#is uh. somewhat novel. and also a lot.

[milkweedman]

I had another pain management setup appointment this morning, this time with a physical therapist, and she was asking me about my flare ups and everything and i came to the realizations that 1) theres always a bit of a leadup to the flare, where i'll have a couple days where i feel like shit and my joints feel hot and weak but its also nowhere near the pain levels of an actual flare up. And 2) i am in fact in a pre-flare up right now :/

All this to say that im warping another belt but im not trying backstrap again right now because i can already tell im going to feel like death tomorrow

[gatitties]

Mute: O4. Ice-cream

O1. Flowers / O2. Friends! / O3. Study / O4. Ice-cream / O5. Sick / O6. Locked up / O7. Fight / O8. Friends? / O9. Grateful / 1O. Wishes

I'm sorry I didn't update last Friday! but I wasn't even at home 😅 @chiyoso

The rest of the morning passed slowly with the suffocating heat provided by the sun, your cheeks were somewhat red and your neck was sweaty, the short white shirt was beginning to stick to your body causing a feeling of discomfort. When the doorbell rang you literally ran to your bedroom, just by closing the door and windows you undressed to go directly to the shower, enjoying the refreshing sensation you stayed there for a few minutes until you remembered that it was your turn to water the plants.

When you did your errands you stopped by the gym, just thinking that the boys would be training despite the horrible heat made you feel pretty bad for them, you stuck your head out the door looking at how they all dripped with sweat.

«Ew, disgusting»

Your face contracted at the scene, you looked at them one last time to go to the convenience store near there, it took you a while to get there because you were entertained by petting a little cat. You went to the ice cream section to take a look, surely the boys would like something refreshing, to your bad luck they apparently had bought a lot of ice cream that day  because there were only a couple of chocolate tubs left, you still bought them. You also grabbed a couple of cool energy drinks knowing Ushijima wouldn't take ice cream and Goshiki probably wants to do everything the big ace does to be like him.

It didn't take long for you to return, all the feeling of a good shower was gone just by walking a few streets without a shady place, you also feared for the lives of those ice creams so you hurried up to arrive just as the boys were leaving the gym, you raised a hand so they could see you.

"What are you doing outside in this heat? it can affect you"

You narrowed your eyes at Semi, you really start to believe that he was a mother.

"Hey, hey, what do you have there?"

Tendou hunched down to the level of the bag you were holding, his eyes seeming to sparkle at the groceries. He tried to hug you but you dodged him seeing how he was drenched in sweat.

«No uh, take a shower first»

"But-"

You shook your head, causing his expression to fall but instantly his face lit up to run away, probably to shower.

"Did you buy ice cream for us?" you nodded answering Goshiki "That's great!"

You smiled at the boy, then everyone went to take their respective shower to freshen up. Some time later you found yourself sitting on Tendou's bed while everyone ate their ice cream leisurely.

"Thanks for the drink."

You nodded to the team captain, glad you could help out when you could.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

Shirabu raised an eyebrow watching as everyone had something to eat except for you. You shook your hands in denial, you really didn't feel like it that much.

"You can have some of mine!"

Tendou threw himself onto the bed lying down, his head resting on your lap as he extended a spoon to your mouth, not seeing exactly where he was pointing it stained your cheek a bit, then he looked up narrowing his eyes.

“Open your mouth, say ahh."

You rolled your eyes.

«How am I going to say 'ahh'?»

"Come on, just open your mouth, you understand me."

He whimpered pouting as he moved the spoon from side to side, you opened your mouth without choice because the ice cream was melting and you didn't want to dirty the room. You blushed when you heard Semi and Shirabu's laugh, who commented on the scene as if it had been something incredibly romantic, Ushijima frowned not understanding and Goshiki also blushed when he saw the interaction thinking about the words; indirect kiss, someone was watching too many romance novels.

You covered your face, which was now burning, kicking the redhead a little to get him off of you. He was silent watching you while you tried to cover yourself, he could only think that you looked extremely cute with your face dyed pink.

"You have chocolate there."

Wakatoshi pointed to your cheek.

"I clean!"

You felt something wet brush your cheek then you definitely blew a fuse.

"Tendou, you're going to kill her!"

Semi scolded him.

"Is she alright?!"

"No, she's going to die, Goshiki."

The setter hit the boy's head to stop him from screaming while Tendou was being scolded by Semi and you were trying to get swallowed up by the ground.

[writingforatwistedworld]

Uh uh-- request time?? So like, I'm thinking about how how the twst world has different language yeah?? (Rook being French and Vil having a """""German""""" lastname and all)

Okok what if, if the player/mc in the self aware au (already in their world) tried to teach some like the basically of their language?? Like English is not their first language and wanna just, share their culture and language specifically,, with uh, riddle, malleus and azul,, (no i don't have favs-) like would they try to learn, not care (idk how likely that is in the self aware au but yeah) or something else? I wann know pleas 🥺

Btw hope you're doing well Veil!! Love all the work you've done so far, hope everything is well n goes well :D have this lil fanart hihi

AAIJNAUSHUSUHSUHN HOW CUTE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Btw, in the light novel it is mentioned that Yuu notices that he isn't speaking Japanese and he was saying “Japan” in (I guess English) but he noticed that his lips didn't match what he was thinking so I also don't think that English is something over there so... English readers get your fill as well.

Self-aware au

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, obsession, killing, murder, religion, blood, violence, possessiveness, kidnapping, imprisonment

Riddle Rosehearts/Azul Ashengrotto/Malleus Draconia-Player tries to share their culture and language

Oh aren't you kind?

First of all, he is flattered

Even though the Queendom of roses sees you more as an uncrowned and invisible ruler they are still more than aware that some places see you as all-knowing

And since even the smallest rumor has at least a spark of truth in it he assumes that your knowledge is at least somewhat higher than that of the average person

Now imagine having such a person as your teacher... AND THEY EVEN TALK ABOUT THEIR CULTURE!!! YAAAYYY (RUN!!!)

I mean, that language thingy, go ahead but the culture one? Uh... how about no

The thing is, if you tell him too much about how you lived, the culture you grew up with included, he might see himself as more important in your life than he actually is

But hey, who can resist such an eager student with those puppy... no that's wrong in his case, hedgehog eyes?

Also, there are at least some languages existing in their world which also exist in ours (as far as we know), for example “French” and “German” (now everyone who speaks one of them at least partially: Yeah... suuurrreee.... totally correct what is beings said there....)

I believe that if you speak another one that isn't already there it will take longer for him to learn these since languages can differ so much from each other and if he hadn't even heard a single word in it... Yeah... (I mean, compare some languages and you see that their sentence structure are completely different)

But I also think that his mother force-fed him some foreign languages as well so maybe he already speaks German or French? The world will never know...

