#but it's a challenge because this is the first time i've ever owned a dog

[not-poignant]

I get the impression that there’s some tough times over there so I’m sending all the love and support I can x

There have indeed been some tough times, anon <3

It's just a few things converging all into this year (including my ongoing tumour/cancer surveillance to make sure my head/neck tumours aren't growing or that I don't have any new ones), on top of training an intense little enthusiastic smart puppy who we discovered has pretty serious Separation Anxiety and then instigating slow and tedious separation training which is exhausting (imagine having ADHD and then having to get up every 2 minutes around 10-30 times a day to go to the door to desensitise to it and ask me how your hyperfocus is holding up sadlkfjas).

He's wonderful, but he's also currently in puppy jail (the lounge behind baby gates lmao) because he's just discovered that it's fun to chase our elderly cat, so I think I'm back to having to leash him when we go outside into the back garden.

Tbh between overworking on the writing front for about a year, raising Toby to be a responsible little canine dude, some interpersonal stuff (those three words are doing some real heavy lifting), and some health stuff, the death of my uncle in December (on my Mum's side, and one of the few family members who I was close to), and the state of the entire world right now, I'm just very much done with it all a lot of the time and taking breaks wherever I can get them.

Today is a work day though, I've got some editing on the table, I want to do more Relaxation Training with Toby (I was hoping to do some trick training as well, but instead I'm waiting for his brain to calm down enough that he just disengages from Maybe (miss elderly cat)), I was hoping to cook tonight (we'll see), and the weekend promises to be pretty busy!

Anyway, there are good things too! I'm just... sometimes very sad or depressed or being sucked down a whirling vortex of despair at the moment, and that makes it harder to appreciate the good things. The love and support are so very appreciated anon. I am doing my best, as I suspect we all are! <3

[the-power-of-stuff]

The Live-Action Sukka Manifesto that I Just Couldn't Keep in My Head

So I've been marinating in my live-action Sukka thoughts for the past three days, and when someone sent me an anon asking if I had any thoughts about the changes, at first I went, "DO I EVER?!" and proceeded to dump my entire brain on the page.

But then I worried maybe the anon wouldn't want to see my entire brain and figured I'd make my own post with my Many, Many Thoughts, and reel it in a bit when I answer the ask. And then link here if they're interested in the dissertation.

I'll put all the excessive details and spoilery stuff under a cut, but I'll start by saying, I didn't hate it! And I was afraid that I would.

There were things that I was bummed or had mixed feelings about, but there was also a lot that I genuinely enjoyed. All the Sukka interactions were cute and still had some decent character development, and I had fun with the episode overall (I've watched it thrice mind you, and definitely have not given the rest of the series that kind of attention). And I didn't necessarily dislike the differences from the original; I think I've just taken more of a "that was an interesting interpretation" approach.

But I better start that cut now, because I'm about to go on and on about this. I'd love to know what others think, though!! Even if the opinions aren't the same as mine! Please feel free to comment, reblog, shoot me an ask. If nothing else, I'm excited that the LA has gotten people talking about ATLA again.

So, I want to start with Suki’s characterization, which overall I found to be delightful, even if it was a bit of a watered-down version of her animated self.

In the original show, Suki is confident, sassy, and doesn’t take shit from anybody. She’s proud to the point of almost being arrogant, and even a little mean. What we get in the LA is someone who’s still confident in terms of her status and her skills, and still proud of her heritage and her role in her community, but with significantly less sass. And while LA Suki still seems like someone who wouldn’t take anyone’s shit, we don’t actually see LA Suki deal with that much shit from anyone (because Sokka isn’t really giving her any). 

There is one moment in the show where her interaction with Sokka is a little contentious, which is when he tries to relate to her as a fellow guardian of his people. I think Suki’s question to Sokka about how is he protecting his village if he’s not there is meant to be a challenge to his swagger. However, the line is delivered with a softness that makes it seem as though Suki is, at least in part, genuinely curious. (This curiosity makes even more sense when we consider the fact that Suki’s eventually going to leave Kyoshi Island so she and her Warriors can take part in the war effort, and that she will have to contend with the question of “how do you do that without abandoning your people?” when coming to that decision. The LA lays a lot more of this groundwork than the animated show did: Suki outwardly expressing her desire to see the world, her mother’s secretive looks every time Suki gazes longingly at Sokka the possibilities…)

Compare these two moments, for example. These are both scenes where Suki expresses disbelief at Sokka's claims about his warrior-hood. But in the LA, Suki speaks rather quietly and mildly, in contrast to the brash sarcasm of her animated counterpart. LA Suki is also tilting her head down and away, looking at Sokka indirectly. OG Suki is leaning in close, getting in his face, smirking derisively with her hands on her hips.  

I think there’s something to be said about the LA in general smoothing away certain personality traits that could be seen as negatives but that are actually strengths that are so narratively well-developed they occasionally show up as flaws (for instance, Katara’s fury, or lack thereof). Animated Suki is prideful and stubborn; she berates Sokka until he gives her sad puppy-dog eyes and has zero hesitation about making an example of him in front of her whole class. It’s a little ruthless, but these traits are also 1) what gets through Sokka’s thick skull (he, too, is prideful and stubborn), and 2) what makes her such a dedicated ambassador of Kyoshi and such a strong leader of the island’s Warriors at such a young age. I feel like the LA writers were afraid of making any of the protagonists seem too abrasive—everyone in the LA has had their edges sanded down, including Zuko, including Aang—and in general this tends to lead to less realistic representations of humanity and conflict, less satisfying character development arcs, and fewer opportunities for reflection and learning. 

That being said! I went into watching the LA with negative expectations about what we would see in terms of character development, and thus was pleasantly surprised. 

The LA removed the need for Suki to be as ruthlessly stubborn as she is in the animated show because LA Sokka’s skull is not so thick (and I'll get into that a bit more later). So what we get instead is a sheltered Suki with a helicopter mom who is so hilariously awkward that she has no idea how to interact with other humans. And, to be honest, I enjoyed this version of her so much that I even thought to myself, “I wish I’d thought of that!”

Suki is a straight-up weirdo in the LA and I love that for her. The way she puts Sokka in a chokehold and then looks at him after she sets him free like, “That was good flirting, yes? Would you like to be my boyfriend now?” And then her disappointment when Sokka walks away as if she’s thinking, “Why didn’t that go well, I thought boys loved getting put in chokeholds?” She is so precious, I just want to put her in my pocket. And this characterization might even be more broadly relatable than a super-confident Suki brimming with sass. Who among us hasn’t made a complete fool of ourselves in front of a crush by coming on way too strong and having no idea how to flirt? I mean…real. 

And because Sokka is also mostly just making a fool of himself trying to impress a pretty and talented peer (instead of covering up his insecurities by wrapping himself in misogyny) this leaves room for the two of them to be attracted to each other right off the bat and for their interactions to be more overtly romantic throughout the entire episode. Which, avid shipper that I am, I have to admit I have been gobbling up for the past three days straight. This episode was an IV drip of romantic tropes hooked straight to every Sukka shipper’s veins. 

Shy glances from across the room? Check.

Walking in on the other person half-naked? Check. (Y’all, Suki looks Sokka up and down for a FULL TWENTY SECONDS yes I timed it from the moment she appears in the background, yes you should count it to see how long that really is. Talk about awkward.) 

Tripping so they end up falling into each other’s arms? Check.

Wide-eyed shock that turns into surprise thirst after being pinned to the ground? Check.

Shooting each other satisfied smirks as they kick ass side-by-side? Check.

Jumping in front of literal fire for each other? Check and check!

Like, I could live off this for the rest of the year. 

But look, there’s a lot that I love about the way Sokka and Suki’s relationship is portrayed in this episode besides those romantically indulgent tension-creating moments, and it has to do with Suki’s admiration and validation of Sokka. 

Suki really looked at this boy with his mouth stuffed half-full of steamed bun and went, “Must have.”

With the removal of overt sexism from this episode (for better or worse), the story focused much more heavily on Sokka’s development as a leader. He still has that sort of posturing display of self-confidence that comes from inexperience and trying too hard to prove oneself (“Ferociously…deadly tiger whales…”), and while at first Suki seems put off by this and his attempts to liken himself to her (“I’m not just a warrior, I’m a Kyoshi warrior”) it doesn’t take her long to decide (*cough*after seeing him shirtless*cough*) that she doesn’t actually mind this behavior (and in fact maybe she kind of likes it because maybe it means he likes her and maybe it means she can show him how much she likes him by slicing the tops off all those melons with her fan). She seems genuinely interested in his boomerang and impressed that he hunts, and then later, she immediately takes interest in training him in the Kyoshi Warrior style. 

After they spar, she casually refers back to the fact that he’s his village’s protector, and this time, she does it without the disbelief and defensiveness. Because he’s finally stopped posturing. He opened himself up and gave himself over to Suki’s expertise, and in that way he proved that he has the will and desire—the heart—of a warrior. And Suki tells him so while touching him gently and gazing at him longingly in the soft golden glow of the late-afternoon sun. And as a die-hard Sokka stan, I love seeing him loved and appreciated like this. Adamantly. Ardently. The Sokka cheerleader in my head is going wild. “YEESSSS!! Our boy deserves this!!” Because we know that, in the animated show, he goes through a lot more struggle and self-doubt before he receives this kind of external validation. And while we also know that this makes for an incredibly satisfying growth arc, I gotta admit that it’s a fun bit of indulgence to watch Suki talk Sokka up directly to his face and then want to kiss him really bad. Y’know. As a treat.

