#if nobody ends up seeing this. well. it'll be here still when i post some actual writing

[koinotame]

\o/

hi! it's me, nana / koinotame!

if you're wondering why i went inactive and then deleted, my mental health kind of (really) tanked... and i ended up deleting my blog in a fit.

it's getting better bit by bit though! and i've been wanting to get back into writing (and talking abt my unhinged/yan ideas i can't really talk to anyone else abt), so. here i am! for now, at least

as for my previously posted writing, there's some good news and some bad news: the bad news is that everything i wrote directly into tumblr (99% of snippets, a lot of ask answers, most exact content warnings, etc) is gone. the slightly less bad news is that iirc there were very very few posts of mine that weren't reblogged by anyone at all, so they're probably still out there? feel free to send them my way if you find any and i'll rb them. @/midnight-remembrance also has reblogged a couple of them! there's a couple snippets i have saved in some places, so i might repost those on my own as i find them, but there's very few of those. the good news is that anything longer (proper writing — oneshots, hcs, yan alphabet responses and so on, prompt responses, etc) is safely backed up where i originally wrote it! some of it is also on my ao3, which is the same username. feel free to send me asks about any you'd like to see again and i'll repost them! i might not post them if i feel too embarrassed about/wish i hadn't posted them, and i might rewrite/heavily edit some of them, but i think there's only a handful that fall into the former category and none of them were particularly popular. either way, no harm in asking!

as for some other updates: i'm a little divided on whether i want to keep posting explicit nsfw or not so we'll see. i might just keep it out of main tags. idk yet. regardless of what decision i make, this blog is still strictly 18+ and that will not be changing. since we can reply from sideblogs now, this is a sideblog and not my main now. why? sometimes i prefer to check up on a blog frequently instead of following them for a couple of reasons, but this felt very awkward when they were following me. so this being a sideblog relieves a bit of that stress. if this makes it sound like i have severe brain worms, it's because i do. to that effect though, if we interact every so often feel free to consider us mutuals regardless of whether or not i'm actually following you =w=b tbh i.............. am not really into genshin anymore. i might post about it here and there but i just Do Not (really) Care about it anymore. scara aside to some degree i also have no clue what's going on post inazuma lol whatever projects or commitments to writing or etc i had made beforehand. i forgot all of them so just pretend that never happened ok? ok i'll also probably be posting more sparsely, but we'll see! and (this is obviously the most important bit) i have no clue where i put the mika edit so we're back to my og classic pfp. the header scales terribly and is temporary, please ignore that too

all that aside, as a treat for anyone who sees this in time,

*roughly 6/22 done, but fairly quick to write. roughly one paragraph per character (sneak peek line: "it's not too hard to be discreet with his unique magic when someone really deserves to fall face down a flight of stairs. or three. oopsie. odd they don't remember it, huh? well, he had nothing to do with that.") **more realistic isn't quite the right word(s)... probably won't post this one to the main tags regardless. won't be doing all of the characters (only important/relevant ones) and won't be writing more about/expanding on, so this one is just like. a one off experiment sort of thing. overall less violent than most takes on the au + leans a bit (or lot, depending on how you look at it) more on the religious aspect of self aware aus. i wrote a couple paragraphs a while ago, then rewrote them, but i'll only finish/post them if there's interest for it (sneak peek line: "aether has deluded himself and cast You aside entirely on his own—and when You finally grace them with Your real presence, zhongli is certain aether will be the first to fall from Your grace.")

i have one other new thing immediately ready for posting that'll get posted in a couple of days but that one's pretty silly

[sparks-olivarpente]

the very long list of Very Short Fics

Here's a list of byler very short fics (≥ 2500 words)

Will’s Crush: A Post-Painting Sleepy Convo by bloomaomori4540 (@tsugarubecker) Shhh. It’s 3am in the van, pitch black, and Mike and Will are asleep.

feedback loop by @aceoflanterns Other words begin to enter the feedback loop. The world is still a hazy thought, just a distant memory, but new things enter your mind—it’s not, it’s not my fault, it’s not my fault you don’t like girls! or, the destruction of castle byers.

I'll Be Waiting by SunflowersAndSarcasm (@sunflowersand-bees) The Snow Ball hadn't gone quite how Will and Mike had wished that it would. But they get a do-over. Maybe this time, it'll work out.

My Love, I Could Have Sworn I Felt Your Arms Around Me Last Night by lookinghotwiththosewings (@dinitride-art) “Dreams can be dreadful things. They are everything you have and everything you don’t. Stored memories blend with desperate pleas and reckless hopes. And how recklessly did I hope that you loved me.”

The Hospital, Nancy and My Mom's Cardigan: All That's Left of My Family by lookinghotwiththosewings (@dinitride-art) They don’t tell you what to do when someone you love might lose someone.

would i know him? (i don't know) by willow_lark (@willow-lark) It's November 6th, 1988--a long and hard two-and-a-half years since the start of the fight against Vecna. Nancy just got back from a reconnaissance mission to the Upside Down, and she pulled a stranger out with her--a boy with fearful eyes and a lot of secrets. Mike Wheeler doesn’t trust this new guy at all.

Don't Leave Me Here by BeanwithaQ (@quinnick) Will and El go on a mission to end Vecna for good but when they don't return on time, Mike waits for them. For however long it takes

Something Which Matters by nbfutureboy (@futureboy-ao3) Hopper swallows his pride, and attempts to apologize to Mike Wheeler for the Summer of ‘85. Unfortunately, the logistics of teenage relationships are every-changing and dramatic, so he gets a little more of a surprise than expected.

i could be brave by jaymelovestaffy (@ghoultaffy) Mike clumsily sneaks out to Lucas's get some things off his chest.

please say i'm young enough by @elekinetic Will is gay. Robin knows. Or, Robin and Will go on a supply run. Set in post-season 4 apocalyptic Hawkins.

a change that i can see by agustplz (@wheelerstrange) He heaves a sigh and kicks off his blanket, welcoming the slight chill of the air against his bare arms. And then, like clockwork, he rolls to his left and takes it in for the thousandth time. Will's painting. or: a sleepless night in mike's room, april 1986

yellow is your favorite color by RomeoWrites (@itsromeowrites) Will has an episode and under the kitchen counter is a better place to hide than expected.

Mouth Reader by byelervevo Will’s true sight, as Mike had called it, certainly came at a steep price. His doctors said that the temporary deafness in his right ear was a mere side effect of. He should regain hearing just in time for the Snow Ball. But he doesn’t.

the tender things by iphigenias Without her hair again she looked younger and older all at once, but the shape of her mouth was the same, the slope of her nose, the bright eyes that looked straight into Will’s when she spoke to him because she’d never learned the meaning of the word awkward. He’d missed her, more than he realised.

pink & black by queer_we_are Eddie wears a lot of pins and buttons on his vest, and Will is pretty sure he saw a pink triangle on one of them. Which would mean that Eddie is…Well, that Eddie is like him.

False Expectations by @breyito Nobody expected it. Nobody expected Will’s eyes to open and be a solid, glacial blue.

Two spoons by General_KJ Dustin is working a shift at scoops ahoy when Mike and Will suddenly show up and he learns something new about his best friends.

[sugarschnaps]

Leland HCs, because he died in Chapter Four

My heart has been broken by fanfiction countless times with Leland dying omg. (You know who you are) Anyways so I decided to write some Leland Golden boy McKinney HCs!!! They're mostly for my comfort and my inexplicable thoughts. Went from Leland hater to Leland brainrot real fast. Thank you, fanfiction authors! You're a gift to the planet <3 Not used to writing for characters that aren't my ocs, and these are purely my own comfort hcs, so hopefully you guys don't mind my little contribution to the fandom. I might post other hcs if people want? idk Side note: These are also kind of somewhere between "soft boyfriend" and "part time group dad" energy, interpret these how you want. :D

-

He's not big on slushies originally. Probably not a big fan of cold things generally with a few exceptions of course, but he can't resist seeing you so excited to try the new flavour and wanting to drag him along. (At the time, probably blue raspberry. It came out in '74!) And of course, he'll go with you. You manage to persuade him to try it. He winds up enjoying them quite a lot. Blue raspberry is his favourite from then on, though you can never quite tell if it's the flavour that he likes or the fact that you introduced it to him.

He doesn't like hot custard. Can't explain that one, it's just a thought, honestly. But he'd rather die than eat hot custard, he just doesn't like it lmao

He absolutely has a thing for you wearing his shirts or if he has a jacket on, his jacket at the time. Especially when it's colder out, and he knows he can help you warm up. He protects his friends from literal cannibals in game, so why not from the elements too? And to build on this, I also HC he doesn't really like leather jackets because of his arms. They're always tight for his shoulders. But he still wears them sometimes for style points, you know what I'm saying? (When I say "a thing" here it means his heart is swelling and he can't stop smiling. Proud dad, maybe happy boyfriend, I dunno I'm just here for happy and alive boy Leland)

He gives the best hugs out of the whole group, for sure. He's always warm to the touch, even in winter, it's like he's literally got a built in heater or something. Plus, look at him. He is literally built for hugs. Wrestle hugs? Are those a thing? They are now I said so He'd definitely have anyone he cuddles with feel safe when he holds them. (He also prefers to be hugged around the waist than higher up his body.)

If you ever go out to watch a movie with him, you're absolutely leaving there laughing. Leland is a master of comedic timing and stupid comments. He'll find a way to spin any movie to be a comedy. Horror, Romance, anything. He'll make a terrible joke, and it'll be funny. Maybe less because of the actual comedic value, more in how he delivers his jokes, or how he ends up laughing halfway through them and ends up laughing also. His laugh is infectious.

Leland gives me dad joke energy. I will not elaborate.

He is literally just such a ray of sunshine. He's a bit dim-witted at times (it's ok bb me too <3) but he makes up for it in how pure he generally is. He's a good shoulder to cry on, especially while hugging him (literally speaking as well as emotional things- sorry, I'll shut up about his arms now). He might not be 100% certain how to comfort you most of the time, but he's trying his best.

One thing I can conform for an absolute certain is that he has the most banging record collection anybody has ever known. Man has brilliant taste in music. Queen, ABBA, that whole vibe is his favourite to listen to. He has a collection of vinyls he tells nobody about. You're probably the first to know, likely from him knowing the words to things like Killer Queen especially.