Doesn't mean he doesn't want to hear about your culture

I would highly advise you not to teach anybody else

Suddenly it's “Off with their head!”. On good days only the magic version and on bad ones the version in which you need something a little sharper and bigger than a needle

Also that “him thinking that he is more important than everyone in your life” thingy if you tell him too much about your culture? Well uh...

I heard the Shaftlands are big and can hide a lot of people if they just want to... otherwise I have to tell you that you might have to take up residence in his room for the rest of your existence. Enjoy!

*sucks air in* SIMP

No joke, you are known to be a scholar in his home so now you are deciding to teach him?

*squealing octopus noises*

There is a fairly higher chance he might already speak your language than Riddle since, well, he is a greedy businessman if we are being honest AND NO LANGUAGE BARRIER SHALL STAND IN HIS WAY!!!

But expect him to sit there at his desk, practically burning holes into you with his stare whilst you teach him

(Is he even blinking?)

I mean, how did you expect him to react? You better be joking if your answer was “he isn't interested”

You, my dear Overseer, are just so dashing alone in your legends and tales that my man over here just wanted to be somewhat worthy with his intellect of your attention

And even if it was just a glance then that shall it be!

Wow, look at that, one day you were just there chatting to him which led to you telling more about your culture whilst talking in your language if it's one he understands

Now those that you also seemed worthy enough to teach them about your origins and language? Those contracts can be tricky is all I'm saying

Or he just loses it and who else remembers that one time Floyd said that Octopuses are a high chunk of muscles? Mhm, that read splash on the wall a former person... wow, he liquified everything... HOW STRONG IS THAT GUY??!

Or this becomes very unhealthy for him

We all know that he puts at least some self-esteem onto his appearance and lifestyle so once that esteem isn't so high anymore it's time for some... unhealthy habits

I'm not going into detail but let's just say that there is a certain amount to what you can push your body, octopus or not

So please only teach him! After all, if you do he might just think everything was for naught and just decides to be a bit “much”

He probably speaks every single one existing in his world, including some ancient ones not spoken anymore n this day and age

But hey, his God is about to teach him something so you might as well have ordered him to while his memoriess because it's like everything you say is new to him

Also, his tail is going wild like a dog on who just saw his owner return after a long day

So... Yeah

(But this is the Self-aware au so of course things aren't just sunshine and flowers)

Remember that tail? He might have his hands full during the time he meets someone who decided to have the audacity and “make you” teach them as well but I think that thing could crush at least five melons at once

So uh... Yay... Red smoothie... Do not drink. 0 out of 10. Would not recommend

Also, who would he be if he hadn't two at least 50% humans who had been taught since childhood on how to use those sharp toothpicks and a fae who is a master at using said toothpicks?

“Silver, get the sharpest ones out!”-The toothpick master of Diasomnia

But how wise you are! Not only do you speak more than just one but also come from a completely different background

Also, are definitely probably frantically sending letters to the Valley of Thorns about everything you tell them so that the Church can document every single bit of information

But let us return to Malleus

Unless you tell him to tell you more about his home he will listen quietly, only asking a question if he doesn't understand something right away

Will try his best to follow the customs of your culture so you feel comfortable around him

Also, if he didn't know the language before, *gasp* I know, then he will also be the fastest one to learn it (I'm blaming devotion and fae genes for this)

But please, feel like you are at home around him. So at home in fact that you don't even notice he is right now taking you to the Valley so that you are never able to leave him. Forgive his greed but he just couldn't bear the thought of you reaching out for a place that isn't by his side

[conflictofthemind]

Finally reading the book and Mike Wheeler is clearly inspired by Calvin from a Wrinkle in Time (which is a known major inspiration for the show as a whole and Season 5). Walk with me.

The "I hate myself" part makes me go a bit nuts here because. Wow! The alleged Scriptgate line.

Calvin is one of the three child protagonists from a Wrinkle in Time, and Meg's (somewhat) love interest. He is the inverse of Meg, a popular guy at school and star of the basketball team who achieves academically. But his home life is fraught and cold, and his needs are neglected by his parents. I have a bit more analysis on the Wheelers/Byers dynamics and a Wrinkle in Time here. He is 'different' like Meg and Charles; but he hides his true self in order to fit in at school. It's only through meeting the two throughout the novel that he embraces his 'different' status.

He is also gifted in communication, much like how Mike is known for delivering his rallying speeches Both Charles and Meg express disbelief at his assertions that he is odd at first because of how he appears to them, in a similar way to how El does in Episode Three. They face a lot of bullying at school because their differences are overt, and they don't attempt to hide them.

I really believe the Duffers' use of the word "different" is in direct reference to aWiT - it appears thirty times within the novel and Being Different is such an important motif that it got an OST (that I expect to return soon for Mike) in Season Four.

The framing for the two times Will and El mention their differences is almost exactly the same - both characters on the left, with Mike left obscured in the background, his expression hidden and left out of the conversation. It's such great foreshadowing that this will get brought up again; the context and meaning of the shots will change when we finally learn that Mike is different after all. He was just incredibly good at pretending not to be.

Bonus:

Hey uh..... why does Calvin's outfit in the 2003 Disney adaptation looks so familiar? I mean remove the green sweater and...

[summerwritesfics]

🍓No Tricks, Only Treats

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 1316 Words Rating: Teen Warnings: Costume Party, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Halloween Party, Fluff, Bunny Girl Outfits, Kuai Is A Cutie Pie, Hanzo Has Vague memories Of Either MKvsDC or Injustice (whichever you prefer lmao) @anyfandomfluffbingo: Costume Party

Summary: Hanzo & Kuai Liang attend Johnny’s Halloween party.

AFG Fluff Bingo Masterlist

Notes: Heeeyyyyy Happy Halloween :) I was looking through my bingo prompts because tbh, I need to really start working on them, and I realised this prompt was perfect for a short little Halloween fic! So, enjoy!

Halloween was an oddity to Hanzo.

He didn’t really get the point of it if he was being honest. Trick and treating, while he could understand it being fun for kids, didn’t really sound appealing to him. Dressing in silly costumes even less so.

But when Johnny Cage invited you to a party, it was very hard to say no. Especially with Kuai Liang extremely enthusiastic about the idea, wanting to experience as much of what a normal life would feel like as possible. The fact that it was a costume party just seemed to excite Kuai more. He’d never worn a costume to a party before, the idea so novel that he’d been basically talking about it non-stop. The kids had offered to take him shopping for one and he’d eagerly agreed.

Hanzo hadn’t gone with them, and hadn’t seen Kuai’s costume yet. Due to their schedules they were also arriving to the party separately. He wondered what ridiculous outfit they’d managed to persuade Kuai to buy. He’d heard Cassandra pitch some ice queen outfit from some animated movie, but if that was the direction they’d gone in he didn’t know.