That said, I'm very attached to and appreciative of the way their relationship is framed in the animated series. I love that their respect and affection for each other grows even after the disaster that is their first few interactions. In the LA, they are drawn to each other immediately, and the only barrier seems to be a bit of awkward stepping-in-it-ness. In the original, they have legitimate conflict, and they both have to give a little—Sokka becomes more humble, Suki becomes more tender—before they get to that point of potential romantic interest. And I think it says a lot about Sokka’s character and his desire to learn and grow that he is willing to humble himself in front of someone who, as far as he’s seen, has very little regard for him (slash has a good deal of animosity towards him). Giving himself over to Suki’s expertise costs him more in the animated show. But once he does, he and Suki learn and grow together. He shows Suki who he really is, shows her how dedicated and determined (and fun and a quick learner) he is, to the point that, by the end of the episode, she can allow herself to be vulnerable with him. And she does validate him in the original Kyoshi Warriors episode, just less directly than the LA. Her kiss on his cheek and “...but I’m a girl, too” is about forgiveness and acceptance and acknowledgement and respect, as much as or even more than it is about affection. There’s a little bit of romance, too, but it’s just little baby seeds of it, and it feels very natural to let those seeds germinate over time until we see Suki again later in the series. 

Which brings me to the live-action kiss. 

I’ll be honest, I was a little on the fence about the kiss. I want Sokka and Suki to kiss as much as possible in every conceivable universe. So there’s a part of me that was banging on the table and whistling with obscene joy. But the other part of me thought it was too much too soon. However, my hesitance pre-supposes some things about the second season (not least of which that there will be one), namely that it will handle the reunion with Suki and crossing the Serpent’s Pass anything like how it was done in the original. (Of course, one thing we now know for certain can't happen in a hypothetical LA season 2 is Suki pranking Sokka at the ferry station because he doesn't recognize her without her makeup. Do I love the expression on LA Sokka's face the first time he sees Suki's? Yes. Am I sad that this completely ruins their whole "You don't remember me? Maybe you'll remember this!" game? Also yes. But truthfully, I don't know if LA Suki would've been up to the prank, anyway. Not sassy enough. ;))

The Serpent’s Pass is one of my favorite episodes of all time, and that moment on the bluffs when Sokka and Suki are talking around Sokka’s loss, with the moon shining down on them all the while, and they almost kiss with the moon hanging between them in the background, and then Sokka pulls away without any other explanation besides, “I can’t”? That scene is so absurdly powerful and beautiful and an amazing moment of character development for them both, and I feel like it loses a lot of impact if they’ve already made out once. The fact that they kiss for the first time after that moonlit moment, when Sokka realizes that Suki doesn’t need protecting the way he thought she did, and in fact she was there to protect him, and he can finally just let go of this burden that he’s been carrying with him since Suki first mentioned she was joining them (slash since his dad put him in charge of an entire village at 13), and then and only then can he open his heart to what he feels for Suki, and in fact opens it so wide that he just cannot help but jam his mouth onto hers before she’s even finished talking…? I mean. C’mon. That’s poetry. But, again…loses impact if they’ve already had a first kiss.

But who knows what, if anything, they’ll actually do with that storyline. So for now, I’ll just enjoy my live-action Sukka kiss because, honestly, dream come true.    

Or almost a dream come true. Because there's a huge camelephant in the room that I haven't addressed yet, isn't there? The lack of Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform...

And I don’t think we can talk about the omission of Sokka’s Kyoshi Warrior uniform without talking about the omission of Sokka’s sexism. Because if Sokka isn’t sexist, then why do you have to put him in the dress and makeup of traditionally female warriors to make a point about how women are strong and capable, too? So here’s what I’ll say about that (and I know there’s a lot that people have said already, so I’ll try not to belabor the point.) I don’t think leaving out Sokka’s sexism was necessarily a detriment to his character arc. I do think, however, that leaving out Sokka’s sexism was a detriment to the message the show was trying to convey about sexism. 

Now, in the Northern Water Tribe episodes, the LA still gives us a message about fighting against the kind of systemic, institutionalized sexism that you might not be surprised to encounter within a very old-fashioned society or from a very old-fashioned gray-haired man. But what about the off-the-cuff, everyday kind of sexism that you might experience from an otherwise good person who is close to you? A person who loves you and would do anything for you but who gets carried away teasing you about “girly” things because of intrinsically-held biases that they’re not even that conscious of having? 

I think it’s important and meaningful for male and female audiences alike, and everyone in between, to see these different forms of sexism and misogyny—to see them, to recognize those behaviors in others and in ourselves, to be able to name them, and to have examples of fighting against them. We see the former kind—institutionalized, systemic—in Pakku. And we did see the latter kind—familiar, personal—in Sokka. And now that’s lost.

Not only that, but there’s the form of sexism that says boys aren’t allowed to do feminine things lest they relinquish their maleness. And in the animated show, we got to see Sokka combating this form of sexism, too. Not only does Suki show him that girls can be fierce warriors as well as boys, but he learns that wearing makeup and a dress does not make him any less of a young man.  

So, yes, I think the lack of Sokka in Kyoshi Warrior garb was a missed opportunity. And not just because Sokka looked really good in uniform and we all should have had the chance to see that, including and especially Suki. 

Alright, this is more than long enough, so I'll leave off with a moment from the LA that gave me great pleasure.

I needed this moment, y'all. And I was so afraid it wouldn't happen. I needed Sokka being protective, I needed him using his newfound Kyoshi Warrior skills to fight, and I needed him jumping in front of fire for the girl who'd taught him. If we couldn't have Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform, at least we had this.

[sonorousabyss]

hiya first time sending an ask, love your work btw

you know in the electro hashira reader fic it says

“M/N actually took on at least two known Tsugokus in the pursuit of eternity. The eldest is currently missing and presumed dead by the corps,”

what if the reader found their eldest student and it turns out that they were turned into a demon, how would they react?

𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 - 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁

An: Greetings, Anon! I've been absolutely giddy ever since you sent this ask in, thanks for following the story so closely, and being intrigued enough to ask! I'm more than happy to tell you about it! Happy holidays, by the way! Hope the season has gone well for you!

Warnings: Angst, minor gore

The first thing that overcomes M/N when they see the haunting form of their tsugoku haunched before them, consuming human flesh, is rage.

The second thing that overcomes him is an overwhelming feeling of regret.

It’s a vile thing, a sinking sensation deep within his gut that claws away at him, taking root anywhere and everywhere it can find purchase. His body grows cold, fingers almost numb on the hilt of his sword from how hard he gripped it, the large, billowing sleeves of his uniform obscuring the subtle shake of his arm as he’s forced to make a debilitating choice. 

His Tsugoku, his first tsugoku, looked up at him with eyes that almost seemed to glow in the moonlight. He was just like how they remembered him. The same softness in his cheeks, the same hardness in his gaze- but there was a blankness too. Like the former slayer was looking directly at him and seeing nothing; It was like he was a piece of glass before the demon’s harsh eyes, utterly transparent, and ultimately worthless. Something to be shattered. 

And it stung.

The eldest tsugoku looked at him without any recognition at all.

It almost made him laugh. Such a sick, twisted turn of fate, that after all this time of mourning and sacrificing, of all the demons he’d slayed in his apprentice’s name, and the successor he’d trained to take his place to avenge him… that he was alive... Living off the flesh mankind, feasting like a dog.

And yet, somehow? M/N felt deep within his soul that he deserved it. That he was to blame.

He watched the demon stand, tattered haori blowing in the wind as it wiped the blood off its face with his sleeve- the same one he’d worn when they’d been separated in the forest. The same one that he’d worn during the last mission they went on together. The same Haori he’d gifted him when he took him in as one of his own, decorated with the blood of who knows how many humans.

He deserved this.

He remembered it all. Remembered it vividly. A nest full of demons, far too many to handle alone- far too many to handle with a mere tsugoku. They’d been called to investigate an area because of multiple sightings nearby- odd since demons rarely flocked together- especially as they got stronger. They were territorial. But these not only managed to defy that preconceived notion, but they were enough to give most slayers a challenge. So he’d come there, intent on teaching his tsugoku a lesson and furthering their training...

They couldn’t handle it.

He sent out his beloved crow to get reinforcements, damn near dragging the young man with him as they fled, taking out the occasional demon that got a bit too close. Like his tsugoku in the present day, the boy then was stubborn. He thought the world of the electro hashira and thought they could take the vile things if they just stuck together and stood their ground. He was wrong. He deserved this.

His tsugoku trusted him with his life. M/N trusted him to follow him.

He couldn’t keep an eye on the boy the whole time. If he was going to plow a safe path through the hoard to get them both out alive, he would have to keep his eyes peeled for demons. He cut them down one by one, the sound of faint footsteps behind him his only solace reminding him that the boy was safe. The rhythmic sound of heads and bodies dropping resounded through the desolate forest, blood roaring in his ears, heart thumping in his chest as he relied on desperation, determination, hatred, and adrenaline to get him through. Perhaps… too much hatred.

He deserved this.

He didn’t know when it happened, but he’d gotten a crystalline realization, crisp as the freshly fallen snow he trudged through that there was one less pair of footsteps following behind him.

He deserved this.

He skids to a stop, breathing incredibly loud in the eerily quiet air as he whips his head around, gripping the hilt of his sword so hard that his knuckles turn white. There was no one. A sea of trees, the occasional pool of bloodstained snow as the corpses of demons gradually began to break down and float away in the breeze, like ash. But no one was there.

He deserved this.

The smart thing to do is run. He knows this. But as his blood boils with rage he needs to know for certain if he’s still alive. If he can be saved. Despite what the other members of the corps, his fellow hashira, thought of him, he wasn’t heartless.

He sprints back into the fray, searching the snow for where the footprints staved off. He looks around desperately. Where is he? Where is the boy? His Tsugoku?

He deserved this.

He came to a stop before a pool of blood. Too much blood for a human to survive losing, he thinks. It was there in the dead center that lay a depression in the snow where a body had been, and a torn piece of the haori he’d once given to the student he trusted with his life... And with a heavy heart, he’d walked into the center, picked up the fabric, turned on his heel, and left.

