#i've been going back and rereading it and it definitely needs A Lot of work but it's honestly pretty good!

[luludeluluramblings]

Hi so I was having some brainrot regarding your small-town-neglected-meta reader and I wanted to share them with you!

One thing I've been thinking about alot is the way readers powers work and what kinds of weather they're likely to create, etc. One thing I specifically thought about is that readers powers definitely have to come from her mom's side. Bruce and no else in Bruce's biological line have powers so readers mom has to have the meta gene. I was thinking that maybe readers mom also controlled the weather a bit, maybe not as strong as reader can but still had some powers.

Like creating little drizzles, maybe some dustdevils, and little snow storms. Because her powers were so weak she never really used them for much, maybe to help out her own parents on the farm but that's about it(using her rain powers to easily water the crops)

In that same line of thinking I also wondered if readers little brother also has superpowers. Maybe the way his powers work or appear are bit different than readers because of they have different dads(I imagine Bruce has really strong genetics. If Damian is any proof of that lol)

One little crank in this little headcanon though is that Nana and Gramps would also have to have superpowers. But then I reread the first chapter and thought about One of the phrases you used to describe how reader got in Bruce's hands.

"but blood is thicker than water in the eyes of the court."

That specifically makes me think that Nana and Gramps are actually readers little brother biological grandparents and not theirs.(what happened to their bio grandparents 🤔)

But anyway, one last thing I wanted mention is how badly I want to see reader using their powers more freely when they're back in small town. Like they aren't afraid to use their powers to make it super windy and have fun with their little brother up on the sky. Or causing a blizzard just so they can have a snowball fight and make snow-men with their little brother. Or even accidently cause a power outage because someone pissed them off! No more suppressed emotions just freedom. (Also reader crying in the middle of the rain they made in front of their parents graves(they wanted to be buried in their hometown) would be so tragically fantasic.)

Anyway I know this is a lot to read and I'm sorry if I seem a bit scrambled but I wanted to send this to you just cause I had so many ideas floating up in my brain I couldn't stop thinking about it all. Thank you for listening to me ramble, I hope your doing amazing🩷

Your call this bain-rot, Imma call it fertilizer. This is long as mess, but I think I addressed everything. Lots of Smalltown!Reader lore and I made a Family Tree to help explain if needed.

☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎

Smalltown!Reader's Family Tree:

Complicated little bugger, ain't it? I didn't add Stephanie or Barbara because Bruce technically never adopted them or fostered them. This isn't an official thing, I made this and it was composed of little bits of information I found online. So some of this stuff might not be lore accurate.

Also, while I was researching I found out that Bruce's middle name was apparently Patrick, after his grandfather at one point.

Now, time for the pseudo science.

I consider the meta gene to be a genetic trait carried down by a parent. That would be Momma/Adeline, in this case. She carries the gene. Now, the meta gene does not always activate even if one has it. So, no, Momma was not making mini storms for us. She was, however, very encouraging of Reader using their abilities. It takes an event, usually a traumatic one, to activate the gene. (Little Brother could be getting power's in the next chapter, though.)

As for Nana and Grand Daddy we have this:

They don't have the gene, so they don't have abilities. (Which doesn't me their harmless.) They are Reader's Step-Grandparents, but they've grown to love them all the same. Now, in court, it is preferred for a child to go to the nearest blood relative after their parents die. Or, at least, that's what I roughly know from what the court in my state is like. I'm not from Louisiana or New Jersey, where Gotham's located, so maybe it's different. But, this is fiction. This is why Nana and Grand Daddy didn't get custody of Reader, though. Plus Bruce is rich with a bunch of adopted kids, on paper he looks like the best option.

☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎

I really love the thought of Reader using their abilities for silly little things while back in Smalltown, at least before things absolutely go to hell in a hand basket. So I'll probably include a bit. (They used to do things like that before moving to Gotham, definitely.) Something I want to mention is that Reader likes to make it rain when their happy. It's their favorite weather, they love it. So a grave scene might be a bit different. (I have to include that now. Thank you for that idea! Frick, Part Eight about to be long af.)

☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎

If your curious about Reader's other grandparents, they just died from old age and health problems. I like to think that Reader had a close relationship with them. Calling them MawMaw and Gab for their nicknames and having spent a lot of time with Reader and their Little Brother before they died. (I'm sorely tempted to just commit to rewriting this with the OC I based Reader off of so I can include all this backstory to highlight how different their life in Gotham is compared to what it used to be, but I best finish what I started first.)

(Side Note: It's very common in the American south for people to give their grandparents nicknames. I have some for my southern grandparents, while I call my northern grandparents just plain Grandma and Grandpa. The nickname can vary and is usually what ever the first grandchild comes up with.)

Thank you for sending me this ask! Stuff like this actually inspires me so this was wonderful. Hopefully this helps. (Now to get back to work on my writing, I've been draggin' my feet again.)

[quatregats]

OH had neglected to mention but I have finished Draft One of The Creative Endeavor!! And am now going to spend the rest of my life editing it lol, but if I finish it before I finish my disseration I'll count that as a win

[superbattrash]

Do you have any Superbat fic recs? Just kind of stumbled on the ship and am already excited by the notion.

Hiiiii sweetheart! Welcome to the bright and sunny side of superbat shipping ~ *blows dust off my laptop that I haven’t turned on in a month* oh gross, there are actual spiderwebs on it... I'm so sorry, Maggie. Ahem, first of all. Any and all fics by these talented people: @frownyalfred, @superbatdisasterblog, @susiecarter, @sassyresacon1990 (I know I'm forgetting a lot of people but it's been a while okay)

This is just handful of my ultimate favs, if you need more I'm always more than happy to go through my bookmarks!

tell all the truth (but tell it slant) by susiecarter (rated M)

It takes a while for Batman and Superman to work things out, once Clark comes back from the dead. Pretending to date each other in order to explain why Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent are in the same place so often? Doesn't help as much as you might think.

Condersing Conditions by LeCadavre_1904 (rated E)

Before Bruce and Clark fall into bed for the first time, Bruce has an unusual condition.

Clark is as obliging as always.

don't push me (cause I am close to the edge) by LinguisticJubilee (rated G)

Kara huffs out a breath in frustration. “Every Kryptonian has a heartsong. And they’re beautiful, but when you listen to one on its own it feels like something is missing. It’s like...they have something like this too, right?” She gestures outward impatiently, and Bruce forces himself not to flinch at her casual use of they. “Only they have words written down instead.” 

“Soulmates,” Clark says, his voice strained. 

The word hits Bruce like a bullet through the lung. He keeps his face perfectly relaxed, his heartbeat calm and regular, as he realizes (too late, he's always too late) that he should have expected this all along.

fallin' for him was like fallin' from grace by Resacon1990 (rated T)

“But Bruce isn’t gay?” Clark points out, and there’s an awkward moment of everyone clearing their throats and avoiding Clark’s eyes until he turns to stare at Bruce. “Are you?”

Bruce blinks for a moment before offering a sheepish smile. “I’m not… not?” he offers, and Clark feels his brain just about short-circuit at the news.

Or, five times Clark finds himself falling for Bruce, and the one time he does something about it

No Church in the Wild by TheResurrectionist (not rated but OUCH ANGST)

"I'll have a contingency plan."

"If you're the first face he sees, you'll need it."

Bruce brings Clark back by himself.

smokin' in the boys' room - by The Ressurectionist (not rated but both blood and dicks, so rated Misha HAPPY) (I cannot tell you how many times I've reread this one GUUUHHH)

Bruce Wayne -- billionaire playboy, owner of, at most, three brain cells -- beaten up at his own charity gala. Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises out of nepotism and dumb luck, whose business wasn’t touched by corruption purely because of incompetence -- Bruce Wayne, airheaded and still generous, still kind, bloody in a stall and trying to hide it. 