Hanzo himself had just gone kind of simple, and a little classic according to Johnny Cage. His pirate costume had been relatively inexpensive, and it was not exactly good quality, but he hadn’t wanted to spend a lot on something he was going to use once. The other guests' costumes seemed to vary in effort. Cassandra and Jacqueline had gone all out with quite intricate outfits. Supposedly they were a pair of supervillain lesbians, but Hanzo had no idea what they were referring to. Then you had Sonya, who’d thrown a bit of fake blood onto a blouse and called herself a zombie. According to Johnny, that was her outfit every year.

“Nice costume, Grandmaster,” a voice broke him out of his musings. He turned to find Kung Jin standing next to him.

“Thank you.” Hanzo looked Kung Jin up and down. He wasn’t completely sure on what Jin’s costume was, but given it was green and he had a bow and arrow he could make somewhat of an educated guess. “Are you meant to be Robin Hood?”

“I’m Green Arrow!” Jin sounded offended at the idea he was anything but this “Green Arrow” person. “Anyone would think you’ve never read a comic book or something.”

“Uh huh,” Hanzo sarcastically hummed. So he was also a superhero then. Seemed the kids were going for a theme.

From the corner of his eye, someone else peered around him. Even with an almost full face mask on, Hanzo could tell it was Takeda.

“I’m Batman,” he announced, putting on a gruff voice that made Jin burst into laughter.

“See, now, Batman I know,” Hanzo told Jin, lazily pointing at Takeda. “I don’t like him, but I know him.”

“What?” Takeda exclaimed, dropping the voice and standing straight. “How can you hate Batman?”

“I just have a weird feeling about him.” It was like something had happened in a past life in relation to the caped crusader. Which was absolutely ridiculous when he thought about it. Batman was a fictional character and didn’t exist, so the feeling was completely irrational. Still, something about it made him uneasy. He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject with “so, what? Did you four convince Kuai Liang to be a superhero as well?”

“Nah, we let him do his own thing.” Takeda made a dismissive motion with his hand. “He seemed happy with what he got though.”

“Think you’ll be happy with it too,” Jin quietly chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. Hanzo couldn’t help but eye him suspiciously.

“What did you guys let him buy?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at Jin. He could just imagine that Kuai was about to walk in wearing the most absurd thing the kids could convince him to buy.

Jin bit his lip and smirked, “oh. You’ll see.” He then pointed across the room. “In fact, he’s here.”

Hanzo looked around just in time to see Kuai Liang walking into the party. His jaw dropped at what he saw.

Kuai Liang in what Hanzo could only describe as a bunny girl outfit.

He watched as Kuai was greeted by Johnny and Sonya, both clearly amused by what Kuai was wearing. It was a light blue bodysuit without straps and fishnet tights. He had a pair of bunny ears perched on his head, a small ball of fluff attached to his ass like a tail, and to top it all off a pair of high heel shoes the same colour as the bodysuit. Hanzo could feel his face getting hot, he completely understood Jin’s snide comment. Kuai did have a habit of wearing revealing clothing but this was the furthest he’d ever gone in public before.

“Have fun~” Jin sang in a teasing way, reaching under Hanzo’s chin and closing his mouth, teeth loudly clacking together. Hanzo glared at him, but Jin just laughed in his face. All Hanzo could do in retaliation was watch as Jin and Takeda walked away.

“Hanzo,” Kuai greeted cheerfully as he made his way over. The bright smile on his face was a beautiful sight. Even if Hanzo had originally had reservations about coming to the party, it was worth it to see Kuai experiencing pure joy from something so silly and simple. “I like your costume.”

“Ah. And I like yours,” Hanzo admitted, taking a better look at it now Kuai was closer. God damn he pulls it off a little too well. “Was this your idea or the kids?”

“A little of both,” Kuai explained with a sheepish grin. “I wanted to but wasn’t sure and they convinced me.”

It occurred to Hanzo that the kids' encouragement was probably an effort to make Hanzo flustered. Kenshi had warned him the group were on the warpath to break past the “Grandmaster Grumpyface” persona. He supposed this time, they actually won. He glanced across the room at them, where the four were now grouped together, watching Kuai and Hanzo, giggling to themselves over their victory.

They are the worst Superhero group I’ve ever seen. 

“Apparently Sonya is jealous because my legs are nicer than hers,” Kuai continued, holding one of the aforementioned limbs up as emphasis. Hanzo snorted at that. “Her words, not mine, to clarify.”

“Well, I do agree with her, you do have fantastic legs.” Hanzo cleared this throat slightly as he stared at the body parts in question. “As well as other assets.”

“Other ass-ets?” Kuai questioned, stressing that particular part of the word, making it obvious what he thought Hanzo was getting at.

“That’s not what I meant,” Hanzo clarified with a huff. Kuai just tilted his head at him. “I mean don’t get me wrong that part of you is magnificent but it’s not the only part of you that is.”

The grin on Kuai’s face just emphasised the point. It made all the features on his face light up and just proved how beautiful he was. Hanzo couldn’t help himself, he lent forward to press a kiss on the tip of Kuai’s nose. Kuai snorted and pulled back slightly while gently pushing Hanzo away, which was exactly the kind of reaction he was looking for.

“Want to go get a drink?” He asked casually, trying to resist another kiss as Kuai’s cheeks were turning red.

“Hm, I could do with one.” Kuai lent forward slightly, bracing a hand against Hanzo’s collarbone. “Lead the way, Captain.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes in jest, but held out his arm so Kuai could link with his. Kuai gladly accepted, letting Hanzo guide both of them. The night was young, and as long as Kuai Liang had a good time, Hanzo was happy to indulge him until he decided it was over.

[anneapocalypse]

On Leandra's Last Words

Warnings: discussion of the events of "All That Remains" in DA2, including murder, gore, body horror, and the death of a parent.

So, in the past year I've played Dragon Age II, uh… four times, and in the hindsight of Inquisition, something about a certain quest stands out to me.

In the Act II main quest "All That Remains," the protagonist's mother Leandra Hawke is murdered by a serial killer, a man named Quentin who targets women with features resembling his late wife over the course of several years, and attempts to use blood magic to stitch their dismembered body parts together to recreate her. Leandra's face is the final piece, and poor Hawke has to see their mother's head with another women's eyes attached to this re-animated Frankenstein's monster. Quentin's death breaks the spell, and Leandra dies in Hawke's arms. Before she dies, Leandra comforts Hawke, telling them that she'll get to see their dead father and sibling again, and that she is proud of them.