He deserved this.

A flash of metal to his right brings the Hashira back to his senses, and he tore himself away from his pain and regret, extending a hand in front of the culprit to stop them from going any further. The slayer paused in her tracks with a fiery rage in her heart, a scowl so deep that it chilled most to their very cores. M/N’s current Tsugoku, the most fervent follower of his ideology, couldn’t stand the fact that he, of all people, told her to stop.

“Why do you hesitate?” She hissed, words, laced with poison as he stared out at the form of his former tsugoku-turned-demon.

His first, and biggest, regret.

M/N watched as it eyed them up and down, accessing their strengths… and their weakness.

He hadn’t drawn his sword yet.

He knew very well why she was angry with him. There were very few she’d listen to in this world when it came to demons, and she, perhaps, was even more stubborn than he had ever been. Demons were a plague, he’d taught her, that needed to be eradicated no matter the cost. They were a slayer of man, hurting innocent humans who did not deserve the tragedy wrought upon them by monsters that lurk in the night. And to this day, he felt the very same. There hadn’t been any exceptions, not even for younger members of the corps, fledglings, who’d been turned in the past that he’d been forced to put down...

No. Not forced. He delighted in their demise too much to call it that.

But this time…

His face twisted in his own scowl as he took a step forward in the snow, arm still outstretched, before he reached for the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it with a determination he’d never had before.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he’d seen proof that demons could be good, or at the very least rendered docile enough not to bring harm to humankind, through the young boy known as Tanjiro Kamado, and his young sister Nezuko. That very boy had dared to stand before him, before his peers, before the master himself and proclaim that he was going to find a cure for his sister and turn her human once and for all.

And for the sake of all things good in this world, he hoped it was true.

“I’ll handle this.” He said calmly, shifting into stance as he prepared to take on the demon that was once his student. And begrudgingly, his Tsugoku sheathed her sword and complied. After all, if he had ordained to take on the flesh-eating monster himself, then that meant he did not grow weak. That he had not turned his back on their code. That he was not a traitor. And even if she didn’t like it or understand, that would have to be good enough for now.

And in the seconds right before his first tsugoku dared to take on the charge, he uttered something to him no slayer ever expected to pass through his lips in this lifetime.

“You’re coming with me, whether you like it or not.” 

And the sounds of their battle were quickly engulfed by the fridged winds.

AN: Thanks again for this ask, friend, and I hope that you enjoyed!

May your day be as pleasant as the ocean's abyss is deep.

For those of you who are new around here? I take requests. You can find my rules here.

[rainbowcarousels]

11 - SephGen for the ship asks 🥹🖤

What their first impression was of each other?

You know, it's funny, I've definitely done first impressions from Angeal and Genesis's perspective but I'm not sure I ever have when it comes to Sephiroth.

I think Genesis's is multilayered because I think the very first time he heard Sephiroth - and I do think he heard him speak before he ever saw him, just a few words that were likely stumbled off script that he probably assumed was designed to be awkwardly charming until he realised Sephiroth is just the epitome of an awkward turtle - that he was in disbelief. It was a challenge to his own mind, like no way, this one person cannot be doing what they say, so when he finally got a chance to see news footage (I like to think it was on one of these old sets so colour distorted and grainy), obsession set in. Because his skill is undeniable. It's captivating to watch.

Then we run into the very real issue that Sephiroth is not what it says on the tin if you get up close. This is a post-First Soldier Sephiroth that has likely learned what can happen if you get attached to the people you work with: they die or they disappear, and the man is a poster child for abandonment issues. I think he's trying to keep his distance at that point and Genesis is perceptive, I think he can pick up on some of that and the mix of the two....well.

If we go by my personal canon for these two? Genesis got floored by his enhancements way more than Angeal did (there's something up with Genesis's DNA that isn't in the others so I think it stands to reason) so Angeal had already met Sephiroth by the time Genesis did. As such, I think he was already on the defensive, picked up on Sephiroth's vibe of trying to keep everything at an arms length and together with Sephiroth's awkward way of treating SOLDIERs in training at that point more like dogs or weapons (GEE I WONDER WHERE HE PICKED THAT UP), they did not mesh well.

As such, I think Genesis got upset - this wasn't the Sephiroth he built up in his head, this was someone detached, withdrawn, someone who did not recognise and foster such talent as he knew he had but rather just corrected it without a social word at all.

The kicker is I think Sephiroth actually did notice he was different - how many baby Third's come in with that kind of magical skill? How many SOLDIERs in general at that point have a specialty with magic? It's used in a utilitarian way and Genesis doesn't function that way at all and I think Sephiroth just doesn't - understand it? I think he's curious about it but he doesn't really know what to do about it. Has no idea Genesis is operating under the idea they're now mortal enemies fallen from the grace of potential friendship. Honestly, he's really only processing every other sentence - he doesn't know that he's ever known anyone who talks that much.

I think it's only on the third meeting, the ones where they're seeing each other on their first missions together, that they come to an understanding of each other. Genesis starts to process who Sephiroth actually is as opposed to who he thought he was, sorting him into categories of what is propaganda and what is actually him peeking through the presses clutches, and there are a couple of moments that I think highlight it for him that actually, this is the real him and he's actually far more interested in this version than any theatrics. If there's to be theatrics in a relationship, it's coming from him ta very much.

From Sephiroth's perspective, Genesis just makes absolutely no sense - he should not be that chatty, that much of a show off, that headstrong and independent and still be effective as a SOLDIER. He brings this effusive fancy to everything he does and it should be a hindrance but somehow, it's not. There is so much beneath the surface that Sephiroth has no real grasp of - he can't grasp his own nuances, let alone anyone elses - but he's curious, then fascinated. He's inefficient, but he's fast and distracting.

I HC that in fact he did manage to distract him long enough to result Genesis himself giving him a good yank out of the way in a fight because he just is trying to put it all together in his mind and he doesn't know how. How can someone be so wild yet so precise? So fast yet saunter about? So emotional and it not a crippling vulnability but somehow, a strength? WHAT IS THIS CREATURE.

It feels a little funny to me that what Genesis is eventually truly fascinated by is Sephiroth being more awkward teenager trying to figure out how to person - in other words, more mortal and human than he appears - while Sephiroth is trying to figure out how some teenager from a little southern village where they make apple juice is somehow fire and chaos incarnate and why he likes that so much.

[sleepystede]

15 QUESTIONS FOR 15 FRIENDS

thank u thank u thank u to these absolutely sweeties who tagged me: @soupbtch @ofmd-ann @gentlebeardsbarngrill 💖

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My mom was playing volleyball in the early days of her pregnancy and one of the opposing team member's name she loved so much, said she'd never heard it before, and named me it. I grew up in a small town and there were two other people with my name in my grade. Sad for me. However, I nicknamed myself as soon as I could talk and have never gone by my legal name (except professionally 🤪). Also I named myself after a bug sooooo who's the real winner here 🪲🪲🪲

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? This morning i listened to a podcast about community care and queer platonic love using bell hooks work as the foundational text and it made me cry happy tears of gratitude for the growth I've had in my own life. I do cry fairly easily, especially over beautiful things, the joys of being alive, that sorta thing.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No no. I have one precious adorable perfect nephew and he is everything I could ever desire.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED? I grew up playing soccer til I broke my nose and knocked all my front teeth out! I'm a big ping pong fan (I was the reigning champion two years in a row at math camp 🤓)

DO YOU USE SARCASM? sorry, who is she?

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I love fun and unique hairstyles, tattoos, kind eyes

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOR? Dark brown, when I was born, you couldn't distinguish my iris from the pupil because they were so dark. They've lightened a bit over the years.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Never been a scary movie fan, but a happy ending isn't what I seek, either. I love a good melancholic storyline and ending 🖤

ANY TALENTS? I'm a typebusker - I take my 1943 typewriter with me to events and write people poems on demand ✨️ I also love fiber arts of all kinds!

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? tiny lil farm that's been in my family for 7 generations

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? DMing and playing DND, quilting, weaving, hiking, film photography, collaging, finding new ways to explore poetry and art, playing the banjolele

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? nah I grew up with a herd of dogs but I move around every few years and travel a lot, which has made having pets difficult over the last decade. I have loads of plants tho!

HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'3 on a good day 👑

FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? three way tie between anything art related, creative writing, and physics (like how creative and dreamy is physics??? It was the only thing that challenged me and I even started to study it in undergrad!!)

DREAM JOB? I have a pretty dreamy job that's values-aligned, flexible, remote, creative, and fun! It's pretty high stress and I'm always working tho, so something less intensive that let's me travel more would be ideal 😎

no pressure tagging (sorry if you've already been tagged and I missed it!!): @edscuntyeyeshadow @1989edteach @edsbacktattoo @merryfinches @lovely-letters-for-ed @saltpepperbeard @sherlockig @bizarrelittlemew @sweet-little-goldfish-stede @sonnetforbonnet

[johnslittlespoon]

It just makes so much sense that you were writing in 2013, you have the unhinged vibe that the golden fics from that era had.

I'm just here to compliment you really lol, mostly because I am giving a try to write a lil something for the first time and god I can only dream of ever being able to write as good as you. I've been writing poems and music for years now but i find writing actual coherent storys with characters and dialogue so so hard.