His hand clenched on the stall door, crumpling it between his fingers. His eyes weren’t burning yet, but barely. 

“Who did this to you?”

I Would I Might Forget That I Am I by susiecarter (rated T)

Clark Kent woke up, ate breakfast, went to work—the same way he did every day. Ordinary.

Except for the part where Superman hadn't been seen in at least a week and nobody knew why, Lois was acting kind of weird, and Bruce Wayne was insisting that Clark was the only reporter he'd allow to run a feature on the crashed alien ship in the park, since Wayne Enterprises had been granted control of the site. And the way Clark felt every time Wayne looked at him a little too long definitely wasn't helping.

But it was fine. Clark was normal, there was nothing wrong with him, and everything was fine.

Satisfaction Brought It Back by slippin_into_dakrness and SpiritsFlame. (rated G) (This one is my comfort comfort comfort read!!!)

Bruce always thought that Superman's cute shtick of rescuing cats from trees was a bid for publicity—until a confrontation with a magic user leaves him stuck as a cat. He learns how mistaken he was when Superman not only rescues him, but takes him back to a small Metropolis apartment. The opportunity to learn more about the alien can't be ignored, but is Bruce ready for everything he will learn about someone he has only ever regarded with distrust and dislike?

[crescencestudio]

๋࣭⭑ Devlog #42 | 6.25.24 ๋࣭⭑

tis the season of Kayn

HAPPY SUMMER!!

Hope you're all doing well and keeping cool <3 I know for me it's started getting to.... the Hot Season. To celebrate the start of Hot Girl Summer (and the beta route going live), I of course had to draw the hottest girl, Kayn.

we must stay cool brothers

Now that we've paid respect to The Hot Girl, let's get into the devlog!

Writing has been fun this month. A lot of it has been dedicated to Etza edits and writing Kuna'a's route. We're getting to about the halfway mark with Etza edits, so we are definitely chugging along!

Sneaky peeky of a recent edit

For Kuna'a's route, I said I wanted to have his first draft complete or almost complete by the next devlog, and I'm VERY PLEASED AND PROUD to say their first draft is In Fact almost complete! This is, of course, the very, very first draft so I'll be going back in to flesh some scenes out here and there and rizz him up even more. But I'm happy with the fact that at least the very base draft is done ^^

This month, I did quite a bit of drawing actually! I finished rendering two of Kayn's CGs, meaning 8 out of their total 9 CGs are finished YYYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!!

it feels so good to see the ending cg titles ouuggHHHH

Because Fenir's beta will be going out soon, I wanted to make some headway on his CGs. This month, I ended up finishing 3 of his CGs and sketching two. I'd really like to get 5-6 of his CGs finished so that it's a similar amount to Kayn's beta, so here's to praying!

baby girl

I also finished Senja's (they/he) sprite and base expressions. His outfit was designed by very talented bestie @saffein-e so please thank them for doing god's work o7

Finally, this past month we worked mostly on Kayn's beta route and getting Fenir's beta route ready for Patreon access!

If you'd like to try out Kayn's beta, you can get access to it if you subscribe to my Patreon (tier Hydra). Beta access to Kayn's route will close as soon as Fenir's beta goes up which will be early July, so if you want to experience Kayn's beta, definitely make sure you subscribe before it ends!

Player feedback for Kayn's route so far has been really positive, which has been a relief, especially since Kayn's route is the first one I wrote so is arguably the roughest (I have a big soft spot for it and like it, but I'm obviously Biased). So I hope you're all looking forward to it!! <4

beta feedback: so real

I also have started the voice acting sessions for the characters, which is EXTREMELY EXCITING!! That's the last asset I need basically, so the fact we have finally entered a stage where we can start recording is crazy. Our current session is for Kayn's route, but in the coming months we'll be moving to the next routes similar to how beta-testing is going :')

Aside from Kayn's route, I've also been working on coding Fenir's beta route. Rereading his script and he's... a cutie, I'll admit. So I hope the Fenir fans are excited for his route to enter the beta phase!

LET'S.......... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Last thing, but I also ran a poll on Alaris's release, basically asking whether you all would prefer a full or segmented release. The results were basically 50/50 LMFAO and that's the vibe I've been getting in general. So while I don't want to solidify anything yet, just let it be known that Alaris may end up having a segmented release, where the first four Central routes are released first, and the Fae routes a bit later. I'll see how I start feeling as the year goes on and where Alaris stands, but thank you all for the support and understanding for the poll <3

I was pretty busy this month, so I didn't have too much time to do market research :cries:

But............

I did see the new Haikyuu movie..................... And I am the biggest Haikyuu fan. Quite literally if you want to know everything about who I am as a person and creator, watch Haikyuu and you will understand who I am to my deepest depths.

obviously I had to draw baby

But aside from that, I want to give one last shoutout to our Hot Girl Summer cross-promo! If there are any games you haven't tried out in this little set, I highly recommend giving at least 1 or 2 of them a peek! All of the games are so charming and have some similarity to Alaris, whether it's a personality mechanic, hot Fae, or a fantasy/ adventure story :')

Links to each game can be found on the Alaris Game page under the magic and mystery otome section!

I'm pretty happy with the progress we made this month. While there's still a lot to do, it's satisfying to see Alaris come more and more to life with each month. See you all next month with hopefully more exciting progress!

[tossawary]

As I post about rereading SVSSS for lore and characterization, and about sometimes ignoring canonical details for the sake of whatever story I want to tell / explore in fanfiction for fun, I want to make it clear that I don't make these changes because I think it makes a "better story" or that I can write a "better story". I don't even like using the term "fix-it" for my canon divergence AUs that avert some in-universe tragedy, even if it is the "correct" fandom term in some cases, because I don't think that SVSSS is a story that needs to be "fixed".

(Honestly, a lot of my minor alterations to canon's details are because I can't remember what exactly canon is and can't always be bothered to hunt for one sentence (which I may or may not remember existing at all) across multiple volumes, especially when I don't always think strict faithfulness to canon is that crucial to the main concept of what I'm doing. I wrote PINTWILF and several other fics before the official English translations were fully released, when checking minor details was an even greater pain in the ass. Sometimes, I'm cooking without the recipe in front of me because I just want to eat.)

Like, I have criticisms of SVSSS, definitely. When I first started writing SVSSS fic, I was more frank about this (fond but less fond of the characters and world than I am now), and I've talked about things I wished the story expanded on more. I think it has flaws. I know those flaws are a dealbreaker for many people. But it's not my story. I can't tell MXTX's story better, because I believe that every author's story belongs to them and only they know what they're trying to achieve, even when I may personally think that the story might have been stronger if it had done something differently or I'm ignoring some minor detail specifically because I don't really like it.

It's awkward, sometimes, occasionally being told by someone that they enjoyed my fic more than the original story. It's very flattering (I can't pretend I don't have an ego) and I don't think anyone means any harm by this, people enjoy stories or don't for many different reasons (enjoyment is not necessarily an indication of quality and I think engaging with fandom can often be more fun than just reading a story on its own by yourself), but it is a little awkward, especially when SVSSS is not an English / western story. I have an advantage appealing to western readers. Reading a translation of the original story, I know there are details of SVSSS going over my heard, references I'm missing, nuances I don't recognize, even as I endeavor to keep learning. I personally enjoy some of my fics more than SVSSS itself because I associate them with good experiences and a lot of them appeal to me personally in some way or another (all of my favorite tropes! we all have favorite tropes!), but they are built on the back of someone else's original work on the other side of the world, and I want to be respectful of that.