How exactly Quentin performs this gruesome ritual isn't detailed, and for story purposes, we do not need to know. We know that he uses blood magic, that he calls demons to possess the bodies of the murdered women. This is likely how he is able to reanimate the patchwork body he reconstructs. In the battle that ensues, Hawke and their party have to kill three desire demons called "Possession of Alessa," "Possession of Ninette," and "Possession of Leandra."

What matters for the purposes of the game is that what Quentin does is unusual but basically plausible within the parameters of the universe, and a gruesome example of the more sinister capabilities of magic.

We do know that, at least in the context of Kirkwall and probably the southern Circles as a whole, Quentin's particular form of necromancy was at least somewhat novel. In a secret letter to his "friend and colleague," accompanying a delivery of forbidden books, First Enchanter Orsino writes:

Your last letter was fascinating! You have proven me wrong, once again, by doing the impossible. I shouldn't have doubted your resolve, and I hope you will keep me apprised of further progress.

Necromancy, the act of calling spirits to possess the bodies of the dead, is taboo in the south, but is not particularly groundbreaking in the grand scheme of things. Raising the dead is a common tactic for blood mages in the south. In Nevarra, necromancy is not only a highly respected school of magic, but one integral to Nevarran society and culture. It is suggested that in Tevinter, necromancy is not uncommon and may not even be considered a form of blood magic; it is Dorian's specialization and can be learned by a mage Inquisitor. So the mere act of calling spirits into the bodies of the dead, it is unlikely Orsino would have called "doing the impossible." The breakthrough seems to be that Quentin was able to Frankenstein the bodies of his victims into one, and perhaps to compel the spirits possessing them to act as one. (Orsino does the same with the bodies of dead Circle mages during the final battle, though the result is a lot uglier.)

By the time Hawke catches up with Quentin, Mharen and Ninette are long dead. That Hawke finds Ninette's dismembered hand back in Act I suggests that Quentin did not bother preserving the whole bodies of his victims, but instead took the parts he wanted and discarded the rest. Hawke finds a note in Quentin's lair about using quicklime to preserve a victim's feet, and being displeased with the texture, so we know he had means of preservation. Alessa, the woman Hawke finds kidnapped by Gascard du Puis, is also dead by the time Hawke arrives, and is named in one of the "Possessions" Hawke fights, but as her body appears to be intact, it's unclear if Quentin used any part of her body (which might just be a development oversight).

Leandra, however, is Quentin's last victim, only just taken, and it is her head Quentin uses, so when she speaks to Hawke at the very end, she appears to be alive. If Anders or Merrill have accompanied Hawke, they will remark that only Quentin's magic was keeping her alive, and apologize that they cannot help Leandra.

At this point, when we look at this scene, I find it almost certain that there is a spirit in Leandra's body at the very end.

Leandra has been beheaded. The demon possessing her body has been defeated and the mage who cast the spell is dead. By all rights, she should be dead already, and there should be no last words for Hawke to hear. Unless some other magic is at work.

I see two possibilities here.

First, we might have a situation like that of Wynne in Origins. When Wynne should otherwise have been killed by a demon during Uldred's rebellion, a spirit of faith which had followed Wynne for most of her life joined itself to her, and kept her alive. In fact, this spirit was able to keep Wynne alive for another decade, when she would send the spirit to save the life of the templar Evangeline, sacrificing her own life. While the spirit sustained Wynne's life beyond its natural end, so far as we know Wynne's own soul never left her body; the spirit came to her at the moment she would have died, and kept her alive. While a spirit can possess and animate the body of a dead person, they can't generally prevent the body from decaying (see: Justice and Kristoff's body), so I think it's safe to say based on her extended life that the real Wynne was still there.

A spirit could have come to Leandra at the moment she would have died, and sustained her just until Hawke could arrive, allowing her the chance to say goodbye.

The second possibility, which I think is as likely or more, is that Leandra is, in fact, already dead by the time Hawke arrives.

In various forms since DAII, we've seen that spirits may sometimes take the form of a person who has died, in order to carry out some sense of that individual's purpose. We have Cole the spirit taking on the form of Cole the human boy killed by templar neglect. We have the spirit who appears as Divine Justinia, guiding the Inquisitor through the Fade and helping them to regain their memories.

Hawke and Leandra seem to have a had a difficult relationship at times. Just how difficult depends on Hawke's dialogue choices and personality, and of course every player's own experience is going to color how they read Hawke's mother. In particular, Leandra seems to blame Hawke for their younger sibling's death, placing on her oldest child the responsibility for the family that might otherwise have fallen on Malcolm.

And what are Leandra's last words to Hawke? Exactly what Hawke needs to hear in that moment. That she's going to a better place. That she's proud of Hawke.

It is entirely possible that those are Leandra's own words.

I think it's also very possible they are the words of a spirit, perhaps of love or compassion. Maybe they're the words Leandra wished she could say before she died. Maybe they're simply the words the spirit knows Hawke needs to hear.

Crosspost. Originally posted on dreamwidth on 02/10/21.

[eldritch-spouse]

I can just imagine Agner being embarrassed as he and Patches’ obsession watch as his dad does the most obnoxious shit. “Oh I’m sorry about this… he can be uh, quite a lot. Actually that’s an understatement—I’m sorry.”

Actually though, I wanted to know about Stitches and Agner relationship. Does Agner view Stitches as his dad 2.0, post-separation? What does Stitches think of Agner?

One of the better aspects of having Patches as your obsessor, is that Agner will eventually be made aware of your situation. Hopefully not by finding you in a cage inside his supposed dad's lab, but it's going to happen one way or another.

He can feel the headache incoming immediately. How is it that Agner, a being who has only seen so very little of the world outside of The Clergy's Eye's walls, has more common sense than a dullahan that's been walking this Earth for centuries? Unbelievable.

He can't do much of anything for you, especially not freeing you, but he can try to calm you down and explain why things are the way that they are in this establishment. The large bobble doesn't really try to sell his maker to you as someone you should love, but he does tell you that, for now, you might as well try because your chances of survival without Patches' aid are null. In case you have not been captured, Agner is a lot busier trying to get Patches to not make an ass of himself and be overly creepy. The abobblenation would really like some more vaguely sane company, and if his dad ruins this for him, he's going to be pretty livid...

In regards to Stitches, Agner sees it in an almost comforting way.

He remembers his first few days alive. How everything in his body was falling apart, and the several bobbles that comprised him desperately and confusedly wanted to take over, to have control, to separate. He was torn at the seams and frantically changing pigmentation, changing attitude, his sense of self forever muddled- Everytime Agner had one of those fits, the panic he experienced as he felt himself ceasing to exist was world-shattering and he doesn't wish it on anyone.

To know his father goes through a process somewhat similar to this (at least in his eyes) both frightened and made Agner feel immense pity. He would initially try to wrangle Stitches inside and keep a very close eye on him, trying to get to Patches and stop the episode early. Stitches just laughed at this.

