional side characters or Marvel cameos are welcome as long as I am given ample communication on versions and where to find information on them if I’m not familiar with them. While 616 is listed for all Moon Knight characters, I am not comfortable writing for runs I am not familiar with or am uncomfortable with (see DNWs above for some runs). I am most familiar with the Lemire 2016 run and the MacKay 2021 run versions of the characters. Headcanoned versions of additional Moon Knight system headmates are allowed to a certain extent (IE: Mr. Knight as a separate headmate or Dr. Harrow as a separate headmate would be fine, an original child alter would not). Examples of my work can be found in my portfolio links! What I have posted covers a range of content and word count, depending on the length and story type you are looking for. When contacting me after winning, please have a general idea of the story you would like to see. Further discussion on things like specific beats, headcanons, point of view, and tense may be discussed after.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

-- Fic or Other Writing --

Auction ID: 2061

Will create works for the following relationships: Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Layla El-Faouly/Steven Grant/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Miguel O'Hara/Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson - Spider-Verse (animated films) Miguel O'Hara-centric - Spider-Verse (animated films) Khonshu-centric - 616, MCU Jean-Paul Duchamp/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Jean-Paul Duchamp/Steven Grant - 616 Layla El-Faouly/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley/Greer Grant Nelson/Marc Spector - 616, MCU Astronaut Marc/Jean-Paul Duchamp - 616, MCU The House of Shadows-centric - 616

Work Description: (This is my NSFW listing, if you are interested in non-sexual work, please look for my other auction.) This listing is for a sexually explicit fic piece starting at ~1,000 words. Each $2 bid will increase the piece’s word count by ~200 words, up to ~4,000 words maximum. If desired by the winner, the resulting word count may be split among multiple smaller fics. It may also inhabit a lower word count than the maximum if it is hit in bidding (IE: even if this auction hits a $40 bid, if you would like only a 2k word fic, I can do that). Word count is not exact and I may go slightly over or under depending on what fits the story best, but I will try to stick as close as I can. Due to current projects and plans, I will not be able to begin active prose work on this piece until early 2024 (likely early January, if not a bit later. I will communicate my availability with the winner). Discussions, planning, and an outline are welcome to be discussed and hammered out before then. This piece as well as my other listing will be taking the place of two regular commission slots for my January opening, and it is unlikely I will open more slots at that time. Winning a listing from me here is the best way to guarantee a slot from me in the near future. Clarifications for listed relationships/characters: For any polyamorous relationships, I am open to the whole group listed, as well as any combination of characters listed within that group (IE: I am open to writing polyamorous Marc/Steven/Jake/Jean-Paul, as well as any combination within such as Marc/Jake, Jean-Paul/Jake/Steven, etc.). If a relationship you are interested in is not listed here but seems to fit with what I’m open to (IE: Layla and Jean-Paul both being with the Moon Knight System at the same time, someone engaging sexually with the House of Shadows, Miguel x MK System) you are welcome to bid and reach out to discuss it with me. I may not be open to all pair ups or explorations, however, so please make sure you are at least interested in a story with what I already have listed. The "Astronaut Marc" listing refers to Captain Spector/Commander/MK-1 AKA the spaceman alter featured in the Lemire run, and his inner world version of Frenchie who fights alongside him. I am open to headcanoned characterizations/stories for these two, as well as larger AUs should the winner want to do something extra fun with them. Both the House of Shadows and Khonshu are listed as I greatly enjoy inanimate/nonhuman/godly sex, and if anyone out there would like some good old eldritch building or god fucking, I am very very open to that. I am very specific about how I pair Khonshu with other characters, however, so work with him would be less flexible on what I’m open for outside of a solo scenario. Although comics Steven/Jean-Paul is covered by my polyamorous relationship pair up rule, I am especially interested in the MacKay versions of Steven and Jean-Paul as a ship, and would love to create for them. Further content clarifications: I would like the focus of this story to be on sexual intimacy, porn, etc. as I’m interested in creating a short and smutty piece we can both be excited about and have fun with, so as long as it fits with my content boundaries, weird and wild ideas are welcome! Plot build up outside of the main sexual content will be kept to a minimum unless further discussed. I am open to melding aspects of different universes together in whatever way the winner would like (IE: MCU Moon Knight System interacting with Lemire Run events). Additionally, characters regularly a part of the chosen cast but not listed above are welcome to feature (IE: Gena, Crawley, Lyla, Mayday), and additional side characters or Marvel cameos are welcome but only in brief mentions or appearances. Trans headcanons are more than welcome for any character! And further headcanons such as kink preference, body features (bottom growth, top surgery/bottom surgery or not, etc.) may be discussed as well. While 616 is listed for all Moon Knight characters, I am not comfortable writing for runs I am not familiar with or am uncomfortable with (see DNWs above for some runs). I am most familiar with the Lemire 2016 run and the MacKay 2021 run versions of the characters. Headcanoned versions of additional Moon Knight system headmates are allowed to a certain extent (IE: Mr. Knight as a separate headmate or Dr. Harrow as a separate headmate would be fine, an original child alter would not). Examples of my explicit work can be found in my portfolio links! If you would like further examples of my explicit content, a few short original pieces may be found here and here. When contacting me after winning, please have a general idea of the story you would like to see. Further discussion on things like specific beats, headcanons, point of view, and tense may be discussed after.