I don't want to compete or fix. I'm not trying to compete or fix, I think I would fuck it up if anyone seriously set that task on me, and I don't think that's a good way to view anything. I want to explore and appreciate. I'll type up a lengthy post at some point as to why I'm generally not interested in concrit on my fics (honestly, mostly it's because I'm not interested in being told that a reader hates the present tense and wishes I would rewrite the entire story, which has happened to me before), but I hope that doesn't come off as disinterest in the original story or its cultural context, or as me thinking even a little bit that any of my stories are flawless and/or better than the original.

I want to make a "why would you put two bad bitches (compliment) against each other like this?" joke here, but I also want to be clear: I think MXTX is by far the badder bitch (compliment) in this situation.

(Turning off reblogs, btw, because this post skews more on the personal side.)

[wonyoluv]

𝐖𝐋𝐖 & 𝐆𝐆 𝐅𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐬 !! (๑>ᴗ<๑)

✧ some of my all time favorite fics & their amazing authors!! please show everybody lots of love ^^ [header creds. to @minvcrs] ✧ i'll keep updating this as i find more fics !! pls feel free to send in suggestions as well <3

✧ SMAUS ✧

BRUTAL - @mosinterlude [hanni x reader smau]

↳ this was such a fun concept for a smau & this author also has a rlly great niki smau if ur a fan of enhypen <3 looking forward to more of their works ^^

HALLWAY CRUSH - @xuqijie [haerin x reader smau]

↳ kinda reminds me of 2521 & it's just a rlly cute concept

HOW YOU GET THE GIRL - @jungwonize [rei x reader smau]

↳ this smau hasn't come out yet but im so hyped ^^ this author has rlly creative plots so definitely another blog to check out ;)

RUN2U - @yaeluvz [wonyoung x reader smau}

↳ i had the time of my life reading this smau bc it was just so funny & perfectly cute <3 loved wonyoung's portrayal bc it was just so endearing

FANWARS - @rosiehrs [yunjin x reader smau]

↳ i still haven't gotten the chance to read this smau but i can't wait to! the summary itself sounds so entertaining

FAULT LINES - @ctrlemis [wonyoung/jungwon x reader smau]

↳ jungwon and wonyoung are two of my ults so this smau was literally everything i had ever dreamed of

PLEASE! - @mingkuri [hanni x reader smau]

↳ not completely up to date with this smau but its so so funny <3 like i actually need to catch up rn bc it's amazing, not to mention it's abt the loml hanni pham <3_<3

THE ONLY EXCEPTION - @izfims [yujin x reader smau]

↳ just found this while i was going through my saved fics & it looks so cute so i need to go check it out like rn !! i'm definitely checking it out b4 i go to sleep tdy

✧ WRITTEN ✧

LOVER GIRL - @silantryoo [haerin x reader fluff]

↳ quite literally the cutest thing i've ever read ... i wish i could reread it but the author accidentally deleted their acc T_T if u haven't read it, take my word for it bc it was absolutely adorable 🫶 update: it’s been reposted!! so happy i could literally cry rn 🙈

CAN'T YOU SEE ME - @forhereyesonlyyy [yujin x reader fluff]

↳ it's honestly such a struggle to find authors for ive, but im so glad that i found this acc bc they write so well <3 definitely recommend checking it out :)

2, 4, 6, 8, WHO DO I APPRECIATE? - @chenle [yuna x reader fluff]

↳ an all time favorite of mine ^^ if i could only recommend one work in this post, this would be the one ... it literally came out 4 yrs ago & i still go back to read it <33 it's a cheerleader au & absolutely adorable,, also made me realize just how gay i am lol

CHICKEN SANDWICH - @kimsohn [winter x reader drabble]

↳ this is probably one of my fave drabbles from this acc bc it has fake dating which is one of my fave tropes but literally anything they write is amazing <3 this acc has sm diversity & writes for ggs like loona, aespa, ive & itzy !!

OCEAN VIEW - @seungiepup [gaeul x reader fluff]

↳ probably one of the only gaeul works i've seen on here but im so happy that i found it :) it's a perfect fluffy slice of life drabble

STUCO GF HCs - @iichaeyj [karina x reader fluff]

↳ this acc posts such great hcs & blurbs like i love reading them all sm. they havent posted much gg content, but i'd def recommend checking out all their works if you like txt or enhypen.

6:03 PM - @gfksn [ryujin x reader fluff]

↳ the cutest timestamp <33 like i just love ryujin sm & i feel like this captures her essence rlly well .. idk if that makes sense but plz check it out bc it's cute :)

DRESS ME UP - @hoonsmarsbar [gaeul x reader]

↳ this hasn't come out yet but i can't wait <3 the header is so so pretty & the summary has me so intrigued :) bc i just adore gaeul

KISS, KISS, I WANNA KISS. - @tbzloonar [hyejoo x reader fluff]

↳ you can likely alr tell just how cute this is from the title alone but im gonna say it again bc its adorable <3

LOST SUNSHINE - @haerinz [wonyoung x reader angst]

↳ this hanahaki au was one of the first gg fics i found on here && it's a true heartbreaker <3 would definitely recommend to anyone craving angst :D

SWEET WORDS - @itgetsquiet [ryujin x reader fluff]

↳ only recently discovered this fic && i still haven't finished it, but i started it and from what i've read so far, ik im gonna enjoy it :)

[being-addie]

How to have a productive study session.

When your finals are in 2 days, and you've definitely NOT studied enough, it's normal to panic. You sit down to study and get a solid 30 minutes of calculus done, then jump down the rabbit hole called YouTube. Soon enough the dread creeps up because you're still not done.

As a girl who doesn't attend school regularly due to coaching classes I go to (I'll expand on this later), it's pretty easy to forget to study for exams and projects.

But there's nothing better than getting 98% on that exam. So I'm writing this as someone who's been scoring straight As all my life. Here's how to have a productive study session:

Note: This isn't a guide for romanticising studies. This is meant for a serious, productive session. I will, however, be making a guide to help romanticise studies because I've found it helps a lot.

Before you study

Identify what your distractions are: Let's be real, almost everyone has their phone on hand during study sessions. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and keep it in a corner of the room. Add a few selected contacts that can reach you while your phone is on DND. If you can turn off notifications entirely, do that.

Taking measures: After I keep my phone away, my brain turns to the next thing it could be distracted by. My laptop and tablet. Put those devices in focus mode, so you won't be tempted to use any other apps and use a Chrome extension like StayFocused or WasteNoTime to not get sidetracked.

Resources: Make sure you have all your material on hand. Video lectures, notes, guides, your formula sheet, and flash cards. Keep everything on hand so you won't have to rifle through papers to find that reference sheet.

Your space: Clean your desk. Keep only the things you need. Your pens and pencils, chargers, annotation material and water bottle. If you want, light a candle. Do not clutter it unnecessarily. Your desk is a sacred space. Treat it that way.

When you sit down

The checklist: Do you have all the material required? Electronics, chargers, a snack and a drink? Water bottle? Extra pen? If you have everything beforehand, you'll be less likely to lose focus because you forgot to charge your headphones.

Make a plan: I cannot stress this enough. You'll sit down and just start studying, and next thing you know, it's 7pm and all you've done is watch videos on celebrity drama. Make a goddamn plan. Write down a realistic number of chapters you can complete and then STICK TO IT.

Begin: Reread and review your notes. I usually like to rewrite my notes in neater handwriting, because my handwriting in class is appalling. To really solidify information, I recommend the 'Blurting' method. Read a paragraph, then close the book and say what you understood out loud. Reread to see what you missed and take note. I did this for my history exam and got a 100%. This shit works for a reason. Use the Pomodoro technique to maximise productivity. Set an alarm for 25 minutes, and do intensive study. Once that's done, take a 5-minute break. Return and repeat.