I was wondering if you have any tips, or like little rules you follow when you write.

all the love, xxx

🌷

I'M GONNA CRYYYY this was the sweetest thing in the world to wake up to wtf wtf <333 thank you SO much, i really appreciate this wahh my heart :'))) but also you are SILLY. don't compare yourself to others!! if we all did that constantly we'd never get anything written!! there are SO many authors i adore on here that will always have me chasing the "i wish i could write like that" feeling and it's a great motivator but alsooo at the end of the day. you gotta fall in love with your own words and characters and stories <33

and i feel that so much!! we are twinsss, i also started out writing poems and music and then realized i had stories i wanted to tell that wouldn't fit in shorter form, then discovered fanfic in middle school in the early '10s and it was all downhill from there LOL. truly such a golden era tho oh my god. growing up reading the hat fic and borderline illegible wattpad stories was certainly... formative!

yapping ahead vv (i don't have much advice bc i'm still just learning as i go but hopefully some stuff i picked up on can be a bit helpful!)

i have zero method to the madness when writing so it's a relief to know it doesn't come off that way LOL but i do have a few little things that i follow and i always look for them when beta–ing as well! they're pretty small technical things and they're generally up to personal preference, but some of them come from authors i admire and i think they can really take anyone's writing up a notch <3

i don't feel qualified to give advice because i'm just raw–dogging everything lmao i've never taken classes or anything, so take all this yapping with a grain of salt bc it's just what's worked for me!

– i try to use descriptors like "the man" or "the blond" or "his friend" etc sparingly. i wish i could remember the source, but i read a great piece about why it's better to just go with the character's name 99% of the time, and then i went through so many of my works to edit them and i felt so much more confident in my writing afterwards– it made a big difference in readability (imo).

ofc there are exceptions, like if the name of a character is unknown, or if there are too many names being thrown around in one sentence and a "the man" or "the soldier" etc just sits nicer. i definitely still use them occasionally! but it does sometimes put some distance between the reader and the story when those descriptors are used too often instead of names, so it's a good thing to keep an eye out for when it comes to flow. sometimes less or more or whateva ??

– sorta on the topic of less is more, i love challenging myself to show vs tell when i can! whether it's by keeping dialogue short and letting actions speak instead (can add to intimacy/realism– we communicate so much through body language yk), through metaphors (literally how my whole '#john egan is dog coded' fic was born LOL), or describing feelings rather than spelling them out (his heart ached vs he was sad, his pulse raced vs he was scared, you get the gist). you said you've been writing poems so i feel like stuff like that would already probably come easily to you tho! <3

– this guide on ao3 is great for smut writers! whether someone's a beginner or just looking for ways to elevate the filth, i found it really helpful, it's a fun read as well lol. it calls out stereotypes/cliches and teaches you how to reword them, gives lists of slang and reactionary words, do's and don't's, etc. i don't follow everything in it but that's the beauty of writing; we all have things that work for us and things that don't and that's so okay. :-)

– in the same way that artists use references to practice and find their style, you can do that with writing too! i know a lot of writers have a doc or note where they jot down stylistic things they find while reading that they'd like to emanate, or words they want to use, specific phrases, descriptors, etc. if i'm reading a fic and find an auditory descriptor i like, i might take note of it, stuff like that. sorta like a text document version of a pinterest board!

– thesaurus.com is my best friend truly. often going with the 'simplest' version of a word makes for smoothest reading so someone isn't taken out of the story being like wtf does that word mean lol but sometimes things can feel repetitive, or like there just needs to be a little bit more spice; i probs go back and forth btwn my doc and thesaurus a dozen times an hour tbh.

that's all i can think of rn and ik those are pretty basic so i'm sorry about that!! i really do just kinda write what evokes emotions in myself, and then i hit post and hope it translates over to whoever is reading too :') drawing from your own experiences if you can/really sitting with what the characters would be feeling in whatever scenario you're writing is probably the most powerful way to present what you see in your mind.

i have a hard time writing about emotions/things i haven't personally experienced, so i usually stray away from it out of fear of not getting across what i want to, but some people are great at winging it and putting themselves in unfamiliar shoes so!! it's again just personal preference really.

and alsooo be kind to yourself! i'm an anxious wreck every time i post any of my writing, i am very much not confident when posting new fics and i agonize over my docs so much and trash a lot of works, but i know at the end of the day i can't grow or learn if i don't get the words down, and i can't get feedback or gain confidence if i don't post. becoming your own hype man and giving yourself the opportunity to improve is essential <33

sooo much love and best of luck!!! lmk if you end up writing smth, i'd love to read it (◠‿◠✿)

[annas-hair-donut]

My Favorite 2023 Fanfics

Instead of posting a master list of the fics I published in 2023, I'm just going to give you some of my favorites.

Knock on Wood (Kristanna, T)

“So, like, I’m not really a superstitious guy or anything, you know? But I saw this girl, right, and I’m about to ask her to dance.” He strummed a few times before stopping the strings with his hand and knocking three times on his guitar. “I don’t know, I figure every little bit helps. Couldn't hurt anyway.” A few people clapped and whistled as he strummed the opening to a song Anna hadn’t heard before. Then he smiled. “Maybe y’all can 'Knock on Wood' for me, too.”

I wrote this one for the FHWM Friday the 13th event. It was really fun because I got to set it in a time and place that is near and dear to my heart and I haven't seen many similar AUs. It's also a song fic, and I just had so much fun with it.

Pretty Please (Kristanna, E)

“Show me how bad you want it, Kristoff. Show me how bad you want me to spank you.” “You think I only want to sink my tongue into your $!@# so you’ll spank me?” His smile made her heart flutter as much as his words, but she tested him anyway. “Pretty men say pretty please.’” “You think I’m pretty?” he asked, each word punctuated by a sloppy, wet kiss on her thigh, "when I wear my lace panties?" When she didn't answer, he looked at her with lifted brows and puppy dog eyes. She cupped his cheeks and said, “You're not pretty, Kristoff; you're very pretty."

I wrote this one for the BDSM Exchange. It's not for everyone, but it's probably my favorite fic I've ever written (of all time).

Waffle Waltz (Kristanna, T)

Anna travels to Tromsø, Norway to attend her sister Elsa's wedding, and ends up renting a room with Bulda and her grumpy and resentful son Kristoff, who is the king of waffles. 1. Waffle, Noun: (1) A soft indented cake cooked in waffle iron; (2) Empty or pretentious words 2. Waffle, Verb: (1) Equivocate, vacillate; (2) To blather

This was for the Candy Hearts Exchange. It involved a ton of research and drew on my own knowledge of/experience with folk music and dance, and I consider it to be one of the best (quality-wise) fics I've ever written. I also really love the fun relationship between Anna & Hans.

Hey, Little Girl (Kristanna, E)

Loner Kristoff gets hired by cheerleader Anna’s parents to teach her how to drive because they’ve lost all patience with her. She isn’t what he expects, though, and when he realizes the feelings he’s been harboring for years are reciprocated, he lets down his guard. Then one thing leads to another... and quite possibly the hugest mistake of their lives.

This started as a driver's ed lesson and ended with a prom for Kristanna School Days. In between, I wrote Kristoff probably the most conflicted and tormented I've ever written him (other than Sophisticated Grace). And it was all set to songs by the Ramones! It really has it all, fluff, angst, high school drama, teen pregnancy, first times. Also some of the OCs were really cool.

The Chaise (Gaston x Adam, E)

Adam debates buying a small chaise longue at his local antique shop until he finds out it comes with an extra large delivery man.

I wrote this for my a friend, and TBH I'm still completely tickled by it. Adam seduced Gaston through flattery and it was just so much fun to write!

The Moment I Bit My Lip (Kristanna, E)

Anna shivered as she packed her suitcase. It was winter, the furnace was broken, and they’d run out of firewood. And Kristoff had run out of time. Based on "Love Me Harder" by Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd

This was a reader request. It was a huge challenge because I tend to write more female-dominant stuff and the song lyrics screamed Kristanna, but at the same time didn't really fit with the kinds of things I usually write. So I had to get a little creative and I absolutely love that. Anyway, I came up with one of the coolest AUs I've written and I absolutely adore this piece.

Boom, Clap! (Kristanna, E)

A sharp pain sears across Kristoff’s face from the force of Anna’s hand slapping him to the present. Stars twinkle just inside his field of vision as he rubs his cheek, and his heart beats faster in excitement. He hasn’t felt this good in years. Until an irate voice says, “What the fuck?” Anna stands in front of him, angrier than ever, and he smiles a little more. “You think that’s funny?” she asks. The correct answer is no, of course, but the right answer is that he’s elated. He looks down to hide the smile he couldn’t make go away. That’s when he sees his brace and remembers his injured leg. The only pain he feels, though, is on his cheek. “I had it handled,” she says and shows him the red rhinestone-encrusted mace attached to her keychain, which her thumb sits on top of. He grins, and says, more bravely than he would have had he not been floating on Cloud 9, “Or you could just slap me again.” Her red lips slowly curve into a cat-like smile. She folds her arms and coolly leans against the wall. Her eyes glitter with mischief, and she purrs, “Well, now you’ve got my attention.”

I wrote this for Smut Week, but it's so much bigger than that. It was a monumental task writing about Kristoff, a war-injured vet, and Anna, the woman that uses pain to take away his pain, but so rewarding as their relationship turned into something so much bigger than h/c for them. It's two people bringing out the absolute best in each other, Kristoff healing in a way he never thought he could, and discovering that he was worthy of giving and accepting love. It's one of the most meaningful things I've written.

Rain Check (Kristanna, E)

Newly divorced Anna goes for a walk to work off some pent-up energy, but gets derailed by rain, a good Samaritan’s garage, and some really great D.

Another Smut Week fic, a follow-up to a cute little one-shot I wrote for myself last year (Future's So Bright, T) and wanted more of. I really love the way Anna and KB love each other. And Anna really goes for what she wants, but ultimately chooses herself and what she needs. I like this AU so much that I did a follow-up fic (Here Comes the Sun, E) and I'm also planning a 30+ multi-chap fic tentatively titled "And If I Change My Mind" to be published hopefully in the next few months.