His favourite song, however, is definitely Hooked on a Feeling. It's just... I can't explain it. He'd dad dance to this, for sure. He's just a little silly goofy boy <3333

If you're the type of person that sees fluffy and/or soft hair and immediately wants to braid a bit of it, he will gladly let you do so. He'll probably have to lean down for it to be more comfortable for you. He doesn't care if you're a bit messy or not used to braiding hair properly, he'll happily keep it in for a day at least. He has the SOFTEST hair anybody has ever known, he's just a very fluffy boy and I love him.

In the winter, if you forget to bring gloves or whatnot, he'll hold your hands to warm them up. Referring back to the little portable heater energy thingy we've got going for him. Also, doesn't matter who you are his hands are always bigger than yours even if it's very slightly.

He gives me golden retriever energy he's so baby That's it that's the post, love y'all, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk <3

[cringecompanionapologist]

Since I've Got a Transcript to Play With: More Stuff About The Cradle of the Snake

I promise I'll get round to the Kiss of Death and Eldrad Must Die stuff eventually, but being able to screenshot the dialogue of The Cradle of the Snake means I can do a more thorough analysis and I can't resist. I love this story too much.

Off course, this is mostly gonna be a bunch of 5/Turlough stuff, Turlough in General stuff, and so on. I'm also trying to figure out exactly how the Mara is supposed to work, since it's a bit confusing.

Now, since I Don't Know When to Quiet, there are too many screenshots for one post, so I'm going over each part individually. This post is just The Cradle of the Snake Part 1. It'll still be long, so here's a break:

The Cradle of the Snake Part 1, or Turlough Did Nothing Wrong

Everyone's low-key a dick to Turlough in this first part, before it's revealed that the Doctor's been possessed by the Mara. Turlough basically serves as a red herring, based entirely on the fact that nobody trusts him. It's actually pretty obvious that the Mara jumped from Tegan to the Doctor (I like to refer to it as an pSTD a pSychically Transmitted Demon, because I'm weird), but the writing not only has other characters suspect that Turlough has been possessed, but kind of expects the listener to suspect that as well, to some extent.

To be fair, you have to consider the timeline here. Putting all the Fifth Doctor stories, or any Doctor Who stories in chronological order is basically impossible, but Turlough's first adventures on the TARDIS actually have a pretty clear timeline:

We start with the Black Guardian Trilogy, and a couple short stories placed turning this timeframe. Mawdryn Undead, Terminus, Enlightenment. In Terminus, Nyssa leaves. The Companion Chronicle Freakshow takes place immediately after Enlightenment. Cobwebs, where Nyssa is reintroduced is also treated as if it's only a day or two after Enlightenment, so it probably goes immediately after Freakshow. Cobwebs is the start of a trilogy, in which all three stories are back-to-back, with The Cradle of the Snake being the third story of said trilogy.

So, we have Mawdryn Undead, Terminus, Enlightenment, Freakshow, Cobwebs, The Whispering Forest, The Cradle of the Snake. The Black Guardian trilogy was like less than a week ago by this point, so Turlough really hasn't gotten much of a chance to prove himself trustworthy. The continued suspicion, even if irrational, is understandable.

Anyway, Turlough's first scene in the story is basically him being told to fuck off:

Nyssa's focus is completely on Tegan at the moment and she doesn't feel like turning away to recap everything to Turlough.

Eventually, Nyssa has the Doctor and Turlough leave, so Tegan will talk to her. She'll only talk to Nyssa. So the boys get sent to the console room and the Doctor tries to explain the Mara to Turlough, though the explanation still doesn't make a whole of sense.

The Doctor already suspects that Turlough could be easily influenced by the Mara. This is funny, because, by the end of this story, though the whole TARDIS team gets possessed at some point, Turlough spends the least amount of time possessed out of the entire group. Tegan doesn't spend much time possessed in this, but she already had two serials of being the Mara's primary target and has earned a break.

It's kind of assumed that the Mara targets whoever's the most "corruptible" or "least good", but that isn't true. From what we'll see here, the Mara goes for the nearest convenient target and seems to even prefer targeting more "virtuous" people, being really determined to possess Nyssa.

Speaking of Nyssa, she's trying to help Tegan through this Mara crisis and the Mara takes over for a bit. The audio includes a "sting" to signify the Mara's influence popping up, usually when someone shows off the snake mark on their arm, but the first time the sting is used is to mark the shift from Tegan speaking, to the Mara speaking through her.

Tegan sounds normal for the first few lines after the sting, but it builds up. The first real Mara!Tegan line actually sort of fits with some of Tegan's mindset. She doesn't trust Turlough and she sees the three STEM genius aliens she travels with as having a connection with each other that she's not part of. But, Tegan likes Nyssa, so this resentment is normally kept in check. But, the Mara uses it to manifest. Instead of more traditional "sinful" thoughts, the Mara's connection to its hosts is based on mean-spiritedness. We all think mean things about other people, often unfairly. The Mara can take control through those mean thoughts.

So, Mara!Tegan wants to spread its influence and Nyssa is the only other person in the room, making her the nearest convenient target. Speaking through Tegan, it wants her to take the Mark of the Snake.

The Mara is so Obviously Evil that it kind of sucks at corrupting people. Back in Kinda, it messed with Tegan's head to wear her down in her dreams, but Nyssa is fully conscious and aware of what the Mara is. The Mara's attempted persuasion is also pretty vague "join me it'll be fun". It doesn't work on Nyssa because it honestly wouldn't work on most people.

But, there's also the subtext of Nyssa and Tegan being alone in a bedroom, so maybe that's what it's really going for. We'll see that the Mara has a habit of revealing itself to it's victims in these sorts of small, private spaces. By being a mark on someone's arm, under their sleeve, you have a pattern of two people being alone together, with one of them removing or pulling back some of their clothing while talking about the other person enjoying themselves.

So, all this Mara Seduction stuff causes enough of a racket for the Doctor to get involved, Turlough right behind him, though apparently not following close enough, because the Doctor has to ask where he is.

Turlough has to be there to do the Traditional Male Companion Role of being strong, even though that really isn't his thing. Whenever the Doctor needs to lift or move something heavy, he calls Turlough to help him. Nyssa is right there, but he doesn't ask her for help. I don't think this is anything significant, but I find it amusing.

Once again, Turlough was clearly right behind the Doctor when he asked where he was. He wasn't in his direct line of sight, so the Doctor lost track of him, apparently. He was close enough to hear Mara!Tegan when the Doctor came in, so he had to have been right there.

Also, Turlough just asked a simple "yes or no" question and the Doctor decided it would take too long to just say "yes".

So, the Doctor sort of telepathically links with Tegan to face the Mara, who decides that his Complicated Time Lord Brain would be much more fun to play around in.

The Doctor doesn't exactly sacrifice himself, but he believes that his Complicated Time Lord Brain could resist the Mara better than any of his companions could. He will soon be proven very wrong.

Back in the land of the living, the Doctor's obviously in pain and Nyssa wants to wake him up, even though the Doctor said not to. Turlough wants to follow orders.

Naturally, they both get snapped at for waking the Doctor and interrupting the Mara battle. Nyssa said she'd take the blame for it, but Turlough apologizes as well without Nyssa saying it was her idea. Either she decided not to take the blame for it, or Turlough decided to share the blame. The dialogue suggests the latter, since Turlough never says it was Nyssa's idea. This would imply that Turlough not wanting to wake the Doctor wasn't about him not wanting to get in trouble for disobeying him. He just didn't want to disobey the Doctor, out of either loyalty or trust of his judgement. Loyalty and trust aren't really Turlough's thing. This is actually new. This actually will influence some of Turlough's actions throughout this story. He goes out of his way to help the Doctor and protect Nyssa and Tegan at various points throughout the story.

The Doctor decides that they need help with the Mara and sets coordinates for Manussa, but he gets the date wrong. This isn't that unusual, but the Doctor reacts as if one of his companions had to have messed with the controls for this to happen.

In hindsight, this was the Mara's influence on the Doctor. The Mara touched the controls. That would also be the case if the Mara possessed one of the companions, and everyone is quick to assume that it has to be one of them.

It doesn't seem like the Mara is speaking through the Doctor here. He might be holding it back. This might be the Mara speaking through the Doctor trying to cover its tracks and turn the TARDIS team against one another, but later in the story, after it's revealed that the Doctor is possessed, Mara!Doctor is obviously evil. The Mara doesn't hide itself as well as it would have to be doing here, so this probably really is the Doctor with no memory of setting the coordinates.

No one suspects the Doctor of being possessed here. The companions are all wondering which one of them it is. The fact that the Doctor was just in direct contact with the Mara isn't considered. They all assume his Complicated Time Lord Brain would protect him.

Of course, if a companion has been corrupted, Turlough becomes the prime suspect. Aware of this, he's quick to wander off from the rest of the group.

The Doctor, still seeming himself, takes Tegan to a specialist to check for any lingering Mara influence. Turlough is willing to hang out with just Nyssa, since, having not been there for the Black Guardian reveal, she's less aggressive in her suspicions than Tegan is. But, he's still worried.

Nyssa is also suspicious of Turlough though.

Tegan is confirmed to be free of the Mara for the time-being, but the Doctor wants a word alone with the doctor that confirmed this.

The Mara doesn't really try to convince Kerrem here to accept the mark. It just waits for Tegan to leave, shows itself, and Kerrem's possessed now. He's not a main character and we haven't got time to know him, so the story just doesn't want to waste time with him.

And that's the cliffhanger for the end of Part 1. I think the next part will be more interesting than this one. But, there you go.

[awesomespiritcat21]

I'll try and write here what I've thought of so far for it. No guarantees that it'll make any sense lol. And mind you i'm no writer so some of my sentences may suck with "proper punctuation" and whatnot. And this very well could change later

》---------------------¤•°☆°▪︎¤--------------------《

After Jack had fallen with the star nobody had thought to take the bag with them.

As soon as everyone left Death came back to do his job properly. Feeling uncomfortable that someone could be watching him..he heads down into the abyss of the dangerously sharp star shards. To his surprise he stumbles upon a well made nanny bag that is still in perfect condition some how.

The only thing to take note of was the huge scent of blood but no visible body anywhere. Not wanting to risk any exposure to any rowdy or unknown magic while he was down there, death swiftly took the bag, and jumped onto the larger shards that promptly wedged themselves between the smaller divides of the star-shaped crater, and made away with his exit.