IMPORTANT

Take a break: Ah yes, if you don't get up every 40 minutes or so for a break, eventually whatever you're studying will start looking like garbage and you'll be back to square one. GET UP. Walk around. STRETCH. You've been looking like a croissant🥐. Eat something. Rehydrate.

Forgive yourself: If you couldn't hit your target, don't be harsh on yourself. Find out the cause: Were you distracted? Did something unavoidable come up? Then try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Study buddy: This is a double-edged sword. Studying with a friend can either increase your productivity by a massive amount, or it can help you get absolutely zero work done. When revising with a friend, make sure you study with someone who has the same goals as you and won't get distracted by things.

It's 2023, procrastination is cancelled. Go drink some water, eat a granola bar and finish that assignment you've been delaying. Be the person who finishes all their work, on time and perfectly. You can do it.

<3

[desertfangs]

I feel for people just getting into the books lol. But I agree and I think it's fair to ignore Merrick since Anne also ended up disregarding it herself. I remember during the book tour for The Wolf Gift, Anne did an Q&A talk, she said she didn't consider Merrick, Blackwood Farm, or Blood Canticle canon by the time she began writing Prince Lestat.

Which I found confusing because she mentioned Quinn in Prince Lestat, but she felt that just because the character exists doesn't mean the events that unfolded are canon. Which I found more confusing. I also recall Anne saying (maybe in the same interview maybe in a different one?) she tried to merge her witches and vampires together, but she never felt like she managed to reach the right tone. Which I do agree with.

Oh anon!! I also feel for people just getting into the books! In some ways, it's probably nice to just binge the books back to back and not wait years wondering (like after MtD came out and it was like... Is Armand really dead?????? Where is Daniel???) but also a lot gets shifted or retconned and it must be jarring to go from one to the other with the discrepancies and changes so apparent.

For me, I feel like canon has always been sort of nebulous. Like you can just pick the things you like, you maybe explain away the things you don't (Armand was TOTES lying when he said he sold most of Night Island! 😒), and you can also just sort of ignore stuff if it doesn't really work for you. But that said, I also totally get the desire to be as true to canon as possible and trying to reconcile all of it the best you can, which is a total valid approach as well! I do think canon has a lot of little unexplored nuggets and things to unpack and try to figure out. It's like the crossword puzzle of book series which is part of why I think it has so much staying power for me personally. There's a lot left off the page to explore or explain or try to work out.

It's so interesting to hear she didn't consider Merrick or Blackwood Farm canon anymore!! I don't think I'd heard that, although I am not surprised about Blood Canticle, that book feels like a failed experiment and I agree it did not succeed as a VC/Mayfairs crossover. I think the Talamasca's existence and maybe Quinn was enough of a crossover, tbh, I don't know anything more was needed. (Granted, what I remember about BC is Lestat being in the midst of a manic episode and Rowan being involved, and that's pretty much it.) I do recall she was trying to build up to some war with the Talamasca and I guess that never really came together.

Prince Lestat definitely felt like more of a return to form and trying to get all of the vampires in one place and even wrap up some loose ends from previous books and tell us where everyone ended up. Well almost everyone. I agree it's funny Quinn gets a mention.

As for Merrick, I'm sure there's some interesting stuff in there, at least about Louis, but I've never been able to convince myself to reread it. I do like the implication that he and Armand came together after the events of that book and he moved in Trinity Gate because of shared trauma over suicide attempts, and that they found some healing with each other. But overall, it wasn't a book I enjoyed.

Thank you for sharing, anon!! This is really good stuff! Also LMAO thank you for reminding me The Wolf Gift exists. That book was a wild ride for sure! 💖

[kookiyu]

I've been rereading from the start for the 28th time and was thinking about the first chapter Namari appears and how strong it is...

We don't know anything about her before now but this exchange she has with Laios is really engaging and tells us a lot about her place in the party and her personality. She and Laios have a shared obsessive fussiness about their particular passions that comes across as really overbearing and offputting to other people... We see throughout the series and in the daydream hour omake chapters that prior to chapter 1 Laios had been hiding his interest in monsters from everyone for a Long Time. He sits on his feelings about things and is a terrible communicator because he's afraid to open his mouth and be completely ostracized by everyone around him, based on his experiences growing up. His silence and passivity usually turns into him being exploited by others (we never learn the exact reason for his desertion but we do know that the caravan he used to work for seemed to treat him especially poorly before Falin showed up.)

Namari, on the other hand, is a huge bitch. She's extremely vocal and opinionated about things and is fearlessly insistent and unashamed of it... Laios sees this part of her and where it comes from and he respects her for it, probably because he looks up to her lack of a filter. The 'undiagnosed autistic person being ruled by shame and self-censoring by just never raising their voice' is a real and common phenomenon and we see it a lot in Laios. His line at the end of the page here and his willingness to face the brunt of her criticism shows how much he appreciates her.

Meanwhile when she listens to Laios and Senshi talk about how to prepare tentacles and sees him expressing himself unfiltered her expression is just raw shame and dread... In the context of the chapter there's definitely the practical element of "oh my god, he's eating the monster that killed Kiki" but the expressiveness in Kui's art conveys a really particular mix of emotions to me and I can only see it as a kind of projected anxiety towards Laios. It's compromising for her; She cares a lot more than she lets on about the Touden party and Laios himself. There's a sense of responsibility for enabling him and a sense of protectiveness, like 'if anyone else finds out what you're doing they're going to treat you worse than you can imagine!' But I think more than anything she's afraid for herself. Namari is a Dwarf's Dwarf. She was exiled because of something her father did and it's haunted her her entire life... Being closely associated with Laios and the rest of the party would mean not only is she associated with a criminal, she's also involved with the psychos who've been eating monsters. That's on top of the fact that seeing someone she cares about behave the same way that she does without any of the defensive reflexes she falls back on to shield herself makes her scared! You can't just be yourself in front of others like that, because they'll always see the worst in you and run with it. She also seems to struggle with her own feelings towards the party, considering how she's not shy about letting other people know she thinks Laios is weird in contrast to how she can't abandon him or the others when they need her... It's great character writing.

There's a brief exchange near the end of the chapter/beginning of the next where she talks about the importance of an adventurer's reputation... Other peoples opinions of her matter a Lot, and reasonably so! She's had an unbelievably hard time of it, being exiled from a culture built around extremely close-knit communities and networks of support for something she didn't do... I think it makes complete sense why her motivations seem completely self-interested on the surface, and it's because she needs to find her people. For as shitty as Mr. Tansu can treat her (the human shield thing is bananas; you get the sense that he wouldn't be doing it if he didn't know he could just revive her after), they're also a really close adoptive family, and they all seem to love her a lot (the twins in particular, for obvious reasons). Wanting to be a part of that makes so much sense for her. I love how dense this chapter is looking back with the full context of the series as a whole... As much as I wish she'd had more scenes with everyone, I'm really happy with what we got anyway. Namari leaves such a strong impression in spite how infrequently she shows up... One of my favs for sure

[chickycherrycola]

For the writer asks ❤️👻🦋🦈💕🎬💭

Seven questions in one answer post? Let's goooooo 😤🙌

From this Fanfic Writer Asks game

❤️: What is your favorite line that you've written in a fic?

I'd have to go with the following snippet from under your skin:

'He wants to be the heat emanating from her body, the hot water dripping down the planes of her abdomen. He wants to be the scars on her skin, the freckles on her face and the bruises on her legs and arms. He wants to dig his fingers so deep into her flesh that he can no longer tell where he ends and she begins. He wants to be under her skin and in her veins, the energy in her cells and the breath in her lungs.