Ratings: Explicit

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

The auction runs from October 22 (12 AM ET) to October 28 (11:59:59 PM ET). Visit marveltrumpshate.com during Auction Week to view all of our auctions and to place your bids!

[pikahlua]

Hi!

Kacchan and winning are deeply connected, and we all saw how he reacted to losing at the start of the story 😅

So, assuming there's going to be another sports festival or something (or any type of fight that's a bit low stakes, without the world ending) if, hypothetically, loses, against Deku or Todoroki (because let's be honest, anyone else coming close to defeating him isn't possible) how is he going to react, since he's a bit more mature now? Will he cry about it 😂 (affectionate)

Also, I just read Dragonheart and it's awesome. The imagery, the parallels and the characterization ���🏼

I (lovingly) reject the premise of the question 😛

You and pretty much everyone else, through no faults of your own, have not read my extremely strong opinions about the sports festival because I...still haven't written them. That's on me. And I think it's entirely fair that you'd like to consider a what-if about the future regarding the sports festival/low-stakes competition and life after the main MHA story. It's just that my answer to the question may seem way too pedantic and serious for what really is a light-hearted question.

BUT, I AM ME, AND SO WE'RE DOING THIS.

First of all, here are my pertinent doubts:

Will the sports festival even exist in the future? Will UA and hero schools exist in the future? Will competitions soon veer away from comparing quirks back to comparing individual athletic ability and achievement? All of these things seem like distinct possibilities.

Does Izuku even end up with One For All at the end of this? Does Katsuki still have Explosion after the end? I hate to bring up the possibilities here, but I regret to inform you that they do exist.

Assuming UA does persist and we get let's say a sports festival, I'm sorry if this starts some shit but: Shouto doesn't stand a chance against Katsuki. I don't mean this derisively, but as I think about the narrative as it presents the relationship between Shouto and victory versus Katsuki and victory, Shouto very clearly always was meant for a different direction than exploring "victory" as a theme. Such low-stakes "victories" do very little to advance Shouto towards his goal of becoming a hero who puts others at ease. His truly important "victories" and "losses" really just serve the purpose of showing him the ways he should try to improve and develop. In many instances, "victory" would have actually hurt his character rather than help him. The competitive spirit and drive to improve will always be important parts of Shouto's character, but what he wants ultimately diverges from straightforward competition, and that's a weakness (in the sense of plot armor) when fighting Katsuki.

Building off of that, we must consider the narrative purpose of these so-called "low-stakes" fights. The stakes are determined by the story, and they are only low-stakes in the sense that no one's lives are on the line, but MHA always finds a way to hype up the stakes of these competitions. I bring up the narrative so often because I think that was a big piece of the sports festival that flew over many people's heads. The sports festival was never about determining who was the strongest--it was always about subverting that trope. We come away from the first sports festival unable to properly call any among Izuku, Katsuki, or Shouto the strongest, and that's on purpose. Indeed, all of these competitions in MHA come with a twist that results in how "finding out who is strongest" is truly a useless concept. And that brings me to Katsuki.