Valentine Bear (Rydoff, T)

Kristoff gets some unexpected help setting up the Peeps Valentine's Day display at Weselton's Grocery Store when Anna, the assistant manager--and Kristoff's best friend--assigns Ryder to assist. Will Anna's Cupid's arrow strike Kristoff's heart? Or will it knock him down, along with his display?

I had this idea of Kristoff playing with Peeps and using his fake voice to talk for them. Who else talks for Peeps? Ryder of course! It's such a fun concept and I loved writing for them so much that I wrote a short multi-chap sequel (Mint Jelly and Onion Jam). Oh, and I got to explore Anna & Kristoff as adorable best friends and Anna/Hans (Alive and Burning Brighter), also a first!

Behind Adjoined Doors (Kristanna, E)

After seeing her recently engaged ex at her cousin's wedding, Anna sneaks through the adjoining door of her hotel room to have meaningless sex with Kristoff - because it’s not possible to fall for someone you can’t stand, right?

I wrote this one for Smut Week and it still tickles me. Cocky Kristoff is just so... he's a bro. Sort of. At least it seems like he is. And Anna has to open her eyes (and her legs) to see the diamond in the rough hiding right next door.

What's up for 2023? I'm working on a Kristanna Valentine's Day fic (short multi-chap), finishing up All Tied Up and Head Over Feet. Chugging along with The Refugees, and my new upcoming long fic "And If I Change My Mind," set in the Bandana AU.

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Hi Kiko! Hope you're doing well!!

Just wanted to say that those miso butter cookies look DELICIOUSSS (and I totally didn't save the recipe for the chocolate version to try the next time I need a distraction when I get the urge to ✨️procrastinate✨️ something important)

I also had a really random thought but would Goinko, either Another level or Physical paradox ever own any pets? And if so which ones? I feel like Rinko would like both cats and dogs as pets.

Hi!!

The Chocolate Miso Butter Cookies are SO GOOD. Like, I've eaten almost all of them by myself 🙃🙃 They're delicious and addictive, and it's a problem. Especially because they're so easy to make 😭 I just tried making the mocha ones, so I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes 👀 There was some trial and error making the dough, so I'm hoping the first batch turns out okay. But I'm going to leave them to chill overnight!

As for if Goinko would ever own pets?? 🤔🤔🤔

Another Level

Rinko is definitely the kind of person who likes both cats and dogs! She liked the little white kitten she rescued, and she also loved the Divine Dogs 😊 The main reason she didn't keep the kitten she found was that she didn't have the time to take care of it, and she ended up giving it to a neighbor!

But I think if they had time now, I could definitely see them having a cat or dog! Gojo would probably be jealous if they ended up hogging time with Rinko, though 😂😂😂

OOOOHHH, I could definitely see there being a stray cat that starts popping up around Tokyo Tech's campus, though!!!! It could kinda just become the universal Jujutsu Tech cat 😂😂

Physical Paradox

So, they didn't have time for pets while they were in school. And when they were living separately, having a pet would have been extra difficult because they tried to visit each other so often. BUT I could see them getting a dog, or a cat that comes and goes, once they were living in the same city again! I don't really have pets in the story right now because it's already very difficult to manage so many characters 😅😅 The More the Merrier was challenging because I wanted to include more characters, but it was just too chaotic 😭😭

[laundrybiscuits]

Hi! Was wondering what your favourite books are. I absolutely love your writing and so I'm curious!

This is such a specifically flattering ask, thank you for sending it!

It's also quite a challenging thing to answer—I love so many books for so many different reasons. There are some that I adored passionately while reading but never intend to read again (e.g. Carmen Maria Machado's "In the Dream House") and there are some that I have read over and over again until reading them feels like tracing the lines on my own palm (e.g. Terry Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment").

But if I think about the books that have had the biggest impact on me...

This is cheating a bit, but Ted Chiang's "Stories of Your Life and Others" is a SF anthology that includes the short story basis for the movie Arrival. I love the short story enough that I have a deeply unpopular hatred of the movie and all the ways I think the adaptation fundamentally misunderstood the original tale. My frankly disproportionate vitriol towards Arrival has been seething unabated for years.

For sheer wordcraft, Ocean Vuong's poetry always knocks me out but "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" is, whew. It's something else. I mean, look at this:

Who will be lost in the story we tell ourselves? Who will be lost in ourselves? A story, after all, is a kind of swallowing. To open a mouth, in speech, is to leave only the bones, which remain untold. It is a beautiful country because you are still breathing.

James Baldwin is the absolute master of knife-sharp prose, and I'll always remember reading "Giovanni's Room" back-to-back with Mishima Yukio's "Confessions of a Mask." Hell of an experience.

Honorable mentions go to: Gu Byeong-Mo's "The Old Woman and the Knife," N.K. Jemisin's "The City We Became," Witi Ihimaera's "Pounamu Pounamu"...I'm sure I'm forgetting more, these are just the first titles that came to mind.

I'm a little hesitant about adding this, but I feel like I should also mention "Lolita," because reading that book made me realize the sheer skill involved in creating an unreliable narrator.

That dissonance between what the narrator was telling the reader and what was very clearly actually happening blew my mind, and it's something I've aspirationally echoed in my own work ever since, albeit with much more innocuous subject matter (and varying levels of narrator intentionality). I also legitimately think it made me a much sharper and more critically engaged reader, because we're not actually supposed to trust what we're being told.

However, I think that the way it's been taught and adapted has been highly irresponsible, and that puts it in a really difficult position. I really can't even recommend it per se because it's so tough to disentangle from the stunningly bad takes that have dogged it since its very first publication.

I first read it on my own with no context when I was maybe 15 or 16, just picked it up from the library because it was marked as a classic (and I'd been reading a lot of Russian lit at the time, so I assumed a name like Nabokov would be more of the same). It was quite a shock to me years later when I learned that it's frequently been billed as a story of "forbidden love." Even to my teenage self, it seemed so incredibly obvious that this was a story about someone trying and failing to justify some of the worst actions imaginable.

"Lolita" is one of those cases where I feel like Death of the Author is not the best or most appropriate framework. Nabokov was extremely clear that it is not a romance, and I personally think his intent is pretty unambiguous within the text itself. However, people have inarguably misused the book to cause harm by presenting it as a romance, and that's impossible to ignore. No, the book itself is not inherently responsible for that harm, but it has become so enmeshed in that history that I don't know if there's a way to separate it out from its warped popular image. I still think the actual text is a stunning achievement as a work of art, and I can't deny the immense impact it's had on me both as a reader and as a writer, but...the cultural mismanagement makes it complicated to love.

[italoniponic]

I've been thinking a lot recently (which is never a good thing!) about who would be the MC's "besties" or first friends if they didn't meet Ace and Deuce first at Night Raven College. And since you are one of my favorite people for TWST stuff and I enjoy hearing your thoughts, I wanted to share it with you like I normally do. 😁

I'll go in order of dorms and start with Heartsabyul because it may actually keep me on track. I can't imagine anyone else from Heartsabyul aside from Ace and Deuce, but if I *had* to pick someone I could see being MC's first friend at NRC, I think I would be Riddle, honestly. He'd see this pitiful, lost, magic-less student and view it as a challenge to prove how capable he is. He'd not only educate you about NRC, but about Twisted Wonderland itself too. He'd tutor you in classes (for extra credit or maybe just for his own pride) and make sure you abide by all rules. You're basically an honorary Heartsabyul student by the end of the first semester and Grim has been collared four times a week since ya'll first started. You never have a problem with bullies because if someone so much as looks at you wrong, it's off with their head. You are invited to every Unbirthday party and expected at all croquet matches. Ace and Deuce still wind up taking a liking to you and you're able to convince Riddle not to punish them. Trey is used to your presence by now and whenever he sees you in the halls and you appear lonely, he'll come over and tell you Riddle could use some company and you're sent on your way to him.

For Savanaclaw I was a little torn on who to pick. I like the idea of you started to hang out with Ruggie because you run into him all the time when he's handling errands for Leona. But Jack just barely beats Ruggie out for title of "first friend". I think with you both being first years and you being totally lost, this lone wolf would feel bad and you'd essentially become part of his pack. Of course, Grim stresses him out severely... but you accompany him on an occasional run and he sees you in the bleachers at every game. He's over at Ramshackle more than he's at his own dorm.

Next up, my favorite Octatrio. You can't tell me that Floyd wouldn't start picking on you for his own amusement. A magicless human from another world- definitely a novelty. You'd get so used to Floyd's antics and how he'd track you down wherever you were, that eventually you just started looking for him in between classes and would call out to him. And that is how you meet Jade; after confusing the two (since you didn't even know there were two), Jade asks how you know Floyd and you're just like "he's me friend :)" which shocks the usully unshocked eel because from what Floyd has told his brother about you, you basically never have a moment of rest. Jade then takes an interest and from that point on, anyone who has a bone to pick you has to answer to the Leech twins. Azul however, misses his hench-fish. Please hang out at the lounge so Floyd will at least pretend to work.

For Scarabia, it's 100% Kalim who befriends you first, but Jamil comes later (and reluctantly). I think Kalim would find you shortly after the opening/orientation ceremony (whatever it's called- Swimmy is drawing blanks) and introduce himself and immediately declare yourselves best buddies- and Grim. He adores Grim. You're basically at Scarabia every day after classes (sometimes against your will because you can't so no to Kalim's puppy dog eyes), and this is how Jamil grows to tolerate you. You pay attention to him separately from Kalim and he's not used to it. Ramshackle also gets updated with some nicer furniture and decorations because Kalim wants to make sure your dorm is comfortable too. It is not uncommon for Kalim to come bursting through the door of Ramshackle with Jamil in tow and drag you and Grim to another celebration at Scarabia. Jamil- not that he'd ever admit it -finds himself looking for you whenever you're not with him and Kalim. He feels at peace when things grow quiet and he notices that you and Kalim have both fallen asleep on the cushions in the dorm.

