#fanfic analysis

[betweenxt-the-lines]

Fic Analysis: Found in the Crack of Your Palm

Disclaimer: This analysis will contain SPOILERS. I encourage you to read the one-shot first before reading this post.

Read the fanfic here, and don't forget to leave kudos and comments to the author, @the-furthest-city-light! It's a very good time, to the point of inspiring me into writing ovo

................

The main draw that I had with this fanfic in the first place is that it characterizes Luffy as demisexual. His and Zoro's relationship is cleverly paced and built up from their small, bite-sized scenarios that capture the slow but eventual realization and admittance of his romantic feelings to Zoro.

While the one-shot is divided in several different scenes spanning many settings, The scenes in the crow’s nest with Luffy and Zoro are the most vital scenes of the fanfic. We see that throughout the story, only these two characters are shown to frequent the crow's nest. It's also the only place in the story where Zoro and Luffy allow for their vulnerability and openness to shine through, making this the location of Luffy's "checkpoint" where he reflects on his feelings and overall progress of his relationship with Zoro.

Being unaware of his feelings

When first introduced to the crow’s nest, Luffy at this point has made small notices that he’s been paying attention to Zoro in a way he’s not done with another person. In the scene before, Luffy was focused on Zoro’s physical features for the first time and he notes that it bubbles up a strange reaction inside of him.

... Zoro lying against the mast, the tender underbelly of him exposed. It does weird things to Luffy’s chest, makes his skin feel tight. His palms tingle, an itch beneath his skin to – to – 

Luffy stops his line of thinking by engaging in usual Luffy shenanigans (shooting a fish with a canon) to distract himself. Going back to Luffy and Zoro's scene in the crow’s nest, Luffy also catches the way the moon illuminates and paints Zoro’s features. Both of these scenarios points the start of his interest in Zoro. However, he too unaware of this behaviour to notice a shift within himself, and easily gives in to distractions. After staring at Zoro and taking in the night sky, Luffy comments,

“It’s pretty”, Luffy says when he’s done looking at the stars

But for someone who was just done looking at the stars, he’s paying an awful amount of more attention and focus on the way Zoro looks. Zoro’s features were intentionally described in more length, indicative of the amount of attention that Luffy was giving to them. By comparison, there was not a single description of the star’s beauty in the night sky. This made me believe that Luffy was unaware about how he’s using the stars as a cover for the feelings that he has not (for now) discovered. Luffy no doubt finds the stars to be beautiful, but he does not realize that he's not quite referring to the stars, but to Zoro. Checkpoint one in Luffy's relationship with Zoro displays that he's started to notice things about Zoro, something that he does not do for others.

Two crucial moments and the slow realization

By the second time we are privy to the events in the crow’s nest, Luffy had experienced two big events that caused a turning point with his development and realization about his feelings: the battle at Whiskey Peak, and the Battle with the Marines. Both of these scenarios forced Luffy to realize that he likes Zoro differently from how he likes his other close friends and family, putting him a step closer to finding out that his feelings may not be entirely platonic. I want to discuss each turning point in great detail because they provide the push Luffy needed to complete his realization, which he will then be reflecting and pondering on in the crow’s nest.

In the battle of Whiskey Peak, Luffy for the first time faces Zoro as an enemy. Luffy has always known that Zoro enjoys his battles, but he also gains another understanding with the way he fights. When the swordsman battles, he gives his utmost focus and attention to his enemy.

After Whiskey Peak he’s almost—he’s almost jealous, of the people Zoro fights.  Not because he wants to fight Zoro, but because Zoro affords all his focus to those he fights, the whole entire strength of him.

Luffy realizes that he likes being given that attention and admits that he is jealous of the people Zoro fights. Even for a small moment, Luffy gets a preview of what it is like to be Zoro’s everything, and he desperately craves that feeling again. Their skirmish ended with Luffy gaining a scar on his bicep that he is fond of because the scar is a proof of Zoro's connection with him, almost like he now as a part of Zoro. Luffy becomes more drawn to his swordsman as he now realizes what it will be like to be his only focus.

He notices that Zoro only shaves once a week, but by day five his stubble is visible and by day six it starts bugging him. … He notices Zoro doesn’t touch him, but he lets Luffy pull him along without much complaint.  So he finds himself yanking Zoro into his space at the dining table or pulling him along across Merry’s deck to show him cool stuff or hugging him one-sidedly like it’s the most natural thing in the world. If he’s really, really lucky, then Zoro will turn to look at him with this smile that he only gives Luffy.  And always, always, when Zoro looks at him with that smile, his eyes soften in a way that fills Luffy up to the brim, so full he can’t breathe.  It’s weird. Luffy likes it.  He likes Zoro in general.

At this point of the story, Luffy is much more deliberate with paying attention to the little details of  Zoro, signifying that he’s now aware of how much his eyes shift to his swordsman. He starts to find small excuses to continuously touch and be around him, realizing that he likes Zoro. Based on what we’ve seen of Luffy so far, it is hard to say he's referring to a romantic “like”, but it is not a stretch to believe that Zoro has gained his interest in a way that other people did not. He clues in that Zoro makes him feel strange, but he likes this feeling that Zoro gives him. Luffy even makes an attempt with sharing this discovery.

I don’t mind,” Luffy tells him, and stuffs his mouth full of a ham hock.  He is so glad they have Sanji on the crew now.  “Zoro can touch me."

The second turning point comes with the battle with the Marines. The fight is well-paced, carrying the right amount of energy with its punch and challenges, portraying that despite the Straw Hats needing to take the fight a little more seriously than usual, they will still be victorious. The fight contained its dangers, but the lighthearted banter and communications within the Straw Hats imply that they will triumph.

It is at the end of the battle, however, that brings Luffy's next development with his feelings for Zoro. Zoro scolds Luffy for his inaction after warning him of an incoming attack. Understanding that Luffy is okay, and that he’s taken more hits than his captain, Zoro softens. Luffy notices that Zoro is giving him his full attention, similar to how he did when they battled in Whiskey Peak. When Zoro clasps the back of Luffy’s head, Luffy starts to have an ecstatic reaction. This is our first look of Luffy's desire for Zoro, something he never had with anyone else.

None of it explains the way Luffy’s body lights up when Zoro clasps the back of his neck, like every nerve is alight and trained on the palm cupping the baby hairs at the back of his skull.  His stomach knots over itself and he wants to eat everything in Sanji’s kitchen.  Zoro’s skin is a little rough and sweaty from fighting and warm. Zoro is close, so close, his forehead nearly butting Luffy’s and Luffy couldn’t move if he wanted to, trapped there by the closeness and the touch that makes him aware of Zoro’s skin against his in a way he’s never been before.  Zoro’s eyes bore into his, digging deep into Luffy and dragging out—something, buried in the base of his spine.  He feels like the earth is tilting, and freefall seems like it might be fun. Luffy licks his lips, his mouth dry and his heartrate frantic.

As the moment between him and Zoro is broken, Luffy wanted Zoro’s attention back. Now aware for his desire for Zoro, Luffy is unable to handle this new turn of events, “…his [Luffy] brain blank and empty with static,” and “feeling weird and off-balance.” Zoro’s attention is now directed to Chopper was patching him up, and Luffy (for the first time) blushes as he takes in the details of Zoro’s back muscles and movements.

Zoro’s bared back faces Luffy, and it suddenly seems—different.  Luffy’s never noticed the way the muscles on Zoro’s back stand out, connect, contract as he moves.  He’s never noticed how his tanned skin seems to glow in the afternoon light, or how his shoulder-blades stand out, framing the divot of his spine. His face feels too warm.  Everything feels too warm.  Luffy tears his gaze away, and finds Sanji staring at him, one curly eyebrow raised.

With Luffy’s two reactions (blushing and the feelings he got when Zoro touched him on the back of his neck), I believe this is the point where Luffy realizes he has a crush on Zoro, even if he still does not understand what that entails. It’s also worth noting that right after Luffy notices his desires , his hunger pangs starts, desperate to fill a gap within himself with food. Even as he lays awake on his bunk at night and fed, he’s having trouble with sleep. I see this as Luffy making an attempt at trying to satiate his feelings of crush for Zoro with food, because he doesn’t know how to go about wanting his swordsman. Luffy’s a bit of a stress eater, and honestly, he’s me fr fr.

