#i’m aware i’m not being completely canon compliant but it’s for the story

[eagle-warri]

MAG XXX: Labyrinthine

(inspired by both @cherrifire’s Distortion!BigB and @mothofprophecy’s Distortion!Grian. And also the fact that Secret Life is basically a Spiral domain at this point)

tw: derealization, descriptions of glitching

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[click]

[ARCHIVIST] Statement of G. Rian regarding a maze of doors. Statement given October 29, 20…that can’t be right. The statement says it was given 2023, that day hasn’t happened yet. It must’ve been a mistake, I’ll have to refile it. Statement begins.

[ARCHIVIST (statement)] Alright, first thing you need to know is that I am not the best guy sometimes, but I try! If I sometimes trap my friends in death games for fun, well, no one’s perfect. I see how you’re looking at me, they’re fine. Mostly. Don’t ask about Jimmy.

Anyways. I was running another game, but something was wrong. I wasn’t completely in control anymore, something…else had gotten in there. And not of my own design. Something not of blood and life and death, like the games always were, not of the binding strings and rot of Double or the ticking time of Lim or the hopping bloodlust of Last, but of color and twisting and lies. We had…they were called Secrets. Things we had to do or we suffered the consequences. And there was one player…

It was BigB. Don’t ask about a real name, only about half the players went by one, and he wasn’t one of them. But from the start his secrets were weird. First one I’m almost sure was hole-related, but he would not tell me, which I’m kind of annoyed about. But the second one…

I don’t even know what his secret was for, but he had some sort of labyrinth built, and he invited me in. I took it, obviously. But as I passed him, something was a bit off. Nothing was wrong looking right at him, but out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn that he was glitching. Like, he had this weird, colorful outline, and his fingers were too long. I didn’t think much of it. Probably should have, otherwise I wouldn’t be in here.

Anyways, I headed in, and figured that it was a maze thing, that I’d have to find my way out. Especially when I glanced back and realized the door wasn’t there anymore. I kept going, but it seemed like I was going in circles. The doors on the walls kept changing, colors and styles glitching. Eventually I tried just walking in one direction. Until I realized that I should have been past the world border. There should’ve…well what should’ve happened is that there was a wall, a border somewhere that you couldn’t go through. A pocket domain’s only so large, ya know? Suppose you do, given this place.

I kept going. Eventually I started running, checking every door I could. It only seemed to glitch more the more I was in there. It was as if whatever had trapped me in that place didn’t like me. And every so often, when I glanced back, I saw BigB. He seemed at home in the glitches, but so wrong at the same time. His limbs didn’t look right, his sweater glitching from blue to pink to purple. The curls in his hair only spiraled in and in and in and in, never seeming to stop.

I found the one door that wasn’t glitching. It seemed normal, your typical birch door that seemed stark against the dissolving hallway around me. I grabbed for it and went through it and…

I woke up on the ground, looking up at BigB. He looked…normal. It was a stark contrast from the glitching mess that had been in the maze. He helped me up, saying I’d passed out in there, that he’d dragged me out. He shrugged before waving a goodbye as I walked up the stairs that spiraled up to ground level. 

As I left, I thought to check my secret. It said to move some doors around people’s bases, and I did! Twice as many as I needed to, actually. And I built this confusing base thing, basically all stairs.

I never realized how much fun it was to confuse people like that.

[ARCHIVIST] Statement ends. There’s…a lot to unpack here. That Jimmy he mentioned…I’m pretty sure we have an End statement by a Jimmy that refers to a “G” a couple of times. But the other things. Mr. Rian seems like a dangerous Avatar. It seems less like he belongs to someone specific, and more to a fear, something game and death and blood and control. Adding being Spiral-touched to that can’t be good for anyone. Hell, it seems like he’s halfway to being an Archivist himself, if he wasn’t so tied to Web.

That BigB he mentioned confuses me too. He doesn’t match the description of Michael or Helen, but he’s obviously a Distortion. The doors make that obvious enough. Maybe this thing really is from that date. Or maybe it’s not, and the Spiral is just messing with me.

Not really that much to follow up on here, unless I want someone to end up in his…what did he call it? “Pocket Domain?”

Whatever that is, it sounds worrying. For now, I’ll only hope that none of us cross G’s path.

[click]

[dyaz-stories]

open the blinds, let me see your face || gojo satoru x reader

synopsis: After the death of one of his former students, Satoru insists he's fine. He's lying.

word count: 1k

cw: canon compliant, teacher!reader, angst, minor character death, hurt/comfort, implied fwb relationship with gojo

a/n: reader is the same as in say my name and everything just stops (smut, please only read if you're comfortable with that)

soundtrack

You stand by the door of the morgue, leaning against the wall, arms folded against your chest. Less than an hour ago, you received Ijichi’s report. Factual, direct, stern words. A curse was misclassed. The exorcist sent to deal somehow still managed to complete the job, but passed away as he was being taken back. It’s a story you’ve heard before; it’s a story you’ll hear again.

Except this time, you knew that name.

Of course, you have a good knowledge of most registered exorcists in Japan. Your job requires that. This particular exorcist, you hadn’t met personally — but you’d heard stories.

He was one of the students Gojo taught during his first year as a teacher at Jujutsu High.

You know he’s already inside, and you don’t want to interrupt him at a time of grieving, but you couldn’t bring yourself to stay away.

Just a few minutes ago, Shoko passed by you, giving you a polite nod. She looked tired, unlit cigarette hanging from her lips as she entered the room. You know it’s only a matter of time before she starts handling the body, which means any moment now, Gojo will come out.

You’re not sure what you will do, not really sure why you’re here. You suppose what it comes down to is that you don’t know that he’ll have anyone else. The idea of him being alone, at such a time, makes your heart ache.

So you wait.

It’s a few minutes more before he steps out. He looks the same as he always does: blindfold on, hair an elegant mess, shoulders relaxed. A smile forms on his lips when he sees you, with just an instant of delay, just a moment too late, and in a few steps, he reaches you.

“Aw, did you miss me already?”

His tone is light, his body language playful, in the way he leans forward to tower over you.

You know better than to buy into it.

“I came to check on you,” you say. “I got Ijichi’s report.”

“Ah, about that?” he asks, pointing towards the closed doors. “That’s handled, don’t worry about it. Unfortunately,” a heavy sigh, “I’m afraid I got some things to take care of now, so I’m going to have to cut this short.”

He pulls away so fast all you can do is blink, turning away from you to keep walking. You follow after him, struggling to keep up with his wide strides.

“I’m fine,” he lies without so much as glancing in your direction. “It’s not the first person we lose.”

“Satoru,” you say, and he pauses for a second, tilting his head to look at you.

“Aw,” he teases, “pulling out the ‘Satoru’? You’re really worried aren’t ya?”

Annoyance bubbles inside of you, but you know that’s why he’s doing this. It would be so easy to throw your hands up and decide that he is fine and you should just let him be.

Except if you do that, he’ll truly be alone.

“I am,” you answer genuinely. It’s the best way you’ve found to deal with this. Honest, direct answers, engaging with what he means instead of his tone or behavior. You watch him swallow, and you know you’ve made the right call.

“I’m fine,” he says, a little colder this time.

“Satoru…” you say again, reaching out to touch his face — except your hand stops, a few inches away from his body.

It takes you a second to understand what happened, and once you do, cold washes over you. Outside of sparring session, he’s never used the Infinity to shut you out. You’re aware that the spell is active at all times. You’re also aware that he can choose what he does and does not let in.

“I really do have to go,” he tells you, no longer playful, but he does nothing to move away.

You don’t remove your hand.

After a few seconds, during which neither of you move, he sighs, and the spell allows you in. Gently, your fingers brush against his cheek, and he leans into your touch, ever so slightly.

“I’m fine,” he repeats for a third time, voice even weaker.

There is no need for you to be the strongest right now,’ you want to say. ‘You get to be weak, too,’ you want to say.

“You don’t have to be,” you say instead, cupping his cheek and lightly stroking it. The moment feels fragile. This is not what your relationship is supposed to be — but then again, it had never been just sex, either.

With a trembling sigh, Gojo’s body melts into you. His arms wrap around you, he buries his face in your neck, and he relaxes fully. The hallway is empty except for the two of you, and on another day maybe you would worry about getting caught. Today, it doesn’t matter, and you just close your arms around him, and let him be.

When he pulls away, long fingers tilt your head towards him, only the fingertips brushing against your skin, as if you were made of porcelain and he feared breaking you. He kisses you oh so softly, a caress of his mouth against yours. You press your lips back against his, tilting your head back to give him a better access. It only lasts a second — a second during which you can feel him containing himself — before he takes a step back.

“I need to go check that there’s nothing left out there,” he says, composing himself once more. “But I’ll make sure to visit you when I get back, m’kay?”

He points a finger at you, and you’re sure he’d be winking, if not for the blindfold.

You roll your eyes and scoff, letting him put the mask back on. It’s not the first time someone he knows dies, it won’t be the last either. Everyone, in this line of work, has come to terms with that — but Satoru Gojo is one of the few who never gets a moment to grieve, before he’s needed elsewhere.

“If you must.”

“Oh, but I must, you’d miss me too much if I didn’t, right?”

“If you wake me up, I swear you’ll regret it.”

“A small price to pay,” he grins. “I’ll see you soon.”

He’s gone in the blink of an eye, and you’re left standing in the hallway, alone.

He was right. You would have missed him.

just a quick little thing, hope you liked it! please consider reblogging and commenting to support me if you enjoy my work and would like to see more of it ^-^

you can find more of my gojo x reader writing here if you're interested

[quotablefanfiction]

“Will you be bored?” Liu Qingge huffed. “No. I will train. I should not only do so when you are asleep.” “You train when I’m asleep?” Shen Yuan repeated, looking surprised. “How did I not know that?” “You were asleep.”