Eventually, he came to understand that the whole thing is a lot less destructive to Patches' mind, that he can take it, that there's only him and Stitches and they can co-exist surprisingly well. It was a very novel concept for the bobble, one he almost didn't want to believe, but at some point it started making sense- And Agner could rest easy, knowing everything was okay.

That being said, Stitches automatically assumes he's also Agner's dad -Not that he knows too much about what's expected of him as a father- And Agner assumes Stitches is his dad too.

It was never something the two openly discussed, it just is.

[darqx]

Good afternoon! I have been your subscriber for a long time and wanted to ask... Do you have any updates and work on the Battle Priest??? I miss the characters from this project very much and I can't wait for a comics or a novel with them! (sorry for possible mistakes, I'm not an English speaker)

Hullo and thank you for sticking around so long AND aaaaaaa I am so happy you are excited for BP :D I have indeed been working on it when I can (though with a full time job my time and inspo is sometimes severely lacking |D)! At the moment a good 80% or so of the story is plotted out and I got bored of writing dot points and so also started thumbnailing on the side lol. Now if I can just keep it up!! OTL

Here’s a sneak peek in the face of my generally doing things quietly in the bg XD;

Yes I have this aforementioned little webcomic I’ve kinda been pottering away at XD It’s not out or anything yet though.

I think that’s partially due to Tumblr being rather bad at searching for stuff and that yes it is a little disjointed at the moment! |D (there is a BP tag on my blog which might be helpful though). I can’t really put that much about BP out yet since like a bunch of stuff I actually want to draw are IN the story and so I’d just end up spoilering a lot of it lol, so what I DO put out might be somewhat random. You can of course still ask questions about it and if I can answer it without spoiling something I will :)

I’d love to just ditch the first few pages at everyone since I’ve finished thumbnailing them and could actually start drawing it, but I’ve learned it’s so much better to have a good bank of pages so alas, we’re all gonna have to continue being patient whilst I thumbnail/work on it 😭

It technically doesn’t have one (I have consciously not made much ref to an actual date lol), and exists in one of those AU timeframes where some things from different years got shoved together. An example being the tech is reminiscent of the 90s but then there’s also some fashion from the 2000s etc.

In the lore of BP, there are technically (love that word lol) no angels so canonically this would be a moot point lol. IF angels were a thing, any mixed race would have the free will to either be good or bad (like the demons), and it wouldn’t affect much other than maybe they might have their own special abilities that could counter the demonic ones (like how priests do).

🤔 Hmmmm if i had to pick just one as a main it might be like (and this is expressing as opposed to receiving):

.D: Acts of service

Izm: Gift giving

Marcus: Quality time

Zeke: Acts of service (specifically, cooking)

Wei Ren: Words of affirmation

Rire: ...uh...i’m gonna say quality time

Well, a satanist would not be sanctioned as a battle priest so if there is one they’d have to be worshipping in secret cos that would get them unsanctioned pretty quickly. .D and the gang would be like wat. Rire would be like well...this is unexpected. I will let you imagine the tone that conveys XD

[ccarrot]

what do you think of this

i dunno if they're really,, uh. that type of toxic codependent depressed yaoi.

but a lot of people seem to think so i guess it makes a little sense. i bet the op of that post got the vibes because of all the buzzwords somewhat related to skk lore

"angel"<- chuuya's been attributed to one a lot, especially in stormbringer. the light novel of my nightmares.

"your a dog and i'm your man" <- dazai has this fixation on chuuya being a dog and he's his master or smth.

"you believe me like a god" <- so there's this whole misunderstanding about chuuya ability being that he's like.. a vessel for some kind of super powerful entity. Not true! but the set up for his backstory arc was based around all the character's believing that they were looking for a "god." Also there's this highly embarrassing pattern of dazai acting all breathless and worship-y whenever chuuya's fighting at full power.

"destroy" <- lol the two of them seem to have a lot fun throwing hands and being general nuisances to each other

"when you leave me" <- dazai kinda already left XD left the life of crime

i mean i think chuuya was pretty upset about his bro suddenly disappearing but not "im gonna kill myself" level though. He apparently chugged a bottle of $5000 wine as copium tho. So i guess at a solid "minor mental breakdown" level

"i should die. i deserve it don't i?" <- dazaicore

[crescentmoonrider]

so a fun fact about me i dont think many ppl know is that i used to do fan translation work, specifically of vocaloid stuff

(mostly songs on a french blog, and then later i started translating the shuuen no shiori novels into french on tumblr but uh. look im sorry idk what to say, this project aint getting revived orz)

anyway back in the days i based my translations on existing english translations, but now that im getting somewhat better at japanese ive been finding myself mentally correcting/adjusting translations i read more and more

im also reading a lot more comics on pixiv these days and sharing them with friends, and it just. it reminded me of my translating debut haha

bc back in the days i started translating so i could share songs with one of my friends, and only later started a dedicated blog, and now im sort of doing the same (half-assedly tho)

idk where im going with this. i guess ive been contemplating translating short pixiv comics properly ? albeit informally. basically doing typesetting and cleaning too, but idk if id want to share it publicly, so i guess it would be like. only between friends or sth

i dont really have a plan, or even a point with this post, i just. idk. felt like sharing some thoughts ive been having

i just miss translation i guess sdfsgdgfhg

[marvelousandproud]

Listen. I am only three episodes in but I NEED to make sure people are watching this show and supporting it so it gets the views and support it deserves to make sure they keep making seasons. This is Dead End: Paranormal Park based on the graphic novels DeadEndia by Hamish Steele who is also the creator of the show. I was told to check it out for the positive rep and it’s rep that needs to be shared, loved and encouraged to stick around so that kids (and cartoon loving adults like myself) have this sort of rep. The two main characters are Barney, a mlm transboy and Norma an autistic girl of color who both get hired in this spooky theme park. As someone who is trans and autistic I can only somewhat speak on some of it but already I am loving the rep! I am loving these characters. The other characters that I’m starting to meet are also VERY diverse. This is the type of show I wish I’d grown up with and as a former big Scooby Doo kid, this Spooky fun cartoon is filling such a hole in my heart that I didn’t even know was there. It’s great. Again I am only on episode three right now but I can’t wait to watch more. 

Even if this isn’t your usual cup of tea, please check it out. Let the first three episodes run in the background if you’re really not into cartoons because I think three episodes counts towards Netflix’s views as binge watching? Which is a positive sign for them and their ratings as I was told once upon a time.