It’s no coincidence that he climbs into the crow’s nest the next night, now with a bit more of an understanding of his feelings about the swordsman, but also with many thoughts to ponder over. When he looks over at Zoro and absorbs the details of how the moon has painted Zoro’s features, Luffy reacts the same way he did during the aftermath of the battle with the Marines: blushing and wanting Zoro’s attention. To notice that he’s feeling new things about his swordsman. Wanting to touch him.

And just like what happened after, Luffy once again stops himself from saying what he wants. He tried to share his thoughts with Zoro, but it comes out lacking and not completely what he’s meaning to say. He still has no idea how to go about resolving and sharing how he feels with Zoro.

“Zoro,” Luffy starts.  He hears Zoro move to look over at him, but doesn’t know how to voice what he wants to ask.  He frowns in thought, and Zoro makes a questioning noise. “I like it up here,” Luffy tells him.  It’s not what he wants to say but it’s true regardless.  He looks up at Zoro because Zoro always seems to understand him with just a look, and he thinks he may as well give it a shot now. Zoro’s expression is soft, and he nods.  But there’s no light of understanding or realization in his eyes, and whatever Luffy’s thinking or feeling misses its mark.  That’s okay—it’s not like Luffy knows what he meant in the first place.”

As Luffy understands that he’s gaining non-platonic feelings for Zoro, he’s becomes unsure. Luffy (who throughout this story) has been confident and does not give too much of a thought about his actions, shows hesitation for the first time. He knows he wants Zoro, but he still does not completely understand what a crush means, or how to go about having a crush.

This second crow’s nest scene summarizes Luffy’s current progress on his feelings towards Zoro: aware of his non-platonic feelings, but doesn’t quite know what it is or what he’s going to do with it. The reason he’s been able to come to this conclusion is because of his discoveries both during the fight in Whiskey Peak and the Marines. In fact, I stand to believe that it’s not a coincidence that it’s during battles that Luffy makes these realizations. Zoro is a man of few words, and uses his actions to do the talking, which is fitting, that Luffy starts to fall for him as Zoro shows himself more through his actions.

Action and Conclusion

In the third (and final) time we’re shown in Luffy and Zoro’s moment in the crow’s nest, we reach a culmination of Luffy’s efforts to understanding and addressing how he feels about Zoro. To get to this point, he seeks out the help of Nami as he knows he won't go far trying to figure things out on his own. Nami and Vivi are in a relationship in this story, and Luffy is aware that they’ve kissed and done other romantic actions. This displays Luffy’s observant nature and accurate assessment, making the connection that what he’s feeling for Zoro is likely how Nami feels for Vivi.

Nami explains that she partakes in romantic endeavours with Vivi is that she’s attracted to Vivi, which Luffy does not understand. 

“… but you know how, like, you can look at a person and think they’re pretty or hot but it’s kind of—objective?  Remote?  And how with other people you notice they’re pretty and also you feel like you want to be near them or touch them?” Luffy tilts his head to the side.  “No?” “Hmm,” Nami frowns.  “What about, like, butterflies?  Where you see someone and get kind of nervous and hot because you like them?” Luffy scrunches his nose.  He can’t remember being nervous about…well, anything, ever.

Luffy’s demisexuality comes into the forefront of the story and is a major factor into him not understanding his feelings for Zoro. Being demisexual means that the person can’t be drawn to another solely on their physical appearance, or if they don’t know a person deeply. Prior to meeting Zoro, Luffy has never been nervous about a person, felt the feelings of “butterflies” in his stomach, or the need to touch someone and be near them. It’s curious that Luffy does not think about his reactions to Zoro when Nami was describing attraction, even when he did experience the same feelings. However, there is reason to believe that this is because at this point, Luffy does not connect the dots that his nervousness and uncertainty is linked with his romantic feelings for Zoro. As Nami made Zoro leave the kitchen, allowing for a more private conversation between her and Luffy, he opens to ask his true question: If he wants to kiss Zoro. Luffy explains to Nami that he’s never had the urge to do this with someone before, therefore attributing to his confusion.

“He doesn’t think it makes a lot of sense, since most of Luffy’s explanations have to do with Zoro staring or how it suddenly feels weird to touch his swordsman or how he really, really wants Zoro to touch him.  He tells them he feels—squirmy around Zoro now and it’s not restlessness or hunger or anything else he knows how to deal with, how he wants to say something but he doesn’t know what.” 

It is worth noting here that Luffy is an amateur when attempting to describe how he feels about Zoro. Not only that, but he describes his feelings objectively, as he only talks about the sensations in his body and wanting to do something about it. Luffy has felt happy, excited, and nervous when thinking about Zoro, but he does not describe any of these feelings to Nami. I see this as Luffy not being aware of how his feelings shifts when he is thinking about Zoro. Nami realizes that Luffy works better with action-based learning to resolving his feelings, and tells Luffy to ask Zoro for permission when wanting to do something with him. Luffy is then excited at the prospect of asking Zoro for a hug, because even in his uncertainty, getting an affirmation from the person in question is a direct and definitive way to having an answer.

Luffy decides on the next day that he’s going to ask Zoro for a hug, waiting patiently for him to finish his workout. He homes in on the way Zoro’s body and muscles move.

Zoro squats, and as he squats he exhales through his mouth.  His abs bend and his thighs bulge through the fabric of his trousers.  He rises, and his stomach contracts as he inhales through his nose, his broad chest bulging and his shoulders pinned back under the weight he’s holding.  Luffy follows the line off his shoulders to the swell of his biceps, the tension of his forearms and the firmness of his grip around the barbell. Luffy watches the motion of Zoro’s hips for a moment but it makes a flush of something deep and sharp slide through him, something unexpected.  He imagines Zoro turning around, imagines watching him do this from behind, and he has to look away, imagining the muscles of Zoro’s back move and twitch beneath his skin, his trousers filling with his butt on each squat— Luffy squirms, the first flash of impatience hitting him.  He wants to touch Zoro.  He wants to hug him.  Or something.”

The usually hyperactive and excitable Luffy is still and quiet when observing Zoro because he’s enamoured. He even goes as far as imagining what it would be like for him to stare at Zoro from behind but cuts off his line of thought by thinking of doing something else to distract himself. It took Luffy this long to find Zoro attractive, a feeling that Nami described to him earlier in the kitchen.

Zoro is confused by Luffy at this point because he’s waited two hours to ask a seemingly mundane question, but this shows how important this is to Luffy for him to sit still and wait. He wants Zoro to have his full attention when answering his question, and only with Zoro’s permission did he go for the hug.

“Do hugs make you feel good?” Luffy asks, curious.  He knows Zoro doesn’t like touch like Luffy does, so it would be disappointing but not weird for Zoro to say no. “I—don’t—maybe?” Zoro squirms and it makes Luffy giggle as his muscles move underneath him.  “It’s—fine, I guess.” Luffy leans back in the hug so he can see Zoro’s face.  He’s still sweaty from his workout, and red from the exertion, but he’s scowling hard, his whole face pinched into it.  His glare is fixed on Luffy’s face, firm and unrelenting. Luffy studies him, looking for objection, for discomfort or dislike. He grins.”

Luffy values Zoro’s opinion on the hug because this is a step closer to figuring out the answer to his main question (if he wants to kiss Zoro). He is expectedly happy that Zoro finds no problem with his hug, and he is now able to act on his affections with hugs.  In addition, he tells Zoro to hug him back whenever he wants, showing that Luffy wants Zoro to be open with affection the way he is to Zoro.

As Luffy gets more comfortable with asking Zoro for hugs, he extends to other methods of physical touches like head pats, touches on the arms, putting sunscreen on the back, and holding his hands. Zoro is undoubtedly confused by this new behaviour but continues to indulge with Luffy’s every requests. Luffy notes the strange feelings in his body, his “heart squeezes hard in his chest and freezes the air in his lungs.” He eventually becomes greedy for Zoro’s touches, and asks for more.

His greed reaches a tipping point when he asks Zoro to sit on his lap during a dinner. Zoro’s confusion on Luffy’s behaviour turns into hurt and embarrassment, causing him to storm out of the establishment.

“I don’t get it,” Zoro says after a moment.  He’s staring at Luffy with—wait, what, that looks like—hurt, or embarrassment, or— “Why are you being so weird the last few days?” Luffy frowns.  “I’ve been asking.” “Yeah, and—” Zoro runs his hand through his hair, frustrated.  He glares at nothing, somewhere above their heads, and squeezes the hilt of his white sword.  “Forget this.  Someone should watch the ship.”