The very life force that sustains her.'

Heheh 😜

👻: what is your wildest headcanon?

That Maka's mother was a witch. Not sure if it qualifies as 'wild' per se, but i think it's pretty damn compelling and it would explain her absence from the series and Maka's life. @victoriapyrrhi wrote an excellent fic exploring this and I cannot recommend it enough!

🦋: which character is your favorite to write?

SOUL EATER EVANS, WITHOUT A DOUBT 😭💕😩👌 I love writing a pining man. A hopelessly, disgustingly, horrendously down bad man in love (Exhibit A the snippet from the first question lmao). There's also just... a lot to unpack with his character in general. The manga kinda sidelined his character development after he became a Death Scythe imo, when there was still so much more that could have been explored - his inferiority complex, how exactly he copes with the legacy of his family/brother now that he's carving out a different legacy of his own, did he ever have any sort of relationship with his family while he was at the DWMA? How did he adjust to being Kid's weapon as well as Maka's? Where the heck does his 'loyalty to the point of suicidality' thing come from, and does it extend to Kid as well as Maka when he becomes a Death Scythe? I could write a million fics from his POV and I wouldn't tire of it.

🦈: which character is the toughest to write?

My original characters. OCs are definitely the toughest thing for me when navigating original fiction and I think this is my main obstacle that I need to overcome on the road from fanfic author to published novelist.

💕: what is your favorite fic you've written?

This answer might surprise folks cause a lot of you probably follow my work for my smut, but my fave fic that I've written is (no place like) home for the holidays. A lot of the story centered around Soul and his past and his family, so I had a lot of fun with those details (especially writing Wes, dear lord did I have fun writing Wes and crafting his whole character). I wrote Soul as transmasc for the first time as well, which is a headcanon that is important to me. I also think of this fic as a bit of a turning point in my writing journey - it originated as a series of loosely connected scene ideas that I somehow managed to weave together into a cohesive, novel-length narrative, and I definitely felt my writing skills 'level up' while working on it. When I go back and reread, this fic is where I definitely start to notice a consistent difference in my voice and writing style. I learned a lot while writing it!

🎬: if a movie or show were based off your fic, which fic would you choose and who would you fancast?

King of My Heart, 1000%. And actually, I got this question from several of you, so I'm saving it for it's own post later this week. KOMH fancast in progress 👀😎

💭: what inspires you and your writing?

I find inspiration everywhere and sometimes I truly... don't understand how my brain works. Opening a pair of Bluetooth headphones once gave me a book idea. Entering the wrong information into a flight status tracker website once gave me a book idea. Just hearing certain phrases will give me fic and novel ideas! Ideas and inspiration can come from the most surprising places sometimes. Music, in particular, is very inspiring for me as well. I maintain individual character and fic playlists, and often, just listening to a new song and really paying attention to the lyrics will give me fic/story ideas.

Holy MOLY this post got long. If you read all of that, I'm genuinely impressed 🤣

Thanks for playing!

[ofmermaidstories]

1. Not really....? It's hard to figure out my actual thoughts on it but I guess, Self-inserting for me feels like it's designed for one person in mind (whoever is being inserted) when x reader can be anyone? And from what I've seen, the content is a bit different.

2. Probably? Definitely. But will I be the person criticizing it? No... I'm not really the type to be vocal about my grievances outside of the occasional personal aside. I usually just don't trust what I have to say is constructive. But I do love hearing what other people have to say.

3. Everything

Jkjk, um.... I'd say my motivation and writing style? (That doesn't fall under everything, right?) I just don't write very effectively. Like- I have a story in my head, but actually putting it down in writing, I kinda just wing it? Like write as I go. Which is fun for developing character lore, or short stories. It leads to a lot of stop and go with longer works, and the problem with that is that it looks clunky! If I'm an a completely different state of my mind than I was when I started a piece the words I put down don't really flow well with what came before. So I have to read and reread what's already been written and play mediator by finding a way to transition from one feeling to the next.

I mostly write for friends or for fun, though, so it's forgivable.

the content being different for self-inserting vs x reader is such an important distinction!! like. also in how you engage with it, too? like—i’m always interested in self-shippy stuff from a, best friend at brunch kinda way, you know? like “YESSSS tell me more, omg, you guys are sooo cute together 🥹” whereas if someone is like, bits&pieceing about an idea for a x reader setup, i’m engaging with it as a reader, like, oh, i am interested in whatever this this piece or fic is trying to lure us in with.

i keep running into i guess… fan-only spaces, for varying Big Fics? and they’re always so interesting to scroll through, because it’s just either people gushing about Said Fic, or like, recommending similar ones, OR it’s someone starting a conversation (a tiktok is the example i’m thinking of) being like, “deku wouldn’t wear fishnets” and then like, everyone who’s had similar grievances just like, jumping in LOL. none of it—the universal loving and the dismissal—is like.. in any way truly critical? it’s just people who’ve found each other agreeing over varying things. true constructive criticism (at least in fanfics) is hard… because you do have to seperate yourself from, “is this just not for me” vs. “i see and understand where this story is trying to land, but i don’t think it makes it” and even then you kinda have to… justify it, you know? like, is it not landing because it’s missed the mark, or do you just wish it did something different? and what i like about fanfic is that we (ideally) afford each other the—generosity of forgiving things, LOL. and i guesssss my original question is more… does becoming a mega, fandom-defining fic mean the fic then loses the privilege of that generosity? i think it must create a distance between it and the fandom it’s from, in a way… it sort of takes on the same… almost for-granted quality we might have with a published book? are we removing ourselves from it, by holding it up? HMMM. questions questions ig LOL.

with no. 3—flow is hard!!! 🥺 do you have any like, rituals or anything to get yourself back into the mindset you had, before picking up the piece again? if i leave off in the middle of a scene or whatever that needs to stick to a specific mood i listen to my playlist for the fic, or whatever. 🥹 it kinda helps to limber everything back up again. but—i mean!!! as long as you have fun with it, in the end. 🥺 the process of writing takes up so much time… we need to enjoy it, in some small way. especially if the end result is for friends and fun. 🥹

[brettanomycroft]

do you ever have plans to finish ur dipcifica fic on ao3? 😔

Hi!! First of all I want to say thank you SO MUCH for having read "Seen You Before" whether it was recently or when I started writing it in *check notes* holy hell 2015.

To be totally honest, I'm on the fence about coming back to it. I still have a HUGE love for Dipper and Pacifica (and Gravity Falls) and the fic is still dear to my heart. After getting a number of comments asking if I'd be coming back to it, I braced myself for a reread, and there are without a doubt a lot of things I'm still very proud of writing... Especially Lily and Scott. Like, wow, way to make some OCs, go me. Exploring Dipper and Pacifica's trauma and how they've gone on to cope (or not cope) with them is still something of interest to me, and I'd love to watch them grow together.

I'm also on a very different place mentally, emotionally, and maturity-wise than I was when I first started writing! Being nearly 14 years removed from college graduation (and over 16 years from where Pacifica and Dipper are in this story) is a lot different from the 4ish years out I was when the story began, and some of the sources of conflict I developed don't resonate in the same way now. My relationship both with alcohol and with my parents has changed (yes, I'm the master of projection) and in some ways I'm not sure if that would help or hinder the story. Also, to be honest, past me did present me dirty and did not write out a plan for this story, so I'm relying on memory to try and figure out where I was going with this... If I even knew then where I was going with it, which I sort of doubt? I have vague memories of both a supernatural and a totally normal resolution for this fic, so I would definitely need to go back to the drawing board.