Katsuki's entire character revolves around the idea that this "complete, perfect victory" as he originally thought of it was the wrong thing to pursue. He could win a tournament or achieve the highest grade by himself and still it would not bring him satisfaction, but such arbitrary things don't prove much of anything in the end and don't get him anywhere closer to his goals. Though he is presented as a great obstacle for all the other characters and an opportunity for everyone else to face him and grow as a result, Katsuki himself is constantly denied the chance to achieve solo victory in one form or another.

So I have very strong opinions about this idea of Katsuki winning or losing a low-stakes competition with no nuance because I think such a straightforward situation would never happen. It is as you say: he's "a bit more mature now," which I take to mean that he's done seeking those meaningless solo victories he started out craving. Katsuki's relationship with "victory" has changed into something completely different now, and so I make the following claim:

What would Katsuki do if he loses a low-stakes match in the future? Simple. Even if he loses, he doesn't actually lose. I imagine that in any situation where Katsuki appears to "lose," it would ultimately serve some better purpose.

Katsuki is a lot more subtle than many people give him credit for. He helps things to happen from a distant vantage point such that people get to feel the results of their achievements without realizing Katsuki ever had any involvement. Take the cultural festival: he only brings to light the important obstacles that their class needs to overcome (the general studies students' attitudes) and pledges to contribute to the event as a supporter for the right cause. He inspires the class, but he doesn't do all the work for them. He directs them down the best path, and everyone gets to feel the satisfaction of their ultimate achievements as a group.

So if Katsuki were to lose in a competition, I think it would be in a way that's still somehow all according to Katsuki's plan. And if losing is his plan, then...he wins. He gets what he wants. And that thing he wants can only be more important than merely winning an empty match. It's like how Izuku wins by losing against Shouto in the sports festival. Katsuki has been observing Izuku for that very talent and has learned to emulate it in his own way.

So Katsuki's reaction to "a loss" in competition would be entirely controlled and in service of achieving his goals, even if that "reaction" is just him pretending to be mad about it.

tl;dr Katsuki Bakugou always wins

P.S. Oh god people actually read Dragonheart? [cries in cat memes]

[nadziejastar]

When did Kh go to complete shit in your opinion

The short answer is that the series experienced a gradual decline after the release of BBS. I think it officially went to shit with Union X, particularly the story arc that started after the Keyblade War. The longer answer will be under the cut.

KH2FM/Days/BBS (2007-2010)

Since Birth by Sleep is the first part of the Kingdom Hearts storyline, I'd like if you considered it as Kingdom Hearts, "Episode 0". This title isn't placed as a side story, with its storyline and battle system, it is substantial like that of a numbered title.

During this time, the series was extremely healthy and at its peak of popularity, with a bright future. KH2 was a beloved JRPG classic (and still is). The Final Mix introduced interesting new mysteries surrounding Xemnas and solid gameplay extras like the Lingering Will. Days was a side game, but it gave more development to fan favorites Roxas and Axel. The PSP wasn't the most popular system in the West, but BBS still sold quite well. It was a bit of a downgrade from KH2 due to the lesser hardware, but it was still a true mainline numbered sequel in the spirit of KH2 and was well received by fans. Tbh, I'd consider BBS the last truly great game in the series.

Re:Coded (2010)

After BBS the next new installment was...a filler game in the spirit of CoM. Recycled Disney plots, and an even more nonsense story with the datascape stuff. But it was just a DS port of a Japanese flip-phone game. It was a title that you could completely ignore and not really lose out on anything. Still, it is a low-quality title that didn't need to exist and wasn't doing the reputation of the series any favors.

Birth By Sleep Final Mix+ (2011)

[D]uring that movie there were the words ‘A fragmentary passage’, weren’t there? That means a ‘bits and pieces of something whole’. In short, a story for ‘Volume Two’ exists that ought to be told, but the story cuts off with those scenes. Because of that, I won’t say there is absolutely no chance that we will produce a title to follow KHBBS, but there are no plans as of now.

This game had an interesting playable secret ending and video. Volume 2 was supposed to be a numbered game (KH0.5), a mainline title that would fill in important gaps from across the timeline. But BBSFM didn't sell well in Japan. Which isn't surprising. Final mixes made sense in the PS2 era. But the extra content for BBS could have been released as DLC. Not many people want to buy the same game again for some new content.