Check it out and if you enjoy it. HYPE IT UP. Make gifsets. Make fanart (I see some! Keep it up). Post headcanons. Talk about it! Check out the Graphic Novels too! Make sure the network makes sure these are the types of shows viewers like seeing because too often do we see lgbtq shows fizzle out or get cancelled. And with everything going on in the world, transfolxs could use this type of rep and I am not sure I’ve even ever seen a brown autistic girl shown in animated media? So uh. Big win there too. I probably would have figured out I was autistic myself a lot sooner seeing rep like Norma as a kid and I hope she does the same for others <3

FANS are what make good shows last. FANS are what people here. And it’s fans in the moment, not years later after a show has been cancelled because it didn’t catch on in time. So. Please help out <3

[theromaboo]

Guess who was wandering through the drafts looking for gold? I found a little thing I wrote a few months ago after I read Cleopatra's Daughter, a historical fiction novel about Cleopatra Selene.

Unfortunately I was planning to write a lot more about all the historical fiction novels I read about Cleopatra Selene, but I kind of forgot and now it's too late because I read those books quite some time ago and don't remember them well :(

Maybe possibly I'll reread them all and then write about them. Likely not anytime soon, though. But you guys can read what I managed to write! (it's not much)

Spoilers for Cleopatra's Daughter and Cleopatra's Moon.

I finished Cleopatra's Daughter, so it's time to write some stuff I noticed between it and Cleopatra's Moon. Spoilers for both books, some little, some big.

Octavian and Illness

In Cleopatra's Moon, Octavian says that he's sick often but he actually is never sick but he just says he's sick because he's a coward. Also this is something that's mentioned once and never again and it hardly affects anything. I really don't like how this book did that.

Meanwhile in Cleopatra's Daughter, Octavian is actually quite sickly and struggles especially in cold weather. But then it's somewhat treated like a moral failing, though I think that's mostly just what Cleopatra Selene the character thinks about this, not how the viewer is supposed to think about it. I think this book certainly approached this topic with a lot more care than Cleopatra's Moon did.

Alexander Helios and Homosexuality

(yeah I'm going to be using anachronistic wording here, but this is about two historical fiction novels written less than 20 years ago by authors with modern ideas of sexuality, so I think using modern language makes the most sense in this context)

In both books, Alexander Helios is a major character with some sort of connection to homosexuality.

It's honestly really funny in Cleopatra's Moon. So basically, Cleopatra Selene notices Alexander Helios kissing or something with a blond haired person, but it's really unclear who the blond haired person is; she didn’t get a good look. Then she hears a masculine laugh. So she immediately assumes it's Marcellus. That masculine laugh could've belonged to anyone, Alexander Helios, for example, but Cleopatra Selene hears a masculine laugh and sees blond hair so her brother's lover has to be Marcellus. And she's so supportive about this, honestly. She was like "Good for them. Good for them. Wonder what Octavian will think about it."

She spends a bunch of time giggling just imagining Octavian's golden boy as the lover of Alexander Helios of all people.

Then Marcellus disrespects her, so she's like "How dare you disrespect your lover’s sister!"

And he's like "I... don't understand?"

And she's like "Stop pretending you don't know! I saw you in the gardens with him. How long have you and my brother been together?"

And he's like "Uh..... did you think that Alexander and I are lovers?"

And she got confused, and said "Yeah? I saw you today! I saw your blond hair!"

And he was like "Julia and both Marcellas have blond hair. What made you think it was me?"

And then she thought about it for a moment. She thought "Hmmm. Julia is a jerk and both Marcellas are boring. If my brother had any taste, it could only have been Marcellus!"

And then she said "Well I also heard a masculine laugh!"

And Marcellus said "Your brother is... you know, masculine too. Also, I spent the entire day with Caesar, not Alexander."

And she was like "Then who was it!?"

And he was like "I don't know and I don't care. What I do care about is how quickly you assumed it was me."

And then she was like "What!?? Is Alexander not good enough for you? I'm offended for him!"

And then I don't really want to spoil anything more. Anyway, this is terribly terribly funny. Alexander never canonically did anything homosexual in this book. However, the one mention of homosexuality in this book concerns him.

Meanwhile, in Cleopatra's Daughter, Alexander is canonically not straight. Judging by the writing, he is almost certainly gay. The book kept foreshadowing it from the very beginning. I swear the writing of this book has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The foreshadowing was so heavy-handed, it was awkward.

Anyway, Alexander meets this one dude called Lucius and they instantly become lovers. And Cleopatra Selene is not happy about it in the slightest. She's honestly quite homophobic throughout the entire book.

Anyway, one night, Alexander went to Lucius' room. Then they both got stabbed. So I think the author heard about Bury Your Gays and took it as writing advice. One of them survived, though.

So, yeah.

Livia and Octavia

In Cleopatra's Moon for most of the book, the reader is forced to assume that Livia is super evil the personification of evil she hates everyone she poisons people every day she never did anything good in her life meanwhile Octavia is just kind of creepy. But then, there's a big twist and it turns out Livia just looks evil but she didn't actually do anything, and Octavia was the true villain.

Listen, it made me happy to see that Livia wasn't the villain, but not at the expense of Octavia!

Meanwhile, in Cleopatra's Daughter, Livia is evil and Octavia is a complete angel.

Using a Greeker version of someone's name

I swear that these books just want to feel educated or good about themselves in some way, so they use a Greeker form of one name so they can feel fancy.

In Cleopatra's Moon, Alexander Helios is called Alexandros.

In Cleopatra's Daughter, Cleopatra is spelled Kleopatra. Cleopatra Selene gets annoyed when Cleopatra is spelled with a C instead of a K.

[theserpentsadvocate]

I am drowning in half-planned fic right now because I made the mistake of rewatching Veronica Mars (and seeing the new season) and then there was very very little of the stuff I wanted to make me feel better, so I am now writing it myself all at once??? (Yes, juggling like six AUs at once is a bad idea, no I did not do it on purpose.) And I know better than to post unfinished stuff, so give me some feedback, guys:

What are people interested in?

(Relevant information: I am here for Weevil, and I am decidedly not here for Logan. Also, these are mostly not the actual titles, I just don’t have one yet.)

Finish the short ones first!

*The long, sad, bittersweet Weevil/Jade reunion, where she runs into trouble post S4 and has no one else to call. (Pros: As a (long) oneshot, will probably be finished in the next millennium! I’ve also not only started it but made some decent progress. Has a likely sequel which is… maaaybe less sad. Kind of. Jade POV, which is, uh, scarce. Cons: Sequel is less well-planned-out and kind of self-indulgent, this is a ship that like two people are on. Also it’s sad.)

*Five Children Veronica Mars Never Had (Pros: Short enough it might get finished before the heat-death of the universe! I’ve also already started it. Takes a bit of a turn from the typical children-as-a-ship-exploration/validation these things often have (most of these children are not biologically Veronica’s). Novel canon is relevant! Some very solid V/W friendship in at least one. Cons: Tremendously, horrifically depressing; I literally just keep killing people to make the premise work. Very little shipping.)