That said, I actually have made some efforts recently to go back to said drawing board. I've been mapping out some of the conflicts and character interactions that would need to be developed and resolved, and started thinking about what a satisfying continuation and ending to this fic might look like. The road I've laid ahead of Pacifica and Dipper is not an easy one, and it would take some real work to get them to the happy ending I can't not give them.

The TL;DR to this is... Maybe?? It's not entirely off the table and is honestly something I'd love to come back to. I'm running the flint and steel together and waiting to see if something sparks.

[boosmidnighthour]

Since I'm working on multiple fics at the same time, I have been having trouble deciding which thing would be better. So... poll time!

Fandom: Ninjago Main Pairing: Glaciershipping

Working Title: Ninjago Hotel (how original lol)

⚠️ For context, please read after the 'Keep Reading' line!

Divider made by drawloverlala

Zane and Jay

“Ugh- when did your files get so messy?” Jay grumbled, sitting in front of Zane's laptop.

Zane was hooked up to the laptop from nearly all ports. He honestly disliked having so many cords on him; it was a little overwhelming and it made him feel self conscious. Plus, if he was left in an open area, the cords were often made a tripping hazard, which would sometimes cause minor injuries and would make them have to restart the process when the cord was inevitably pulled out of one of his ports.

He scratched a little at one of his hands. “I haven't exactly had the time to go through and organize them,” he huffed. “It seems like a waste of time as it is; they always end up getting mucked about.”

The lightning master tapped away at the laptop as he deleted some useless files. “Definitely makes this easier… Oh, forget it. I can take care of this part later. Let's see why your scanner's being blocked.”

“Isn't that why we're here-”

“Hush you.”

The two sat in silence as Jay got to work. Zane wished he had a little more company here… Cole always made for such lovely company. It always felt like the time would go faster as he laughed at his stories or when he would draw silly doodles on some piece of scrap paper that was around. He would always ignore the wires, always look in his eyes when they talked, always had a little smile present. He always knew how to distract him, make him feel better about his situation.

He sighed quietly as the lightning master worked to figure out the problem.

Unfortunately, Jay was a little more perceptive during these times.

“Did I delete something I shouldn't have?” Jay worried, going back to the deleted files and rereading their file names just to be sure.

“No, no; nothing seems out of place,” Zane assured.

“... If you're feeling antsy about not continuing the mission, Kai and Cole have things under control. You usually have a little more faith in us.” Despite the teasing tone, the master of ice worried that he had genuinely offended the other.

“It is not that, either, I assure you.”

“Then, what's up? I can tell something's bothering you.”

He didn't really know what it was, though, did he? He felt it on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't manage to figure out how to word it. Was he just bored? He hated the idea of slowing down this already agonizingly slow process just because he needed some entertainment. So, since he didn't truly know, he just shrugged and pursed his lips.

Jay hummed, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. But he just turned back to the laptop and started looking through the files more deliberately. Zane wondered if he was still thinking about him, if he could multitask reading such boring spams of numbers and think of other things at the same time. He was always full of surprises, and with how he made these processes look - as if they were completely second nature to the mechanic - he wouldn't be surprised if he could.

“... So… I've noticed you've been acting differently towards Cole,” he brought up out of nowhere. Zane perked at that, and a sense of panic rose up in his chest… Why?

“What do you mean by that, exactly?”

Jay hummed as he continued to look through the files, opening some of them up to read the code to see if they were what he was looking for before closing them again. “You guys seem… a lot closer now. Like… closer than him and I are,” he continued, vague and pushing at Zane's nerves.

He tapped his fingers together. “... If you think I am trying to disrupt your friendship with him, I can assure you that I'm not-”

“No- that's not what I meant… Although, if you were trying to do that, I think my video game skills would come in handy. Especially since there's a video game coming out and Cole's pretty excited for it. You're not exactly a gamer.”

Zane laughed at that. Sometimes, his and Cole's friendship was a thing to behold. “Well, then, what did you mean?” he asked, a smile present in his voice.

“Okay… This is gonna sound a little crazy, but after thinking about it, it makes sense. And if I'm right, then I really need to talk to Cole about keeping things from his best friend-”

“Get on with it.”

“I think you guys like each other. Like… romantically.”

Zane felt utterly shocked at how blatantly Jay had said it, his jaw falling slack. His expression must have been weird, because the lightning master rushed to explain himself.

“Maybe I'm wrong. But, like, you guys share these glances, and… and spend a lot of spare time together, and Cole fuckin’... offered some cake to you one time, and he looked almost sad when you declined. Then, you were looking at him all longingly the other day when he went to help those parents - yes, I saw that - ‘n’ sometimes ya look at him with heart eyes - not literally - and you're always so protective o’ each other. Like- like when Cole - Cole - kept you from fallin’ in the elevator at the hotel, or- ‘n'- and-”

“Jay, breathe,” Zane reminded him as Jay continued to try and rattle off various things he had managed to notice. He could tell there were more that he was remembering, but he needed to stop before the nindroid's fans kicked into overdrive and caused him to pass out. He felt like he was hot to the touch, and it had only been maybe a minute. He felt all frazzled as he watched the other catch his breath. “I… I don't understand. Isn't that just what friends do for each other?”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Only, like… half of those things could also be done platonically. But you look at him differently than how you look at anyone else,” he explained, talking more slowly.

“But… I don't…” Was it a romantic feeling? He hadn't exactly felt it before, and it wasn't like he read romance novels in any context. He read bird encyclopedias, for the first master's sake! Sure, Cole made him feel… differently than anyone else. A good different. A wonderful different. But… what if it wasn't romance he was feeling? What if it was just a really nice platonic feeling? How long had Cole made him feel like this? What if the feeling went away?

He sighed heavily and covered his face with his hands, barely remembering not to accidentally hit the wires. “This is so confusing…”

“Yep. That's life,” Jay hummed, seeming to have returned to work while Zane had his crisis. “I think it'll be less confusing the more you try to figure it out… or - well - something will start to make more sense.”

Zane shook his head a little as he groaned. “I would rather not think about this right now…” They sat in silence again as the nindroid tried desperately to stop thinking about it… it was a lot harder than it should be.

“Hm… I think I figured out how to get your scanners working again, but you're gonna have to turn yourself off,” he finally concluded after what felt like hours.

“That is fine with me.”

Cole and Kai

“This is gonna take forever,” Kai groaned, unscrewing one of the vents on the ceiling as he balanced precariously on Cole's shoulders.

Cole grunted, trying to focus on keeping Kai up. “It'll take longer the more you complain,” he grumbled. He held his ankles to steady him. It was honestly killing his already strained shoulder; Zane's massages could only do so much… although one sounded amazing right about now.

He hoped Zane would be back soon.

“Well, you're welcome to switch spots with me.”

“Yeah, I am welcome to-”

“Shut up; you're distracting me.”

Cole rolled his eyes with a huffy chuckle. It wasn't worth a fight, he told himself. Just hold still and this'll be done faster. They just needed to take care of a couple vents in Kai and Jay's bedroom, and probably the bathroom, too-

Cole yelped and jerked away from the loud noise of the vent noisily coming off its position on the ceiling. Then he was wobbling, trying to regain his balance, but with Kai doing the same thing, they very quickly toppled onto the floor with shouts of pain.

“Ow- you did that on purpose, asshole!” Kai scowled as he rolled off of the earth master. He rubbed from his elbow to his wrist furiously, pain clearly written on his face.

“No, I didn't; you startled me!”

“Yeah, likely story.”

“You're unbelievable-”

“Says you; I'm plenty believable!”

He rolled his eyes again, a little harder this time, before rolling his shoulder. He winced as his shoulder blade pinched, jerking away from the sensation with a hiss. “This shit is never gonna relax,” he grumbled to himself, doing his best to massage the spot there. “Let's just… find something else to work on,” Cole huffed, massaging his shoulder as he glared at the camera in the vent above him. “We'll come back to this one when my shoulder has a second to recover.”