Dream, Drop, Distance (2012)

KH3D was put together relatively quickly, I was still concepting the story when I brought it to the table.

This is when the series started going to shit. It started gaining quite a bad reputation and articles like this began to pop up. Re:Coded could easily be dismissed as filler, but 3D was advertised as more of a mainline game. People were eager for KH3, or at least a game with the same quality as BBS. DDD isn't terrible or anything. But you could tell that it didn't have as much thought put into it as BBS.

It was originally just the beginning part of KH3 that got stretched out into a full game and it shows. The Disney worlds don't fit into the normal timeline, there's fewer of them, Disney party members were replaced with animals, and the drop gimmick was controversial. There's weird time travel stuff that is convoluted and not explained very well. This didn't help with the story's reputation.

I originally planned to make that [a mystery KH title] after KHBBS, but we ended up making KH3D and the project was stopped. It’s a shame, but we won’t be starting that project again.

BBSV2 was planned after BBS. Production stopped to make DDD. The secret ending of DDD showed Young Xehanort on the beach of Destiny Islands, which was one of the events shown during "A Fragmentary Passage". There may have still been plans to start production of BBSV2 again after KH3D finished. But Square changed their minds. I suspect the reason for that has to do with Versus XIII.

Versus was being developed by the Tokyo team which made KH2. BBS was made by the Osaka team, which also made DDD. The original plan was for the Tokyo team to finish Versus and then make KH3. But things were a mess with Versus and eventually it was decided that the Osaka team would make KH3. So, if the Osaka team was busy on KH3, then they wouldn't be able to make BBSV2.

X (2013)

To tell the story about the Keyblade War we need the capacity of hi-spec hardware and we need to accumulate all of our knowledge on this hardware. And in telling this story, we will need to tell it in separate episodes, and how specifically to tell it has yet to be figured out.

There is evidence that X was probably intended to be an MMO on high-spec hardware. Square had a lot of trouble with the transition to HD consoles, so it was downgraded to a minor release on browser. It's an okay title. Interesting lore that expands on the fairy tale of Kairi's grandma. But it's got the typical recycled Disney plots and low-budget gameplay. Not exactly lighting the world on fire for the core audience.

If you do know, then you will enjoy the world of KH all the more, make no mistake. However, you don't have to know everything. The protagonist himself, Sora, doesn't know everything. That said, I'd be happiest if you did play it (laughs). If you do give it a try, I think you'll be surprised at what a rich experience you get for free.

But X was not meant to be a title with an emphasis on story. It was a spin-off, totally separate from the main plot thread. It was written alongside KH3 and the two were intimately related. If you played X, it would enhance your enjoyment (Ephemer cameo), but it was not essential.

X was rebranded as Unchained X and rereleased for mobile in 2015. X was also remade into Back Cover, which was included in the 2.8 HD Remaster collection. People would naturally assume that Back Cover told you everything you needed to know about the X story in preparation for KH3. And maybe at one point, that was the plan...

0.2 A Fragmentary Passage (2017)

As far as content goes, we can’t include a full volume of content to play with like the second chapter of KHBbS, so it’s just a “fragment,” and we left that part of the subtitle. 0.5 is one of the letters and numbers that appeared in the secret episode of KHBbS FM, and that meant full volume, so we decided on 0.2 this time, to indicate that there will be more content to come.

IMO, this is the first high-quality release since BBS. But it's still just a 3-hour prologue instead of a complete game. The events with Aqua are interesting, but they are just one "fragment" of the whole 0.5.

Actually, this was what I worried about the most. We showed this for a bit in the secret episode of [KHBbS FM], but the concept for two chapters of [BbS] is something we've had for a while, and because of problems with time, it's become just a morceau.

Releasing it as a full game on consoles would have delayed progress of KH3. And after nearly a decade of nothing but remasters and low-quality spin-offs, that was the last thing Square wanted. Despite how important 0.5 was, fans would be upset if the next mainline game wasn't KH3.