*The Jade/Eli Chronicles (Pros: Related oneshots so, again, will probably be finished in a semi-reasonable time. Fluffy if you block S4 from your memory. Jade gets, like, lines. Cons: Not a ton of substance, only happy if you block S4 from your memory, this is a ship that two people are on.)

*Five (Or Some Number) Worlds Veronica Didn’t Grow Up In (Pros: Fun crossovers/fusions! All the chapters will be more standalone, so I might even post it serially. A BtVS where Veronica isn’t the Slayer (Lilly was). Animorphs!!! Cons: Fusions are automatically disinteresting if you don’t know the other canon. Some of them are not super well-developed yet. Also, how do you make Veronica Mars more upsetting? Cross it with Animorphs!)

I want longfic, because the literal problem is not enough V/W longfic!

*Veronica Mars, Intrepid Reporter

A Lilly lives AU where canon splits whenever Lilly (doesn’t) begin her affair with Aaron. Veronica copes with Duncan’s sudden cold shoulder by becoming an investigative high school journalist.

Pros: This is my first-concieved AU, and maybe the project I’m most proud of? (Pending completion.) Heavy focus on the death of Marisol Reyes. Features a not-irredeemably-awful high school experience for Veronica. Lilly is still flawed as per canon but she’s not evil and she loves her brother and her friends. Eventual (very eventual) Veronica/Weevil. Meg lives. Lots of Keith and Veronica’s relationship. Probably the most optimistic of all my AUs.

Cons: Spans a long time and will probably be gigantic (these things always get bigger once I’m writing them), so will take approximately forever to finish. Planned out to some extent but not started yet. Somewhat critical take on Logan (I almost put that in the ‘pros’ column but I know how the fandom is about him).

*The Lawsuit Story

An AU where Weevil doesn’t settle as soon as in canon (or maybe Lamb just panics quicker), and an attempted attack on him kills Jade instead.

Pros: Hello to the novel canon! This is probably my favourite of all the universes I’m messing around with. The Weevil/Veronica friendship is so strong with this one that I am legitimately conflicted over whether to actually even have them get together. Valentina has an extremely strong presence and I love her. It's pretty charitable to Logan, considering I wrote it. Carmen makes a few appearances. Celeste Kane goes down.

Cons: This was originally just part of ‘Five Children…’ so the long version probably won’t be written until that’s finished. May or may not contain Weevil/Veronica, but if it does, it is a loooong wait. Does contain LoVe.

*High School Revenge Story

Another Lilly lives AU, where Lilly definitely IS having an affair with Aaron. And also Weevil, but not anymore. And also, Veronica’s (post-Troy) boyfriend. Anyway, Veronica finds out about the last point and decides to get revenge/prove she’s not some virginal innocent sidekick by hooking up with Lilly’s sidepiece, who she imagines wants to piss Lilly off as much as she does.

Pros: Not only is it Veronica/Weevil, but Veronica/Weevil is, like, eighty percent of the plot. There’s definitely smut (plot- and character-advancing, even!). There’s an unexpectedly touching strangers-with-benefits relationship even before the extremely unplanned pining. This one felt the most like the show when I was planning it out, especially with the nature and timing of the twists. Lilly is not evil, she’s just a teenager in over her head who doesn’t want to admit it and coping maladaptively.

Cons: I always feel weird touting porn as a selling point when I wrote it, because I have had zero sex in my entire life (although I am thirty, and I feel like life experience and general knowledgeableness about actual human anatomy count for something here). I have not started this one yet, although it’s more or less outlined. Logan also does not come off well (this is because he is a teenager having a Very Bad Time, but his actions are still not excusable). This was originally two different AUs before I realized they should probably be one (I cannot say what the other one was, because it’s a major spoiler), so there’s the possibility of disjointedness where they meet. Also, I’m not entirely sure I have the chops to pull this one off – there’s a lot of dark stuff going on under the surface (well, there’d have to be, for the plot to work, because otherwise it’s just very OOC), and it’s not the kind of thing that’s usually my forte, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway.

*Platonic Co-parents

AU where Veronica stays at Hearst. She and Weevil have a one-night stand in her third year and end up getting a child out of it.

Pros: It’s just a lot of fun! It’ll probably end up W/V but in the meantime they’ve got a solid, supportive friendship going on, to the aggravation of everyone either of them tries to date. (“What do you mean your daughter’s father is sleeping on your couch because the hot water broke in his apartment???”) I have a later scene planned out where they go to the high school reunion separately and deliberately show everyone the same picture of Mariana to see if anyone realizes it’s the same kid, which sums up the vibe pretty well. There is Keith+Weevil awkwardness and then probably some Keith+Weevil friendship later on. Lots of time given to Weevil’s family. Also, Veronica looks into Susan Knight’s suspicious drowning. I have also (technically) started it.

Cons: Listen, I know it’s a reach for Veronica to be willing to have a child at this point in her life, but I’ve done my best to justify it and I think I did okay. Plus, you know, the entire premise is a junk food trope – it’s not evil, but it’s trite. I love it anyway.

No, I want something else/FINISH YOUR OTHER STUFF

*[Earth’s Children] The story where an adult Durc and Brun’s former clan meet the post-Ayla Lion Camp!

Pros: Ambitious dual narrative I think I’m pulling off well (time divergent; one strand moving forward from the first encounter, one from Ayla’s departure), lots of screentime for supporting characters with wasted potential (Vorn, Frebec, Ura, Brac, not to mention Durc), several chapters already written.

Cons: Extremely ambitious so it will take me forever to finish, there’s basically no one in this fandom.

*[Earth’s Children] The Echozar/Joplaya fic

Pros: Actually develops their friendship into something that makes sense, development of Echozar’s childhood and of the Lanzadonii, I’ve got a rough outline and a few pages written.

Cons: Definitely chaptered so it will take some time, there are even less people in this part of the fandom.

*[The Old Guard] Give An Inch Fall A Mile (Joe and Nicky friendship-with-benefits their way into being Joe and Nicky)

Pros: Lots of sex scenes (obviously) on which I have had positive feedback, several chapters written (probably half-finished), I'm very proud of the writing quality on this one, and I absolutely should be writing this first.

Cons: I have been stalled out on it for more than a year, it may not be finished before the new movie comes out and possibly makes it incompatible with canon.

*[Veronica Mars] The Firebird AU… crossover… fusion… thing

Post-S4, Veronica travels through alternate universes and learns that she needs to get her shit together and apologize to Weevil.

Pros: Um, the Firebird Trilogy is cool but is not required knowledge for entry, alternate universes are neat, and even though this idea is probably dumb I can’t stop thinking about it. It would probably even technically comply with canon.