“Fine,” Kai agreed. “Let's take the showerhead. My hair is absolutely disgusting.”

“Says the guy who puts a shit ton of gel in it-” He barely dodged the fire master's kick as he laughed to himself. Kai grabbed Jay's toolbox and the two went over to the bathroom. “... You're sure there's one in there?”

“I saw a red blinking light in there yesterday, so if it's not a camera, then I think it should be taken out anyway.”

Cole sighed, ashamed at his lack of diligence.

“Hey, if they did record you taking a shower, it'll add to Zane's report,” Kai tried with a shrug.

“It's just gross,” the master of earth grumbled. “I don't want to imagine how many people they've already recorded… maybe we should've come sooner.”

“Well, if we had come here sooner, then we wouldn't have come in here thinking something was wrong right off the get go.” He climbed into the shower, balancing on the edges of the tub to reach the head. “The only reason we came here was, a) because Lloyd had a ‘gut feeling’, and b) because Zane was very convincing.”

Cole just sighed again, not seeing the point in telling Kai that he was right. It was always a pain in the ass to ever admit such things to the smug prick-

“What's up with you two, anyway?”

“Huh?”

“You and Zane.” After another beat of silence, Kai looked at him, only raising a brow sarcastically. “Oh, come on! There's no way you haven't noticed it.”

“... Noticed what?” he mumbled, only growing more annoyed as the other seemed to just want to make fun of him for whatever reason. “If it's so obvious, just say it-”

“Ugh! You're unbelievable,” the fire master laughed. “You seriously haven't noticed the tension between you and Zane?” He only got a blank expression in response, so he rolled his forest green eyes with a hefty sigh. “You guys look at each other like they've gifted you the moon. You tease each other constantly with near fuckin’ hearts in your eyes. Even Jay's noticed!”

Cole flushed a little before shaking his head. “I could understand if you were just seeing me look at him like that; I know I'm being obvious at this point,” he admitted quietly, as if the nindroid was still around. “But we look at each other like that? Tension? Zane's oblivious, and I really don't think he thinks of me like that.” He massaged his shoulder, trying to ease it as he became all the more tense during this discussion.

“Oh, you can't be serious. I can tell Zane really likes you-”

“Yeah, as a friend, and I would prefer it to stay like that. He's got enough on his plate already.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Well, uh… Well, right now his scanners aren't working properly, he's helping Pixal reach her full potential as a ninja samurai. We're both busy keeping the city safe all the time; there's just… no time for us to put into a romantic relationship.”

Kai scoffed as he started prying the showerhead open. “That's a load of bullshit and you know it,” he started. “If there was no time to put into a romantic relationship, then there would be no time to put into a platonic relationship. The city has been at peace for months, which you both have been using as an excuse to spar against each other more often than not. You've already been giving more attention to Zane than you have Jay, your best friend.” 

He looked at Cole pointedly, who shifted awkwardly under his gaze. “Plus, you know as well as I do that Pixal has been getting more help from Nya than Zane. As for his scanners, they'll be patched up in no time; Jay's an expert at that stuff at this point.”

The master of earth hummed a little in embarrassment, unable to hide behind any more excuses. Then he sighed. “Look, I just… I don't really want to tell him. I can already tell he doesn't feel the same, and I don't want things to get awkward between us.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “You are so dramatic. Nothing bad would happen… Zane's supposed to be the oblivious one.” He finally got the camera out of the showerhead, tossing it to the side before pushing the pieces back together.

I like them both equally, even my issues with both of them. So it would be appreciated to get some insight from potential readers, lol

For added context, this is gonna have chapters, and this is the fourth chapter. I might post another snippet, from chapter 1.

[nezumiva]

I assume this will somewhat be addressed in the podcast for Watanagashi, but I've been reading it with a friend(reread in my case), and the first 2 chapters have just been... really bad and pervy? I love the rest of this series, but god this has been a lot, and I know this is not the end of it. How do you deal with it, and address it to new readers?

Yeah...

It is a bit of an ever-present dilemma in Higurashi, unfortunately (and while it improves over time in When They Cry as a whole, it's unfortunately a bit of an issue in a lot of Ryukishi's work). I do think the chapters in and of themselves are very good, to be clear, but those types of jokes do tend to drag it down massively whenever they (however briefly) rear their ugly head. As it pertains to generally recommending the work, I'll get to that in a moment, but first and foremost I think it's just good to know the limits of your friends, if that's the sort of reading situation you're in. For me, and the people I know - we all definitely hate the unnecessary sexual humor, but we all also grew up on a lot of anime and manga, back in the late 90's and early 2000's, which had far less restraint about these things than it should have. Obviously it wasn't good, but while we dislike it, we tend to roll our eyes and muscle past if at all possible. Thankfully, in Higurashi's case, while it is often extremely obnoxious, it is easily ignored in the context of the story at large. That's us, though, and everybody's comfort level for ignoring that sort of thing is different. When it comes to general recommendations, there's just no escaping the huge asterisks you're going to have to attach to the work at large. Like many things I love with less than stellar aspects (problematic stereotypes in One Piece, similarly gross humor in Danganronpa, etc.) there's not often a way to soften the blow of these things for people who wouldn't have been able to power through regardless, and that's completely understandable. (And even if it's less problematic, obviously, Higurashi still has a lot of elements that are difficult to casually stomach regardless, so it does sort of inherently narrow the pool of people you can get into it, lol.) This doesn't really make up for it, obviously, but this is almost doubtlessly a product of the game's release timeline and where it was released, as well. This was a self-published game in the very, very early aughts being marketed to primarily otaku at Comiket. Galge was still very prominent, and while it has thankfully managed to grow beyond the need of being strictly pornographic (and thank god Higurashi never went that far), the kind of sketchy, ecchi variety of shit did unfortunately sell and draw more eyes to a game back then. Given how small 07th Expansion was (they only sold 2 copies of Onikakushi at the time, I believe), I wouldn't doubt they felt the need to shove things like this in to push units. (In a sense, I do think some of the tropes are there to be intentionally subverted. While most people know Higurashi has horror now, they didn't then, so in some respects Ryukishi was ripping the rug out from under people who just thought they were here for a dating sim, but attributing that to every instance of weird shit in Higurashi would obviously be oversimplifying the issue.) TL;DR: Higurashi is definitely a product of its time in many respects, and while I think it is a fantastic story that surpasses its occasional failings with gross sexual humor, that is an unfortunate mark of the time and circles it was made in. It may have been a play to help it sell, or to throw off galge genre readers, or both, but either way it still kinda sucks a lot. That is always unavoidably going to be a huge asterisk when recommending it to anyone in the current day.

[ofliterarynature]

MARCH 2024 WRAP UP

[loved liked ok nope dnf (reread) bookclub*]

Supernova • The Last Unicorn • Cahokia Jazz • (Heartstopper Vol 1)* • The Hero of Ages • Godkiller • Humanly Possible • Traveller’s Joy • The Well of Ascension • Babel-17 • The Final Empire • Loot • The Death I Gave Him

Finished: 11 books (9 audio, 1 print, 1 ebook)

Not many books this month but by god I read THREE Brandson Sandersons, so -

I guess I may as well start with Sanderson while we're here. I promised a mutual years ago (who's sadly left tumblr) that I would read Mistborn and it's probably been at least half a decade but I did it Lourdes! I've read a few one-off Sandersons before, but nothing I fell in love with. The Final Empire definitely had some issues, some things felt a little off, but overall I think I liked it! Except those things did not then improve in the next two books, and by book 3 I was dragging and solidly decided that I wouldn't continue past the original trilogy. I was so mad at that ending y'all, and if the mixed vibes from the copy for the next books wasn't enough that definitely sealed the deal lmao. Happy for the people who like him but it's not really my vibe. (but god, did it remind me how much I love big, grand, epic fantasies. I really need to find a good one). 3 stars

Babel-17 (3 stars) - idk, I think I found this on a rec list for sci-fi about linguistics? Which it sort of was, maybe, ostensibly. It was weird in that old sci-fi way and I kind of wish I'd DNF'd it when I originally considered it.