Union X (2017)

As a gacha with a worldwide audience, X was extremely profitable, so its storyline was extended past its natural ending. Even though X was a complete story that was meant to lead directly into KH3, Nomura retconned the ending, allowing the story of Ephemer and friends to continue in a new story arc called Union X which began in 2017. UX was...strange. It took place in the afterlife? Or the datascape? It had tons of filler, very infrequent story updates that barely progressed anything, and weird retcons, like character backstories that felt like they were in the wrong game (Why tf are Ventus and Marluxia here???).

Unlike X, the story of UX felt like it was being made up on the fly. Also, UX did not directly tie in with KH3 anymore. Its run actually continued past KH3. It was as if Nomura knew there were going to be too many plot holes for KH3 to properly resolve. So, he began using UX to set up the plot of KH4. People who only played the remasters were going to be completely blindsided when they played KH3. It wouldn't conclude anything that was set up in Back Cover, like the black box. KH3 would actually just be one big "to be continued" for KH4 with UX acting a band-aid. IMO, this is the point when the series had officially gone to shit.

KH3 (2019)

I had quite a tough time writing the story this time around. So many characters appear in this game, with each of them having their own set of problems and needing to choose their own fate. [...] I believe that KINGDOM HEARTS III is truly completed when the two thoughts - whatever you feel from playing the game, and my thoughts that I’ve secretly placed in the game - match up together. I hope that everyone playing the game will complete the game for us.

The long-awaited big budget mainline title on home console was a decent game, but it just wasn't a complete experience like KH2 was. 0.5 should have properly developed the relationships of Lea/Isa, Ansem the Wise/Ienzo, and Xehanort/Eraqus. Instead, these backstories only get lightly touched on in the Secret Reports and then one cutscene was given to "resolve" their problems. The new original world that was shown off in a private trailer in 2014 dubbed "Cable Town" was completely absent from the final game, except as the final battle stage.

KH3 had beautiful production values, solid gameplay, and vastly improved level design. But it didn't capture people's hearts like KH2 did. More incomprehensible time travel, rushed unsatisfying reunions for the trios, plot holes galore, and a cliffhanger ending only made things worse for the reputation of the series. The story is infamous in the gaming community now. A meme. KH4 doesn't have anywhere near as much hype as KH3 did.

Fans all have different favorite characters, so I thought I should give each of them their own time to shine, but because the amount of things needed to be explained was too large, I had to find a way to have Sora move forward, at the very least. Actually, when the scenarios were being written, the Keyblade Graveyard part was the most difficult. If I focused on each character at a time, the progression of events would be quite slow, and the battles involving Sora were necessary to be shown, so making allowances for everything was difficult. The way I imagined it, all of the characters tied to each other should fight in order and put an end to everything [themselves], but if I did that, the explanations would end up being too long.

Re:Mind was content that should have been in the main game, but was removed due to time constraints. For instance, the Final Fantasy characters from RG. Also, being able to play as the various guardians of light in their respective battles, rather than just Sora. Roxas and Xion weren't even supposed to be revived in the middle of Lea and Kairi's fight, but were included to please fans. The focus of the DLC is on Yozora, a new OC reminiscent of Noctis, showing that KH4 will be an attempt to revive the cancelled Versus XIII. The series is just...a hot mess at this point.

Melody of Memory (2020)

Another budget side game nobody wanted. Only has a tiny bit of story at the very end. Similar to Re:Mind, the plot felt like cut content from KH3. Stuff like Kairi's childhood flashbacks of Apprentice Xehanort, her arrival in the Final World to look for Sora's soul, then having a confrontation with old man Xehanort. All stuff that should have been in KH3. Ya know, when Xehanort was still alive...

Dark Road (2020)

I know what you're probably thinking: the Dark Seeker Saga, which depicted the battle against Xehanort, finished with KINGDOM HEARTS III, didn't it? Well, it's a grey area, but I wouldn't call this title part of the Dark Seeker Saga. Why? Because this isn't about battling against Xehanort—it's about the battles of Xehanort. And maybe you're thinking that's a bit of a reach, but… okay, maybe it's a bit of a reach. However, I had the concept in my head for many years. It got shelved because it never really fitted what our team wanted. But around then, I heard from the Union X team that they'd like to do a parallel title with a new protagonist. And, since it seemed there was an unexpected number of Xehanort fans out there, it all came together like it was destined to be.