Jack was still not visible to Death anywhere near the scene of the incident. It bothered him that his senses were telling him he was close to where he SHOULD'VE been but nothing was showing. It wasn't until he sniffed the bag more when walking out of the forest; that he had caught a whiff of what smelled like a stale plum.

Stopping in his tracks before the exist of the forest, He crinkled his nose at the unsatisfactory smell and opened the bag only to be greeted with a giant hand that was trying to leave the voided space. He stepped back and held on to one of his sythes just in case. When the rest of the body was visible to Death, Jack was eventually kneeling down in front of him. Facing away.

The smell of blood had returned but this time it was stale. A bottle the size of a small figurine to Jack rolled to Death's feet as a small droplet of a reddish pink liquid threatened to drip onto him. Death stepped back slightly. The giant man kneeling before him was a mix of nauseating smells, but the one that stood out the most to Death was still the blood. With no sight of injury to the back of the man before him he had wondered what was causing the smell. He slowly and calmly walked to the front of Jack finally looking him in the eye. There was dried blood on the front of him, but no sign of injury.

"You aren't supposed to be alive pie boy."

"Then this must be hell. Wouldn't surprise me considering the things I've done."

"Suprisingly you managed to live and as surprising as that should be to me it's not. I've seen what nine lives look like. I suppose a man with a second one doesn't feel any different."

"Oh ho but it does! I feel like a million lifetimes are passing through my veins. If it weren't for my desire to stay alive so badly I would probably be dead at the bottom of that hell hole in the ground." (Jack points behind him)

"Now all I wish for is to look normal once again so nobody suspects a thing. And you're gonna promise to help me." With an sinful grin, Jack grabs Death by the scruff of his poncho and throws him into the bag beside them.

"I didn't promise anything to you Jack." Death's grinning smile fades through the abyss as he starts to whistle to himself and somehow ends up out of the bag. He will not be chained down by someone who is super-powered by the wishing star.

》---------------------¤•°☆°▪︎¤--------------------《

Sorry for the long post. It's just some of yall we're interested in the au and out of both of the names I have no idea which I want to use because they sound super cool. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to write or draw anything for this au but I would love to see anything that yall make from this!

[claudiajcregg]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by both @mihrsuri and @unseenacademic 💜💜💜 Thank you so much! I actually wrote up most of the answers the day I was tagged, and then forgot to post them. For over 10 days, probably. Me bad.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 23! (One of them is a 'collection' of short ficlets, and has 6 chapters. So 28 stories in 23 works so far. Probably about to be more stories in still 23 works.)

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 156,597 words. For now.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently? Just TWW. Who knows in the future!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

They have about 35% of my total kudos, but the first two are ~21% alone. (The first one is the only fic that has over 100 kudos. Then again, any of them getting above 30 is a miracle.)

maybe everything's just turning out how it should be (Big Block of Cheese 2008; CJ & Josh. Posted Feb 2021) [121]

say it's here where our pieces fall in place (Vignettes, 1998-2008. Posted Jan 2022.) [66]

just your smile lit a sixty-watt bulb in my house that was darkened for days (Thanksgiving 2006. Posted Dec 2022.) [55]

nobody knows how to get back home (Missing scene from ITSOTG. Posted April 2023) (wait what. top 4?!) [50]

we could be the way forward and I know I'll pay for it (B4A Campaign Fic, spring 1998. Posted May 2021) [47]

5. Do you respond to comments?

YES. I don't take them for granted, and I like interacting with my readers. Sharing is nerve-wracking and makes me feel so exposed, so any comment makes it worth it. I like to thank peeps for their time! As of late, it's taking me weeks to get back to comments for Brain/spoons reasons (and because I try to do so in order, though not always). I sometimes feel bad I have fallen behind on leaving my own comments, so replying to what I get makes me feel bad. I love getting the rare, long, thoughtful comments, because I love seeing what people pick up on (had to restrain myself from commenting on everything), so if that one's up next… It'll delay everything. I have a harder time letting go of those.

I know replying or not is a hot topic, and I fall on the side of 'whatever the author does is fine' (I see them as being voluntary gifts to the author, kinda, but I understand why some authors can't or won't reply! Especially those who get dozens.). It does feel weird(ly demoralizing) when you see that yours is one of a couple of comments they haven't replied to, though. (Selfishly, as someone who tries to write medium-long comments, lack of anything can sting. It's irrational, it's not what I'm after, but it'd be nice to know whether that hour plus of my time was worth it. It's not transactional and I hate that c4c idea or whatever. Just. weird feelings.)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

As we've established in previous similar memes (lol, I think I've answered these questions before), my fics don't really have angsty endings! For the most part. I think I said don't want you to go but I'll be okay then, and I can still buy that/definitely popped into my brain. I think some of my late S7 fics have an ominous feel to them, with some references/buildup to the angsty parts of IM, but I wouldn't call them angsty endings.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Um. The opposite is true! still you never took your hand from mine was my first thought, but I feel like oh, and I will be with you to feel the California sun is pretty darn happy. I could have picked almost any of them and I could make a case for them!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I luckily do not. I have gotten a couple of comments that have messed with my brain, and made me second-guess things, but they were not hate.

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

Yes, but not regularly and not that well. It's usually short, mild scenes at most, but I did challenge myself to write a more explicit one last summer, especially after I got those 'one bed' tropes in the Wheel but didn't go there in the 500-word limit. Streets say it's hot. IDK. I also wrote a smutty continuation to the exchange fic. Best if we forget parts of that one happened. I also started writing one that would be in my S5 pregnancy universe but 🤐

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don't. But this question confirms to me I have answered this before because I know I've joked about how TV has already done that for me, lmao. See: Bones/Sleepy Hollow.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? (I had to track down this question because it wasn't anywhere.) I don't think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I'm having déjà vu here. I know I have answered this before: I could do it myself! But I have a feeling it wouldn't be as easy as one might think, but I'd be honored.

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

I don't think so…? If I have, it was years ago, in my forum/LJ days. I've been trying to make it happen for a while now, but who knows if it'll ever happen. WE HAVE IDEAS. We want to make it happen. (Wink wink, nudge nudge. You know who.)

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

Spaceships are so cool. Atlantis was the first space shuttle I saw in person (and also the one I've seen the most) and it and its exhibit are awesome. I'm only missing Discovery out of the four space shuttles, because I didn't go to the second National Air and Space Museum location in Virginia back in 2015. And once the new exhibit center is completed, I'd love to see Endeavour again.

(In all seriousness, I don't have one. Booth and Brennan will forever and always hold a special place in my heart, but I love CJ and Danny so much, writing for them, their journey. Pls don't make me pick.)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I am a big 'never say never' person, because I end up picking stuff up (and maybe rewriting it to fit my current style/ability) if I remember an idea… But I'm guessing many of them won't get finished. Probably some of those that are deep in my notes app or on the drive.

16. What are your writing strengths? I (try to) dig into the emotion of a scene as best as I can.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Everything else? I know it sounds like an excuse (at least to my ears), but writing in your second language is hard. I know my writing sounds limited because of it – my descriptions will never be as evocative as I wish they were, my dialogue won't be there. I am not the most imaginative person, either.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If it makes sense, and won't take the reader out of the story, go for it! (A few words, or a line or two, might work if there's appropriate context.)

But also, as a non-native speaker, I'll always recommend using pals who might be fluent in that language and checking with them! I know that, throughout my many years in fandom, I've read quick things in Spanish within English fics that weren't entirely correct in the context they were being used (i.e. character's fluency, smaller details), and they took me out for a second. (I know, I know – pot, meet kettle. If anyone has read an unedited story of mine, they've found me making up English phrases.)

19. First fandom you wrote for? Bones. In Spanish. (I also think I wrote some ficlets in English that are probably hidden in some random LJ comm I created for my writing. They're probably 14-15 years old.)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I honestly cannot pick! And maybe it's yet to come. But basically, if I've gone through the embarrassment of having someone edit/beta a fic and catch all the avoidable mistakes, it's because it genuinely has something I like about it and that I think others will like, too. (Perceived quality aside.)

Off the top of my head, and out of the posted fics (obvious recency bias, sorry). I have a story for all 23… Also, let's consider I've mostly not read them since they were posted so I might be off. (Would love to hear what everyone's favorite is, if you've read any and are reading this!) Obviously, that top 5 by kudos has great ones. There's a reason

don't want you to go but I'll be okay: I just remember finishing it and knowing it was something special. Felt like many things coming together. I wanted to write angstier, a break from the endgame of the IM AU I've yet to post, and I think it works. I had had that quote as inspo for a while, and I think the trip to Berlin put it back on my mind. (The first haunted by the notion draft is from around this time, too!)

your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep: the structure is likely a tad repetitive, maybe (but also, the point of 3+1s, sort of?) but I love writing in that s7 period, and there should be more fic with the press corps. I think the stuff I wrote while editing (which included an overhaul of the +1) is even better than what was there.

oh, and I will be with you to feel the California sun: recency bias, yes. I love a good early Cali story, and even if this was nowhere the story I sat down to write originally, I love how it turned out. It's silly but fun, and so sunny.

still you never took your hand from mine: I will always have all the soft spots for my memoir stories, even if two of them have yet to be posted. This one doubled its size a year and a half after “finishing” it because I realized what it was missing. It's sappy, probably unrealistic re: the publishing industry, but damn it if it's not one of those that have made me cry while editing them.

we could be the way forward and I know I'll pay for it: I had to include an oldie but goodie from my first year, and this one is so special to me. (Along with BBC 2008, which I also absolutely adore. That was the fic I always wanted to post. Hilarious it was third. But it's also my most popular fic by a huge margin.) Seeing it recommended on Tumblr? God. I love campaign stories and all their potential. I love that I took a random line from some unposted story and it evolved into this fic.

nobody knows how to get back home: I almost added the most recent one because of how fun it was to write (or, as I mentioned above, Big Block of Cheese) but I like how bittersweet this missing scene one is. I find CJ's internal struggle so interesting to explore, and this is one of her most vulnerable moments. I also wanted to see a hug so badly.