Shen Yuan has not been paying attention (chp. 18)

Cultivate: Slow Life on a Monster-Infested Mountain by NeonGhostCat (AO3) The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System – Teen – Liǔ Qīnggē/Shěn Yuán #Alternate Universe #Not Canon Compliant #Broken System #Multiple POV #Idiots in Love #Slow Build #Identity Reveal #Fantasy Farm Life #Domestic Fluff #Mythical Beings & Creatures #Monsters #Fantasy Flora #Battle Couple #Light-Hearted #Light Horror Elements #Non-Graphic Violence  

When trying to transfer Shen Yuan from the real world to Proud Immortal Demon Way, the System runs into an error. The transfer is not complete.

Shen Yuan is dropped off at the foot of a mountain aware of two things: he’s in the story, and the Shen Qingqiu of this world is not only aware but thinks he tried to possess his body — and he’s PISSED. Shen Yuan tries to opt out and live a simple life on what locals tell him is a monster-infested mountain no one in their right mind would bother with.

Sounds like a great hiding spot!

(TL;DR: Stardew Scum Villain Valley Mountain.)

[readingnreccing]

Cultivate: Slow Life in a Monster-Infested Mountain by NeonGhostCat 

SVSSS | teen | 461k | liushen | complete | broken system

When trying to transfer Shen Yuan from the real world to Proud Immortal Demon Way, the System runs into an error. The transfer is not complete. Shen Yuan is dropped off at the foot of a mountain aware of two things: he's in the story, and the Shen Qingqiu of this world is not only aware but thinks he tried to possess his body — and he's PISSED. Shen Yuan tries to opt out and live a simple life on what locals tell him is a monster-infested mountain no one in their right mind would bother with. Sounds like a great hiding spot! (TL;DR: Stardew Scum Villain Valley Mountain.)

I’m gonna start saying I love this story so much! Yes, it is super long! But!!! It’s not repetitive, it’s curious and smart, and there’s so much character development. It’s a whole feast. So what happens when Shen Yuan is transmigrating, but the original Shen Qingqiu is able to stop the “transfer”? He gets a whole new body, finds himself a mountain to hide from SQQ, and decides to make a quiet life for him there, while also trying to avoid the Plot. Not that it is possible with Liu Qingge appearing at the mountain and deciding to help him (while also thinking SY is the secret younger brother of SQQ). We get feelings! Action! Plot! Character development! All the relationships are so good, romantic or platonic! Cool OCs! Shen Yuan being himself and amazing!

Author’s tags: POV Multiple, Alternate Universe - Broken System (Scum Villain), Not Canon Compliant, Idiots in Love, Slow Build, Identity Reveal, Fantasy Farm Life, Domestic Fluff, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Monsters, Fantasy Flora, Battle Couple, Light-Hearted, Light Horror Elements, Non-Graphic Violence, Shěn Yuán is the Charming Gremlin We Know From His Internal Monologue, Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū Swears, Platonic Relationships, (Not referring to LiuShen!), Unconventional Families

Remember to leave feedback to the author! <3

@neonghostcat

[annabtg]

Fan Fic Humble Brag Tag

Tagged by @thelighthousestale, thank you so much! ❤

Sometimes we love something we wrote so much we want to knock on every door spreading the good word of our little story. But sometimes we fear being seen as rude or too self promoting. Here is your chance to do a bit of self promo and bragging without fear because some asked you too.

Answer the questions and then tag five writers who you think deserve to brag about their work.

1) The funniest bit of dialogue you wrote

This is a surprisingly hard question, because while I like writing humour, it's not exactly in the form of hilarious dialogue. It's more a combination of quippy dialogue and funny circumstances. Like in this one bit from Are You Experienced? in which James goes out in Muggle Glasgow in his school robes, causing people to think he's a monk:

“Hello. I have reserved two tickets for the Johnny Kendricks live show at Birmingham on the 30th. James Potter.” The woman narrowed her eyes at him, most probably wondering why a monk would be getting tickets to a live rock show. “The Johnny Kendricks live show,” she repeated, unconvinced. James straightened his back and eyed her strictly through his glasses. “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” he said archaically.

2) A story you wrote that made you cry

My Best Friend's Girl. I cried so much writing it, both with James's heartbreak and Sirius and Lily breaking up!

3) A story that still makes you laugh every time you reread it or think about it

I'm going to go with Are You Experienced? again!

4) Best moment of canon compliant characterization

I take great pride in my canon characterization! A story that always gets positive comments about the characterization of both James and Lily is The Great James Potter. Here's a snippet:

“All right, Evans? Had a good holiday?” “Sure,” she replies noncommittally. For some reason, she has always felt wary about James Potter knowing stuff about her. She has always thought of him as the kind of person who will use what he knows against her, and she doesn’t like anyone having that kind of power over her. “I was sure you’d be Head Girl this year.” She nods. Even though there’s nothing in his tone to suggest it, she understands it’s meant to be a compliment, and she takes it as such. He leans back on the seat and stretches his arms. “Can’t say the same about me, can you,” he adds with a sly smile. “I’m not completely surprised,” she admits. She is aware that his right arm is casually resting on the back of her seat, and she leans slightly forward to put some space between them, resting with her elbows on her knees and her chin on the back of her palms. Stray strands of red hair fall in front of her eyes, but she makes no effort to brush them back, instead looking at him through them. “But do you even know what you’re supposed to be doing here?” “Of course,” he says smugly. “I read the letter. Enforce the rules of the school and set a good example for the students.” “Do you know the rules?” He pushes his glasses to the back of his nose. “You have to know the rules to break the rules.”

5) Something you wrote in a fic you secretly (or not so secretly) think as canon

As pictured in The Big Little Moments: James and Lily lived with their parents after Hogwarts and really moved into their new home on their wedding day.

6) The most romantic bit you’ve written

Oh I've written a few good ones, if I say so myself! Here's one that many people have swooned over, from Inescapable:

“I don’t believe in destiny.” He tuts. “You should. It’s real, and it’s written all around you. Everywhere, from the tea you drink to your palms and your eyes.” “Nothing’s written in my eyes,” she says, averting her gaze and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “The stories in your eyes could fill books, Evans.” She looks up again, slowly, cautiously. She’s biting her lip. Her cheeks have turned pink. She’s beautiful. He knows not to say anything more yet – it’s a fine line he’s walking – but his destiny has never been clearer.

7) A fic you wrote that everyone sleeps on, but you know is excellent

It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll). It's funny, it's fluffy, it's got music, it's got Jily and Marauders friendship. Honestly, it deserves more love.

8) Wow us with an excellent excerpt

I'll try! xD I consider Nom De Plume one of my best written works, so here's an excerpt from chapter 1:

James had always resorted to writing to express himself, clear his mind of the thoughts and ideas that chased him obsessively – and obsessively was the right word for how Lily Evans made him feel. He had started out with hymns and praise – pages dedicated to her beauty, her fiery spirit, the life sparkling in her emerald green eyes. He wrote down all the things he wanted to tell her, from Victorian literature-style confessions of adoration to the raw passion of Henrietta Hummingway’s heroes. And every drop of ink that seeped into the page carried him deeper and deeper, until it was his innermost desires he was describing, dreams of touches and caresses and becoming one with her; whispers and echoes of moments he’d never lived, but that were alive in his heart, painted in his mind, etched on his bones. When he lost her – when she wasn’t even there to admire from afar – he lost all rein on his fantasies. He stayed in the Academy, doing research, and every brilliant green would remind him of her eyes, every scarlet hue of her hair. He stirred potions and wrote papers, and when he went home and showered the remnants of the fumes away from his body and hair, he imagined the door opening by her hand; he imagined her seeking him, missing him; he imagined himself saying the right things for once. Then he would sit at his desk and write everything; he wrote her as beautiful as she was and as in love with him as he wished she’d be. He let himself surrender in stories where she longed for him; where she regretted every time she’d denied his invitations; where she came back to work at the Academy and they were partnered, and it all led to more, and then more.

9) Five words to describe your writing

Concise, poetic, polished, deliberate, witty.

10) The fic you are most proud of

I'm going to say Nom De Plume, because it's my first multichapter AU, and I worked so hard for such a long time on it! I love the writing in it and I think I did a good job with the plot and characterizations overall. :)

Tagging @kay-elle-cee @charmsandtealeaves @ksarasara @abihastastybeans @nena-96 (if you've already done it, tag me so I see it! I was away for the weekend and I've missed a lot!).

[p5x-theories]

-head canon-

I haven’t had a look at any game play videos for the second beta so I don’t know if this would work timeline wise and I’m not completely sure if the gatcha characters are confirmed as confidants but if they are I think it would be super cute to head canon that Wonder specially sort out the gatcha characters as friends when he released they had real world counterparts. He knows their not the same person but misses them out side the metaverse.

Aw, yeah!

As far as I'm aware at the moment, an interview with P5X's director seems to imply that the Phantom Idols (that is, gacha-only teammates) will all be confidants as well, and so far most of them have at least been confirmed to have real-world counterparts (with I believe Mont being the only current exception, as I haven't seen any trace of her yet?), whether they're actually confidants or not, so I think between that and the fact that you can apparently even roll story teammates in the gacha before meeting them in the story, your headcanon's entirely canon-compliant!

Not that headcanons have to be anyway, haha, but I think it's a cute headcanon and I really like the idea too! Probably really strange for him the first time he meets someone in reality that he's had on the team as a Phantom Idol for a while, though, even if it's a welcome kind of weird.

[graysongraysoff]

🤡 🛒 🛠 💖 and 🧐 for the ask meme! <3

fanfic writer emoji asks

🤡 what’s a line, scene or exchange you’ve written that made you laugh?

dialogue is my favorite thing on earth to write, especially little interactions like this:

“Damn, you got hot,” Satoru greeted him at the entrance to Jujutsu High’s administrative building, earning the long-suffering glare he’d missed so much.