Pomefiore was also difficult. I believe Epel would be the first one you bonded with. He feels like he can be himself with you. Surprisingly, you're allowed to sleep over at the dorms pretty often, although Vil often threatens to separate you two because you're up all night and YOU NEED BEAUTY SLEEP YOU POTATOES- anyways... somehow or another, Rook winds up hanging out with you two a lot. Nobody knows why. But it isn't uncommon for Vil to walk into a room while the three of you are getting into to something and getting instantly suspicious. Vil basically adopts you and treats you and Epel like his babies... which basically means Vil is a pageant mom.

For Ignihyde, you're only getting Ortho. He'll force Idia to meet you later on, but you and Ortho meet while he's handling something for Ignihyde and you just think he's so cute and adorable. You'd steal him as your own brother if you could. It's a strange sight to see the three of you; the robot, the magicless human, and a cat monster. But you three get along well- mainly because Ortho always bring treats for Grim. Idia watches through a Webcam sometimes and finds himself considering you a "friend" even though ya'll probably don't even meet until almost a year into you being in Twisted Wonderland.

And lastly, Diasomnia. It's Malleus- I bet nobody saw that one coming *sarcasm*. 😂 You meet him the same way you do in thr storyline, just much earlier. You two remain secret friends and meet nightly until he finally invites you to Diasomnia for dinner or something. From that night on, you're an honary Diasomnia member. Sebek starts hanging around you to "make sure you're not a threat to the young master!!!" but finds himself enjoying your conversations- and no he isn't blushing!!! Silver seeks you out and naps while you're doing homework or reading. You always wake him when it's time to go and he appreciates it a lot. Lilia adores you and is so excited his boys have made a friend. And I know I said that basically nobody would mess with you if Riddle or the twins were you friends... but having these 4 as your first friends... yeah, you probably won't even make other friends. 😂 You're well protected. Not even Grim can piss anyone off anymore, he's protected too.

Now I wanna ask! Who do you think would be the MC's first friends if not Ace and Deuce? And/or who would you want to meet first in Twisted Wonderland??? Personally, I'd enjoy meeting Malleus first or the twins.

- Swimmy (I need to get a life) 🏊‍♀️

SWIMMY YOUR MIND IS A CAVE OF WONDERS DON'T BE AFRAID OF THINKING TOO MUCH AND SHARING IT WITH ME <333

well, that's being said... I loved all your takes <3 as always, really lovely, funny and wholesome! Idk what would be the best friends options for MC if wasn't Ace and Deuce so, I'll talk about me personally. Maybe some of our points get in agreements lol

I - Heartslabyul

starting in a interesting point of view, I would probably stumble into Cater and/or Trey first. I'm a huge introvert and I have this power of attracting extroverts so, I feel like Cater would be super interested about my situation + my introversion. Kinda like Idia lol he would try and make plans for me to socialize and befriend Heartslabyul before anyone

weird statement ahead: Trey have so much "my dad" vibes to him, sometimes too literally. I can imagine me being lost at some place in the castle, running into him and having the biggest "pls, help me" eyes someone ever gave him. Trey would inform me the right way to go and in these small meet ups, he invites me to Heartslabyul to eat something. I'm the absolute stan of his bakery skills~

Riddle, Deuce and Ace would come with time and the follow ups of the main story, I think

II - Savanaclaw

as much I love Jack, we are two introvert idiots and wouldn't talk to each other until someone present us or some mild accident happen and we sort of interact. We have different "lone wolf" vibes. So I feel like, I would befriend Ruggie first

probably I saw him during a errand and offered some help, which he appreciate tons. Ruggie seems easy to talk to, he would laugh at how surprised I look at anything and how I'm so quiet in the beginning. Best case scenario, Jack saw Ruggie struggling with a basket of Leona's dirty clothes and we both run into him at the same time. Ruggie make the presentations and drops the basket so we both carry it while he can relax his arms for a while. Awkwardness arises but we start talking about Ruggie and... oh look at that, a friend?!

Leona took sometime to get used to me coming and going to Savanaclaw. He was the one who looked at me (and based about what Ruggie told him) and pointed, kinda mindlessly "so this is the little kitty-cat you two, bug brains, adopted?"

III - Octavinelle

Floyd as a best friend was a good take! So him! I fully agree. But... what if was Azul instead? He would be very curious about my situation, a poor unfortunate girl living in a abandoned dorm. Maybe she needs a good hand? that can trick her into a contract

but I'm like Jamil 2.0 with him. I love Azul tons but I don't like people going straight to me, especially appearing out of nowhere and scaring me (which is very easy to do and do horrible things with my overall humor). So, he would try to find things to make a organic interaction happen. Do you need new glasses? Medicine for your rhinitis? Mind to try fancy food? Maybe work at Mostro Lounge for money?

I think with the right words and acts, he would win me over. Not for a contract tho, I'll terrible afraid to sign any compromisse idk much of. The tweels are like a McDonald's double gift. The perks of having me as a friend is that, I would protect Azul's integrity from Jade and Floyd... just to mess with him myself sometimes. We are both members of "adjusting your glasses omniously anime-style" (Idia's words)

IV - Scarabia

Kalim. There's no other way. And yes, it's opening ceremony! He would see me walking around the halls, all alone and lost, and invite me for four different banquets in a row just in case. He's very friendly and his smile is something difficult to deny. I'm doomed in this sunshine boy's hands <3

befriending Jamil is only a matter of time. I feel like we relate a lot so, as much fun I would have with Kalim, I would almost pass out next to Jamil and mumble, more to myself than him, "oh God, I hate parties so much" and this picks his interest, just a bit

we all definitely talk a lot in all own ways, having each one of them by my side is a different experience but I manage to stay true to myself all the time and in which Kalim thinks I'm very unique to hang out with, Jamil reassures himself that maybe we're more similar than he first thought

Jamil would have one of those "wait, are we friends???" when I give him a gift and I'm like "yea? uh, if you're too uncomfortable with that, I'll understand..." "NO! I- I mean, sure. friends..." Kalim just jumping in the background "YAY~!"

V - Pomefiore

Epel too in my notes. It's a specially horrible day for him, he is at the apple trees area almost next to Ramshackle, almost crying, I awkwardly goes to him and offer some support. We try not to worry one another in this and Epel is like "no... its okay" when I offer him a cup of coffee (hospitality 100 points!). Meanwhile, I'm thinking how I want to find whoever made this poor boy cry and kick this person into a hill

I would go into a big experience of wanting to adopt Epel as my son and as I get to know him better, looking at him as a equal. We absolutely bond over shit-talking Vil and some of Pomefiore's extreme ideals (once in a while, talking about some good things too some times). The best part? We both are the most feral creatures deep down so when one has a anger attack, the other has one too and there's this... connection between us. Epel offers to always cut apples to me bc my knife abilities are for stabbing people, not fruits (he gets overly concerned about I cut apples and honestly? i don't blame him)

Rook will introduce himself uninvited and gets along with me before I even understands. One of my weak points is that I like weirdly funny people... he uses this weakness against me.

Vil and me have a mutual bond of disliking each other, but if he's in a good humor, he may not look too much at my dry skin and refrain himself of trying to bring me to the "skincare side of the Force". Maybe I'm too much like Leona and that another annoying thing about me lol

VI - Ignihyde

if isn't Ortho going out of his way to befriend me, I don't think anyone from Ignihyde would dare go near me (is the disadvantage of all us being introverts, we don't talk to each other). Maybe was accidentally, maybe is bc I was in front of Ignihyde's mirror thinking if I should take a look at them or not... I don't want to bother anyone... then Ortho comes up like "oh, you want to see my dorm? Come, I'll show you!" and drags me in

TOTALLY shows me to Idia and is the voice of the talk for good long weeks until Idia mumbles his first complete sentence to me and I reply a complete sentence as well, getting more used to this new ambience. I hunt down for Grim the moment Ortho talks about how Idia likes cats (girl needs to have a subject to talk about)

we all grow into one big alliance with game nights, anime marathons and manga reading time. Grim only likes the first one (bc its more interesting)

VII - Diasomnia

the biggest chance is that I befriend both Malleus and Lilia first in my humble opinion. Malleus are this creepy guy with horns that appears sometimes at night and I try at least to offer him coffee but we talk more each time; Lilia scared me off by accident one day. He wanted to prank Sebek but I came in instead. Since my reaction was very amusing, he started to talk more with me... then I discovered that Malleus and Lilia not only know each other but for the longest time, and I'm like "I should had seeing that coming"

Lilia is that kind of dad who would try to set me up either with Malleus or Silver. Sebek maybe for the comedy potential lol I feel like my personality fits more the Diasomnia crew so I'll would feel at home

imagine, spending nights talking about gargoyles with Malleus, Silver's sleeping at my shoulder, Lilia made dangerous inedible cookies and Sebek is at my other side, grumpy as he can be (and Silver and me occasionally tease him a little, the first not knowing it and me most of the time on purpose)

[special addition of mine~]

VIII - RSA

in terms of story and possibilities, Chenya would be the first one to befriend me. Maybe I was walking around Heartslabyul and saw his head floating around, our eyes meet and I'm split between "oh God, a cat boy" and "OMG A HEAD"

either way, he smiles and starts talking more with me. Definitely shows more at NRC for me and to see Riddle and Trey. If we are all together, even better! I love cats oh so much <333

Neige would also be instant friendship, most like Kalim. He's like a angel I just ran into and we share apples, smiles and the world feels like a cottagecore, I'm spinning around the school with him by my side. I don't even look like my gloomy self anymore, he fills me with so much joy and wholesome feelings~ Gran is my favorite dwarf, he get each other like anyone would

[...]