While Luffy is confused with the reaction, Zoro’s hurt and embarrassment is not surprising. I’ve held off from talking about Zoro’s point of view so far because we are not privy to much of his thoughts or feelings in comparison to Luffy’s openness and having his heart on his sleeve. However, Zoro’s frustration and pain at this moment quickly clicked with me because of what he’s seen from Luffy's behaviour so far. When Luffy was asking Nami to explain attraction, he was there to witness that conversation and watch Luffy get increasingly confused with Nami’s descriptions. He does not believe that Luffy understood what it was. Coupling this detail with Luffy’s frequent requests for closeness and affection, Zoro concludes that Luffy is doing this out of curiosity, unaware of how the touches made Zoro feel. In a way, he might have felt like his emotions are being played with, even if it was not Luffy’s intention.

With the encouragement of his friends, Luffy would ultimately decide that he doesn’t want to keep betting around the bush with getting an answer to his original question, and moves to go after Zoro to do what he wanted to do since the beginning. It is here that we reach the third (and final!) scene, in the crow’s nest where Luffy and Zoro will confess their feelings.

In the final scenario at the crow’s nest plays differently from the two former events in the crow’s nest, with Luffy now understanding what he wants and intending to share his direct and honest thoughts with Zoro.

He opens with saying “It’s pretty,” but this time, he’s looking at Zoro. He is setting an intention to make Zoro understand that he’s not talking about the stars, but about him. Zoro asks him why he’s been behaving strange the past few days, because Luffy was never the type of person to ask for permission about anything. Luffy’s explanation and build up with his inner turmoil throughout the story is revealed.

“I’ve never liked someone the way, like, Nami likes Vivi or Usopp likes Kaya.  I thought I didn’t get like that and I didn’t really care.  Except you…” “….And I started thinking about—how the way I like you feels different, how I notice things about you I don’t notice for anyone else, like the way you have nice hands or how you always clean your swords a certain way or when you like to shave, and I—“ Luffy scowls, because the words are kind of hard to say suddenly, “My favorite scar is the one you gave me, and sometimes I want to bite you so we match.”  “…So like, then I realized that I want you to look at me all the time, because no one looks at me like you do, and I want you to touch me all the time, because it feels different and good and stuff when you touch me.  It’s fun and I like it, and I want to touch you lots.” … (He really, really hopes that’s what Zoro wants too.) … (Oh—huh.  What if it’s not?) “…Nami said I should practice if I wasn’t sure what I wanted, and I did, so now I know what I want,” Luffy says, determined now that he’s said this much—the adrenaline in his veins feels a lot like nerves and he wants to laugh at his older self for scoffing at the idea.  Maybe Luffy’s laying his heart bare too, without even realizing it.  He flushes, looks Zoro in the eye, and smiles as big as he can.”

As a demisexual, Luffy does not start to develop feelings for a person unless he has a deep connection with them first. He may have many friends who he considers precious, but he’s been around Zoro the longest at this point of his journey to becoming a pirate king. He also matches with him in many aspects, operating from similar wavelengths and capable of having wordless conversations because they just understand each other that deeply. Luffy’s attraction to Zoro needed to take a long period of build up and slow realizations, perfectly timed and crafted by the author as they guide the readers from the start to the realization, and to the conclusion of Luffy’s romantic development. It started from the small observations, following by the realization that he wants Zoro differently that came much later after he’d gone through two major moments that recontextualized the way he sees Zoro.

Because Luffy is unsure about what to do with his romantic affections, he takes Nami’s suggestions to heart. Since Luffy has no previous understanding of romance or romantic gestures, he hesitates on what to do next. He’s only newly come to terms with his romantic feelings, therefore he struggles with asking Zoro for a kiss or how to initiate it.

As Luffy was about to ask Zoro for a kiss, his mouth is covered by his swordsman’s hand. It’s ironic how Luffy was told to ask permission when he’s unsure, and by asking for a kiss, he displays that he’s doubting himself as he asks for the kiss. Zoro doesn’t allow him to complete his question, showing Luffy that he does not need to doubt himself any longer. Putting a hand on the back of his neck, he captures his lips, and the moment reaches its eventual climax.

“Captain doesn’t need to ask me,” Zoro repeats, his voice rough and low and his breathing is ragged too.  “Captain should just take what he wants.”

When it comes to romance, Luffy started out not knowing of the feeling or how to deal with it, needing the guidance from his friends and explicit permission from Zoro to progress and do what he thinks is right. Romance is not an easy feeling to navigate, and it’s normal to feel the uncertainty and nervousness of the pressure to make it "feel right" when sharing your feelings and handling the overwhelming desires that comes from them.

Luffy was able to arrive to his answer and find the courage to share them, undoubtedly from the help of his friends, but also because he’s had plenty of time to reflect and sit with what he’s feeling and experiencing.

Found in the Crack of your Palm is a story about the slow yet steady build up of eventual romance and feeling it for the first time. The journey to the romance was eventful, but all it took was having the turning points to open the floodgates of the dormant feelings that was eager to be noticed. The moment can be as small as finding and feeling a scar on your bicep, a crack in your palm that opened the eyes to the realization that you’ve been wanting a certain someone to be a part of you as long as they can and forever if the stars allow for so. It’s the feeling of wanting to hold another person’s cracked palms and hands into your own as you take on the world together for all the challenges and joys that you both are about to experience, together.

[peonydraws]

You know, @purble-turble's AU of A Test of Time always reminded me of "Oh No!" by Marina and the Diamonds,

and I've tried to make an animatic but I've got like.... 0 motivation. So instead I'll just talk about why the lyrics remind me of it.

READ THE FIC PLS!! IM CRAZY ABOUT IT!

sidenotes are in blue my dudes! (Now with just draft images of the WIP animatic that I will never finish) (imma add them later tho lmao)

Starting out pretty simple, the first few lines of the verse represent Redson's start of his deception, and what for me is his denial.

He knows what he's doing is wrong and he tells himself that he isn't actually enjoying his time with them and that he's just doing it for the greater good of his family, to finally get his hands on that staff.

But as the lyrics go on, I like to interpret it as him starting to realize his forming obsession with MK, hence the "I'll never soften my grip" He's scared of letting him go, he's already starting to realize how deeply infatuated he is with him, so to avoid losing him he starts doing the unthinkable.

This is basically an excerpt of the fic and how his obsession started to form from there.

more examples being:

"Of course MK loves me. Of course he does!" He looked at Red Son again, his eyes still not quite focusing on him, but there was a renewed intensity in them when he spoke. "And I love him ! We belong together, you and I both know it!" "But... I was going to betray-" "That was also the night I decided," King Red cut him off, not even seeming to hear him start speaking, "I couldn't let my parents kill him. I had to do everything in my power to protect him- to keep him safe."

He isn't going to soften his grip, it didn't matter if he ruined a perfectly healthy relationship to make MK his

For me, when Marina sings this with that warbled effect on her voice it really accentuates for me Redson's slow descent to madness, how he was willing to do anything to make MK his.

another small example text to prove my point:

Then he stopped, frozen in place by what he saw. Red Son crossed the room and approached the shrine, reaching out with a trembling hand to pick up one of the many framed photographs. The one he'd grabbed was a picture of himself and MK together. Red Son had his regular old jacket on, but his hair was let down like how the future version of himself wore it. His arm was wrapped around MK who had on an expensive-looking orange robe and several pieces of red jewelry. He wasn't smiling at the camera like Red Son was... in fact, he looked downright miserable. It only took a moment more of staring at the photo before Red realized why. The matching red jewelry he was adorned in almost made him overlook it, but Red Son recognized the design of the circlet around MK's head. It was modeled after the golden fillet- the tightening charm used to control the Monkey King. To torture him! The frame fell from Red Son's grasp and clattered to the floor as he stumbled backward. It was too much to take in... King Red had said he and MK loved each other, but he had been torturing him?! This was wrong. This was so wrong. 

Here, when Redson finds the shrine in Demon King Red's room, he finds out that he had been using a replica of the golden fillet on MK, so that way he wouldn't escape.

Like I said, he did ALL in his power to make MK his, it didn't matter if it meant hurting him.

These lyrics only further prove my point that it perfectly represents his descent to madness "I just wanna change" is more of a mantra to "gotta make him mine". Though in other instances, it can also be referred to how Time Travel Red down spirals in wanting to change his personality. But since we're talking about how I would've done the animatic then yeah, creative liberty. Take it as you will.