“You look the same,” Nanami replied dryly. Satoru barked a laugh.

“I’ll send you the skincare routine,” he quipped breezily.

writing banter like this between good friends always makes me smile :)

🛒 what are some common things you incorporate in your fics? themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

it was a joke with my les mis friends for a long time that i had to reference courfeyrac’s “buoyant curls” at least once in every fic i wrote, lol. i will not apologize i love that phrase and the imagery it invokes so fucking much.

but in terms of broader things… well, the biggest commonality in everything i write, fic and not-fic, is the focus on platonic relationships, usually between brothers, male friends or fathers/father figures and sons/son figures. i can’t help it, i love the way men love. maybe someday we’ll unpack why that is, but it is not this day.

i also write primarily angst and hurt/comfort, bc a bitch loves tragedy and catharsis, especially when that tragedy and catharsis involves men being vulnerable with each other in a way that masculinity usually doesn’t let them be.

men crying is what i’m trying to say. i write a lot of men hugging and leaning on each other and crying.

🛠 what tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

google docs baybee, and occasionally a timer if i’m trying to break a block with ten-minute fics. i also write from prompts a lot? especially since i write mostly short fic; i find it helpful a lot of times to have a jumping-off place.

also thesaurus.com, my beloved.

💖 what made you start writing?

god, i don’t even know. i have been writing stories ever since i learned how to write; when i was like six or seven i had a whole notebook dedicated to tales of three best friends and their horses, complete with illustrations. i won first place in the young author’s fair at my school around that same age for a story about two cats encountering a scary bulldog. i don’t think anything made me start writing, i think that’s just how i’m wired, lol.

now, i started writing fic when i was 13 or 14 years old, basically because i learned, from the internet, that it was allowed, lol. before then i thought surely it must be illegal for nebulous copyright reasons, so i would just write things that were Heavily Inspired by the stuff i liked, but then once i discovered that fanfic was a Thing on the internet i started writing more and more of that and less and less original stuff, until now when it’s basically all i write! 😬

🧐 do you spend much time researching your stories?

god, you have no idea.

i generally like to stay as canon compliant as possible; i generally write fic out of appreciation for (and obsession with) the canon as opposed to writing fic to “fix” the canon (though i am not immune to the occasional fix-it), and i have also always really enjoyed the exercise of writing “within constraints.” it feels like a game to me — a set of rules or requirements that i have to work around in order to create something moving. to do that i spend insane amounts of time on wikis and reddits looking up shit like “how many windows does the bebop have,” and sometimes i will find and rewatch/reread a scene in the original work if the internet isn’t giving me what i want.

in terms of research outside of the canon, recently since i’ve started writing a lot of anime fic i’ve been doing a fair amount of research into japanese culture, but i’m a biiiitttt more loosey-goosey with that, because 1.) i am aware of the limits of typing keywords into google and reading three or four blog posts on whatever it is i’m looking up, and i would rather be ambiguous than wrong, and 2.) i think as an american writing in english it’s really easy for that kind of research to, like, take over a fic, if that makes sense?? like, i’ve definitely read fics (especially anime fics) where all the cultural details and references start to feel kind of performative, which not only makes the writer seem pretentious but it also takes away from the story itself. so generally if it’s something that seems easy enough to look up, like popular fast food restaurants or what kind of animals they have at the tokyo zoo, i’ll look that up, but i give myself a bit more wiggle room with things that might be more nuanced than that.

wow anyway sorry for that insane digression, lmao. the short answer is yes. yes i do a lot of research when i write fic. 😂

[aziraphales-library]

hello! i’m looking for any canon-compliant fics where we see more into aziraphale and crowley’s relationship throughout the years much like in episode three of Good Omens but the missing scenes.

Hello!

Here's a few for you:

Līgfāmblāwende [G] by Lurlur, robynthemagpie_writes, WyvernQuill

What is a dragon if not just a really big snake?

We present the true story of how St George vanquished the Dragon.

some chocolate to sweeten the deal [G] by Enelica, sevdrag (seventhe)

“Heathens.” Crowley snorts. “Did you know they’ve already discovered four of the planets? Lot of work went into those, let me tell you, and these clever bastards have spotted four of them already. Britannia should weep.”

Aziraphale’s smile softens in pleasure. The angel’s too soft over humanity, and unfortunately, it’s one of the things Crowley likes best about him. “Did you know they’re only eight hundred and ninety years off calculating when the earth began?” The angel glances away, and Crowley has to cover a sharp breath at Aziraphale’s profile, pale and happy. “That’s the closest anyone’s gotten, I believe.”

Like a Box of Chocolates [T] by animeangelriku

“Oh!” Aziraphale moves towards him and stares warily at the box, like he doesn’t know what to make of it. “Crowley, did you… Is this for me?”

“Who else?” The demon decides to ignore the awe in the angel’s voice. It’s not the first time he’s given Aziraphale what might be called a present, and he refuses to look any more into it. It’s never gotten him anywhere good. “Unless there’s another ethereal being opening another bookshop in Soho.”

“Not as far as I’m aware.” Aziraphale’s smile softens, and when he tentatively reaches for the box, Crowley all but surrenders it. “I assume this is a housewarming gift, then?”

“’f you like,” Crowley mutters with a deliberately casual shrug, which kind of defeats the purpose.

everything strange washes up near Miami [T] by MovesLikeBucky

“Crowley, what are you doing here?”

“Investigating,” Crowley said as the bartender returned with their drinks, frozen concoctions of a completely unnatural blue color garnished with pineapples and cherries. “Been a surge of unaccounted for demonic activity in the area, Beelzebub sent me to investigate.”

“Ah, me as well,” Aziraphale said as he sipped the fruity drink, relishing the cold of it, “Gabriel sent me. Whatever it is seems to be interfering with my connection, I can’t perform miracles.”

“Well that makes it interesting, looks like we might be dealing with a third party.”

“Oh dear, I hate those.”

“Still, could do it together? S’ been a while, angel.”

Aziraphale arched an eyebrow at that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to work with Crowley — he did, more than anything. But seeing Crowley here, seeing him with an easy smile fitting in like he belonged, happiness alighting behind those pink and purple lenses… brought back memories. It wasn’t all that long ago he’d told Crowley he went too fast.

--

Aziraphale and Crowley meet up in 1980s Miami. Surely this will go smoothly.

There's also a The Days of Their Lives zine fic Collection and I believe there's still a few days left to buy the zine if anyone's interested!

~Mod N

[elamarth-calmagol]

What actually is LACE? (an informal essay)

What’s LACE?

Laws and Customs among the Eldar, or LACE, is the most popular section of the History of Middle Earth books.  It's available online as a PDF here: http://faculty.smu.edu/bwheeler/tolkien/online_reader/T-LawsandCustoms.pdf .  There’s a lot of LACE analysis in the fandom, Silmarillion smut fics are usually labeled “LACE compliant” or “not LACE compliant”, and I’ve been seeing the document itself show up in actual fics, meaning that the characters themselves are discussing it.

LACE is an unfinished, non-canonical essay split into several parts.  It covers the sexuality of elves, which is mostly what people talk about.  It also covers elvish naming (which I want to make a whole different post about), the speed at which elves grow up, changes that happen throughout their lives, their death and rebirth, and finally the legal and moral issues of Finwe remarrying after Miriel’s death.  The discussion about rebirth conflicts with Tolkien’s later writings about Glorfindel’s re-embodiment, but to the best of my knowledge, LACE is the best or only source for most of the topics it covers.

However, LACE is not canon since it doesn’t show up in the Silmarillion.  Counting all of the History of Middle Earth as canon is literally impossible, considering Tolkien contradicts himself all over the place.  It is only useful because it has so much information that is never discussed in the actual canon.  Many people consider it canon out of convenience.

Another important thing to remember is that, other than presumably the discussion of the growth of elvish children, the information is only supposed to apply to the Eldar (meaning the Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri, and Sindar) and not the dark-elves such as the Silvan elves and Avari.

The rest is behind the cut to avoid clogging your feeds.

Problems with LACE interpretations

But because it’s hidden in the History of Middle Earth (volume 10, Morgoth’s Ring), barely anyone actually gets the opportunity to read it.  I don’t think most people are aware that you can get it online, so it doesn't get read much.

I feel like this leads to a handful of people saying something about LACE and everyone else going along with it.  I definitely did this.  I was amazed by all the things that were in the actual essay that nobody had ever told me about, or had told me incorrectly.  For example, most people seem to believe that elves become married at the completion of sexual intercourse (whatever that means to the fic author).  In fact, LACE explicitly says that elves must take an oath using the name of Eru in order to be legally married.  Specifically: 

It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage, and after which the indissoluble bond was complete… [I]t was at all times lawful for any of the Eldar, being both unwed, to marry thus of free consent one to another without ceremony or witness (save blessings exchanged and the naming of the Name); and the union so joined was alike indissoluble.

I’ve seen a marriage oath being included in a few stories recently, but most writers leave out the oath entirely and just have sex be automatically equivalent to marriage.  What would happen if elves had sex without swearing an oath?  I don’t know, but I’d love to see it explored.

Then there’s a footnote that might explicitly deny the existence of transgender elves... or not, but I’ve literally only seen it mentioned once or twice.  Overall, I feel like all of LACE is filtered through the handful of people who read it, and we’re missing out on a lot of metanalysis and interpretations that we could have because most fans never see the actual document.

Who wrote LACE?

I mean within the mythology of Middle Earth, of course.  Since LACE appears in the History of Middle Earth and not the Silmarillion, we can be pretty sure that J.R.R. Tolkien himself wrote it and it wasn’t added to by Christopher Tolkien.  But that’s not the question here.  Remember that Tolkien’s frame narrative for all of his Middle Earth work is that he is a scholar of ancient times and is translating documents from Westron and Sindarin for modern audiences to read and understand.  The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings come from the Red Book of Westmarch, and I believe The Silmarillion is meant to be Tolkien’s own writings based on his research (though it might also be an adaption of Bilbo’s “Translations from the Elvish”, but I haven't looked into that).  So what does LACE come from?