[incarnateirony]

So, about #WhatArentYouWatching

The post immediately before this covers the breakdown of the ... hm. Conflict of opinions within the guild, and my pinned post and its link discusses the reasons behind why the WGA will never actually make that move (legal repurcussions)--AS A UNIT, vs other post about, well, authors fearing loss of rank, and fandom confusing "individually support a specific show on preference/choice" and authors being able to independently choose whether they tell people to keep watching or not, etc -- seriously just check out recent posts for the full scale of that.

But to move forward, here's WHY it was designed. The proposal was dropped on July 14th. Now let's look at some interesting charts,

6 month vs 1 month, WBD

6 month vs 1 month, Disney

6 month vs 1 month, Netflix

Netflix is quite funny, actually, as it's an outlier and I'll cover why, but met the same end.

Disney, for example, lost 5.5% of value from its Jul 13 close Jul 14-17. WBD similar dip, exact same days. Netflix tried to head it off with dropping their Q2s reporting the password shakedown account gain and less insider investors bought in to bring it up 40 while on the 14th you can see the same dip try to hit; casual investors bought in and others, or even they themselves, bailed out. So they lost more than they gained even still and ended up in the same pit, while any attempted bouncebacks like the others will be a bit delayed for the same... timeline/trust/nervousness reasons.

Investors are nervous. And will only get more nervous as this drags on. That's the first dip.

This is just the impact of "Just One Guy", which you know I laugh about. The WGA is also "not announcing it YET" and makes sure to include that YET in actual releases. The studios are waiting to legally pounce if they do, but they won't. The YET, and the fear of it in the climate, is enough to scare away most investors and leave Bob Iger and David Zaslav slamming their phones telling their topline investors to not bail and It'll All Be Fine(TM).

Per my other post, some authors fear loss of treads or property value, and the WGA can't really enforce this. However, to put this in terms: the man who released it is running for leadership. Generally, when you run for leadership in a democratic system, you aim to do What Seems The Most Popular To The Voting Demographic. A man running for leadership does not use his political positioning and even folder directory to post something Only A Few People Want. That is hw voting works. I hope I do not need to explain this any further.

Of the 11,500+ people represented by the WGA, even if you find a dozen people going, "The Guild Has Not Said; It Is A Personal Decision" to slap it down, there's a fuckton that are choosing to stay quiet right now. And frankly, the Guild will Never Say It; not because the majority doesn't want it, but because they legally can't without screwing themselves. So for every tweet you manage to dig up, just subtract it from the 11,500 others silent and figure out what's going on here.

Frankly, it is starting to piss me off at some authors. Because this is writers using word manipulation as a skill to repeat statements that are technically correct but highly misguiding for their own personal gain above the masses willing to take small hits and frankly is its own form of scabbing imo. You'll let the others be quiet but hop in to protect your own data (one literally used the word Data and ran when I was like, we both know not everyone agrees on it) to come out above the rest. But the few repeated old: "The guild has not" puts off airs to the unkeen eye of "the guild does not want you to", and "personal decision" both equalizes the moral weight and appears to put the onus on fans with little education in it rather than the decision to parlay with this dialogue to say, no, keep watching, or to risk saying, no, turn me off, as a personal decision.

So yeah. While it's mostly nobodies afraid of their one big break they got falling in, there's at least one big old fave of mine that favored his personal attachments to a project and is forever stricken from my list, cest la vie. Go be politicians, assholes. Unsurprising that the guy protecting his New Show About To Air Episode 10 And Otherwise Has Only Written For Political Shit And Political Shows And Events popped out to spray this at me and run when I held to the wording and spoke from knowing. Motherfucker dipped the moment he realized I wasn't some rando fan he could lead on with that bullshit. Fuck.

So anyway. Turn off fucking streaming in September. And tell your friends. And point them at my posts for all the bad arguments against it being killed dead, and highlights of blatant reframings of quotes like a bunch of asshole politicians.

If you wanna support your faves watch that shit on TV where possible, buy new DVDs even of old seasons, they make literally 100,000x more on average from that anyway. (One ep new OitNB linear broadcast: $22,000 residuals; all seasons netflix, 0.23 cents residuals)

Imagine how big that 5.5% cut would be if a dozen self vested assholes weren't convincing fans that telling everyone NOT to boycott was the righteous thing by use of suggestive political language obscuring the truth, even when the reasoning behind it is weak and boils down to intentionally trying to outcompete guildmembers in the resulting crunched market. Imagine how nervous those investors would be if this shit was as viral as it should be, "Just One Guy" or not.

Yall right. It's a personal decision.

Now you have the information to make it.

And the louder you, and all your friends get, the more scared those investors will become. You want it to end? Turn off your fucking streaming in September. Also cancel any services that don't have a show immediately coming out from the backpipe that you intend to individually support. Netflix is about to bleed all the followers it gained with an empty library anyway. Help that shit out. Save money. Everyone wins.

See, I can tell you this. Because I'm not WGA. And I've done this dance before. Come at me 30301.

That's why Fuckin September. The same reason Netflix had its Q2s available to drop public as an investor distraction to get chuds that didn't know better to stall the gap. But this time, inside investors can see a very, very different picture and run early. And Q4 can be spent with corps rotting for their choices. And your fave shows can get a huge bounceback when Q4 hits and you all watch again. [jazz fucking hands]

eyyyyyy zaslav, its me, ya boiiiii with the blowtorch [revs it up to test the gas] I said I'd be good if you stayed business sound but man this is some dumb business, and that whole "let them starve" quote of yours "anonymously" or whatever the damn phrasing was, naw. Naw if I have to print and pass flyers all over my metro area to get this out, I will.

I think that's what I'll do. Every time some chucklefuck whether fan or self-vested person with something to gain beyond supporting the guild efforts pops up trying to vague down this shit with sound bytes, I'll have another friend in another metro area distribute a stack of fuckin flyers. Pin it up in walmart. I don't care, I did this before twitter was a thing. And it worked then. And it'll work now.

Go ahead. Check the 5 year stretches of the above and other studios and their networks. This time of year, they should be coming up, not dipping or flatlining, with investors jumping in for fall season. Nope. Not there.

[chaotictarlos]

Do you honestly believe this fight is ever gonna be brought up again? They've already wrapped the story up and they're moving on to TK and Owen. Look if you don't want to discuss it just ignore me, but I'm incredibly disappointed in the show and in how TK has been treated and I'm surprised that literally no one else is. I'm probably not gonna watch anymore. I love TK and I'm tired of watching him be the Tarlos punching bag. I didn't in any way mean to imply that just because you aren't it makes you a "bad fan". I'm also tired of watching Carlos be treated as perfect (again, narratively) when we all know he's not. But it's incredibly hard to appreciate his flaws when the show won't acknowledge them. I have a hard time being invested in a ship that is so majorly biased in one party's favor. Idk I'm just sad that one of my favorite ships is turning out this way.

The last 4 episodes, narratively, have been about showing that Carlos is not perfect. It's been about showing that he trips up, that he lies, that he doesn't handle his emotions the best way all the time. It's been about showing his insecurities and showing how much growth TK has gone through as well . It has shown us a lot, rather than telling us point blank.

TK didn't run, when he found out Carlos' secret - season 1 TK would have, hell even season 2 TK would have. Instead, he stayed and talked and expressed that he was upset but despite that he still wanted to marry Carlos because he loves his.I think it was this post that triggered them because he loves him.

We saw Carlos scared, short tempered and lashing out at TK even though he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have blamed Iris going missing on TK or ever implied that, that wasn't right and he should apologize for that.

He shouldn't have lied to TK about staying with Iris and instead going off to play detective because he believed her. He could have told TK that, could have let him know. But he didn't and that was shitty.

I don't see how you can keep saying the show is painting Carlos as perfect because it's not, it's literally given us a list of various reasons as to why he's not.

TK blamed himself because that's what he does. I fully believe he has anxiety and that's something - at least it's something I do as an anxious person. TK didn't have all of the information, he based it on their last interaction and he assumed Carlos was mad at him but at the same time he knew that wasn't right. His anxious thoughts were fighting with logic, and in the end logic won out.

Do I think this will be brought up again? I'm choosing to be optimistic and say yes, that it will eventually be brought up again in some way. Do I think it'll be in the way we all want? No, I don't think it will be.

Here's a great thing I learned a very long time ago when I shipped things that were not canon: you can't always base how you feel on a ship based on the writers and the show. Once that ship is out there, many people get their hands on it and create beautiful masterpieces without it even being canon. (This is the first show I've watched where the ship I like is canon). You take the ship, you take what you get out of it and you make it your own.

I also think it's false to say that literally nobody else is disappointed in how TKs been treated, because I've talked to several people who don't like it. Myself included. Maybe people haven't been as public with it as they have on their thoughts about other story lines going on right now, but I can tell you I've at least talked about it with others privately.

I also don't think the show has made TK Tarlos punching bag, I think a few fan opinions have and there are fans who like to blame TK for everything - which he shouldn't be. I think there are valid reasons for everything that he's done and when looked at with context makes sense.

It's okay to be sad, it's okay to be upset. Don't let a show ruin what you love. That's why we have fan creators and people who invest their free time in creating beautiful things.

[ferusaurelius]

Get to know your fanfic writer!

I was tagged by @callista-curations and actually got to the end of the week with a bit of energy for once, so... here we go. ;)

When did you post your first ever fanfic?

The first EVER was on ff.net probably around 2000-2004? For a friend, for an obscure show nobody's heard of. My first fic I posted for myself was 2020.

First Character(s) you wrote?

I actually wrote original characters in the Mass Effect fandom. My short thought experiment on machine translation.

Main Character(s) you’re currently writing?

Nihlus Kryik, David Anderson, Commander Rentola

Character(s) you haven’t written about before but plan to write about soon?

Nyreen Kandros, Ashley Williams. Though they might take a bit since I'm still kinda marinating on what I want to do there.

Fandom(s) you’re currently writing?

Mass Effect! Hyperfixation fandom, go! (I write meta posts for Our Flag Means Death, but do not intend to write fic.)

Platonic pairing(s) you’re currently writing?

Commander Rentola and Ashley Williams

Romantic pairing(s) you’re currently writing?

Nihlus Kryik/Saren Arterius, David Anderson/Saren Arterius (yep!).

Your top AO3 tags?

Romantic Comedy (LOL). Good job, barfics!

Current platform you use for posting?

AO3. I've read a bunch of fic for different fandoms over the years and I'm pleased to be able to contribute when I have the energy.

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on?