Here's an example of him going crazy btw. More example scenes I was going to animate.

At first he had been trying to get a good look at the figure, so it took Red Son a moment longer to notice what was on the monitors. Every screen was filled with footage of the Monkie Kid... his Noodle Boy. Footage of him driving the delivery cart, playing arcade games with Mei, fighting demons, even some of him just walking down a street. This was... so creepy . What was he doing? Watching recorded surveillance of MK in the middle of the night?? Why ?! As he continued to stare on at the scene in absolute horror, he suddenly heard something. Red pulled in a deep breath, trying to quiet the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears so he could listen closer. At last he was able to distinguish the extra sound from the audio playing on the monitors... the king was talking. He was whispering to himself as he watched the screens in front of him. Focusing a bit more Red Son was able to make out some of the words, and... he wasn't talking to himself, he was talking to MK. He was... telling him about his day. He could hear the mumbled words miss you over and over again interspersed through barely coherent sentences. Red Son felt his tears come back in full force. He had to clamp a hand over his mouth to prevent an audible sob from escaping... this was horrific. It was not the glamorous future he had thought it to be. It was a nightmare!  He had lost his parents, he'd lost MK, and now it was clear that he'd even lost his sanity.  The Demon King Red had nothing .

This is, once again, taken from DKR's perspective. He knows that he wants MK, that he wants to be MK's beloved, his darling. He knows why he acts like a ruthless beast to be able to get what he wants. Does that mean that he has the morality to break away from that? No =D. Which is what brings us to what would've shifted the perspective in my hypothetical animatic

(Btw any artist with motivation feel free to take this idea pls I am desperate to see this be an actual thing)

With these lines, I say that this is when Redson truly started to realize the deep, fucked up situation he was in. After seeing DKR huddled up looking over at the monitors he ran to the graves of his parents which is a good scene to use with the "Oh no's"

At the sight of the decorated shrine, Red Son felt whatever tiny thread he was using to hold himself together finally snap. Suddenly he was on the floor, unable to pull himself upright; his whole body shuddered with the force of a scream of anguish he couldn't contain. They were gone. His parents were really gone. And it was all his fault. He should never have gone through with that plan... he should never have even tried to trick the Noodle Boy into a fake relationship in the first place. Clearly, all it had brought was a disaster. If only he hadn't proposed such a stupid idea to his parents, then they might still be here. Red Son would have been able to walk in here and find them alive and well. Instead, all that was left was this... a destroyed palace and some dusty shrine mementos. All he had ever wanted was to prove himself, to show them that he was capable and worthy of the family name and their love. To come to this future and see what had become of them... and as the result of a terrible scheme that he himself was the author of? No, this was too much to bear.

After this, we cut to an already busted-up, pretty mentally scarred Red, who is trying to convince the others to trust him

These lines really describe his mentality perfectly since Redson is already close to losing it if he can't defeat DKR. He was already so distraught with all of the news that this timeline has brought to him, and now he feels pressured to be different by his own mind's standards. If not by the others then by himself, because his mind simply doesn't allow for him to screw up.

Calm was exactly what he needed in this situation. His future self was clearly a maniac driven purely by his emotions- specifically obsession and anger. Red Son couldn't let himself appear that way in front of MK and his friends here. He needed to keep himself in check... to stay cool, calm, and dignified. It was the only way they would be convinced he wasn't like the king. Maybe if he did a good enough job, he could even convince himself that he wasn't. -and- He would do everything he possibly could to convince them to help and that he wasn’t like King Red, but that future version of him had caused a lot of harm.

are good examples of this.

It's the namesake of the fic. Need I say more?

Aside from that, it also perfectly encapsulates Redson's past and now crumbling current ego. Normally Redson would act like he's the best due to his giant ego, but ever since a talk with Mei and the other monkie kids, he's learned to hate that side of him, so now this line in the song is kind of a jab at what little self-worth he has left. It's how he sees himself.

"Yeah pretty much," Mei said, "I mean, you coulda just told us about this weakness instead of doing some big reveal with the bike and all." Oh. Hmm… That did actually give Red pause.  For some reason, it hadn’t even occurred to him to just come right out and say what his weakness was. He felt like he needed an invention or something he could physically hand over along with the information. He wasn’t really sure why. He hadn’t thought about it.  Red began poking his fingers together thoughtfully as he responded in a somewhat sheepish tone, "Ah, yes... I suppose that's true..." he mumbled, "but I just wanted to-" "To show off," Mei finished for him, "yeah, I'm not surprised. Because you know who else is all dramatic and attention-seeking like that? King Red ." Once again, that familiar jolt at the comparison hit Red Son right in the face, as real as if he'd actually been slapped. Damn it all… even when he was trying to help, he ended up reminding these people of his evil future self!  He looked away, nervously rubbing his hands together as he did. "Well, I... I can be a bit... boastful at times, perhaps," he said, "but it is a big deal for me to share this information. I suppose I was hoping for more of an acknowledgment of that, is all." This was followed by a quiet moment as his audience of four exchanged glances of varying expressions.

Man I flipping love this fic, it gives me so much to work with! And the decomposition of a boastful and egotistical character like Redson is so... natural!

This is how Redson sees DKR. It's pretty straightforward, he feels as if the obsession with MK has taken over every inch of his mindscape, driving him mad. With this line I would have shown a comparison to DKR and Redson, and how the timeline split into both falling mentally ill, in different ways of course XD

Because if you think about it, in the end, Redson is still obsessed with MK, but instead of being selfish he's selfless, and worryingly so. I feel that he'd do anything to keep MK safe from himself even if that meant that he could wind up dead. He has little to no self-worth, whereas DKR has WAY too much self-worth it is almost narcissistic.

This line is a perfect example of what I mean. Redson doesn't find the thought of being with MK appealing anymore. If anything he finds it horrifying. He might want to be with him badly, but how could he? How can he try to go back when he knows that this is what he'll act like in the future? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if when Redson does manage to get back, the first thing he does is break up with MK with tears in his eyes explaining he's a monster and doesn't deserve him and that MK should stay away from him, and he'd run away from the sheer fear of causing pain to MK. This would leave our poor past MK confused and probably distraught as to why Red looks so afraid of him.

I would've shown these lines with a progression of Redson basically losing it, and becoming the quiet, kindhearted, but mentally fucked up, dude he is now.

HE CUT HIS HAIR IN ANXIETY FOR FUCKS SAKE

And yeah, the fic goes into great detail on how much Red's demeanor changes through this fic.

Now these lyrics hold a different meaning when looking at Time Travel Redson. He knows exactly what he wants and who he wants to be, the exact opposite of DKR. He needs to be the opposite of him, or else he'll become just like him

for the rest of these lyrics, I would've just added different images/transitions of important stuff that happened in each chapter, which would then lead to an important event in my head that id like to call "The possible showdown". which is the possible future fight between the monkie kids and Redson against DKR and his royal court.

Struggles struggle struggles! Internal struggles with Time travel Redson :3. During this line Redson is finally trying to get that grip on DKR and is still internally fighting off that fear that he'll end up like him. Eventually, though, he's able to (in my eyes idfk, probably not in the canon of this fic) defeat him and go back

The rest of the song, I have not really planned out yet, but with some nice ass visuals, I'm sure it'd look really neat :3

And that's my analysis! For those who have gotten here... thank you for listening/reading :3 you may have a cookie 🍪💜

[emberfrostlovesloki]

Aaron Fanfiction Analysis [an essay]

Photo credits: Left (Google) Center (@themoontaxi) Right (@citronplume)

A/N: I don’t know how many of you followed my page to read some academic work, but here we are, and I’d love it if you stick around to give this a read if you are so inclined. I recently read Rome’s @criminalskies story about a BAU reader who is feeling dysphoric due to being on their period during a long case. Aaron provides them comfort, and they come out to him. The link to that story can be found here (link). While I was reading it, I was so enamored that I started taking notes. If I like something, I take notes. After finishing it, I simply had to think about the literary devices being used, and this essay was born. I asked Rome if they were okay with this, and they agreed (thank you!). Then I finished the essay, and I asked if I could share it here too. Again, Rome agreed. Obviously, after Roland Barthes and The Death of the Author and all that. We understand that reading is subjective. This is just my little take on their story. Everyone reads and understands things differently. I thought I’d just share my thoughts with you. If nothing else, please check out Rome’s page and this story. They are a joy to know and be friends with. I'm currently working on an Emily fic and and an Aaron fic, so those will be out soon too. I hope you all have a lovely end of your weekend, and I’ll see you soon  - Levi. 