Christopher Tolkien admits in his notes that he doesn’t know.  He says, “It is clear in any case that this is presented as the work, not of one of the Eldar, but of a Man,” and I agree, because of the way it seems to be written as an ethnographic study rather than by someone who lives in the culture.  Honestly, it talks too much about how elves are seen by Men (e.g. speculating that elf-children might look like the children of Men) to be written by an elf.  This changes once it gets to the Doom of Finwe and Miriel, but that could be, and probably is, a story told to the writer by an elf who was there at the time.

Tolkien actually references Aelfwine in the second version of the text.  The original story behind The Lost Tales, which was the abandoned first version of the Silmarillion, was that a man from the Viking period named Aelfwine/Eriol stumbled onto the Straight Road and found himself on Tol Eressea.  He spoke to the elves and brought back their stories to England with him.  So it makes a lot of sense that Aelfwine would also write about the lives and customs of the elves for an audience of his own people.

Does LACE exist in Middle Earth?

I keep finding fics where first age elves discuss “the Laws and Customs” openly, as if it’s a text in their own world.  I usually get the impression that it was brought by the Noldor from Valinor.  But did the document actually exist in that time period?  For me, the answer is definitely not.

First of all, LACE was probably written by a Man, meaning it could not have dated back to Valinor in the years of the Trees, because Men hadn’t awaked yet.  In fact, the closest thing to an established frame narrative for it is that it was written by Aelfwine, who comes from the time period around 1000 CE (though Tolkien doesn’t seem to have pinned him down).  This is at least the fifth age, if not later.

But what if you don’t believe that it was written by a Man?  It still couldn’t have been written in the First Age, because it discusses the way the relationship between elves’ bodies and souls changes as ages go by.  For example:

As ages passed the dominance of their fear ever increased, ‘consuming’ their bodies... The end of this process is their ‘fading’, as Men have called it.

A lot of time has to go by in order for elves to get to the point of fading.  As a bonus, here’s another reference to the perspective of Men. LACE also discusses the dangers that “houseless feas”, which are souls of elves who do not go to Mandos after their bodies died, pose to Men.  How would they have known about that in the First Age?  It further says that “more than one rebirth is seldom recorded” (which isn’t contradicted anywhere I know of), and that’s not something you would know during your life of joy in Valinor, where almost nobody dies.  That’s something you learn after millennia of war.  This has to be a document written well after the Silmarillion ends.

So what about the sex part?  That’s all we care about, right?  Well, it is entirely possible that this was written down by the elves and Aelfwine translated it (though my impression is that he mostly recorded stories told orally to him and that elves were not very much into writing, at least in Valinor where you could get stories directly from someone who experienced them).  However, why would the elves write this down?  They know how quickly their children grow up.  They’ve seen actual marriages.  They don’t need that described to them.  And if they did have a specific document or story explaining the expectations of them when it comes to sex and marriage, why would they call it “Laws and Customs”?  That’s a very strange name for a set of rules for conduct.  I’m sure they had a list of laws written out somewhere in great detail, like our own state or national laws (that seems very in character for the Noldor, at least).  But I seriously doubt that those laws are what we’ve been given to read. LACE is not an elvish or Valinoran document.

Is LACE prescriptive or descriptive?

Here’s the other big question I’m interested in.  Prescriptive means that the document describes the way people should behave.  Descriptive means that it describes how people do behave.  And the more I worldbuild for Middle Earth and the culture of elves, the more I want to say that LACE is prescriptive in its discussion of sex, marriage, and gender roles.

But wait.  I’ve been saying for paragraphs that I think LACE is Aelfwine or another Man’s ethnographic study of elvish culture.  Then it has to be descriptive, right?

Does it?  How long do we think Aelfwine stayed with the elves?  Did he wait fifty years to see a child grow up?  Did he get to witness a wedding ceremony?  Did he meet houseless fea?  I don’t think he could have done all of that.  Maybe a different Man who spent his entire life with the elves could, but then when was this written?  When the elves were still marrying and having children in Middle Earth or when so much time had gone by that they had begun to fade already?

Whoever wrote this was told a lot of information by elves instead of experiencing it firsthand, the same way he heard the stories from the First Age from the elves instead of being there.  Maybe it was one elf who talked to him, maybe several different ones.  But did those elves accurately describe their society the way it was, give him the easiest description, or explain the way it was supposed to be?  If I was describing modern-day America, would I discuss premarital sex or just our dating and marriage customs?  Maybe people would come away from a talk with me thinking that moving in together equated to marriage for Americans in the early 21st century.  And I don’t even have an agenda to show America in a certain way, I'm just bad at explaining.  Did the elves talking to what may have been the first Man they had seen in millennia have an agenda in the way they presented themselves?

Or did the writer himself have an agenda?  Imagine going to see these beautiful, mythical, perfect beings, and you find out that they behave in the same immoral ways Men do.  Do you want to share the truth back home?  Or do you leave out things that don't match your worldview? Did Aelfwine come back wanting to tell people what elves were really like?  Or did he want to say “this is how you can be holy and perfect like an elf”?

Anyone studying the Age of Exploration will tell you that Europeans neber wrote about new cultures objectively, and often things were made up to fit the writer’s idea of what savages looked like. For example, my Native American history teacher in college told a story of how explorers described one tribe who (sensibly) didn't wear clothes as cannibals, because cannibalism and going around naked went together in their minds and not because of any actual incident.  Unbiased scholarship barely existed yet. Even Tolkien was extremely biased and tended to be imperialistic, as we all know.  There’s absolutely no reason to think that Aelfwine wasn’t biased in his own way.  (Of course, now we have to consider what biases a Danish or English man from the centuries around 1000 would have when it comes to things like gender roles. I assume he would have been more into divorce and female warriors than the elves are said to be.)

But is that what Tolkien intended? Probably not. He probably wanted LACE to be descriptive. But he also never got much of a chance to analyse the essay after the fact, which might have led to him discussing its accuracy and even the exact issues I just pointed out about explorers. Anyway, we know he's biased, and honestly, what he intended has never slowed down the fandom before.

Conclusion

In short, I take LACE to be a prescriptive document describing the way elvish culture is supposed to be, not a blueprint I have to stick to in order to correctly portray elves.  I also don’t believe the document that’s available for us to read existed even in the early Fourth Age, where The Lord of the Rings leaves off.  There maybe have been some document outlining the moral behavior of elves, as a set of laws, but thats not the Laws and Customs we have.

Of course, canon is up to you to interpret.  If you want Feanor discussing LACE with someone back in Valinor, go ahead.  If you want to throw out LACE entirely, go ahead.  It’s not even a canonical essay.  All of this analysis is honestly useless when you consider the fact that no part of LACE exists in any canonical book.

But that’s Tolkien analysis for you.

[dakotadelacour]

Framing the House

As you may have read in my post, Laying the Foundation, I recently decided to remove my stories from AO3. This isn’t due to any major fandom drama or anything like that, I just wasn’t enjoying writing as much as I used to and having unfinished stories on the website increased my anxiety. So I took them all down. If anyone is interested, I’m now using my free time on hobbies that are even better for me than writing used to be. After letting readers know about my decision to stop writing, a few reached out to ask if I’d share a summary of how I had planned to finish a series I was in the middle of. I decided that would be a nice way to wrap things up, so to speak, so I’ve taken to Tumblr to do just that. To give a complete summary, though, I felt I had to start by explaining why I wanted to write Dramione fanfiction in the first place and what my original intentions were for my most popular story, Between the Lines (which eventually turned into the previously mentioned unfinished series). So that’s what I covered in my last post which, again, was called Laying the Foundation. Here’s a recap, though: I wanted to write a (mostly) canon complaint retelling of the Harry Potter books which would make Draco’s cruel behavior and him having a secret crush on Hermione somehow blend together in a believable, sympathetic way. I also wanted to include a lot of headcanons I developed while re-reading the books because I wanted to shine light on nuanced Dramione patterns from canon which are sadly overlooked far too often (IMO). Sidebar: if I can toot my own horn for a second, I recommend that post for the canon analysis alone. I’m pretty proud of it. Much love to the Tumblr user who commented about it! Anyway, that’s the recap of Laying the Foundation, and now we’re ready to dive into Framing the House. Basically, with this post I want to build on the details I’ve already shared in order to explain my original story outline and how I got off track. After that, in the next and last post in this mini series, I can tie up plot points as they stood before deleting my work. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, though. Since I got off track from my original outline, there are plot points I regret including and/or no longer enjoy exploring. So, yes, I’m Framing the House, but by the end the house is going to be a bit crooked because it’s going to include things like, “Here’s what I was thinking, but I don’t like that anymore.” Bare with me.

Let’s start with the original outline, inspired by the previously mentioned original intentions (mostly canon compliant but Draco has a secret crush and, oh yeah, headcanons galore). Just know, though, that I’m using the words original outline pretty loosely here. I had a lot of headcanons and I wanted to weave several of them together, but I was also aware that they couldn’t ALL fit.

Here are some basics, though.

Remember how short the first few scenes were in Between the Lines and how quickly I moved through years 1, 2, and 3? How a reader needed to know the canon story to make sense of what I was writing because what I included was pretty bare bones? Here’s a big reveal: it was all supposed to be like that. Because I was writing it just for myself. Never really expected thousands of hits or hundreds of kudos. This a little embarrassing to admit, but honestly the whole story, start to finish, was supposed to come out to be like, maybe 20k words. A long ish one-shot.