This story was no doubt one of the missing "fragments" of 0.5. Unlike many KH games, DR has a very solid premise and an interesting storyline. It's just a story that should have been told in a mainline game before the Xehanort saga ended. Because it was rebranded as part of the X series, there were weird retcons like Xehanort being the reincarnation of the UX Player. However, the main problem was the VERY low budget. The chibi pop-up book graphics fit the childish fairy tale story of X, but don't fit this story. Story updates were slow and gameplay was trash. Didn't even last a year. The scenario was truncated, and we got an abrupt ending that didn't even delve into Master Odin, how Xehanort fell to darkness, or how he and Eraqus grew apart. At this point, the state of the series is just pitiful.

Missing Link (2024)

"Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link" is a work that fills in the blanks between the two arcs and acts as a bridge, so it doesn't belong to either the "Dark Seeker" or "Lost Masters" arcs.

When UX finally ended, the Player, who was already dead, dies again. Only, instead of going to the Final World (X's ending) it's implied that they're reborn. This is because Square wanted to make a new UX with a parallel protagonist. But DR flopped. So, they retconned things yet again. No, no. Xehanort wasn't the reincarnation of Player-kun. Rather, it's this new robed person and Xehanort just absorbed their memories. ML is the REAL mobile follow-up to UX.

Honestly, ML doesn't look too bad. Unlike UX, it will be able to deliver a console-like experience (yay controller support!) and the story seems like it will be closer to a mainline game. I imagine most of the unused "fragments" from 0.5 will be included as "missing links" this time around. Better late than never. But fans are definitely burned out from the vast amount of side games and most just want KH4. Fortunately, mobile games only need a few dedicated whales to stay funded. ML won't delay progress of KH4 and it can dole out its story gradually, and it won't have to be rushed or shortened like KH0.2.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Hobbit Teasers and Future Works

FUTURE WIPS

Bonded

Summary: The Naming Ceremony where a hobbit bonds with his dragon for the first time is supposed to be a blessing, Bilbo’s came as more of a curse when he was chosen as the Alpha-Bond. Bilbo and Smaug have never gotten along, but after a Naming Ceremony goes wrong and Smaug is fleeing the Shire, Bilbo knows he will stop at nothing until he sees their Alpha safely home.

Teasers: Teaser 1

Chasing Dragons and Bedding Burglars

Summary: When Thorin Oakenshield transferred to Ered Luin PD, there was really only one thing on his mind: finally catch the monster that destroyed his family. However, he quickly learns Ered Luin lives under the rule of the local mafia and figures the only way to catch Smaug is to pretend to be a dirty cop and make nice with the supposed crime boss known only as “The Burglar”.

Teasers: (I have changed Thorin and Bilbo's positions since these teasers, but they still somewhat apply.) Birthday WIPs and Things

From the Pieces of Your Shattered Memories

Summary: Bilbo was just checking on a coma patient that he might have a teensy little crush on. Now, he’s on the run with said man who can’t even remember who he is as they escape assassins and potentially uncover a plot that will destroy Erebor.

Teasers: Modern May | Birthday Plot Bunnies

I Married an Assassin

Summary: Twelve years ago, Bilbo fell for a charming man who saved his life in his university library. While he loves his husband and their son, he finds his life to be a bit…dull. So when he comes across the adventure of a lifetime, he has to take it! Only this particular adventure has the potential to crash his life around him considering his boring accountant husband might actually be an assassin who’s been doing his best to keep him out of the eyes of a terrorist organization due to a clue left behind by his mother.

Teasers: Modern May

Oakenshield's Fourteen

Summary: After being framed and imprisoned for embezzlement, Thorin is out for revenge. He's going to need a crew if he's going to pull off this heist though, and he's not so sure about Gandalf's fourteenth man.