Thank you again for these interesting headcanons, Swimmy! I had a lot of fun imagining all of them <3 pls if you have something more to share, you're always welcomed in my inbox! we talked so much that I practically feel like we're friends too~

me everytime someone talks to me more than three times and we have fun:

if you are reading this and you have your own First Best Friend type of headcanons, pls feel free to share with us too <3

[justplainwhump]

BBU Community Days: Inspiration

Day 6: How did you find the BBU, and how did you go down the rabbit hole? Are there any particular writers, characters or stories that inspired your journey? @bbu-on-the-side

So, full disclosure - I was "there" when it started, but I tended to avoid it. Heavy dehumanisation and conditioning aren't usually my cup of tea, so in the beginning I acknowledged the trend but didn't like it much. Tiny exception was Kauri by @ashintheairlikesnow because I just love Ash's writing and characters regardless of which tropes she includes 🥰

Then, I started roleplaying with @hackles-up , something that was probably thought to be a one shot, Dany and Ridley; and it included her Guard Dog character B. Moose, I never told you, but for a moment there I was afraid I couldn't rp it for too long because of the conditioning aspect.

However, something unexpected happened. Like Dany, I absolutely fell for B. I binged everything on him of Moose's writing that was available, then Ash's writing with him, too, and fell for the worldbuilding, the psychology behind the training, the omnipresence and systemised cruelty of WRU. I adore Ash's characters within BBU, first Connor Manning and Luke Petrus, but also everyone else from Karen Renford down to Boost the maintenance pet.

While Moose and I developed the story of B, Dany and Ridley, I carefully tiptoed into my own BBU writing with introducing Ira (here's my first post for her), and was discovered by @angst-after-dark who loved Ira and challenged and motivated me to dive deeper into her story and that universe.

I wrote Mark and Gemma get a Pet, a short novella on Ira's story, the first long thing I ever finished, because I was cheered on by a growing group of whump mutuals, @gottawhump, @winedark-whump among others, who created amazing BBU stories at the same time and were always down for discussions and support.

I realized Mark and Gemma is a good story in its own right, not exclusively for the whump, and I think that was the final moment where I had been entirely down the rabbit hole and found purpose here - and I definitely intend to stay.

And to be honest, another thing that proved to me that I've found a good place is each and everyone of the blogs I've interacted with, everyone with you I've ever had a worldbuilding discussion with and whose stories I've read. Thank you so much to everyone out here, and stay wonderful! 🥰

[runicmagitek]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Oh my goodness, this is so sweet, anon 🥺 I've been having a rough weekend and feeling really self-conscious about my ability/worth as a writer, so this was well-timed and genuinely made me smile. Thank you for sending this!

Ho boy, it's tough to narrow down the to my top five favorite fics, because I have a lot of fics. I love all of them for one reason or another, so this is difficult lol. That said, here's my attempt at a top five, in no particular order.

What Leads You Here A post-canon deep dive into Keitaro's and Natsuno's trauma and how they mourn what they lost and learn to heal and move on together. It picks up immediately where the game ends and explores numerous things I love, from worldbuilding to slice-of-life interactions to delicious angst to heavy hurt with equally heavy comfort. I'm really proud of how I was able to write and edit and post a 214k fic within roughly two years. I put a massive amount of research into this along with using a lot of my own personal experiences and am REALLY happy that those who stuck around til the end thoroughly enjoyed the ride. This story will always have a special place in my heart.

The Lies We Tell Ourselves It's very difficult for me to talk about this fic without ruining the entire game. But I came up with this idea and wrote/edited it within roughly four days?? Like it possessed me and I couldn't focus on anything else until I wrote it. BJ and his journey is extremely heartwrenching and just thinking about what he might have come across and how he handled any of that (or didn't) felt like a story worth exploring. It also has some of my favorite lines I've written in recent years, especially the second to last scene.

The Wings That You Burn Holy shit, I cried a lot when I worked on this fic. It's a Celes-centric fic from Sabin's POV during the start of World of Ruin. I love VI, but in retrospect, I wish Celes was given more time to heal after everything that happened at the Solitary Island. And with Sabin being one of the first people she finds, he's the perfect character to remind her she deserves to live, no matter what.

Burning Bright Yet another fic that made me cry while working on it (this is a trend - I love me some angst). I love Steiner and his friendship with Vivi and (much like Celes in VI) I was really sad there wasn't any like, touch base with Vivi after everything that happened with Black Waltz 3 and the South Gate incident. Trauma and healing are core themes that keep cropping up in my stories, which probably says a lot about myself more than anything lolsob but honestly, I really love seeing characters support one another, despite it all. And I'm genuinely thrilled so many readers said this felt like a missing scene straight out of the game, too.

Long Journey Home You guessed it - this fic also tore out my heart while writing it. There's a reason it's tagged as "sad with a happy ending". Kentucky Route Zero is such a profoundly tragic game and exploring the possibilities of Ezra's past in this fic really hit close to home for me. That and weaving in magical realism and devising fantastical situations were such a fun challenge. This also contains my favorite passage I've ever written (and I very clearly remember needing to get up and walk off the feels for at least five minutes after I wrote this damn line):

She patted his head, much like how he patted the dog’s head. When she left, Ezra stayed and listened to the water carry them elsewhere. He thought of the people he met and those who stayed and those who didn’t and if anyone ever cried for the ghosts of who he used to be.

[moonlightperseus]

911 Characters + dogs you think they should own

okay im sooo sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this but i wanted to really mull it over and i've been thinking about it a lot and i've come up with a basic list for the main chars (+ a few that are Main In My Heart) i've paired off the canon couples since they would be getting the dog together.

bobby (and athena, but i'm putting bobby specifically because athena is allergic to dogs and thus this is His dog) - Chinese crested dog (i originally was debating between bichon and toy poodle but then i saw the error of my ways) bobby rescues this older, a little bit in need of some tlc chinese crested and it's perfect because they're a pretty hypoallergenic breed (the hairless ones at least, which is what bobby rescues), athena is hesitant about the dog at first,

henren - golden retriever / mix, i know they had a smaller dog in the past but personally i think they should have a medium/large dog next, a rescue who is a little older (past puppyhood/young adult bc hooo boy you don’t need a puppy and a baby at the same time), idk if it’s a full golden or a mixed breed with some golden in it but it’s a very even tempered fluffy dog who’s a total sweetheart (if sometimes a little stubborn about moving… i’m not speaking from any person experience what are you talking about)

madney - staffy mix, okay i’m giving credit to maddie (@thebuckley-hans) for getting me on the madney getting a staffy agenda and also the wonderful staffy mix at my work who is an ANGEL. again they rescue a little older of a dog (bc i am NOT subjecting my blorbos to puppy & young child i’m not doing that!!!! getting a puppy when you have a baby is a trend that needs to die out imo <3 why would you subject yourself to that On Purpose)

bonus for madney - i also think they should get a boston terrier, maybe a little later when jee is a little more grown up, bc hooo boy bostons can be fucking wild but i have a soft spot for bostons and also THE madney ep... boston... yeah

eddie - english bulldog. this is based on approx nothing except for the fact that we had our bulldog regular, George, at work recently and i thought it would be funny if eddie somehow ended up with a bulldog and i’ve been stuck on this concept ever since

buck - irish wolfhound. this is absolutely me projecting my captivation on the breed that ive had for so long (my original want for him was a newfoundland, for uh, similar reasons, but i feel soooooo bad putting on in california) i just think he should have a Real Big Dog (as @scattered-winter has put it, a dog that could just lie on him and be like a weighted blanket)

ravi - okay i have two VERY different vibes for ravi that i cannot decide between. one is a border collie, theyre... very intense but i think he would go all in on the training, it might be a little challenging with his long shifts though, they dont do well with being left alone/boredom but he could have a pettsitter situation. now on the COMPLETE OPPOSITE END OF THE SPECTRUM, i could also see ravi with a little spoiled purse dog, i'm thinking lhasa apso? (am i biased bc one of my dogs is supposedly 20% lhasa, maybe) i think he would would dote on that dog sooo hard and spoil her and she have little spa days and maybe her and bobby's dogs are friends......

lucy - shetland sheepdog. i cannot explain it but i got it in my head of her having sheltie(s) and its stuck like glue. she just has the Sheltie Person Vibe I CANT EXPLAIN IT

may - mixed breed as a bonus i think may should have a scruffy lil mixed breed, not small small but like medium small. just a scrungley guy (maybe a cairn terrier mix?)

okay yeah!! i think this is it!! apologies again for the long ass ramble and the delayed response but i thought about this a lot and im just!!! thank you for this ask!!!

[20dollarlolita]

30 day lolita challenge, day 5)

I'm doing a lolita challenge from 2011. Tag is "20dollarlolita 30daylorlolita challenge" in case you want to black list or follow.

Today is 10 things from your wishlist.

Last year, I got Tailor's Bear and Typewriting Squirrels, which were the last two of my real dream dresses, so this one's a little bit tougher to nail down. I don't do dream dresses, because I feel like that allows me to justify spending way more money on a dress than I normally would. Considering that I have a wide variety of different interests, my hobby budget isn't as big for lolita as some other people's is, so no dream dresses is one of my rules.

But let's shoot and see what we hit. A running theme is going to be "things that I owned and then sold.":

1, This Bodyline piano print. So I got into lolita fashion immediately before being diagnosed with a life-changing lifelong mental illness, and somehow my life got separated into a Before and After of that. There's this tiny little part of my lolita fashion life that was in the Before, and buying this JSK (and matching bag) was one of those Before things. It was also the first lolita item that I sold (to help a friend pay for a dog's vet bill), and I've wanted it back ever since.

2, This weird thing Meta made. I love punk influence and this is one of those things.

3, More embroidered things. I do machine embroidery and digitizing, and I love looking at how things are digitized. I also love the textural element of embroidery versus printing.