The “unspoken understanding” between Draco and Hermione which I described in my last post? In my story, it was supposed to stay that way all throughout their school years. Because I love Draco being confused, resisting his feelings, but deep down he’s secretly pining. Pining Draco is my favorite. So that’s where I wanted him to be through the entire war, which would have taken up about 75% of the long ish one-shot I imagined  initially. Okay, so put a pin in that thought for a second while I talk about Ron and Astoria.

Here’s a blunt truth: I don’t really like canon Ron. I know Hermione has a bunch of flaws too and maybe my retrospective feelings about my first big crush in high school cloud what I think of Ron. I mean, he’s a relatable character and a good friend to Harry. So I don’t like to drag him through the mud. But his fits of moodiness and immaturity always bothered me more than Hermione’s. So I like to picture the two of them were together for a time after the war, but as Hermione learned more about herself on a deeper level, she decided she and Ron were not a good fit for each other. No marriage and no kids for them. Never happened as far as I’m concerned. But Astoria? She’s not in the books, so it’s easy to imagine her any way I want. And I like Scorpius because, even though I don’t read much of it, I’m a Scorbus shipper. The friendship between those two nerds was the only good thing about Cursed Child if you ask me. So, yeah, I also had all these headcanons about Astoria and and how her life might intersect with Draco’s and how they might have had Scorpius. To be more specific, I’ve always liked the idea of Astoria suspecting or knowing about Draco’s secret crush on Hermione and having really personal reasons for empathizing. That is, I’ve always liked to imagine her having her own friendship with Hermione and/or her own secret relationship with a Muggle-born such as Colin Creevey. Eventually that developed into a post-war headcanon: After losing Colin in the war, Astoria makes peace with marrying Draco — going along with her mother’s and Narcissa’s plans to pair them together — so long as Draco is fine with it too. And I imagine that he is fine with it, at least for a time, because Hermione is either unavailable or he perceives that she is unattainable. So back to the original outline. Let me mesh together the long one-shot, bare bones ideas with my Ron and Astoria ideas. I thought I’d quickly make it through my retelling of all seven books, then add in a few scenes which would start out fairly compliant with what we’re told happened to our favorite Harry Potter characters after the war. Hermione would go back to Hogwarts for a year. Harry and Ron would become Aurors, but before long Ron joins Fred at the joke shop. Initially, Hermione and Ron are together. And Draco, having barely acknowledged his feelings for Hermione, (other than to Theo because that was another ever-present headcanon) would be too pessimistic to believe he could have a future with her. 

But then! Astoria comes into his life and they develop more of a friendship than a romantic love. They care deeply for one another and eventually admit to each other their feelings for Hermione and the belated Colin Creevey. They get married, knowing that what they have together is less than what they want from a partnership but, hey, at least they can be honest about it. And then they have Scorpius. Eventually, Hermione and Ron split. Something kinda, sorta finally develops between Draco and Hermione. But he’s married and he has a son. He wants to be honorable and resist his feelings for Hermione. But Astoria! Oh, Astoria! Being the best ever, she initiates the difficult, necessary conversation. She encourages a divorce, maybe even going as far as to scream at Draco, “Fine, if you won’t divorce me, I’m divorcing you.” Angst! Angst, angst, angst! I love it. And I still love those headcanons. I do, a lot. But I think they only work if I had kept with my plan to make the story relatively short and told in a bare bones kind of way. AND — this is a big piece, thus the capitalization — I think those headcanons also only work if I had resisted the urge to let Draco and Hermione get together sooner. I mean, if you’ve read Between the Lines, you know that they fully accepted their feelings and committed to one another by 5th year. Meaning, I now have a Hermione I don’t want with Ron and a Draco I don’t want with Astoria, not even for a short phase. Given the way Between the Lines developed, even a short jaunt with other partners would be really, really frustrating for readers, I think. Because my Draco and Hermione already love each other way too much to allow themselves to get that lost and separated from each other. Right? It took me a long time to realize that, though. Like, even as my story got more detailed, and complicated, and longer than anticipated, I was digging it for a while. Loving it, really. Like, “Look at all these headcanons working together perfectly! Yes, give me the memory loss trope! My favorite! I’m so glad that headcanon fits with all these other ones I have.” So I was chugging along, and only once I started planning the sequel more seriously did I realize the above post-war plans no longer felt right.  But I kept trying. I thought “:Okay, okay, I can do this. I can make this work.” Maybe the story won’t extend a few years past the war like I thought. It will end shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts with Draco and Hermione meeting with the Aurors who are about to insert the memories back into their minds. But the beautiful thing is that, regardless, they’ve already fallen in love all over again. (Hmm. Wait and Hope, anyone? Not the exact same concept but parallels, definitely.) But that just didn’t excite me as much. I mean, think about the classic three act story structure. If the story is really about  Draco’s growth and his developing relationship with Hermione — and the war and memory magic are just vehicles used to explore those things — what would be the “all is lost” moment? What would be the climax? For the sequel, I had a lot of ideas about Unraveling memories, and reimaging canon scenes in interesting ways, and working in headcanons about the Black sisters. But overall, it simply started to seem like I’d already written the all is lost moment and thereby set myself up for the longest descending action sequence ever to exist. Sidebar: I’m toying with the idea of reworking the story significantly and publishing it again with a non-linear timeline. More on that in the next post.

So that’s the gist. And yet, despite explaining all that, I’ve managed to dodge a lot of specifics, haven’t I? The next and last post in this Tumblr mini series, which will be called Installing the Windows, will cover more specifics, but let me give a little teaser. And let me use Graham Montague to do it (again). As I mentioned in Laying the Foundation, the whole story started to go awry because of Graham Montague. I was writing him — that scene in which the Slytherin Quidditch boys are gossiping about cute girls— and he turned out so damn charming that I just couldn’t help but allow him to spill the beans on my pureblood gender imbalance headcanon. But that was never meant to be in Between the Lines. Yep, you read that right. The gender imbalance, the whole Sacred Sons thing — it wasn’t supposed to be there! It was meant to be saved for an 8th year fake dating fic. And it all spiraled out of control from there. Ahh! How dare you, Graham! Okay, okay, I’m being a bit silly. Really, though, that was the first time I allowed myself to get more detailed than I originally intended and the habit stuck after that. And because I was more detailed, it made sense to allow Draco and Hermione to get together way, way earlier. And because of that — well, now I’m starting to talk in circles. So I guess I’ll end this par here. More details next time. Stay tuned, Dramione fans. 

[babischlong-six]

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!  

Thank you for tagging me @evil-moonlight​  I assume this means WIPs, so here we go:

Lan Qiren’s cold, disapproving expression seems to become far colder and more disapproving with every deck the turbolift passes - his slanted brows with a vertical frown line permanently etched between them. (MDZS Star Trek AU)

Mo Xuanyu is hiding from the banquet, crouched behind an elegant flowerbed in his father’s sprawling gardens. (MDZS SangYu canon-compliant angstfest)

This is completely insane, undercover ethics out the fucking window, lines of coke on the dressing table and his shirt off, expensive silk splashed with bourbon and blood. (MDZS Modern AU WRH/WWX)

In just a little more than four decades of life, Qiao Yicheng can’t really recall ever having felt young. (WeiLan Derivs MSB/QYC part 2)

Yang Xiuxian is hungover, so when someone knocks on his studio door, he doesn't even open his eyes, just sleepily calls, "No-one's home!" and tries to bury his head in the threadbare sofa like an ostrich in the sand. (WeiLan Derivs LQG/YXX)

Being Han Jaeho’s friend in prison has definite benefits. (The Merciless PWP)

First, an internal investigation, then a promotion with a desk job that makes him want to claw his face off with boredom, and counseling. (The Merciless/Beyond Evil crossover)

When Han Jaeho gets out of jail and returns to Ocean Trading with Byunggab, he’s satisfied to find that the Ocean Trading main office looks pretty much like it always did. (The Merciless Mermaid AU)

It would be almost entirely accurate to say that Lan Xichen does not get along so well with Sect Leader Jiang. (MDXS JC/LXC canon-compliant/post-canon slowburn)

“Have you heard? There’s a conspiracy of gods and ghosts in the Celestial Court!” (Tomb of the Sea TGCF AU)

Wen Ruohan's shoulders are broad, and his bones stand out sharply under sun-tinted skin. He is lankier than the fit of his robes suggests – wiry, even. (MDZS LQR/WRH 5 + 1 Restraint)

He has no voice, but he had written the words on a scrap of silk in preparation for this day. (MDZS SongXiao kinda-reincarnation post-canon kinda-AU)

Hyunsoo's expression is shadowy and unreadable above him, kneeling down to put the gun in his hand. (The Merciless crack-fix-it transmigration time-travel AU)

Qi Weimin is late again, and Qiao Yicheng sits at the newspaper stall, soaking in the golden afternoon sunlight in between pages of his textbook. (WeiLan Derivs LQG/QYC)

"Xiao-Yuan… Before he died, I promised your dad I'd take care of you. From now on, you're following me. Whatever I tell you to do, you do. Whatever you want, I'll get for you. If someone bullies you, then that's a direct insult to me, so I won't allow it. Understand?" (WeiLan Derivs LFS/ZY “Da-ge”)

Wen Ruohan wakes in increments, first becoming aware that he is cold, then that his body hurts, and then that there is light shining through his eyelids and dyeing his world red. (MDZS LQR/WRH SVSS AU)

Now that Lan Qiren’s nephews are entirely in his care until further notice, he realizes that he obviously cannot raise them in his austere bachelor pad - it’s not even in a good school zone! (MDZS LQR/WRH Ghost AU)

“We’re going to meet one of my contacts,” Chen Moqun says, and looks over at Lin Nansheng with a raised eyebrow, “I wonder what you’ll think of him.” (WeiLan Derivs LNS/YXX)

“I’m not Starfleet, I’m just an old country doctor; you put me up there on one of those dilithium-powered death traps, what d’you think you’ll get?” McCoy protests. (Star Trek: TOS McKirk 5+1)

"When your mother crossed the mortal world, no-one could stand in her way - like an immortal fairy, descended to earth." (MDZS All Older Gen/WWX)

In the process of compiling this, I realized that I tend to jump straight into character-action... Just establish everything, all at once lol. Who’s the character, what’s he doing, etc.