You can read the essay below the cut

Word Count: 3.1K 

Content Warnings: Dysphoria and body image issues

List with all stories

P.S. I did the ungodly thing, and I printed this fanfiction on paper for the sake of annotations and in-text citations. 

Fanfiction is a Gift 

When someone who is not very familiar with the concept of fanfiction hears the term fanfiction brought up in conversation,  there is a knee-jerk reaction to assume that this type of writing is not very good writing and that those writing it are teenagers. Both of those things may be true of some fanfiction writers. However, to address the quality of writing, if something is being written, no matter what skill level it is at, that is practice. Practice makes us better writers of all of us. So there will be no complaint about quality from me on that count. But there are other types of fanfiction writers as well. There are adults who consume content and adore it so much that they want to add their voice to the narrative. They bring themselves open and willingly to the space. They share their stories with others to read and enjoy. Often, these writers are more inclusive than the content of the original material. After all, books, T.V. shows, movies, and all other entertainment media are made by the studios for one purpose -- money. The top executives of networks and streaming services are happy to discontinue a beloved show if it is not making a profit. Now some shows are disappearing entirely for tax write-off purposes. The mainstream shows that stay ongoing for years must appeal to the everyman. This often means inclusivity is not a top goal of the creators. This leaves many marginalized groups out. These often include LGBTQIA+, minorities, those who are disabled, and those with non-thin body types. It might come as a surprise to David Saslav or Sam Levinson, but not everybody looks like the characters on their platforms and shows. There has been a push for media to be more inclusive, and we see this in shows like Good Omens, Our Flag Means Death, and What We Do In The Shadows, but the number of these shows pales in comparison to the mainstream media. Serial shows like Criminal Minds is one of those shows. The F.B.I. drama hosts a cast that is not very diverse, and topics of sexuality, racism, police brutality, and other pressing issues are addressed only briefly during the show’s sixteen-season run. This is where fanfiction writers bridge the gap. Writers allow themselves and others to be included in that world, with those characters. This writing is cathartic to many. It is healing what the mainstream refused to address. This is why fanfiction is a gift. To highlight how strong some fanfiction writers are, and the power they have over language, a literary analysis will be done on a recent story published on Tumblr. The author, Rome, was completing a request for a story involving the BAU team leader, Aaron Hotchner, and a non-binary member of the team who is feeling dysphoric during their period. Rome responded to that request with a masterpiece. The untitled story uses diction and tone to demonstrate how the reader feels embarrassed and frustrated by the situation they are placed in, pacing and juxtaposition are employed to highlight how time in the show and on a personal level seem to warp and change given the circumstances, lastly, characterization is used for the reader and Aaron to display how their dynamic changes by the end of the story. 

The story starts in medias res, with the team attempting to solve a slew of murders in Louisiana. The team is stumped and tired. An argument breaks out between the reader and Dr. Reid. Here a variety of loaded words are brought up, including, “irritable,” “overdrive,” “annoyingly,” “hope,” and “exhausted” (Rome, 1). The use of these emotions sets the tone early on for the piece. This is not a fun or happy situation. The argument that takes place in the precinct highlights this, as the reader says, “‘Reid. Correct me based off something you read in the textbook I wrote one more goddamn time and I will see how far that giant brain of yours really is from your skull.’” (Rome, 2). The violent nature of the statement and the use of an expletive evince the tension in the room. Derek Morgan’s attempt to comfort adds no help, as he calls the reader “Mama” twice (Rome, 2). Morgan’s use of gendered terms only makes the reader more angry as they identify as non-binary but has not told the team yet. It is only Aaron who helps them calm down and moves them out of the room. The tone shifts from one of anger from the reader to concern from Aaron. As it turns out, not only is the reader exhausted, but has also started their period; thus the excess of emotions. Embarrassed, they move to the restroom and begin sobbing in pain from the cramps and identity crisis. Aaron moves into the space and immediately he becomes concerned as he hears his, seasoned, agent crying out in pain. He enters the bathroom stall and attempts to understand what’s happened. As he asks questions, the reader notes that his tone is “delicate” and “so laced with concern” (Rome, 7). Aaron embraces the reader to offer physical comfort in a situation that is clearly distressing to both of them. After a few moments, Aaron notices that the reader is holding the crumpled plastic of a pad. The realization hits him and “the penny finally drops, and he can understand why you were so volatile earlier” (Rome, 8). He still does not understand why the reader is so upset but true to his character on the show, he does not try and guess at an answer. He is compassionate at this moment. There is another tonal shift from care and concern to humor as the story lightens its tone. 

The reader has asked Aaron to go back to the hotel, and he readily agrees. The reader asks Aaron, who is driving,  to stop at a convenience store to get some needed supplies for their menstruation. They arrive at a store and the reader attempts to go in themself, but Aaron has none of it. He is told what the reader needs and moves into the store himself. While Aaron is very good at meeting the needs of the team, when he is faced with the choice of period products, he is suddenly at a loss. His experiences with his ex-wife does not help him much, and seeing him flustered like this brings a lightness to the story. As he faces down the tampons, he speaks aloud, “‘Light, ultra light, regular, overnight, sport, active, everyday, heavy, ultra max��� shit’” (Rome, 12). Without wanting to disturb the reader, he gets one of every kind along with some comfort snacks. When the manly cashier makes a comment about women and “‘shark week’” Aaron responds, “Funny, sharks rather like eating invertebrates,” as he walks out the door (Rome, 14). There is one last major shift from humor to an understanding of passion and joy. The start of this shift is when, at the hotel, Aaron attempts a joke, saying, “‘I feel like it might be a human rights violation to deny a menstruating woman her sleep’” (Rome, 16). The use of gendered language, especially from Aaron, makes the reader uncomfortable in their body again. Aaron notices the shift and checks in to see if the reader is okay. He ends up joining them in their room. After the reader is changed, he perceptively states, “‘I can tell one moment you’re completely fine and the next it’s like you’re forty feet from your own body” (Rome, 19). By saying this, the reader reveals how they have been feeling over the past few months. That they feel their body and gender are not aligned. They note that they had hesitated to say anything for fear of being viewed differently and making work for Aaron. Aaron could care less. He is overjoyed that the reader is revealing their true self to him. Aaron states, “I am so, so happy, that I’m someone you’re comfortable to talk about this with’” (Rome, 21). The conversation continues for a while longer and there is an understanding between Aaron and the reader and real delight from Aaron in being pulled into the loop. The story finishes with a moment of intimacy and self-reflection from Aaron as he holds the reader tight to his body. 

Criminal Minds normally follows a villain, or Unknown Subject [heretofore unsub] of the week. This provides a steady narrative arc for each of the episodes: a case is announced, the team debriefs, arrives at the location of the crimes, the team creates a profile, the team investigates, another murder or crime happens, the profile changes, the climax, and then the resolution, and closing monolog, as the team returns home on the jet. This structure is endemic in most police procedural shows and it provides a consistency to the narrative. Rome’s use of pacing is more dynamic and more personal. There is clearly a timeline for the team. They need to solve these cases as quickly as possible so less people die. There is an urgency in that. It pushes the team to the height of their emotions. This is mentioned early in the story as the case “stretched on for five days” with no leads (Rome, 1). In fact, time is often mentioned either in minutes or hours. As the fight breaks out between the reader and Derek the time is “1:15 in the morning.” This is one possible justification for the reader's outburst, but not the real one. Pace is brought up again as Aaron tries to understand what has happened. The reader realizes that their period coming has made them more emotional and they attempt to soothe Aaron. They realize, “[they’ve] gone from screaming to crying to comforting him in all under four minutes” (Rome, 3). The juxtaposition of emotions in such a short time frame has the audience focus on time. On the awkward encounter that has just happened. Pacing is also used to demonstrate Aaron’s care and devotion (even if he isn’t willing to admit to it) to the reader. As he kneels in a puddle on the bathroom floor, holding the reader, we are told, “He’s desperate to know what’s happened with you, but he will kneel here until his knees lock if it means you’ll tell him when you’re comfortable’” (Rome, 8). Aaron is such a stoic character and to see him acting so tenderly, going as far as getting his expensive suit dirty, and his willingness to be in pain shows the audience how much he cares about the reader. The fact that he is willing to be in pain, while the reader is in agony demonstrates his commitment to them. Aaron is one of the oldest members of the team, thus, his kneeling on, cold, hard, tile is not great for his joints. The lowered body position does end up affecting him when he does get up, we are told he  “[lets] out a tiny groan as he stands up” (Rome, 9). The fact that they are both in pain ties the two together in an unspoken way. Aaron both in voice and action going forward, reassures the reader that he is thinking of them. Trying to get them to the hotel and comfort as quickly as possible. He makes statements like, “I won’t be a moment” to let the reader know he is cognizant of time and their discomfort. He drives efficiently, walks with determination, and does his best to be quick at finding the right tampon for the reader. The pacing takes a final turn as they enter the hotel. The times of events have slowly been shortening. These time frames move from days at the beginning of the narrative, to the possibility of hours on bent knees at the middle, and close with small moments. The reader tells Aaron, “Just one second,” as they prepare to change (Rome, 19). When the reader's real identity is revealed to Aaron, in an instant, moves, “[a] large pair of hands flys across the space between you on the bed” (Rome, 20). At the end, in their moment of intimacy, Aaron reflects on his admiration, and love, as the reader takes “short breaths” on his upper arm (Rome,  22). The juxtaposition of these time frames and pacing paired with the emotions of anger, then humor, and finally love leaves the audience feeling comfort and peace with Aaron. 