Teasers: Teaser 1 | Birthday WIPs and Things

BIRTHDAY PLOT BUNNIES

2020

Journey to You- Bilbo made his peace with returning back to the Shire, but starts to become bored and finds himself longing for Thorin. (Post-BOFTA AU)

A Hobbit's Tale: Reclaiming One's Home- Prince Bilbo is willing to do whatever it takes to reclaim the Shire, even team up with a band of dwarven blacksmiths disguised as warriors. (Role Reversal AU)

Second Chance at a Happy Ending- Bilbo and Thorin have no business existing in the same universe as each other, and yet they dream of each other from a time long ago. (Reincarnation AU)

T'was Wit That Slew the Dragon- Bilbo's dream to be a screenwriter quickly changes into a nightmare when they land on Dol Guldur and a handful of cannibalistic locals sacrifice him to a red dragon. (King Kong AU)

2021

Heart of the Mountain- What if Thror wasn’t mad like everyone thought? What if the Arkenstone was truly at fault? Questions Bilbo and Thorin will have to answer together after Bilbo is swallowed by the gem. (Evil Arkenstone AU)

One Last Adventure- When a new group of dwarves appear on his doorstep for his services at the suggestion of their king, Bilbo hopes against hope that means Thorin is out there waiting for him. (Canon Compliant)

The Hoardless Dragon- Thorin has been waiting his whole life for something interesting to happen in Erebor, and when Tharkun arrives with a “dragon expert” to warn of Smaug’s survival he thinks he may have gotten his wish. (Dragon Bilbo AU)

For the Love of My Husband- Bilbo is a thief and a conman who has tricked Thorin, Crown Prince of Erebor, to marry him as an escape from a tight spot. (Thief Bilbo)

2022

Fighting for a Dragon's Wish- Bilbo finds himself traversing the galaxy in search of the Silmarils which may have the power to restore the Arkenstone, and along the way learn that he actually has more in common with the Ereborians than he realizes. (Dragonball Z AU)

Together in Erebor- The Fall of Erebor was a tragic tale where all of the line of Durin was wiped out by Azog the Defiler, save for the young Princess Dis...and the rumors of Prince Thorin surviving as well. (Anastasia AU)

Erebor's Monster- Bilbo is investigating ‘Erebor’s Monster’ in secret trying to discovery the nature of all the mysterious disappearances the town has suffered. (Loch Ness AU)

Cheat Code- Fiddling with one of Frodo’s games one night, Bilbo found that every night at 2:17am he is sucked into the video game world of: Quest for Erebor. (Video Game AU)

2023

Oakenshield: Prince or Thief?- There are actually two beings claiming to be ‘Oakenshield’, and then there’s the small problem of them not being aware of the other until Bilbo comes across a Company of dwarves in Mirkwood. (Robin Hood AU)

[words-after-midnight]

Happy STS!

How much does your writing vary across genres and/or tones? I know it to be on the dark and heavy side, but I was wondering, have you tried your hand at writing a light romance or a comedy? Or maybe you’d consider doing it in the future?

Listen... TDL is technically a horror comedy. 😅

Seriously though, this is interesting timing - I may or may not be working on* a shorter piece (either a long short or a short novella, we'll see how verbose it gets) at the moment that is significantly lighter in tone than my usual stuff. I'm not in the habit of publicly sharing details this early in a story's process, but I will say it's (directly) related to an existing project.

I'd say Supernova is the most out there of my longer projects in terms of things I usually write. It's still pretty dark, but in a somewhat different way than my usual, and it's primarily a science fiction/speculative piece, whereas I'm usually firmly in the contemporary sphere. It's a fair bit lighter tonally as well, especially in the first act. I describe the first act tonally (in terms of the main plot) as primarily "ethereal and full of wonder."

Other than that, genres I'm interested in trying out are still primarily in the "dark" realm of crime fiction: I've always wanted to write a murder mystery, for instance, and I'd also be into trying my hand at a more "classic" noiresque piece at some point. I want to write a procedural/legal thriller because I fucking love reading them. The Secret History may have inspired me to try out something dark academia-inspired at some point, too, we'll see.

Purely "fluffy" stories or light romance are just not really my jam, though, personally. I can read and enjoy a (mostly) wholesome love story as long as there's some kind of intriguing overarching story conflict going on, but there has to be something deeply fucked up about a fictional relationship for me to feel compelled to write about it, at least as a central/major plot.

*"Working on" = mostly just beat sheet and outlining for now, because I'm currently focused on query prep for libaw until September.