4, Shantung Shirring Princess. I once owned regular Shirring Princess, which I traded for something stupid that I immediately regretted and later accidentally destroyed. I want regular shirring princess back to atone for my sins, but the satin version with the chiffon bustle really calls to me. *checks notes* *checks fabric stash* Wait, I have like...20 yards of silk shantung...I'm going to...uh. I'll be back in a couple days.

5, Lolita pajamas and room wear. I can't wear lolita at work but I kind of want to wear it when I sleep. Possibly the very first lolita thing that I ever owned was GLB 21 and there was a pattern for room wear. I've never made that pattern but i really should.

6, Pieces made of less common fabrics. More brocades and velvets and pleather and shiny satin and stuff.

7, I currently have one lolita coat that I've had since like 2011 (another item from The Before, got some very distinct memories of sleeping under that coat because it got cold and I was afraid to tell Housing that it was literally freezing in my room. I wore it when I went to take pictures of nature for the photography class that I failed that term). Here I am wearing it at a 2015 new year's day bonfire. I also wore it to the Bay Area Kei tea party, because it was raining. Every time that it's cold, I have to build a coord around this coat, because it is the only coat I have. I want more. I want more coats. I also once saw an amazing handmade green lolita rain coat and I want that coat, too. I'll never get that coat, but I want that coat. (Also I should probably get some normie coats, because every time it gets cold enough to need a full coat, I have to wear a lolita coord, because this is literally the only coat I own).

8, More prints of cats doing things they shouldn't be doing. Not going to get more specific. Cats being bad, cats being bad at being cats. I want cats doing stuff. Singing in the rain. On a piano. At a tea party. Breaking shit. I need cats.

9, Fat Happy Meal. I LOVE the colors and the way they work with each other, especially the waist ties and the two-tone lace. I also like that the chicken nuggets are wearing santa hats. Also just more savory lolita.

10. I would absolutely love to own a dress that was handmade by someone else. I think that would just be incredibly cool.

[reasonoptional]

Hey how's it going, handsome?

Can you put together your top 5 Sanderson's oeuvres? Can be top 7, if needed, but no more than 10. Okay, 15 tops.

Or bette

This is hard to answer, because I just love his stuff the Cosmere so much. First, why the cross-out?

The Alcatraz series didn't make much of an impact. I suppose it would have been so much better if I had read them in 8th grade, but he hadn't written them then. I mean they're funny, but it's just not my thing (plus, my mom was a librarian, and she's definitely not into world domination. That I know of)

Same for the Cytoverse series, I suppose. I really did like one aspect of it (the humans' position in the universe, won't get more spoilerful than that), but on the whole, reading it when younger is better.

But now on to the stuff I did like and read several times, in order:

Warbreaker: the first book of his that I've read, and a great intro to the wider Cosmere, even if you don't know what that is. The one thing that struck me from the beginning was how scientifically it approaches magic, without lessening it. All the characters are sympathetic and multidimensional, even the psycho murderers. Plus, the god Lightsong is one of my favorite characters ever, up there with Sam Vimes from the Discworld. Gotta love a god who's skeptical of his own religion.

Elantris: Hooked on the first page, and the premise is fantastic: there is a city where (certain) people live like gods, surrounded by light and harmony and power, forever. And then ten years ago it all went to shit, and now Raoden needs to fix it, while his intended wife has no idea he's dead (it's complicated), and the militant religion from the neighborhood empire is stirring up a whole new batch of shit.

I had written several paragraphs about each of the Mistborn series (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages) but then decided that it's too spoilery, so I'll just put the whole first series as a whole: an evil power threatened the world, and a hero rose up to challenge it. He failed, and now, a thousand years later, the bad guy is still emperor of the planet. A crew of magically empowered thieves decide to rob him. Features well-rounded, fucked-in-the-head characters, a complex magic system, two more magic systems in the sequels because of course it does, warring gods, shape shifters, and a surprisingly tender love story.

Yes, we've had Mistborn, but what about second Mistborn? Well, Sanderson has got us covered, v with the Wax and Wayne series (The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning, The Lost Metal): three hundred years after the conclusion of the first series, most of the characters have become mythological/religious figures, and the world has progressed technologically, so where the first one was fantasy-standard medieval(-ish), the second is roughly Victorian-level, with the protagonist Wax (a descendant of one of the original heist crew) being a law keeper out in the wilds and a less-than-perfect gentleman in the city. Since the world's deity situation changed, it follows that we get a brand new magic system. As per the norm, great characters (including a very well written and well-treated neurodivergent one), more secrets, more immortal shapeshifters (Soonie pups are this world's Teddy bears, inspired by a dog-shaped one from the first series (who is still around and amused by the toys)) and also there's Wayne, who according to Sanderson was not written; he just showed up one day, stole a hat and started making bad jokes.

Mistborn: Secret History answers up some of the questions the first two series pose, and clarifies very little. But we do get to see the Lord Ruler being condescending post-mortem, and somebody gets punched in a very satisfying manner.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell: admittedly I read this only because of the title, but it was worth it: an exploration of what kind of people live in a grim world, where the souls of the dead wander about mindlessly... until you break the Simple Rules, and then they kill you. Strong female protagonist, gloomy world building.

Sixth of the Dusk: a story about colonialism from the native perspective, about self-reliance as an individual and as a people, and the toll it takes to live in symbiosis with a telepathic bird. Confirmed to take place late in the game, as the colonizers came in magically powered starships from the planet Mistborn takes place on.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: another love story, with pleasant characters, intricate world building (twice), complex plot that Painter doesn't know is supposed to have a bad ending. Brando Sando stated that he wanted to write about having a bullshit 9-to-5 job in a magical universe, and this was the result. Features Design, a lovely young lady who is neither young nor a lady, and everybody seems surprised by it (despite the fact that she repeatedly points out she is not human)

And the best for last, the Stormlight Archive (The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Oathbringer, The Rhythm of War, and not soon enough Wind and Truth). A huge series, almost halfway done, and huge in scope and complexity. Dozens of viewpoint characters, none of whom is mentally fine (with one exception, but Adolin is also getting his trauma in future books, mark my words). Incredible world building (again), complex magic system (again), several plots going on at the same time (again), less-than-perfect deities (again), and an interesting exploration of gender roles, not in the way you imagine (oh you like reading? You're either a woman or a pervert). The main point of the series so far seems to be that magic will solve problems, but you have to solve your problems yourself. Oh, and Shardblades are confirmed to exist because Sanderson wanted big-ass anime swords.

White Sand and The Dark One are both graphic novel series, but I haven't read them yet. But they're probably very good.

As for the non-Cosmere works, The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England is hilarious (and scifi).

[edit the next day] I completely forgot about the Reckoners series, which should tell you everything you need to know about my feelings towards it.

[slusheeduck]

Fic Writer Interview

Nabbed this from @thana-topsy, and I'm tagging @im-fairly-whitty and @sheepwithspecs!

----

How many works do you have on AO3?

42

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

670,970

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In reverse order:

The Liberties You're Taking - my prequel fic for Coco

Duty-Bound - A Victuuri royal arranged marriage AU I wrote out of spite

Casual Banter - My fictober/one-shot anthology for BG3

Puppy-Dog Eyes - A missing scene one-shot of how Hector and Miguel entered the music contest

The Way You Keep Me Guessing - The Coco Teacher!AU I wrote with @im-fairly-whitty

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

Sometimes! Depends on my mood--I get in "I need to say thank you to every comment or I WILL die" moods sometimes, and then others I don't respond to anything unless there's a question/comment that bears responding to.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I've got a good few--I'm a sucker for a good bittersweet ending. A lot of times, like with Liberties and Time and Circumstance, the angst factor comes from knowing how the story ends in canon. Probably the angstiest writing was And Therewithal I Cut My Hair.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Probably Teacher AU. Literally everything tied up neatly for the happiest ending possible.

7. Do you write crossovers?

The Ruy stories (from Villain AU, which I worked with Wit on but he ultimately wrote) were a crossover with PatF, but otherwise not really. I think about it sometimes with various fandoms tho.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Uhh, not really unless you count my pre-AO3 days when a guy gave me a dressing down over a fic I was begging people to read when I was 13 and didn't know what I was doing. (Grateful to that guy, in the end! I learned how to format properly out of spite.) I did have one person come in to all my Frozen fics and rewrite them in the comments on ffnet, though. Not hate, but...strange.

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

I just wrote my first full smut scene in a fic and I'm still recovering.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not stolen, but one person did rewrite a fic I've written to be more angsty.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I...think someone translated Teacher AU, but I can't remember fully.

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

Oh just a few.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Honestly, at the end of the day, probably Victuuri. I've had other ships, but the 30 day challenge I did for them was one of the most fun things I've written.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Oh, I don't know. Probably my Gravity Falls fic or my Iduna/Agnarr Frozen backstory. I still have those guys percolating in my head and periodically want to come back to them, but I have so many other projects.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue dialogue dialogue. I thrive with that, and my stuff frequently ends up being people sitting and talking for a whole chapter. No one's complained yet tho.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Endings. I always struggle with ending things, and there's a few fics where when I reread them (because I'm a big fan of reading my own fics, since that bitch writes exactly what I want to read) that I just straight up do not read the last chapter because I hate it so much.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do this with reckless abandon and I do not apologize ever. Sometimes I translate, sometimes I leave it to context clues.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Nightmare Before Christmas

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I'd love to write some Bloodweave one of these days, but alas, it would have to be for an ask or something.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

My favorite fic is always the one that I'm currently working on, so currently it's this one. But for long-term staying power, probably these ones (in no particular order):

The Liberties You're Taking

And Therewithal I Cut My Hair

The Merchant And The Toad King

Reset

Like Daylight Fading As Dusk Spreads