So bar!fics are going to have a long!fic sequel. Keep in mind I AM A SLOW WRITER with multiple wips, to the point where the 'easy' one-shots get published first.

I'm not sure about POV or pacing, but it'll be in a different voice and tone than the originals and have actual mission-oriented plot and some developing relationship stuff.

If you don't want spoilers, I've put it below the cut. ;)

This is a Very Rough high-level outline of a fragment of the entire plot, because my 'other' current WIP is maybe gonna be a nano project. I have various wip possibilities dueling it out for my attention and will see you in December. xD

Normally I would tag a few people to play (and if you feel like playing and you are reading this, IT IS YOU WHO IS TAGGED xD), but specifics are beyond my brain tonight.

Outline time~

Saren entertains Nihlus with his own history and experience of the Skyllian Verge, as well as being a sort of guide to the full intelligence picture, as he understands it.

Nihlus (with a snap of intuition) puts together that something bigger and more urgent than Saren thinks is happening or likely to happen, and it makes him restless and want to investigate immediately, because what if his intuition is right?

Saren insists that Nihlus should go as soon as his ankle’s recovered. He has his own authority.

Nihlus declines to ‘rush’ into something and presents an alternative of walking Saren through his process and treats this as a getting-to-know you thought exercise to keep Saren distracted from how fucking miserable the detox process is.

Saren and Nihlus together, working the problem over food and no access to other sources of information beyond what they can recall, come up with a terrible plan.

Nihlus can infiltrate the merc group by having a public falling-out with Saren.

Saren can get sent to hunt down “Rogue Spectre” Nihlus in the Verge.

Nihlus treats this seriously and starts workshopping different options while Saren is getting increasingly agitated about the whole concept of the frame-up.

Saren: I can’t ask you to do this.

Nihlus: Fine, you’re not asking. I’m volunteering.

Saren: I don’t know if I can let you do this.

Nihlus: It’s my decision.

Saren: -can’t dispute this, even if he doesn’t like it-

Saren: -eventually agrees, though he doesn’t like it-

Saren: Alternatives.

They come up with others that have less advantage in discretion, timing, or access.

Saren is forced to admit that Nihlus’s idea about infiltrating a group directly is the best one, since it allows them the most flexibility in cover story and depth of access. Plus, Nihlus is marked.

Saren: I’ve never asked.

Nihlus: -tells him-

Nihlus: What are you going to need for your part to work?

Saren: You, eyes open, and no hesitation. Trust me to manage my end no matter what you hear or what happens.

Nihlus: -kinda loves this about Saren- With my life.

Saren: It may come to that.

Nihlus: We’ll worry about that when it happens.

It will happen.

Saren: A better medical regimen.

Nihlus: I’ve never asked.

Saren: -tells him-

... and that's all you get to see for now. xD Be intrigued! Be very intrigued. If you can guess what canon event this is gonna be AU for, you get bonus points. ;)

[reddedredemption]

I did it, ladies and gents...

Among Us, the Player Alignment chart.

See below for credits and 2AM reflections.

By the way. I got a bit tired in the artistic process and aligned some sussy titties for you to spot. Enjoy.

Credits:

This post on Reddit (themanhimself13) for breaking down each box in the alignment.

This youtuber (Viral Kingdom) for naming fonts used in Among Us.

Also this Reddit post (JLexoo) for cutting out in-game icons.

That sums it up.

I'm drained. Tumblr decided to give me hard time blurring my hard work in and out, then reveal that, lol hey, did you know if you save it as draft and then review, it'll be as crisp as uncompressed?

Chat illustrations are still foggy for PC users though, so have a go to this link if you want to view & download full:

Business talk ends here, now hear me out.

You know those old Among Us memes where they take bean colors and give player traits based on that? Like "cyan the worst crewmate", "brown never gets it right", "dies first", "accuses everyone", all that spite.

"It Is A mEmE A JOkE" yeah yeah and so horribly not funny because it's not real. Sure, there are patterns in players' behavior. Sure, they can drive you nuts. But they just aren't created by bean colors, it's stupid.

Anyhow, Among Us has brought together quite a crowd, gotta say. That's why I always have my fingers on the hot key to snap a screenshot whenever I realise: "Oooh, now this looks like a tendency."

Over time this game became like an online chat where I get to play games on top of communicating. Remember George Costanza and how he combined his two passions? There you have it.

Now I can finally rest. Even when I drop Among Us like... well, many things get dropped in life, I will feel proud for not wasting my time on nothing. I wasted my time collecting screenshots, making funny notes nobody read, and trying to make up for it by coming back on terms with Photoshop.

Thanks Innersloth and everyone who got webbed into my alignment for providing most of its content. Play well.

Yours, Sus Not Ded

[honeyblockm]

hiiii yen!!! <333 if u would like to talk about him i would love to hear more about sapnap in ur au he's already so ghhghg i am making him some soup 👉👈

ayo i am incredibly down! b/ahumia sapnap got the short SHORT end of the stick i think. he appreciates the soup very much. there's always one guy in an au that is absolutely going through it slfkjdkfj

his canon narrative equivalent is this guy named ulfgar true axe. uhh as previously mentioned sapnap is one third of the legendary trio of heroes that fought in the war against schlatt/asmodeus and helped save the world from demonic conquest. he is the fighter of the group :) and has the strongest sense of honor and like, holding to his code. (well there's also dream. but he's still more questionable despite being a cleric and literally bound by religious oath.) Although it's still to be said that for the most of the dteam's adventuring days, all three of them were united in genuinely wanting to help people and make the world a better place. they. kind of still are, actually in a really twisted way. sapnap is also the one who convinces quackity to help them throw a coup in Hell, over a game of cards that nearly culminate in him losing his soul to Q. (with dnf and karl STRESSING on the side. like oh my god what if he actually does lose are we gonna have to fight the entire casino to get out of here.) Hell is also where he contracts crimson rot, from a separate entity, though nobody realizes for a bit.

so. that's backstory. so. post saving the world. the world's still a little bit fucked up actually. that's another problem. uhhh 1- dream starts his villain arc, spiralling until he comes to the conclusion that the world sucks and the only way to make it better (cough one big happy family cough) is if he became a god and took over. 2- the crimson rot starts to take effect and it fucking sucks. it's painful and scary and dream takes advantage of this combined with his magic to manipulate sapnap to his side, getting him to fight and defeat george, who vanishes.

as crimson rot progresses it also makes him angry all the time and violent, at least when he has the energy to fight. dream brings sapnap along on his travels as he starts gathering followers and preparing to set his plans into motion. dream keeps him around partially because sapnap is still one of the best fighters in the world and also because. well. he's still dream's friend! maybe friend is pushing it. dream still cares about sapnap and it's not like he enjoys seeing him in pain and sure, sapnap hates him now but he's angry at everyone. that's just the crimson rot speaking. and once dream gets his perfect world, it'll be worth it. he can spend eternity making it up to sapnap, even. lmao.

how is sapnap doing? well when he's not super angry he is Consumed by Guilt. amongst other things. just a lot of turmoil and emotions honestly, he misses everyone he cares about and hates them for not helping him and hates himself for hurting people. even after he's healed from crimson rot it takes him a long time to be able to disentangle his other feelings from the anger.

eventually he gets sent after the lmanberg party and the amulet being used to control him ends up in the hands of lmanberg, who, after a lot of trouble, manage to lessen the possession and calm him down.

this post is very sad but it's also. kind of funny. not really but he decides he needs to separate himself from other people until they can find a cure for crimson rot and jumps from an airship thousands of feet in the air into the ocean. which is pretty funny. he survives because he's like lvl 20 and has insane constitution. he didn't need to jump though he just thought it would be the coolest way to make an exit.

I do not have a very structured idea of what happens after that, because that's going into main plot territory and i still need to hash out the main plot, lmao. but the crimson rot does get healed and he becomes a leader in the fight against dream whilst traumatized as fuck and kind of wanting to fuck off to look for george and karl and quackity.

this got. Long. help. i think his relationship dynamics r really fun for this au though. Huh. Characters in this au are all varying degrees of really tragic. wild for a comedy podcast.

[icharchivist]

aah that's fair that's fair! I'm glad you're feeling comfortable enough sharing it here though <3

I'm posting it like this so i can post the actual fic under a read more (else it'll be impossible to scroll by ahah) but thank you!!!

so i'm going through it and, indeed there's a few things that have been disproven since then, but there's no point in pointing them out as you're more than aware of those ahah. Yet it's really pretty nice! i do really get in the end this feeling of Lucilius trying to explain calmly and seriously his situation but somehow not realizing when he gets emotional on the side. I really like it.

and the line "Of course, they are both bastards, so that didn't work out." cracked me up really bad. And so did the line about Belial's sense of humor.

and that ending is actually perfect imo. The build up to Lucilius' anguish for this gutpunch by the end is just muah it's great. thank you for sharing it with us!!!! truly appreciating it, and i'm sure others will too ;D thank you!

[Onward is the fanfic Anon wrote]

So, we know that Lucilius and Beelzebub are clones of the Speakers, Sahar/Lucio and Shalem, made for the Astral World. For whatever reason, really. Probably has something to do with God splitting in two and one half going to the Astral World and one half staying in the Sky Realm. The why isn't that important, tbh, they're basically gods, they can do whatever the fuck they please.

But I imagine Lucio went "I don't want to burden my clone with all this power and responsibility that I hold. I want them to be able to live freely and find their own path in life. Not that predestined stuff". Shalem agreed and thusly nerfed her clone as well. That was the beginning of the end.

Because the Astral God was the creator half of Bahamut, their world is unchanging. Almost frozen in time. Astrals themselves pride themselves on not being subject to change, like those whimsical Skydwellers. So they lead long, long lives and remain static throughout. I still choose to believe that they start out as babies, because they look anatomically human and can canonically interbreed with humans. But mainly so we can picture baby Lucilius. Arguably the only one of the three to have ever been a baby. Lucifer popped into existence fully-grown and Lucio uh. Probably did, too. Admittedly, the idea of Bahamut raising two babies is adorable, but I'm getting sidetracked again.

So Lucilius and Beelzebub appeared as babies in the Astral world, cute and innocent. They were given to foster families and raised there. For bonus points, Beelzebub's family was slightly higher class, allowing him an easier start at life and to rise through the ranks in the Astral military more easily. Well, that, and because man's a walking wall of meat.