Traveller's Joy (5 stars)- look I will never say no to more in the Greenwing & Dart series, especially if it's my good good boy Hal. Not to mention more info about the immediate post-college times, and an outside POV on Jemis (Jemis my dude I love you so much but you are not a reliable narrator). Victoria picked a great piece of canon to explore!

Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and Hope (4 stars) - I've been wanting to read this since I first heard about it (and Humanist thought in general), and while it was interesting and I'm glad I read it, I found my attention drifting a lot. It spent a lot of time in the early/distant periods of humanist thought, which ended up not really being what I wanted - I think I'm more interested in the modern Humanist movent, but at least I know I'm on the right track!

Godkiller (4.5 stars) - It was great! It was kind of idk, epic fantasy with fairy tale and D&D vibes sort of? My brain is throwing out T Kingfisher and Robin McKinley for comps, but I'm not sure if that's accurate. A great one for fans of less-than-benevolent voices in the back of your head that are nonetheless very concerned for your well being! A solid 4/4.5 stars from me, it switched pov a little to often and didn't stick well in my head as well afterward as I'd have liked. Can't wait to get the next book!

Heartstopper (5 stars) - so cute! at least half the people who have ever come to book club at some point have said they loved this, so since we're in our graphic novel era it just made sense! I read a good chunk of the comic online ages ago and it's still great (and much easier when not fighting my wifi to load pages lol)

Cahokia Jazz (5 stars) - y'all I lost my fucking MIND OVER THIS ONE. Absolutely going to be one of my top books of the year. I'm such such a sucker for books about an outsider trying to find themself, their place, and reconnect with their culture, and hnnnnnng it was so good! Not always easy, but I loved it. I sobbed over that ending so much, I had to get up at work and go hide in the restroom for a bit and couldn't stop tearing up for the next week. Warning that the opening is pretty gory/crime novel/these-cops-are-corrupt vibes that *did* almost make me dnf (GASP), but it gets so much better I promise. Give Joe a chance, he's got hidden depths.

The Last Unicorn (3.5 stars) - It was ok? I didn't really get into it and was glad it was short, but I'm sure if I'd gotten my hands on this as a kid I'd have read it 10x times. I've also never seen the movie. I'm debating if I want to keep my copy for future niblings, but probably not.

Supernova (3 stars) - finally, I am DONE with this series. I admit, the second book almost got me and had me reconsidering if I should keep my copies after all, but this one yanked me back to reality. The undercurrents of ethics/morals/philosophy? to this series are fascinating, but uh, I'm not sure the author is aware of them as much as I was? Because the ending was fine, but all of these questions it felt like the series was raising were just ignored or pushed past. Not a bad series, just don't think about anything too hard.

DNF's

Loot - I was here for the automaton tiger and clockmaking, but that wasn't really the focus? I'm not quite sure what was, actually, I dropped this pretty quick between that, not liking the writing style, or the narrator's voice.

The Death I Gave Him - I was SO sad to give this one up. It's told through excerpts and transcripts and all sorts of things pieced together that hint at events in the future, which is one of my favorite things!!!! Except I don't know shit about Hamlet, and it was giving more psychological-thriller vibes and less murder-mystery, and I wasn't really having fun. It made me want to reread Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife.

[alexanderwales]

The Slumbering Projects List

The Current WIP List is anything that I've done some small amount of work on in the last year (with some of them having substantial amounts of work). This is a list of dead slumbering projects, some of which have been slumbering for a long time, as well as some reflection on what went wrong, if anything.

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The Timewise Tales is a stable time loop fantasy story that revolves around three different characters. The genesis of this one was an old /r/worldbuilding contest entry that I wrote. All it really needs is an ending to be first draft complete, and I know what the ending is, but this is early early work, and it shows.

Sidebar: my enjoyment of my own work follows a pretty predictable curve.

I start with a lot of energy, grind through some of the middle with maybe a slight bump near the end, then have a rut after I've finished where I think the thing sucks. After enough time has passed, I finally have enough distance to think "hey wait, that was actually pretty good".

The curve looks different for different projects, but going into any of them, I have an understanding that my emotional relationship with the work is going to change in this way. The "middling grind" part can sometimes last a long time, and the trough of disappointment is sometimes short, but I would say this is generally how it works for me.

Timewise Tales is not something I've grown to appreciate more with time, so there's a chance that it's just Actually Bad. I don't know what there is that can be saved from it, but probably something. It's 90K words and would probably be complete in another 10K words, but making it good would be more some effort, especially because I would want to rewrite substantial portions. The magic system is cool though, and I think the characters and plot are solid.

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Robot, Wizard, Vampire is a follow-up to my novella Contratto, which is just about vampires taking over the world. It's a story about two young people who are the last remnants of their underground cell of wizards who are using magic to make robots that fight the vampires. The setting is the late 70s and the two teenage boys are expies of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The genesis for this one was someone making a post saying what a terrible idea it would be to include a bunch of dissonant themes in a book. It's 27K words, and from the plot outline, that's about a third of the way through. I reread this recently and think it's fairly good, but didn't put any more effort into it.

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The Gift and the Burden is about hereditary wizards, following two friends who are divided by one having the gift and the other not. The one with the gift becomes a soldier, the one without a proto-scientist. The outline calls for three acts, and it's stuck toward the end of the second act. 60K words, and in theory outlined for 100K. There's a lot that I like in this one, though it's early work, and definitely a lot to punch up and sand down. I keep meaning to go back to this one.

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A Series of Fights Without Any Meaning was a battle school type thing, mostly revolving around magical swordplay, which is used by the society to settle disputes via swordfights, something that highly favors the nobility. 16K words. Part of the conceit is that the newest generation has a non-noble who is absurdly good with a blade, and we follow her through the perspective of other characters, always unsure of her thoughts. I wasn't a huge fan of the magic system I came up with, and some of the other worldbuilding is irritating in retrospect, but neither of those are huge unfixable flaws at this point. Probably will never get more work put into it though.

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The Wayward Souls is a novel about a detective who dies and gets awakened three centuries later in a different body. It's a world where souls are real and can be extracted to be stored in glass jars. There's a version of this that's 45K and a different rewrite version that's 21K, and I don't actually think they share much in common. The main plot is that someone has stolen the emperor's soul, but the secondary plot is the fish out of water stuff. I think this had a few influences that were probably too strong, and a few things that annoyed me, but I can't recall what without doing some rereading. Almost certainly dead in the water.

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Pub Crawl is based off a meme I saw once that said "you meet in a tavern" and then "you open the door to leave and it's another tavern" and then "it's all taverns, the whole campaign is taverns". And I thought: I can write that! Currently 40K words, at some point I thought this was going to be my next web serial. I think the characters weren't quite right though, and lost steam, even though the outline was very solid. I had this great idea for a "pub map" that would update every few chapters, showing the known pub space as it sprawled out into strange areas.

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There are lots of others, but those are the substantial ones, the ones that really had a chance to become something and are now sleeping, most of them never to wake up again. I had high hopes for all these at one point, but my time and ability to write is precious, and must be jealously guarded against false pretenders.