Tagging, no pressure: @bobafvcks @the-marron @daxianme @argents-huntress @godotismissingx @gosiksmallspace @igonecrazy @junethesinner @minjunkiesten @marchombre-spirit

[nyx-aira]

When two worlds collide

Summary: When Wanda finally snaps and attacks the S.W.O.R.D base, she doesn't expect they would have inhuman support. While the battle rages on Jimmy, Monica and Darcy discover a secret about their colleague that might save the day.

A/N: I've wrote this after episode five came out but in this version S.W.O.R.D threatens Wanda again and she snaps. This isn't canon compliant, at least not 100%. Also I'm not an expert on magic in the MCU, I just took some of the pieces I remembered and put them in there, so it's probably not canon as well.

TW: mind controlled, brief mention of violence, panic attack

You had been in the lab when it happened. Something had breached the barrier. Looking around you saw that nobody was in the lab with you. You knew Monica was in a meeting with Hayward but you didn't know where Jimmy and Darcy went.

Running out of the building you almost fell to the floor, as if you had ran into a barrier. The air was full with magic, it was everywhere, wearing you down, seeping into your bones, lapping at your strength. You tried to regain your breath but it was as if your lungs were full of honey, making it almost impossible to breathe. It was unbearable.

Looking around, trying to find a familiar face, you grabbed the first agent you saw by the arm and asked what was going on.

"Maximoff has breached the barrier, she's turning our own  men against us. Stay inside ma'am, we'll handle it."

Wanda. This wasn't Wanda. You knew her magic, it felt different, like a thunderstorm. Crackling with energy, unpredictable and ever-changing. This, whatever this was, wasn't her, not entirely.

You had known Wanda since you were little, you grew up on the same streets and had benn unseparable, Wanda, you and Pietro. Then Ultron had happened, you had lost the twins as the battle continued to rage on but you had felt their powers all over the city. It had been agony to feel the wave of magic when Wanda cried out. You had felt all of it, her pain, the shock and the rage, so much rage.

Wanda probably thought you were dead as well, thinking you had died in Sokovia all these years ago, but you didn't. She wasn't the only one with abilities, with magic. The only difference, you were born with it, she had been nudged in the right direction by Hydra.

That's why you started running again, following the awful feeling of dread and agony. Hurting you every step you took, sapping at your strength, wearing you down but you continued running. For Wanda.

You rounded another corner when you fell to your knees, that sensation growing stronger the closer you got. Trying to regain your breath you realised someone was taking to you.

"...you okay? Can you get up?"

Blinking up you could make out two people, shaking your head to clear your vision the blurred figures became people. Monica and Darcy, allies, friends, your brain supplied.

"Captain, Doctor." you greeted them, groaning while getting up from the floor.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Monica asked while offering you a hand. "Yeah you look like shit." came the remark from Darcy.

You rubbed your head and dusted off your clothes. "I'm good, don't worry." Looking in the disbelieving faces of your colleagues you couldn't blame them, whatever that was, was sapping up all the magic it could get. So it made sense that normal people wouldn't be affected, they probably didn't even feel a difference. You couldn't imagine how Wanda must be feeling.

"I need to get to her." you heard yourself say before you started to run again, ignoring the calls of your name and the torturous sensation that was making your life a living hell right now. You didn't come far though as you felt a hand grab your shoulder and not so gently halt your attempt at saving your best friend. Turning around you looked in the, now, three concerned faces of your friends.

"Listen I know you believe that this was all a mistake somehow..." Jimmy tried to say but you interrupted him. "It's not her, whatever this is, it's not her." Starting to walk again you heard three sets of footsteps follow you. "What do you mean it's not her?" Darcy prodded. "I can feel it, that's something else." came your curt reply, focusing on the task ahead, trying to shield yourself from the other source of magic you pulled your glamour closer to you. Not ready to show them what was really going on.

"What do you mean you can feel it?" came the cautious question from Monica. "And what something else, is that why you're so affected by what's going on?"

"You have powers too, don't you?"

Turning around you looked at them, you knew you could trust them but there was this nagging feeling in your head that you were losing time, but looking at them again you realised, you couldn't do this alone so you took a deep breath and dropped your glamour, preparing yourself for their reaction.

Taking a deep breath you realised that you were feeling different, the suffocating sensation wasn't as strong and painful anymore, your mind cleared up as well, the feeling of haziness still there but not as present as before.

"Your hands are ...broken...gleaming..?" was Jimmy's confused reaction. Looking down you traced the glowing cracks on your arms, closing your eyes as the familiar feeling of your magic surged through your body. It felt good, after all these weeks, not having to suppress your powers. Taking another breath you willed the glow to go away, only the small white cracks staying visible, you continued marching towards the chaos, your friends not far behind.

"It's a long story but the short version: Wanda isn't the only one with powers here and I probably won't stay as the only magical surprise today."

Continuing your way to the barrier you realised that there were no other agents around, it was completely silent, no sound besides your own footsteps. Something was wrong. The others must have realised that as well, as you could see Monica and Jimmy draw their weapons, Darcy readying her taser. You tapped your foot on the ground, a small wave of energy moving through your surroundings, allowing you to see what your eyes couldn't.

"There's nothing. Not a single person." Scanning your surroundings you started to wonder where all the people went when you hear a deafening bang. Looking at your friends you nod as you all started running towards the noise. It's the sound of gunfire you soon realise and Monica pulled you behind some of the buildings where you could have a good look of what was going on.

You were about 200 meters from the barrier, the open area in front of you a deadly battle. It looked like S.W.O.R.D was fighting their own agents, some being mind controlled, some still with a free will but the numbers were dwindling. Charging into the fight would be a suicide mission, looking at the others they seemed to agree with you. Concern was plastered all over their faces, these people were their colleagues, comrades and friends. Letting your gaze glide through the battle you frantically tried to come up with a plan. You needed to get to Wanda, not having spotted her yet, and try to snap her out of whatever that was. Admittedly the plan wasn't the best but it was the only one you had.

"Can you take her?"

The question snapped you out of your thoughts. "Wanda." Jimmy repeated "Could you beat her in a fight if you had to?"

Now you had the attention of everyone, looking at you with a questioning look. You sighed, rubbing your face, absently tracing the marks on your arms, a nervous habit you had picked up over the years.

"I'd like to believe so. Wanda's raw powers a strong, stronger than mine but its mostly just that, raw strength, raw energy. She isn't properly trained, hasn't worked with other magic users, to my knowledge at least. I was born with these powers, having trained with other sorcerers and mages since I was little. I can tap in energy sources she's probably not even aware of. I'm more in control but she has greater potential." You weren't sure on how big their understanding of magic was, going with Darcy as the one with the most knowledge as she had met some Asgardians.

Magic was alive, it wasn't just something that was simply there. It was in nature, in plants, in trees, in animals, even in humans. Magic was everywhere, you just needed to know how to tap into it. Some drew their power from other dimensions, some used the the power of the Yggdrasil, others used powerful objects as their source of energy and other magic users, including yourself, drew their power from the aether. The aether was an ancient energy source, as old as the planet itself, maybe even older. It was a feral energy, not as defined as the power of the Yggdrasil, it was more difficult to handle as it was closest to nature and the planet. For you it was perfect, the rough, brute, untamed nature of it. Like the stormy see, it's unpredictable, brachial, brute nature was alluring, tempting. You couldn't just use it, you had to work with it, convince it that you were worthy of it's powers. Once you had passed that test your understanding of what was possible would change forever.

The noise of the battle brought you back to reality. Watching the clash you realised that there weren't many S.W.O.R.D agents left standing. Catching a glimpse of red you looked to the far left end of the barrier to see Wanda blast some agents back into the woods.

The woods. You took note of your surroundings and a plan formed in your head. This could actually work, you just needed to get a little bit closer. Getting up from where you were sitting you realised that this was gonna be more difficult then you thought when you felt Monica tackle you to the ground and a spray of bullets hit where seconds ago would have been your head.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed!" she yelled at you but you just pointed to the trees 30 meters in front of you.

"I have a plan but I need to get there."

"In one piece? That's impossible." Darcy exclaimed, fixing you with an incredulous look, Jimmy just shook his head, agreeing with her statement. "If we don't do anything soon there will be no S.W.O.R.D agents left!" You tried to spot Wanda again but could only see the red flares of her magic, at least she hadn't vanished. Seeing the look in Monica's eyes you knew that she agreed with you, they all did. Realising that you needed to do something fast, you told them your plan. They didn't seem thrilled but it was your only option.

Focusing on the task at hand you closed your eyes, preparing yourself for whatever might happen, trying to shield yourself from the sickening feeling of whatever that thing was.

Taking a final breath you opened your eyes to see Monica, Darcy and Jimmy take cover, the scientist giving you an encouraging thumbs up. Looking to the battlefield you tried to blend out all the noise and screams of agony, focusing on your target, the trees and woods surrounding you.

Kneeling to the ground you felt a surge of power flow through your body, welcoming the feeling of the aether, you poured all of your energy into the ground, the presence of the other thing making it harder than it usually was. You felt the ground react to your magic, adapting to your will. The ancient power cursing through your veins and surroundings, making the world slow down, letting you see the battle through different eyes. The soldiers desperately trying not to hurt their friends but realising there's no other way, the mindcontrolled trying to break free of the spell and crying out in agony when they have to hurt their comrades. It was brutal, brutal and beautiful in it's own horrible way. The ground ached when you jumped over the makeshift barricades, groaning and giving in a little bit when you landed in between the trees.