But growing up, Lucilius was haunted. Haunted by dreams of himself, with long, flowing hair, six feathered wings, cosmic powers at the tips of his fingers. But every time he saw himself in the mirror, all that looked back with bloodshot eyes was a scrawny little nobody. Short and weak. No wings, no powers to speak of and when he tried growing out his hair, it just looked weird. He was suffering almost some kind of dysphoria. Not to mention, Lucilius was defective. He required sustenance, needed to eat, which is unusual for Astrals. He was definitely picked on for this. Some mused that he was a Skydweller pedigree or that something was wrong with him. He definitely shoved a pencil up his head bully's nose for that.

That his parents weren't his birth parents wasn't a secret, anyone with working eyes could see as much, so they didn't bother hiding it from him. If nothing else, he appreciated the honesty. As Lucilius grew, he was less interested in figuring out his parentage and more how to bridge the gap between the him that he was and the radiant being he kept seeing in his dreams, but that he simply failed to grow into, no matter how much time had passed. He threw himself into his studies.

Beelzebub suffered similar dysphoria growing up, but it kind of mixed in with his actual dysphoria, so it was a bit less jarring. Let's assume that the Astrals aren't terribly transphobic and Bubs managed to transition in relative peace. With his refitted body, he was less haunted by the image of Shalem. He was himself now, Beelzebub. No comparisons necessary. The only thing he craved was ever more power.

Lucilius looked into evolution, in hopes of finding the fingerprints of God all over His creation. He wasn't terribly impressed by what he found.

When the Astrals invaded the Sky Realm, Lucilius wasn't initially terribly interested (Bubs on the other hand was all over that shit, waging wars on those poor Skydwellers in search of a challenge), but finally followed the siren song of his visions of Sahar. Perhaps this Realm held the answers to what he was looking for, after all.

He was a mere little research assistant, nobody paid him much heed, but that also meant that he was able to work in peace. After looking over the creatures inhabiting this fragile world, beings without the Power of Creation his people had been bestowed, creatures who would die, he became less impressed with the Omnipotent. Primal cores were something he fell into ass backwards, they were either an unintended side effect of an experiment of his, or something other Astrals had created, but didn't pay much attention to, since they didn't see the use.

Lucilius however decided to start researching those curious cores instead. He discovered that by inserting them into living beings, he could increase their strength and longevity. Assuming they survived the process, anyway. The rats usually did not, but larger creatures, such as dogs and cattle, had less issue incorporating the cores into their bodies. But still, perfect integration of tissue and core was difficult to achieve. Experiments with infant animals bore little fruit, as again, their bodies were too small. Thus, the idea of creating being with bodies specifically suited was born. In fact, if they were able to integrate cores perfectly, if they could utilize that power, perhaps he could recreate this figure that was always haunting him.

Lucilius got to work on creating the first primal beasts.

It took years and a lot of effort. Many crushed cores, many broken bodies, created with technology similar to the one that had helped Beelzebub transition to a form he found more suitable.

Lucilius' place was covered in bodies that all bore a more than uncanny resemblance to him, trying different combinations of different factors, but unwilling to budge on the amount of power that he wanted the core of his creation to hold. It had to be perfect. Most bodies, even if technically flawless, could not handle that amount of power. Lucilius had seen people bearing his face die more often than anyone reasonably should. It didn't even bother him anymore.

So consumed by his work was he, the council was beginning to think he'd gone mad. They sent Beelzebub to check on him, which was how those two idiots first met. To Lucilius' surprise, Beelzebub wasn't the big oaf he'd expected. In fact, he seemed very into the research he was doing with those cores, the goals he planned to achieve. Not to mention, a strange, almost familiar feeling of being near him. Like they were somehow meant to be friends and companions.

Of course, they are both bastards, so that didn't work out.

The finally, the day came where Lucilius' experiments were a success. Not just once, but twice, even.

The perfect clone, handsome, tall, white-winged and powerful, opened his sky blue eyes and Lucilius thought he was going to die. It was everything he ever wanted and more. He had created life, made right what had gone wrong with him. Truly, he was a god now and considering the power and beauty and immortality of what he had created, he was better than the old god had ever been. Perhaps he was a little bit mad after all.

And so absorbed was he in his triumph that it took him a few moments to recognize that the other one was starting to stir as well. The control group, so to speak, based on a different principle, created from a different mold. Really, more of an experiment of how far he could deviate from the formula and still succeed. He hadn't expected it to make it this far, much less for it to open its blood red eyes and look at him.

But, two was better than one, he figured, so instead of tossing the unwanted second one out, he named them Lucifer and Belial and presented them to the council, his head held high.

It felt good to see those self-righteous idiots overcome by awe for his genius. They appointed him their new head researcher and for a while, all was right with the world.

He ran that lab in Canaan and was free to do as he pleased. More research on primal cores had to be conducted, but also tests on the two creations that he had.

They were happy to play along. In between testing everything from their reflexes to their thought processes though, Lucilius found himself growing fond of them. Lucifer, of course, was his crowning achievement, but even Belial was still his work. The three of them spent a lot of time together, actually. It was a bit of a "we vs the rest of the world"-feeling that drove Lucilius, since he'd known them longer than all those phoney research assistants, who were either out to waste his time or steal his work. To Lucifer and Belial, he was, well, their creator. Almost like a father figure. They only really had him and each other, since they were the only ones of their kind and the only ones they could relate to. Belial and Lucifer were close then, like brothers. Despite his poor patience, Lucilius did his best to train them in combat, teach them about the world. It helped that they were both intelligent and quick learners. Every time they did something right, his expression brightened, because they surpassed his expectations and filled him with pride. Especially Belial seemed to really like it when Lucilius smiled, because he tried harder and harder to surpass his expectations. To surpass Lucifer. Despite being designed to be weaker than the other, because Lucifer had to be the strongest and most powerful, obviously, Belial pushed himself to keep up with him. All for Lucilius. Back then, even if he noticed, he didn't much care for the why. Only that the results made him look better.

But even the good times couldn't last forever and once the council determined that they knew enough about those existing primals, they wanted more. Hand the unwanted tasks of overseeing the Sky Realm off to them, leave the Astrals more time to do Astral things. So Lucifer was given a fancy new role and title, and Belial, as his adjutant. The two's relationship was never the same. The happy family time was over. But Lucifer would spend his entire life thinking back to those days, yearning for them.

Unfortunately, it turned out that mass producing more primals, angels to bolster the ranks and fulfill all sorts of purposes, didn't make Lucilius happy. With time, he grew bitter and paranoid. So he was a god now, a creator of powerful beings, but he still had to kowtow to the whims of the council and their dumb ideas. They were idiots.

And while he took pride in Lucifer, that still didn't solve the problem of himself being defective and weak. He still needed to eat and while at least no one would dare mock him for it anymore, it irritated him beyond reason. What was the point to being a creator of perfect beings if you yourself are still so woefully flawed?

That's when it occurred to him that perhaps it would be best if all should come to an end.

He embezzled funds for his research and used cores that hadn't survived previous experiments, mushed them all together and finally created Avatar, the beast that could shake the world to its core. Surely if there were a God, He would have to stop him now, right? And the second He showed His face, Lucilius would be able to take a good look at it and tell Him how much He sucked. How awful He was for creating all these flawed beings and leaving them to fend for themselves in this imperfect world.

Truly, deep down Lucilius was just a petulant child, acting out because he wanted attention from his parents. But his parents were God and God had left this world. So his tantrums were left unanswered. Lucilius grew more and more frustrated with time.

His adjustant caught wind of his plans and threatened to inform the council. He tried to blackmail Lucilius - him, who had given life to gods. It was in his darkest hour that he remembered his other darkest creation and sicced Belial on the poor fool. The primal was beyond happy to be of use to his master. He also had no issues with murder. Quite the opposite. Lucilius remembered that if nobody else, he could trust his creations. They wouldn't betray him. Well, Lucifer, as appointed steward of evolution, might grow beyond his purpose and turn on him yet, but he had Belial. Belial, who wasn't meant to change. A perfect, immutable being with perfect, immutable loyalty.

So Belial was transferred from working under Lucifer to working under Lucilius. Lucifer was sad to see him go, but Belial had never been more ecstatic in his life.

Together they furthered the research into Avatar, spending many a sleepless night slaving over their work. If a primal caught wind of what they were doing, Lucilius had ways of making them disappear and incorporating their cores into his newest creation. He turned a blind eye to Beelzebub helping himself to primal cores that were as of yet unused, if only to see how that would turn out. Who was he to turn away a willing test subject?

As a contigency plan, Belial's tolerance to the Avatar core was increased. This included fitting him with new wings. Gone were the fluffy purple feathers, replaced by the same bat-like wings Avatar bore. Besides, they allowed him to glide soundlessly through the night. The process must have been excruciatingly painful, seeing how an angel's powers are stored within their wings, but Belial never complained.

The council decided that the Supreme Primarch should have a replacement, a precaution, if nothing else. And while Lucilius was offended at the notion that his perfect creation could ever be killed, by this point, creating primals was easy. Lucifer found out about this and begged and pleaded to be a part of the creation process, so Lucilius left the design process to him. When Sandalphon came into this world, Lucilius wasn't impressed. The dark hair and red eyes on the primal he could understand. It was quite obvious that Lucifer was nostalgic for the days when it had just been the three of them, or even just working so closely with the being who had shared his cradle. But seeing Sandalphon's short stature reminded Lucilius of his own shortcomings. Perhaps it was out of spite then that he refused to tell Sandalphon his purpose, to make him a target for the mockery of his peers, have his own insecurities gnaw at him. Like the God he despised, Lucilius had bestowed his own fate upon his creation. But while Lucilius had been allowed to rise above his station, Sandalphon was to stay in a garden, safely tucked away, always waiting for Lucifer to have time to spare to spend with him.

Another not-so ideal creation was Sariel, the Archangel of Execution, prepared for the purpose of cleaning up messes. He turned out far too sensitive for the task and attempts at lowering his emotional responses through limiters only hampered his intelligence instead. Like all his failures, looking at Sariel made Lucilius sick to his stomach. It was Belial who saved his fellow primal from either the incinerator or joining the ever-growing horror that was Avatar, suggesting that Sariel's naivety made him a useful pawn.

Things were going well for a while then. The council was far too occupied with their decadence to pay attention to what was going on right under their noses. Beelzebub was too blinded by his hatred for the primals in general and Lucifer especially to pay attention to anything. What a shame. Lucilius had had such high hopes for him.