The main crux of this story is the fact that the reader is feeling heightened dysphoria due to their period and hiding this fact about them from the team and more importantly, from Aaron. Thus the characterization of both the reader and Aaron changes and develops a good deal over the twenty-two pages of text. The reader starts out unsure of why they are so angry. Why has this case been so trying on them that night? The reader is at this point unaware of the unwanted, excruciating bleeding that will start soon. The reader is observed with “eyes welling up seemingly out of nowhere as you note that you are definitely not okay, You just don’t know why” (Rome, 3). Once they are aware of their period coming, the reader is not comforted by the fact. The bodily bloodshed only emphasizes that they do not belong in the body they inhabit. The reader notes, 

The anticipation, your monthly [a] reminder of who you are forced to be, looming right in front of you. When you can feel your grasp on emotions slip just a little bit and those little voices in your head gain a little too much power. The thoughts of how your body doesn’t look anything close to who you feel you are. Rome 5

These painful external reminds pushes the reader to do things they don’t enjoy. To try and conform to some gender norm that does not align with them. The reader has gone as far as wearing makeup to appear more feminine, but all that accomplished was to make them feel like they were “playing a part… wearing a mask,” and “keeping up a facade with the team” (Rome 6). This discomfort continues but is slightly alleviated when Aaron comes to understand that they are on their period, and he reacts with care and compassion instead of a reprimand. At the hotel, the reader is upset again by Aaron's unintentional gendered words. In the bathroom of their hotel room. The shape and feel of their body bothers them, as they look in the mirror and think, “how miserable the stranger in the mirror looks” (Rome, 17). Not even putting on more comfortable clothes is helping, as their thighs appear more womanly in the stretchy fabric. It is not until the revelation is made that the reader’s gender identity lies between the male-female binary, that they fully relax. When they notice the “genuine joy radiating from Aaron,” they know they can fully be themself around him (Rome, 18). And still, the pain persists, but in Aaron’s gentle embrace, they can finally rest. Aaron goes through a similar character transformation. Even at the beginning of the story, it is never stated that he is mad at the reader. He is just very concerned. He is as baffled as the reader as to why they are acting as they are. His thoughts mimic the readers as he thinks, “You're clearly very volatile and on edge. He just can’t figure out why?” (Rome, 3). The parallel in emotions is a foreshadowing of the feelings that Aaron will have at the end of the text. The sound of the reader crying intensifies those latent emotions. As Aaron holds the reader close to him for the first time that night, he thinks that “he couldn’t care less about the surroundings, his hand finding the back of your head to hold you close to his aching heart” (Rome, 4). He continues to be concerned and his emotions are pulled, as he only wants to bring the reader some relief. He is eager to help monetarily by buying an array of period products and painkillers. This is a help, but Aaron wants to physically comfort his agent. His distress over the reader even finds voice in anger, as he insults a burly man unwilling to interact with his partner during her time of the month. At the hotel, there is more comfort for the reader, but he can still see pain in them. This pain is less associated with their period. When he asks for clarity for his own sake, he grows nervous: “He silently prays you aren’t about to begin an interrogation” (Rome, 18).

When all is finally made known, he is ecstatic. As the reader states that they fear their new identity might be a burden to him and the team, he is quick to say, “I want to make you feel as comfortable as I am able to accommodate” (Rome, 18). And in the end, Aaron is able to provide that physical comfort again as he acts as a living heating pad. He envelopes the reader in his body, his warmth. And as he begins to drift off to sleep, he questions his emotions once more, asking the rhetorical question, “Right?” as he sleeps (Rome, 22). Aaron’s character arc is centered around his care of the reader and his feelings for them. There is no dramatic “I love you” but the outpouring of small gestures and care given by Aaron to the reader clearly displays his love of them in all their complexity. 

There are so many other literary devices that are used here such as simile, personification, descriptive language, and imagery. However, the elements examined here felt the most weighty. Held the attention longer. When reading and rereading this work, many times I thought, “God, I wish I was the reader!” And here is the great delight in fanfiction -- you are the reader! Inclusive fanfiction belongs to everyone who wants to be involved. Not all fanfiction attempts this. Not all fanfiction is a reader insert or “x reader” as it is often seen on Tumblr, but to live in a time where such care is given to those often standing on the outside is amazing. It is kindness and care just like Aaron comforting and accepting the reader is kindness and care. I do not mean to say that all media, be it books, movies, or TV shows is not inclusive. Some of it is, and I’m glad for that, but much of the time diversity is added as a bonus, so the creators can pat themselves on the back and say, “We’ve got that group covered at least.” I will continue to give praise to those who give so much of themselves for everyone else. Fanfiction really is a beautiful thing.

[thevagabondexpress]

Having Michelle from genderbent TLH thoughts again, b/c I'm considering writing more Genderbent TSC stuff. And y'know, I think the biggest difference between her and Matthew, what leads to her having been ruined the way she was and then hiding within herself, when Matthew's so loud and so outgoing, is the difference in what the rumors were that were spread. With Matthew, it was about an affair. A pretty normal, first-level creative rumor to come up with, honestly, nasty and awful but not out of the bounds of reality. The kind of thing that inspire anger and lashing out at other people. With Michelle, it's about Hattie and it's about genetic engineering of all things and in a decade when mundanes would have no idea what those words meant and it's about her: when someone tells you your sister came out so ugly and so mean that your mother made sure you were extra beautiful on purpose, that's a whole other level of damage that does to you.

I think, whether I knew it or not, that's what was behind my characterization of Michelle, why she's so different from Matthew, why she hides and retreats and makes herself the smallest person in the room when Matthew is so bright and takes up so much space. She's doing everything to avoid playing the outgoing, social, friendly role because someone once told her that was a role she was deliberately built to play. It's also behind why she does dress scandalously, does drink as much as she does, did get herself ruined, etc, etc. Anything to prove she actually has the flaws other people do. Anything to differentiate herself from the engineered angel they told her she was.

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Writing Notes: Sweet Child O' Mine: Scarytales ETC

Last chapter there was a Grimwalker Scarytale and a little more background about Osran's family.

I was super nervous about writing this chapter for a few reasons.

First, I am a huge fan of mythology, folklore, fairytales etc. I wasn't sure it would work, or if I could get the feel of it down in universe.

Second, people seemed into the idea and I felt a lot of pressure, but folks seemed into it!

For more info, the text of the scarytale, and the identity of the character who gave the "gift" in the flashback from Hunter and Willow's engagement party below.

For reference: In a previous chapter it was suggested that the "Grimwalker" books currently available (those Hunter read while hiding out at Hexside etc. were ripe with half truths, misinterpretations or just bad information all together. In fairytales, we often can get an idea of how folks saw various populations through the way they are regarded in story.

So, for the scarytale, it didn't have to be clear if this was an edit or the original version. It gives a general sense as to how grimwalkers had been portrayed on the Boiling Isles. It was not good. There's also a nod to how basilisks might have been seen as well.