Your magic creating a shock wave, knocking everything down in a 20 meter radius. Looking up from the ground you could feel all eyes on you, the battle had stopped for a moment, everyone staring at the new arrival. As soon as they got out of their trance they started fighting again, charging towards you and the remaining S.W.O.R.D agents. You didn't hear the gunfire when you got up, you didn't feel the bullets trying to hit you when you started walking. Twisting your hand in the air, a shimmering barrier appeared, blocking them off. As you continued to walk into the battle the ground started shaking, cracks started to appear and the trees you had left behind started moving. Groaning and aching as they turned from lifeless vines to enormous giants. Some as high as a three story building, some smaller, they started walking into your direction, steadily going forwards, pushing enemies out of the way with their branch-like arms and shielding your allies.

There were at least six of them, aiding you in your pursuit as you conjured more creatures, small rock giants, trolls and even a small serpent. Making sure they knew what they were doing you started charging in direction of Wanda's red magic, creating cracks in the ground to stop your enemies, you didn't want kill them, just slow them down.

Conjuring a gust of wind to jump the remaining distance you landed in front of Wanda. Looking her in the eyes for the first time in eight years.

If she was surprised to see you she didn't show it, blasting you with a ball of energy. You caught it fairly easy but she just started blasting energy ball after energy ball towards you. Not being able to withstand her assault you threw up a barrier. You didn't want to hurt her, you really didn't but you could feel your shield cracking so you summon a waterspout to knock her back. You both got slammed away from the brute force of the wave, the ground now being covered in a layer of water you froze Wanda to the ground, knowing it wouldn't stop her for too long.

You saw her struggle to blast off the ice, watching her grow more frustrated when it came back stronger than it was before, your spell working against her magic. Cautious you started walking in her direction, wary of her magic and her current state of mind as she grew more agitated every second she was enclosed in the ice. Something was wrong, she could have gotten out of there if she really wanted to in no time. Why was she struggling so much? Getting closer you realised that she was crying, tearing streaming down her face, getting more desperate every second.

"Wanda..." you asked tentatively.

Whipping her head around at the sound of her name she stared at you, mouth hanging agape, not struggling against her bonds anymore. You two were staring at each other, saying nothing.

Suddenly she started shaking her head, letting out a terrified scream. "You're not real, you're not real, you're not real..."

She started repeating the same phrase over and over again, shaking her head, crying, throwing all of her energy into trying to break the ice. Sensing the danger of her actions you made it dissappear, letting her fall into the shallow water. When you looked at her again she was rocking back and forth, still repeating the same phrase over and over again, silent tears streaming down her face.

You crouched down next to her, still keeping a short distance.

"Wanda, I'm here, this isn't fake, please look at me."

She shook her head and an almost not audible "that's what it always says" was heard. "Says who Wanda?" you tried, wanting to dig deeper.

"It's all in my head, it's all in my head. They said I could live my perfect life but it's not true. They lied!" Tears were streaming down your face as well as you pulled her close to you.

Putting your glowing hand on the ground the water started to float, little droplets dancing around in the sky. The tree giants started to walk back to their original positions, shrinking down, becoming normal trees again. The small rock giants burying themselves in the ground, vanishing into the earth. Cracks in the ground the only indicator they were even there. Starting to shimmer and fade away, the trolls gave one last bow in your direction until they too, disappeared. Now the only thing left were you and Wanda, sitting amidst the battle field. S.W.O.R.D agents regaining their free will, getting escorted away by their comrades, happy that their friends were back.

While you were ridding the scene from the marks of the battle Wanda was staring at you in awe.

"It's really you."

"Of course Wands, I promised you I would always come back."

Sniffling she took your hand in hers, examining the glowing marks on your arms, tracing them like you did before the battle.

"I always had a feeling you were special." she whispered, not really believing that you were alive.

"Well what about being special together?" Offering your hand to her you both got up, walking back to the S.W.O.R.D base hand in hand. The small serpent you summoned before slithering towards you, shrinking down until he was wrapped around your finger, molding back into the ring he was before.

Yes there was gonna be a lot to undo but together you were unstoppable, friends by blood but sisters in heart.

[quotablefanfiction]

“Can’t you be civil for five words strung together?” “If I could, I’m sure you would call for a peak lord meeting to discuss if I’d been possessed.” “…this is true.”

Shen Qingqiu has a well established reputation (chp. 34)

Cultivate: Slow Life on a Monster-Infested Mountain by NeonGhostCat (AO3) The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System – Teen – Liǔ Qīnggē/Shěn Yuán #Alternate Universe #Not Canon Compliant #Broken System #Multiple POV #Idiots in Love #Slow Build #Identity Reveal #Fantasy Farm Life #Domestic Fluff #Mythical Beings & Creatures #Monsters #Fantasy Flora #Battle Couple #Light-Hearted #Light Horror Elements #Non-Graphic Violence  

When trying to transfer Shen Yuan from the real world to Proud Immortal Demon Way, the System runs into an error. The transfer is not complete.

Shen Yuan is dropped off at the foot of a mountain aware of two things: he’s in the story, and the Shen Qingqiu of this world is not only aware but thinks he tried to possess his body — and he’s PISSED. Shen Yuan tries to opt out and live a simple life on what locals tell him is a monster-infested mountain no one in their right mind would bother with.

Sounds like a great hiding spot!

(TL;DR: Stardew Scum Villain Valley Mountain.)

[sophsicle]

Just some 'ask the author' type of questions if you are ever bored

Did you expect Choices to become this popular? How are you dealing with its popularity? Atyd (which I’m personally not the biggest fan of for some of the liberties taken while labeled canon compliant as well as certain writing quirks which just aren’t for me) and Choices are arguably the most influential Marauders era fanfics

What made you decide to write such an epic story? Where you ever intimidated by the eventual length of it?

Do you have any regrets about any storylines? Or regrets in general?

How has writing Choices impacted your day to day life?

Thank you for sharing your beautiful writing with us ❤️

Hello lovely! Oof okay, did I expect Choices to become this popular? No. I mean, it's a Jegulus fic so I figured that was probably a strike against it, and also I don't really understand how anyone finds anything on ao3, like it seems like luck more than anything else. How am I dealing with the popularity? Prior to this last chapter I would have said that I didn't really think about it. But I definitely feel like I've recently become way more aware of having an audience and while I'm always a little nervous of what people will think of the new chapters it definitely felt more intense this time. I think the hard thing with a WIP is people are like "I love it" but it's not done yet, which means that there's always the chance that I'll ruin it for them. Endings are the hardest part of a story to write I think so it's a lot of pressure - or at least it's starting to feel that way. I don't think you can compare Choices to ATYD tho, like I appreciate the compliment, really, but ATYD is a cultural phenomena. It may not be my favourite, but credit where credits due, I think MsKingBean89 really wrote stand alone novels, whereas I think Choices is written like a fanfiction in that I have no patience for exposition. So I just assume the reader understands the Wizarding world and the major backstory plot points for the Marauders.

I don't know if I really decided to write anything epic, and I've said this before, but I also didn't really think it would be this long. Like the time frame I always saw as being the same (Sirius showing up at the Potter's to James's death), but there were lots of stretches of time I thought I was going to skip over that I didn't (like the summers for example, and the fall of James's sixth year and Regulus's fifth went on way longer than I meant it to). But I did feel like there was potential with Jegulus that seemed rushed in a lot of the fanfic I read and I kinda wanted to play it out and see what it would look like if we spent more time with them. Heck yeah I have regrets (what a timely question). I think it's hard to write and publish chapter by chapter because I can't really reflect. I think I harbour the most regret around James and Sirius and their characterizations. It's hard to write Sirius in a fic that is so Regulus heavy and I think that results in him being kind of unlikeable which hurts me a little bit. And James, I feel like there is this big soft gooey romantic side to him that I get lost in (because Regulus has so little of that in his life) and he doesn't have much of that snarky mischievous edge that is also part of his character. I regret not having him be harder on Regulus too. I mean, I have my reasons for writing him the way I did, but I do think he could stand to put up just a tiny bit more of a fight. It's impacted my day to day life in that I spend more time on it than I probably should. I mean, on the one hand, as someone who wants to be a writer, writing things and having people interact with them and care about them is kind of the best thing ever. But I have also completely stopped working on my original material which is probably not good.

[freckleddoll]

Reasons why Doll could still be alive

1. I’m still in denial

I compiled a list of reasons why I think that there is a possibility of Doll coming back in the future! Although I do think the chances are slim, given the fact that she hasn’t appeared in the Manga since 2009, which was 12 years ago. However, there is a handful of reasons from a story telling perspective of why it’s possible, and also a handful of inconsistencies between Doll’s death and all of the other Noah’s Ark Circus deaths. Very long post under the cut.

Starting with the most obvious, we never see Doll’s death actually happened, it’s ever only implied.

We don’t hear a direct command, it’s only implied that she died. This is “affirmed” a second later by Undertaker.

He laughs about how Ciel is hastily, and that he can not take back what he’s done, even if he regrets it later. However, this isn’t explicitly about Doll. We as the audience are made to believe that this is about her because we just saw the frame before, of Doll’s signature lollipop falling.

We have seen every other death on screen. We are certain to see each of their corpses, except for Joker, who’s death is confirmed by William T Spears earlier in the chapter.

This is placed conveniently, or dare I say, deliberately before Doll’s death. We see William and Ronald collecting souls only before Doll shows up. The only other Reaper we see in this chapter afterwards is Undertaker.

This is of course speculation, but I don’t believe that the death Undertaker is referring to here is Doll’s death. I think he might be referring to the massacre Ciel and Sebastian have basically just committed after being employed for this mission to save the children. This is something Ciel can not take back. But Undertaker never explicitly said Doll, in fact, he specifically chose the phrase “to hold each and every soul dear” which implies that multiple souls were lost. I don’t think he is actually talking about the Circus Troupe, Doll or Joker.