Belial recruited more and more primals for him, those who were struck with ennui at the prospect of spending their immortal lives in servitude, or those who were still loyal to their creator. Though, he also flat-out lied to a bunch to get them to join him. And even Belial didn't fully know that he was leading this congregation to their slaughter like a flock of lambs. It didn't matter to Lucilius. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing but ending this hellish, imperfect life.

They called themselves the fallen angels, because Belial had developed a weird sense of humor Lucilius didn't remember programming him with.

Finally, the day arrived. The promised day, one that would put an end to all of creation. His fallen angels attacked the Astral and Primal forces. It was a massacre. People dropped dead left and right. Their blood covered what felt like all of Canaan, painted the buildings, the sky itself. It didn't matter. Everything was going to end here.

Lucilius had hoped for death for the longest time, at least somewhere deep down, but he hadn't expected to meet it at the hands of his perfect creation. And even in the face of total annihilation, Lucifer looked conflicted to have to slay his creator, his father, the man who had given him life and purpose. When his head was severed from his neck, Lucilius couldn't help but smile. Perhaps Lucifer wasn't as perfect as he had always thought. But at least he was still powerful and radiant. Just as Lucilius never could be.

He died that day and it was fine. It may have even been a relief. Lucilius was saved. Finally at peace.

Until he opened his eyes again, 2000 years later.

[gaycey-sketchit]

(Gary anon) I continue to dread the day Goh encounters Mew again; would not be shocked if him capturing [with help again], it actually drowns out *Ash's results of the PWC. (*Assuming Ash wins or ties, we know the storm that will happen if we don't get either situation. At least Goh won't be lonely in the stands; if Chloe shows, it'll probably be the finals. Not sure why they're trying so hard to keep her from watching Ash battle.) Speaking of the Regis episode, some

.

(Part 2) leaks possibly spilled out, same source: Gary may have another new capture, not referring to the Regis, is one that's finally not from Kanto, Johto, or Sinnoh; but this capture probably means any Bede appearance or importance is dead. So, full Gary team confirmed? (Paul apparently got something new too; had a feeling it wasn't going to anything post-Gen 4. Garchomp still not confirmed) The best outcome is a tie, but with the writers of Ash becoming more

(Part 3) unbeatable, let him be the wall this time. (I will accept that if the ball halves actually get it brought up again outside of flashbacks. Or even better, the two connects them together again before going separate ways again. Or travels together, I'd take either) If any rival should serve as the final cap off, it should be him. No matter what future rival did what better, Gary's influence and guidance transcends series, even when he's not physically there.

(Part 4) Again, I'll hold off until we get more towards the end. But, the pattern IS there. Don't break it, Anipoke. (I know a duo song with the VAs is out of the question since we typically don't get that for this dub. But something that feels more like a "finale" would've been more thematically fitting. Or even another remix of "The Journey Starts Today". Oh well)

Yeah, hopefully that goes okay but the fandom... there will be Discourse no matter what happens.

Yeah. I really feel like all this is leading up to Ash defeating Leon. Yeah, it's nice that Goh will have some company in the stands!

How Chloe's been handled throughout Journeys is... a little frustrating. It feels like she and Ash really haven't gotten that close, and that she tends to not show for his battles and he didn't show for her first contest is... unfortunately indicative of that.

But I digress. Oh, I heard about Gary's (possible, if the leaks are legit) new team member! It's sure an interesting choice, not a Pokemon I think most expected for him, but I don't dislike it. RIP Bede's chances at plot significance though.

I don't think I heard about Paul's though! That's interesting too.

I guess we'll see if the alleged leaks are true soon!

Yeah, that's fair. Ash not entirely losing but still facing an obstacle to learn from before the biggest tournament he's faced would be good.

Oh, yes! Would love a moment like that.

For sure! Gary was the anime's OG rival, the blueprint, and he motivated and inspired Ash like nobody else. What they have is special and it'd be such a good way to cap off Journeys. (Also hopefully having Ash reunite with his first traveling companion at some point too, really come full circle.)

Here's hoping!

Yeah. Alas. But I'll admit it's starting to grow on me.

[scarlet-streak-fanfics]

Could I potentially get a small thing of a vary creative MC drawing one of the boys and just, silently giving it to them, refusing to elaborate, and just walking away

You absolutely can! Ok, let's do this one with just the brothers to start. Feel free to request the dateables next!

Lucifer:

Lucifer is flattered but also doesn't pass up the chance to tease MC about not being honest about their affection for him! Because of course he does, it wouldn't be Lucifer if he wasn't a pompous ass when receiving a gift. (A pompous ass that I love so much, I'm very much a Lucifer fan, it's awful)

He's going to corner them against a wall away from his brothers under the guise of thanking them for the gifts: "You have a wonderful eye for art, MC--it makes sense that it was only drawn to me, just like the rest of you."

Mammon:

He immediately regrets his gut reaction, which is to wave MC off and then make a show of crumpling it. Now MC is crying, and he's panicking, hugging them, and telling them how much he loves the art--he pours all the compliments he holds back from MC into their art.

Next time they're in his room, they'll notice it framed on his wall, something he's quick to brush off: "Well, the wall looked empty, and the drawin' was ok, I guess. Don't read into it or nothin', it's just a placeholder until I get something better." (Lie)

Leviathan:

Ego trip of the century--he has a drawing of himself from MC. It's one of a kind, from someone he loves, and will make all of his brothers jealous. He doesn't even care that it's some normie show of affection. It's his, and nobody else gets to have it.

That drawing is going to become his D.D.D. background and his social media profile pictures: "I can't believe you wasted your talent on such a gross otaku like me! Do you think you could draw me in anime style some time?"

Satan:

I'm a firm believer in Satan being a soft romantic at heart. He absolutely sees this as a courting gift and decides he needs to step up his game for MC. For the next week, they'll find roses, trinkets, and love notes that seem to almost magically appear everywhere they go.

The big surprise at the end of the week is what Satan was stalling for--he's written them an original love poem that he presents to MC with a bouquet of rare, human-safe devildom flowers: "Your drawing was beautiful, so I decided I needed to make something worthy of you in return."

Asmodeus:

He's never going to shut up about this. MC has created a monster--a clingy, rose-scented, affectionate monster. He's going to post this to social media and pay for it to be boosted to everyone because MC managed to capture him in all his glory down to the smallest detail.

Asmo would spoil MC rotten over this. He's going to buy them all the art supplies. On the downside, he's also declared himself their muse: "Oh, darling, do tell me when you want to do another drawing. I'm always happy to pose for you in private~ ♡"

Beelzebub:

I am weak, so MC drew him during a Fangol game. It's a rough sketch, mostly catching his action and form, but Beel loves it. He carries it around with him to show all his teammates because his human is so talented that they could draw him when he was moving!

He desperately wants to know how MC did it. Now he wants drawing lessons: "Can you teach me how to do that? I want to learn how to draw you so I can draw you when you're cooking. That way, when I eat while you're in the Mortal Realm, it'll be like you're here with me."

Belphegor:

Belphegor is going to be a brat about his gift. Why did MC draw him asleep with bedhead? It doesn't matter if they think it's cute. He thinks he looks silly. Ok, maybe it matters a little if they think it's cute.

He's going to display it in the attic as a reminder to check his hair when he wakes up from naps. Belphie still loves it, though: "Next time, leave out the bedhead, MC. Or just come nap with me."

[lunarblazes]

i made a desertduo playlist and then decided to be a nerd and write explanations for all the songs! like a nerd!

playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ZGylutQpyTbgX7MY7Lrzz?si=t8_kBwBHSYG5kxTvZoIrTQ&dl_branch=1

QUICK DISCLAIMER: i am aware that a lot of these songs may have or imply romantic connotation! i would really really like it if these were not read as though those romantic connotations carry over to scar and grian. even if we’re just talking about the third life characters, i would prefer not to ship them or imply romance between them on this post. thank you so much and keep reading if you’d like to see the playlist analysis!

and now that that’s out of the way, PLAYLIST TIME!

•

passerine- the oh hellos

“you were the song that i’d always sing/you were the light that the fire would bring/but i can’t shake this feeling that i/was only pushing the spear into your side again”

this song really just... firstly, it’s one of my favorite songs, and the line i chose there pushes home the sort of terrified devotion i think the desert has. plus there’s a fun line about the cold wind blowing in from the north in the ending bits that i think very much fits their conflict with the red army, and a lot of legally obligated flight imagery that i need to have in every possible song because i’m a fuckin nerd.

•

no children- the mountain goats

“i hope that our few remaining friends/give up on trying to save us/i hope we come up with a failsafe plot to piss off the dumb few that forgave us”

i will admit that no children isn’t a perfect fit, but the general vibe of sort of defiant pessimism and betrayal fits very well with them! it’s very triumphant in its death, and i think that is very desertcore, because what’s more triumphantly dead than being the last duo left alive?

•

skulls- bastille

“when all of our friends are dead and just a memory/it’s always been just you and me/for all to see”

okay like this entire song is SO MUCH DESERT VIBES? LIKE SO MUCH. if i were to ever make an animatic for them i’d do it with this song. “a match is our only light, it’s day of the dead i’m indiana jones, yeah,” “i hope you can make me laugh six feet under when we’re bored of each other,” “i don’t want to rest in peace, i’d rather be the ghost that annoys you,” IT JUST KEEPS GOING. i think this song would work well with any third life duo, honestly, but these two in PARTICULAR just because of how it ended with them literally ‘buried’ next to each other, and again, the chaotic death vibes.

•

freaking out- mystery skulls

“i just keep out of my tongue/til all you want is done/and you just wanna leave me, oh yeah”

this song is a very third life grian song to me in particular! it could be my bias because of my little headcanon of grian burning on his red life, but seriously, this song is very reminiscent of the back and forth of loyalty that grian has with scar. the above line is sort of representative of the betrayal on red, and of course grian’s life debt.

•

night running- shin sakiura

(this song is in japanese! these lyrics are the rough english translation i found on google.) “someday we will stand at this place once again/for sure we will stand up again and again/we will watch it will the end/i want you to live freely”

this song is actually the ending theme for the anime bna, which i adore, and i just added it on a whim before looking at the translated lyrics. but um. holy hell the lyrics hurt me because they’re about running in search of someone, running for no reason, looking for something, and it just really hit, because the desert never really had a goal! they didn’t expect to survive, they were trying to survive, but what was their longterm goals? nothing. so that sort of endless search felt fitting for this. plus the song is a parallel for the two estranged best friends of the show so! perfect.