Lilith also lets Hunter and Willow know, in addition to Osran being from an influential family (one he connects with the oracle in the scarytale) he had a distant relative in the castle that spied for him and likely tipped him off that Hunter was a grimwalker.

The only other character who has "fingers" on their head.

In the flashback where Hunter and Willow receive the "gift" of a decapitated snake on their engagement party, there is a card with a message written in blood. And that message is:

"Regards, Kikimora."

LEGENDS OF GRIMWALKERS

Fifth Edition Stories Collected and Edited by Head Witch G’Mork with Foreword by Flora D’Splora.

TALE IX

Oracle of Lovoed

Once two witch brothers traveled through a forest. They were returning from a war and looking to make their fortune on the Boiling Isles. The older brother was tall and handsome and beloved by all the witches and demons who set eyes upon him. The younger brother was serious and stern, but what he lacked in charm, he made up for in shrewdness.  

The brothers followed a strange path to a clearing where they happened upon a castle surrounded by cobblestone streets.

Oracles by trade, the brothers set up shop and were immediately approached by royal guards and brought to the castle for a feast with the King and his two children.

The prince was attractive and jovial. He had an affinity for potion magic and dazzled the elder brother with tales of his deeds. The princess was an appealing young witch, but her sullen expression soured the meal. Her half lidded eyes turned away from her father and his guests, while dozens of blood red roses bloomed in her hair. She had plucked one from her long black braid, and held it to her nose as if drinking in its scent, while she cradled its stem in her delicate fingers.

After the meal, the King dismissed his children and turned to the brothers.

“What do you think of the prince and princess?” The King asked.

“The prince is lovely” Blushed the elder brother dreamily.

“And my daughter?” Asked the king quite seriously. “I expect honesty.” He added, giving a pointed look towards the younger brother.

”She would be comelier,  if her expression was cheerier.” answered the younger.

The King nodded. “I would like your help. We are in need of an Oracle and none of the witches or demons in my fiefdom are known for such magic. It seems that my daughter is under an enchantment. Every night she goes to bed, at a sound hour,  but in the morning she emerges from her quarters exhausted. Her slippers are covered in dirt, and her hair is a nest of those Titan-damned flowers.”

The younger son drew a spell circle as his eyes fell into a vision. He Saw the young princess in a locked garden in embrace with a mysterious figure with eyes that glowed eyes as red as the roses in her hair. When he told the king what he saw, his majesty’s mood became volatile. 

“It was as I have suspected!!” He shouted.  “The princess has been seduced by a grimwalker.”

The brothers had heard of such monsters, with their intense eyes and their penchant for trickery, created as replacements for the dead.

“For too long I have permitted noble families to keep these creatures as servants in substitution for their children who had perished in service to the Kingdom – but no more.” 

That night the King ordered all the grimwalkers in the kingdom be drawn out to the courtyard and slaughtered, their galdorstone hearts added to the treasury. The brothers were lauded as heroes and the princess was sent to bed hoping that to be the end of the matter.

But the next morning the princess once again emerged from her room, walking in a daze, her slippers covered in dirt and her hair a tangle of roses. 

“Your vision has failed!” The king told the young Oracle. “I will give you two more chances to prove your skills. And as insurance I will lock your brother in the dungeon!”

Once again, the Oracle looked into the eyes of the princess and he Saw another vision of the same sinister figure, this time it held the princess an intimate embrace, the creature’s eyes bled with lust as it placed its lips upon hers. 

When the King heard what had been Seen, he fumed and demanded all families who had kept these creatures’s properties seized until the monster with a hold on his daughter was captured. That night the King ordered guards to stand outside the princess’s door and window. 

But the guards were foolish and took tea from the princess that had been enchanted with sleeping nettles. In the morning the princess emerged from her quarters once more, shoes even dirtier, eyes heavier, thorny roses in her hair. 

Now the King was furious. He threw the guards out to die in the boiling rain where they melted away. He turned to the young Oracle. “This is your last chance!  Find out how to release my daughter from this enchantment or you and your brother will suffer the same fate as the guards!”

The Oracle looked into the eyes of the princess once more.  Now not only did he See this creature, its eyes glowing bright, its breath upon her neck. But now he Heard them making plans to escape together. But he could not See the path to the location of their tryst. 

“Sire, if I may.” Said the younger brother. “I have a plan to entrap this creature, I require a potion of wakefulness, a small band of your finest soldiers and a basilisk skin cloak.

“I will give you what you ask for, but your failure will seal your doom.”

As an extra precaution, The king ordered the princess’s windows bricked shut. This time the young Oracle himself sat guard. The princess wished him goodnight and offered him a tea blend which he knew was enchanted. The Oracle drank it for show and immediately as the door closed he drank the potion of wakefulness.

At the stroke of midnight the princess emerged from her room, moving in stilted motions, as if under a mind control spell. The Oracle pretended to sleep as she slipped past and when he was in the clear, altered the King’s soldiers to follow him quietly. The Oracle trailed the princess to an old walled garden as she drew three spell circles summoning vines from all around. She scaled the vines and when she had made it over, the Oracle and guards did the same.

The Oracle ordered the guards to trap the princess and demanded she that call for her lover. She screamed and with the basilisk skin cloak, the Oracle shifted into the form of the princess. When the grimwalker arrived to claim its prize,  the guards captured it, casting a netting spell over its writhing form.  

The Oracle proudly presented the monster to the King as it spewed lies of affection for the princess and false grief for the loss of its kin. Its eyes leaked and when that did no good, it lunched forward, gnashing its terrible teeth,  taking ten guards to restrain its monstrous form. 

As guards prepared the grimwalker for execution as the princess begged for its life, so deep into its spell that she had lost all dignity.

“Do not be fooled, pet.” The King soothed her.  “This creature feels no love.  It mimics life. Everything it says is a trick.”

“You have done well”, he told the young Oracle.  “As a reward, your brother will marry my son the prince and inherit half of my kingdom. And you will have my daughter’s hand in marriage.” 

But the young Oracle was not satisfied.

“Your daughter has no claim to the crown. No power. She has consorted with a monster. And my brother will become a ruler? I did all the work! ”

The King shook his head. “You do not have the bearing of a King, but you are cunning enough to challenge me. What is it you want?” 

The Oracle lifted his chin and spoke the words that rested deep within his belly.

“I want influence! I want wealth! I want to be the most powerful Oracle that ever lived!”

The King considered this. 

“Then I offer you a place as my advisor, an estate with many servants, ten galdorstones, and this grimwalker’s body.” 

“I do not need a monster as a servant, let alone one that will betray me and make off with my wife!” The Oracle scoffed, already imagining his wedding night with the princess.

“ I will tell you a secret.” said the King , “Drain dry the blood from this creature and keep a vial of it’s life force around your neck. With its magic, your visions will surpass any oracles that have come before. You and your descendants will  See beyond any witches that have come before. You gain influence, wealth and prosper in all the realms for as long as the magic is potent.”

And with that, the Oracle ran a sword straight the heart of the creature. As it bled out, its body returned to wood and stone. The princess let out a harrowing shriek thus freeing the her enchantment. 

The Oracle married her and they lived ever after.

Footnotes:

To this day, It is thought to this day that the blood of a Grimwalker is especially valuable to oracles, enhancing their visions, and increasing their power tenfold. This story is attributed as the origin of that belief. 

[lostchildofthenewworld]

you know I think my biggest issue with loki fics is where odin is still an emotional and verbally abusive fuck face and frigga is just there as the “good parent” just barely does anything about odin as if that’s suppose to be good for loki? and the author makes no mention on whether it’s a power imbalance and that’s why frigga doesn’t take a stand or if it’s for the plot but like either way…just no?

[plutosmainhoe]

Camila Reinherz - Part II

Today, we will be going through Camila's second house.

2H Sagittarius

The second house controls finances, income, material possessions and concept of value.

Mila is going to struggle HARDCORE with throwing her money at people like it's no fucking problem.

With Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter, Camila will likely be very generous with her funds. In her eyes, she only needs enough to get by, why not spend it on or give to people who need it more?

She won't be afraid to invest in something risky, willing to take chances if it means making more money. If the risk fails, this won't bother her too much, already looking at her next investment deal.

Camila will think long-term for her finances, having great control on her expenditures. Though generous with her money, she is will always have an understanding on where her finances are at.