What could this mean?

I think we are purposefully being misdirected as an audience member here, and I believe that the decision to withhold the details of Doll’s death was deliberate. I believe that the narrative is purposefully withholding information that will much later in the story become important.

Another thing I’d like to point out is, why on earth is Undertaker here? His presence isn’t explained, other than to “affirm” Doll’s death. He is seen with a carriage, along with Charles Grey and Charles Phipps. Well this could tie back to R!Ciel, I think that it’s also possible that:

Doll is actually dead and the information being withheld from us is that Undertaker took her body to later use as a Bizarre Doll to mess with Ciel later in the series.

Doll was disarmed by Sebastian, and once they left, perhaps even believing Doll was dead, Doll was taken in by Undertaker and R!Ciel for revenge or something. I know this one is a lot more dodgy, but it’s the one I believe makes more narrative sense.

Now let’s move on to how this makes sense from a narrative perspective.

Obviously, Snake is still alive, and believes that his family is alive. He goes to Ciel’s manor looking for them.

Ciel offers Snake a position at the Phantomhive manor, under the guise that they are looking for Snake’s family. Snake joins him because Ciel is manipulating him here, telling him that Snake can essentially have a new family at the manor while looking for his old family.

I believe Doll is a big influence as to why Ciel makes this decision. 

Ciel sees Doll when he looks at Snake, which seems to be painful for Ciel. He then goes out of his way to affirm that they were, in fact, bad people (perhaps to justify his own actions in his mind) but then goes back on this and claims that he believes they were good people as to manipulate Snake.

He wants to help them achieve happiness and give them the chance to atone for their sins. The question is, is Ciel taking Snake in to atone for his own sins or to manipulate Snake?

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. A crucial character that is being played in this scene is of course, Doll. In every single memory that Snake shares, Doll is center frame, or the person who was closest to him.

Doll is either takes up the most space in the frame, or she’s the one who is standing closest to Snake. Not even Joker is this present in all of the images, but she is in all of them. While we didn’t see this much play out in the actual Book of Circus arc (given that Snake had very little screentime in that arc anyway), we can infer from these images that Snake felt the closest to Doll out of everyone at the Circus.

We also aren’t just seeing his actual memories normally, we are seeing his memories in an emotionally charged state. While he is feeling highly emotional, the person he thinks of the most is Doll. This is not just him remembering her as being the friendliest or most open person to him, this is who he was actually closest with within the Circus.

Doll’s relationship with both Snake and Ciel are very important parts of both of these characters. We see Ciel soften and feel guilt when he is reminded of Doll, and we see that Snake and Doll were presumably very close because of this scene.

Also just some fun images that I felt like pointing out:

Doll is featured in this image with one of Snake’s snakes. There isn’t much of a reason to feature one of these Snake’s snakes, unless we’re meant to infer a connection between these two.

I’m not quite sure where this image came from, but look! Doll and Snake are sitting next to each other, and Snake has a little smile on his face, which as we know isn’t very common for Snake in this series. There are very few instances of him smiling. However, this is obvious in the anime style so it likely isn’t manga compliant it’s cute though.

They’re featured together in another image!

Now for Doll and Ciel of course:

Doll and Ciel are seen here lying together.

These two images are very important to me and I feel they both hold a deeper meaning. Now it’s time to talk about Ciel and Doll.

Of course, there is the eye symbolism. Both of them keep an eye covered up, because both are hiding secrets that they need to keep covered up. Both wear a costume and live under a persona (Doll’s Circus persona that hides her identity of someone who kidnaps children and Ciel’s Smile persona where he is hiding his identity of the Queen’s watchdog). Yet, both of them are drawn to each other despite their secrets and form lasting connections.

We also see Ciel reaching out to Doll, and Sebastian taking the lollipop out of his hand. He is literally taking her away from him and blinding him from finding her. He is concealing the truth?

Despite what her family says, Doll refuses to believe that Ciel is with the yard.

She draws the parallels between herself and Ciel right here! She literally said it herself! Both of them are capable of holding secrets, and despite what appearances may suggest, people are still capable of hiding things. When she says “but we” she is acknowledging that appearances don’t always match expectations.

However, she still believes in him, up until the very end.

Even up until this point, she was still willing to listen to Ciel, and denies it until she can’t anymore. She reflects on their time together, having believed that their friendship was real.

Doll finally accepts it and feels hurt, betrayed and angry. She tries to kill him after this. Instead of anger, fear or hatred, this is the face we see Ciel make.

He looks sad and tired. This isn’t the face of someone who takes pleasure in the idea of killing her. We see him feel remorse for Doll even earlier, like I pointed out earlier in this scene

This scene is what compels him to take Snake in, being reminded of Doll. He looks sad here, he looks remorseful.

But most importantly, there is this image.

This takes place in the Green Witch arc, meaning that he is still thinking about Doll, she is still relevant up until this point in the story.

This image isn’t necessarily him leaving behind those who impacted his life who have since died, though that is certainly part of it. As we know, R!Ciel is still alive which O!Ciel at this point was not aware of. This picture does not reflect the complete truth.

His last obstacle could be interpreted as the Circus itself, but Doll and Joker aren’t positioned together like Rachel and Vincent are. Doll is a distance away from Joker in this image, and her image is a different size than Joker’s, implying that they are two completely different obstacles. In my opinion, Joker represents the Circus as a whole and himself. He represents all the sacrifices he had to make in Baron Kelvin’s manor. He could even represent his trauma while inside the cult.

But Doll is a completely different obstacle. She represents a personal obstacle. She seems to have impacted him greatly, being an influence in what compelled him to take Snake in. She is also one of the only people in this series we see Ciel feel remorse for. She is important.

At this point, this is supposed to give us the conclusion to all of these stories and ideas. But as highly speculated by the fandom (and practically canon) the first Ciel we see in the image is actually R!Ciel who O!Ciel left behind at the cult, who we know is still alive. The first greatest obstacle and his last greatest obstacle. That’s symbolism right there, right?

But I don’t believe that Snake’s story has concluded just yet. His family should still be a huge part of his character and his motivations. If his story isn’t leading up to something, than I think it’s going to be a rather poor choice on Yana Toboso’s part. But as we know, she doesn’t just do things for no reason, I believe that a lot of this was intentional.

TL;DR: Because Doll’s death is never specifically seen on screen, because Undertaker seems to purposefully mislead us after Doll’s death (and because of Undertaker’s presence in the first place), because the promise of looking for Snake’s family who is pivotal to Snake’s character, and because of the importance of Doll’s relationships with both O!Ciel and Snake, I believe that there is a chance that Yana Toboso is planning on bringing Doll back into the story.

This is all speculation, of course. I’d love for it to be true, but it is still rather dodgy given the fact that Doll hasn’t appeared in the Manga in twelve years. I could definitely just suffering from hopeful thinking, but I would love to see our girly make a return. Perhaps with R!Ciel? But the idea of her returning with R!Ciel is an idea for another day and I might make a separate post about it sometime! Thanks a bunch if you made it this far!

[missnight0wl]

I'm...not sure what my stance is on HPHM anymore. I used to be so excited about it and could barely wait for new chapters. But now I can hardly bring myself to play it daily. I didn't even try for this last TLSQ because I've moved up to full time at work and had little free time these past few days. The game is just full of filler and junk and microtransactions. The story isn't interesting to me anymore. I would quit, but I kind of want to stick it out until the end since I've been here since the beginning. Plus I could use some inspiration for my story, even though it's far from canon-compliant. I haven't even really updated my story in a few months now...

That’s fair.

Honestly, the main thing that keeps me with HPHM at this point is Jacob and Rakepick, and, um… Oh boy, can Jam City disappoint in this area. I’m also not planning on following canon from the second part of Y6 and Y7 in “Secrets and riddles”, so technically, I could simply quit. I don’t expect the game can reveal anything that will change my mind much.

Still, I do get your point. I’m also here basically from the beginning, so I am quite curious how it ends. But truth be told, I’m also still kind of having fun – even though I’m aware that it’s me who actively makes it fun for myself through the analysis etc. I actually find the main story of Y7 quite interesting as well (for Jam City’s standards) – even though again, it’s mostly thanks to my own interpretation. I don’t know, I just enjoy that there are still things fitting into the Rogues theory, and to be completely honest… I’m hoping for another satisfying moment of vindication, similar to how it was with Merula.

That being said, I’m not sure what to tell you, to be frank… I’d definitely recommend ignoring TLSQs. It’ll be fewer nerves for you, they don’t really matter for the main story anyway, and I feel like their quality is just decreasing lately. I believe that the last TLSQ I genuinely enjoyed was the most recent Christmas one (with Snape). I’m not saying that everything after that was bad, but I probably could’ve skipped it. As for the main story – well, with the current release schedule, we’re getting about 1-2 new chapters per a month, so it’s not that time-consuming.

Alternatively, you can try watching the videos on YouTube to stay up to date. Although I admit that it probably wouldn’t work for me personally. If I don’t engage in something directly, I’m most likely to lose interest entirely sooner than later. That’s pretty much how it was for me with the Quidditch chapters. I stopped playing before the first House match, thinking that I’ll be back after a break or at least I’ll try to learn what’s going on there, but now? I really couldn’t be bothered to return.

Oh, and don’t be worried about not updating your story! It’s your story after all, and you’re working on it at your own pace, whenever you can and you enjoy it. It’s been over seven months between chapters 3 and 4 of my fanfic, so… y’know. No sweat. You’re doing it primarily for yourself.

I hope my ramblings were somewhat… helpful? I don’t know. Still, if you ever want to talk or vent or whatever, my inbox is always open. Overall, I think that if you want to still enjoy HPHM at least to some degree, you just have to ignore some things. But also, know that you’re not alone with your feelings.