•

summer nights- siames

“it’s summertime/singing al green in your car/heading to a party/and the night air feels alive”

okay again, i will admit this song is mainly on here because i absolutely love it, but i also do think it fits well. it’s also about healing/estranged friendships, with a very distinct feeling of nostalgia for a happier time. maybe for a time when this was all a game, when there was no blood or betrayals on their hands. little canon divergent, but it’s fun for me, so into the playlist it goes!

allies or enemies- the crane wives

“are we allies or enemies/this will be the death of me, this will be the death of me/all’s fair in love and war but i can’t fight with you anymore”

. i just. points to that lyric. it literally led to both of their deaths. are they allies or enemies? it also fits with scar still wanting grian to be his friend even after he’s no longer indebted with the line “what happens now? do we have another go, do we bow out?” another very good animatic song that i’ve considered heavily. i listen to this playlist a lot

•

burn him down- kitsch club

“you must destroy, oh you must destroy, beyond all recognition/you gotta burn him down, you gotta burn him down, beyond all recognition”

this song just has a lot of fire and arson and high energy vibes. my little war criminals look at them go

•

rose- the oh hellos

“what's true is like a sickle/it'll cut you to the middle/your rose is without a thorn/but no, my mouth don't taste of metal/from the pot here to the kettle/i think we got a lot we gotta learn”

this one is like the exact opposite vibe of burn him down. the oh hellos are so poetic and this song just... feels like the healing potions after a battle. many of the metaphors here fit, i think

•

lone digger- caravan palace

“hey, brother, what you thinking/that good ol' sound is ringing/they don't know what they're missing/(they call it lonely diggin')”

okay this song is straight up just a dance song. i added it because i like it and also for some reason it feels ominous to me? i’ve got no idea why, it’s seriously just a club song, but it’s a banger and it’s in this playlist because i said so

•

feed the machine- poor man’s poison (suggested by my friend argonaughtkeene!)

“somethin’s goin” on, just look around/fear is on the rise, and there’s blood all over the ground/let’s all just blindfold the poor, we all know what’s in store/ we got ‘em now, just break ‘em down a little bit more”

this song is a VIBE for both desertduo members. there’s parts for both of them. it’s ruthless, gritty, very maniacal, perfect. listen to it and you’ll immediately understand why i added it.

•

sweet tooth- scott helman

“i hold hands with cosmic entities/i’ll take this two-ride if i please/i got this sweet tooth baby, yeah i got this sweet tooth baby/i exploit my opportunities/some broken hearts, some cavities”

sweet tooth is super upbeat and bright with these strangely dark lyrics? like i’m pretty sure it’s about addiction. in any case, i thought the “i hold hands with cosmic entities” very funnily fitting for both of the desert boys. it’s a banger!

•

necromancin’ dancin’- bear ghost

“when i’m necromancin’, everyone’s dancin’/nobody can stop me, i dare you to try/the dead are infused with insatiable groove and they’re coming for you, there’s nowhere to hide”

necromancin’ dancin’ just. bastard vibes. there’s not much more to say it’s just huge villain song vibes. i adore it.

•

crazy = genius- panic! at the disco

“if crazy equals genius/then i’m a fucking arsonist/i’m a rocket scientist/if crazy equals genius/you can set yourself on fire/but you’re never gonna burn, burn, burn”

i. yeah. y. yeah. more bastard vibes. also shoutout to an artist i saw (i think it was strifesolution?) who made a desertduo piece to this song because i have not stopped thinking about it ever

•

sweet bod- lemon demon

“i’m diggin’ up your coffin/and pouring out the contents/your sexy, sweet solution/is ripe for distribution”

you know how i said freaking out was a grian song? this one is a scar song. it’s my favorite lemon demon song and also it has the total macabre capitalism vibe that third life scar NAILED. more bastard vibes good for him <3

•

drunk- the living tombstone

“feel so much better than usual/i feel indisputable, oh/but now i’m feeling so beautiful/don’t wake me up from this spell i’m under, if i’m still breathing/i know that i will be ugly when i feel like myself again, oh/but right now i’m feelin’ so beautiful”

the descent of this song, starting off with a polite gathering and ending with a gasping drunk in the parking lot gazing at the stars that he can barely see? yes. yeah. mhm. i used a line from this song for a fic, actually, it fit so well.

•

oh no!- marina

“one track mind, one track heart/if i fail, i’ll fall apart/maybe it is all a test/cos i feel like i’m the worst so i always act like i’m the best”

bubbly pop track about false confidence, the ruthlessness of the pop industry, and the influence of the media? you know why this is here. it vibes. it rocks.

•

do it all the time- i don’t know how but they found me

“we’re taking over the world/a little victimless crime/and when i’m taking your innocence/i’ll be corrupting your mind/no need to cry i’m only doing everything i want to do because i do it all the time”

EVEN MORE BASTARD VIBES! SOMEHOW THERE IS MORE! this playlist is half villain songs and half heart-wrenching ballads and that’s the real desert experience i think.

•

the phoenix- fall out boy

“i’m gonna change you/like a remix/then i’ll raise you/like the phoenix”

BATTLE SONG BATTLE SONG! i’ll be honest i partially chose this song because i am a huge sucker for phoenix grian imagery in particular, but it’s also just a very good war song for them. villain song no 18372948 except this one originally had a hero vibe and now it’s changed specifically for them?? wild. their power

•

the other side- the greatest showman

“right here, right now/i’ll put the offer out/i don’t wanna chase you down, i know you see it/you run with me/and i can cut you free/out of the treachery/and all you keep in”

scar and grian’s desert monopoly conversation went exactly like this canonically because i said so fuck you <3

•

icicles- the scary jokes (suggested by my friend demizorua!)

“icicles don’t soften when they die/so why should i, why should i?/oh, icicles don’t soften when they die/they sharpen into sabers and they stab you in the eye”

this song actually has specific parts for both grian and scar! my cool epic friend mx demizorua pointed both of them out to me and i adored it so much. it’s a very spiteful song, just like the desert boys. also it feels vaguely murderous. perfect

•

problems- mother mother (suggested by my friend demizorua!)

“i’m a loser, a disgrace/you’re a beauty, a luminary, in my face”

literally this entire song fits them. particularly their relationship with the flower husbands, to me, honestly— the whole “when we meet at the pearly gates/you’ll get the green light/and i’ll get the boot in the face” reminds me a lot of them hdksjdks

•

tongues and teeth- the crane wives

“i know that you mean so well/but i am not a vessel for your good intent/i will only break your pretty things/i will only wring you dry of everything”

h. yeah. this song is literally gaslight gatekeep girlboss and i attribute it to the desert for that reason alone. songs to commit murder to!

•

you’re nobody til somebody wants you dead- saint motel

“you’re nobody til somebody wants you dead/and the list, it grows, and grows, and grows/it grows, and grows, and grows/and grows, and grows, and grows/until it’s everyone you’ve ever known”

this one is very self-explanatory. enemies pogchamp

•

curses- the crane wives

“there’s a fire in my brain and i’m burning, love/oh my, oh my/keep running to the sink, but the well is dry/oh my, oh my/every word i say is kindling/but the smoke clears when you’re around”

okay again! this one has two very specific parts for both of them. grian’s the first verse, which is above, and scar’s the second verse!! i really do like my fire imagery for these two don’t i? well, i blame them for having a fuck ton of tnt on them at all times and literally burning their enemy’s banners as a final act of defiance.

[rapifessor]

Yelan and Kuki Shinobu First Impressions

Yesterday HoYoverse revealed two characters that will be added in version 2.7: Yelan and Kuki Shinobu.

It seems like Shinobu is going to be a 4-star Electro sword character. Without looking at leaks though there's no telling what role she's supposed to have in the team. I like her character design a fair bit; it's got a sort of punk aesthetic to it with a splash of ninja vibes. The hotpants and thigh-high boots make her thighs very pronounced, which I'm sure will be a major turn on for some, *cough* definitely not me *cough* Kinda digging the midriff as well. Thinking about it now, I'm surprised there aren't more girls with exposed bellies in Genshin.

Not sure how I feel about the green hair, but it's a decent enough contrast to the rest of her color design. Her color scheme is very similar to that of the Electro Cicin Mage. Maybe that's relevant in some way? It's a headcanon, at least.

Overall a really nice design and I'm very interested to see what kind of character she ends up being. She sounds really mysterious and secretive despite being apparently well-known and respected.

When I first saw Yelan, I prayed desperately for her to be a claymore or polearm character, because for some reason we still don't have one of those that uses Hydro. Sadly, as I now know from leaked images, she's a bow character. Could have been worse, I suppose. For all I knew she could have just been yet another Hydro catalyst character, seeing as how she's not holding a weapon in this official art.

That aside, this is a pretty fascinating character design. She looks sort of like a blend of Xingqiu, Sara, and maybe a bit of Kaeya in there as well. Hairdo looks sick, and I like the asymmetry of her outfit and how each side plays off of and contrasts with the other. Pretty uninteresting color scheme, though. It's the standard white, blue, and black that's present on like half the fucking cast at this point. Really wish HoYoverse would start being more original in this regard and stop adhering to the same colors for every character that uses a specific element.

It isn't just her design that's interesting, but also what HoYoverse says about her. She sounds a lot like some kind of secret agent, or a hitman, almost. She's always taking on different identities and disguises and vanishing without a trace. Nobody seems to know who she really is. Here are a few really cool quotes from the introductory HoYoLAB post:

"Who does she want to help? When will she tell the truth?"

"Once she acts and intervenes, nothing can be trusted."

"When she reveals her true identity and speaks the truth, those who are eager for answers may not have the chance to hear it."

Very excited to learn more about this character.

It's interesting that both these characters seem to be mysterious figures, but approached from different angles: Shinobu is well-known and influential, but kinda sus, and Yelan is almost completely unknown in a sort of spooky way, where you don't have any idea if she's on your side or not until the last second.

Definitely looking forward to when these two finally get added to the game. Maybe one of them will become my new favorite, who knows? Though, I think it'll be pretty hard to top Shenhe for me.