Because the second house controls finance, and in particular, income, the sign of the house can indicate what careers could be beneficial for finances.

With Sagittarius over the second house, Mila could find herself gaining income by focusing on tourism, education (teaching), writing, public speaking or foreign affairs.

Where is Jupiter?

Jupiter is in the 9H. Why do we need to know this?

Each house has a Lord, depending the sign that is over the house. It doesn't matter if there are any planets within the house, the house Lord essentially communicates from the house they are in and brings energy across from their house.

Therefore, big boi Jupiter is the Lord of the second, as it is the ruler of Sagittarius, however, is in the 9H. So what does this mean?

The second house control finances, and Jupiter being the planet of abundance and growth sits with the ninth house of travel, higher education, philosophy and wisdom.

This is a very, very fortunate position. The natural ruler of the ninth house is Sagittarius and Jupiter. Jupiter is communicating to its sign from their natural house with ease, manifesting its energies in the area it loves most.

With this in mind, Camila will likely be tenacious in her pursuit for higher education and philosophy. She will be deeply interested in foreign culture and travel, as well as higher knowledge/spirituality.

If Mila focuses on these areas, this can be greatly beneficial for her finances and material possessions.

Placements

2H Neptune Rx

This is where things take a turn.

Having a free-spirited Sagittarius over the second house and the second house ruler in the ninth, its preferred house, sounds terrific... Right?

Neptune is the mystical planet. The land of dreams, divinity, and delusion. With it hanging out in the second house, finances can be viewed through a mist.

While finances are controlled by organised Sagittarius, Neptune will throw a spanner in the works. Camila may find herself being too generous with her money, giving money away and not expecting anything back in return.

The second house needs a practical planet to function well. Neptune is a dysfunctional planet with passive energy. Mila may believe that money is a necessary evil and could expect money to just gravitate towards her with little to no effort.

Neptune is also emotion based. Camila may find that she spends money based on emotion rather than logic. This can lead to irrational and impulsive spending, no control over her finances and in a worst case scenario - debt.

However, not all is bad. If Mila works hard and becomes self-aware regarding her finances, she can get her Neptune to work in harmony with the Sagittarius energy. She can make her ideals and illusions a reality and succeed in growing income through her creativity.

Neptune at 22°

Within astrology, there is a belief that 18° and 22° are the 'evil' degrees. To kill, or to be killed? That is the question.

Though there is so much yelling about how bad the 22° is, it is not all bad. It can be hard to learn about this degree, most of it is negative.

The twenty second degree can indicate the loss of loved ones with life-long grief, this is seen in Prince Harry's natal chart with his Virgo Sun at 22°. It is also noted that is degree is present in multiple celebrity death transit charts.

But it does not inherently mean you will be killed or that you will kill.

How I read this degree, is that Camila is likely to have a loved one pass away when she is young, which will affect her greatly throughout her life. Within the second house, she may gain inheritance through this death. With Neptune sitting at this degree, under a fire sign, I can see her dreams and visions being vicious and loud. Her imagination won't be quiet and she may struggle with depression as a result.

Neptune in Retrograde (Rx)

When a planet goes into retrograde, the energies of the planet are expressed inwardly rather than externally.

This is unfortunate. Mila may have repressed thoughts of not feeling connected to the divine or worthy of unconditional love. She may have the tendency to make someone her 'saviour' and place her belief in them, rather than herself. Aspects will heavily play a part in this.

As Neptune is sitting in Sagittarius, Camila may latch herself on to someone who is interested in travel and high-education. Someone that can direct her in discovering her self-worth and higher self.

She could struggle with addictions and insecurities, being in the second house, I'm getting shopaholic vibes. But with Neptune, she could fall into the tap of drugs and alcohol and may struggle to pull herself out with outside help.

Next post, we go through the barren third house 🌵

[albaqae]

@ ALL RISE FANS THAT MAKE COMICS & STORIES

So I’ve noticed that in this fandom it’s common to include Deaf/ASL-using-characters into stories, which is honestly AMAZING and makes me SO HAPPY TO SEE, but many of us aren’t deaf we rely on resources, therefore:

My ASL teacher gave us this website cause it’s updates constantly (ASL evolves lots) and it’s a lot more accurate and reliable than just google :))

To work it- type the word, and a word bank will pull up, click on the term u want and a video/description of the sign and word will appear!!!

It’s rlly simple and has most words and if it doesn’t it’s bc it’s finger spelled probs!!!!

If u want more in-depth good grammar, search up “five parameters ASL”, “glossing in ASL” and watch a few videos to see “how sentence structure differs in ASL”

As always, remember it’s ok to make mistakes/notice a mistake, just be mindful and kind :D most of us aren’t out for malice and if someone is it’ll probs be very obv 😭

Happy Creating!!

Edit: A THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE REBLOGS :)) if anyone ever needs any help drop a comment or look at other reblogs!! There’s lot of other resources/tips there!!!

[lactoseintolerentswag]

Big Mama's Dialogue

I've heard a few people lament on how Big Mama is difficult to write because of how she speaks, so I thought I'd share my tips and tricks.

I start out by writing what I intend for her to say without the flowery language added on. For example:

"I look nice in the new jacket I bought."

Doesn't sound like Big Mama at all, but it'll help you have a place to start so you don't have to be intimidated by scrolling through thesaurus.

Now, Big M has a tendency to do the following:

Use outdated American slang (anywhere from the 1920's to the 60's)

Apply alliterations (using the same letter at the beginning of a word to the adjacent/close word)

Use adverbs, so describing words with the end suffix -ly (i.e. softly, mysteriously, quickly)

Sprinkle in a few made-up words

So let's take the base sentence I provided an shape it to Big M's standards.

Resources for American slang:

Instead of word vomiting out all the outdated American slang I know, I'm going to link some resources/websites you all can look at and come back to. She mostly uses 20's slang, so the links are centered around that.

1920's slang PDF, alphabetically organized!!!

List of slang phrases originating from the 1920's to the 2010's

Short list of slang flapper's from the 1920's used

So let's edit our base sentence a little, now it's:

"This new jacket I bought is the cat's meow."

Adding the next layer:

I did mention that Big Mama tended to use both alliterations and adverbs in copious amounts, but don't feel pressured to use both at once in a sentence. If it fits, it fits. If it doesn't, some trimming might be useful. This is why having a base sentence is important, so the intention behind the dialogue isn't lost under all the additions you're adding. So with that in mind, I'm going to alter our example:

"This new jazzy jacket I just bought is the cat's meow."

The last part:

I save the "fake words" part for last, because beginning with them can make your sentences clunky or not make sense. This part really relies on your personal touch or the context and tone of the situation at hand. The example I gave make Big Mama sound like she's preening about her looks, so I'm going to lean into that.

"This newsie-woozie jazzy jackety I just bought is the cat's meow! Grr!"

And for comparison, here's where we started.

"I look nice in the new jacket I bought."

And well, that's it!!! Hope it was helpful to those that needed it!!!

[mikiib]

I’m in too deep- and no one can stop me... ANATOMY OF THE TURTLES! You are 100% allowed to use this as reference or add on if you think there is something I may have missed. Please credit me if you repost this anywhere thats not a simple reblog. I worked hard on this and I hope it shows! 

[gallusrostromegalus]

Kenpachi Realizes Nobody Else Actually Read The Employee Handbook And Decides To Get Inventive, A Story In A Ranking Chart

Yamamoto Thought He Was Punishing Everyone Including Zaraki By Making Him Actually Fill Out That Report, Was Not Ready For Zaraki To Deliver A Twelve Hundred Slide Powerpoint Category Seven Autism Infodump About It A Week Later, A Sequel

[opudraws]

This is a tiny comic strip based on my prediction on how Stranger things season 5 might turn out (SPOILERS AHEAD OFC)!

Ever since I came to learn that Will probably would have a major role in the next season, my head has been filled with so many theories and concepts and I just couldn’t help but draw them out lol I absolutely adore Will Byers.

I personally think the Mind flayer has a mind of its own and is a separate being from Vecna. Vecna created it as one of his soldiers to fight for him and bring him preys- is what I think but I could be dead wrong lol. And just like how it controlled Will in the past, what if Will's hidden power allows him to control the mind flayer in reverse? That, if, Will has any power in the first place of course. These are my mere imaginations hehe let me know what ya'll think! 🦋

[nothingbizzare]

To be a sunflower looking at the sun