Cons: Half of the universes I have up my sleeve are from the AUs mentioned above, so it probably won’t get written (if it does) until they’re finished in like ten to twenty years. The actual plot is thin; I mostly have a bunch of scenes. There is a decent chance this idea is self-gratifying and pointless, but I also just cannot stop thinking about it.

*[Veronica Mars] Zombie Apocalypse

Post-S4 zombie apocalypse lands Veronica and Keith on a stolen yacht with a bunch of Weevil’s gang, Jade and her new boyfriend, and this one other guy.

Pros: There’s a lot of compelling (I think) personal drama, which is largely not rooted in anyone being an asshole (except Veronica, but that’s canon and I can’t do anything about it except try to fix it with zombies). Weevil finds out his kid is trans and does his best to speed-run the acceptance ladder despite his personal doubts because he’s extremely concerned about being killed by zombies (and thinks he's dying for a minute) and knows this is his only chance to make them feel supported. Eventual W/V, probably.

Cons: I do not know where I’m going with this. Author is not trans herself and might fuck up.

*[Veronica Mars] The Babysitter Effect

Valentina’s babysitter is still in the truck when Weevil stops to help Celeste, and she witnesses everything.

Pros: Teenage awkwardness, but in a fun way. Weevil gets the justice he fucking deserves. Beginning already written.

Cons: I have no plans at all for what happens after the inciting incident, and even if I did I don’t know how long this would be.

Soooo... if you're not in the Silm fandom you've probably never seen my writing before, but I'm happy to back it up with excerpts! Please ask me for excerpts.

If I keep up the volume of writing I've been doing I can probably get something substantial finished by the end of the year but I need input, please weigh in even if we're complete strangers and you found this post two years from now, best-case scenario I can link you to the completed fic. :)

[mejomonster]

Okay so. My ability to focus is weak af recently. Regardless, gonna liveblog if I do manage to read ToT. I found Huai Dao Way of Evil on one of ur recommendations, as an older priest novel that kinda felt like the rough first try at the vibe Modu would nail later? (Also i have heard in reviews its uh best case cringe worst case insensitive at handling mental health issues which... modu handles so well and nuanced so, i mean i guess worst case at least things improved? But ive ran into enough (unfortunately) novels that handle the topic shittily that i hope im kind of hardened to it. Like i suspect sci mystery probably handles mental stuff suckily but im still gonna give it a shot one day for its other qualities, etc.) Anyway back to my point: huai dao may not be lets say up to spec of "wow one of my new top fave stories ever" like modu was. But hey! Still lets go on this journey! See how skills evolved, see what ideas were older and got cherished and improved ya know. (Also reasons id love to read Iterant Doctor and The Blue Seal by priest).

Also? Frankly. I love a good murder mystery. I read the first few pages. And already I can tell, at least writing style wise, ill like huai dao more than In The Dark (sorry ITD i just dont click as much style wise). Huai Dao doesnt open on a scary or mysterious scene to make me wonder whats going on: which Lie Huo Jiao Chou, Zhenhun, Modu, and Can Ci Pin all do fairly quickly (and its a good choice from my perspective lol as it gets me sucked in). But it does open with solid CHARACTERS. A couple pages in and i already have a much firmer Feel of the characters than 100 pages of In The Dark. I can tell the police girl has some vibes in common with Zhu Hong and Lang Qiao (but priest just loves a few certain Types in the investigator work groups), but she also distincrly doesnt have a Little Sister big mouth vibe of Lang Qiao and also doesnt have a cold judging but fond vibe like Zhu Hong, she feels distinct enough for me to get a sense of her as unique (something i think priest does well that... again ITD just did not really give me until maybe halfway thru book 1). The main chief boss seems a lot like ITD's chief, and Modu's. Except modu even early on had hints the chief had secrets, was a certain social class and tied to powerful city people. This chief, at least on opening pages, seems more close and friendly to his entire team and closer to their level.

And the main guy. Shen Yexi. On first impression, oh boy. I like him. Hes around my age, he got shot and just got cleared to come back to work. The setup is standard for many a mirder mystery and danmei crime novel (Poyun and In The Dark open similarly, its just a common setup). But immediately i can tell who he is on some level. He's friendly but not nearly in the way Zhao Yunlan is (not charismatic and big) and not in the show offy almost perfotmance Keep In Control way Luo Wenzhou is. He exudes a certain Serious nature (more like shen wei maybe? If anything) but also is sincere to people he considers somewhat close (like his team). Again, i deeply appreciate the way priest can immediately establish at least some specific sense of character quite quickly. Ive read bits of a few other novels lately that couldnt do that as fast, and for me unique characters i can really grasp goes a Long way into holding my attention.

Shen Yexi is about my age, as stubborn as me, probably too much of a workaholic and a touch too sincere about doing what hes intending to do (at least on first impression). And i can tell im gonna like him. As the 3rd case solving murders type priest story ive checked out (after zhenhun and modu), i was a bit worried the lead might feel like a less refined version of zhao yunlan or luo wenzhou or tao ran. Happy to say, so far, he does not. (Tao ran may be closest in temperment but... fei du and luo wenzhous point of views painted tao ran as so perfect and put on a pedestal of normal sweet noble Great that Shen Yexi just has NONE of tao rans vibe).

Anyway, expect more commentary at some point.

Btw I am reading The Way of Evil 坏道 on WOC Translations, the translation is complete:

[anxiety-banana]

20 questions for fic writers

y'all i'm so happy i haven't done one of these in forever :')

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

93, but that doesn't count my 49 anon works lol

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

252,902, and i'm still disappointed by that number, because that means i could have written multiple novels by now lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

oof uh lets start the list: star wars and marvel (and like three of its subcategories lol) are the current ones, but including past ones: white collar, psych, warehouse 13, almost paradise, and leverage!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

so apparently most of my best fics are anon,,, i guess stick around for the official release of those?? but yeah the first three are anon

when it matters (white collar)

inevitability is a stupid, stupid, thing (penny parker fic!)

if you're so smart tell me why are you still so afraid (this is my one and only suits fic, i also hate it, but feel free to check it out lol there's not enough content in the fandom to keep it anon)

and home isn't quite the same, but it's far from unachievable

big brothers make it okay

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

uh YEAH unless you're writing in a language google translate doesn't understand or you made me so mad i'm avoiding giving my phone a smackdown, i'm replying to your comment

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

browski my fics are either fix its or "hey you know what would be fun? killing plo koon" so uh i did some digging and i think it might be call me what i am, call me a monster. that one was,,, a lot lol i have no idea where my headspace was when i wrote that. a lot of my angsty fics end somewhat hopeful but this one legit is angst all the way through

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

ooh!! lose ourselves in the moment is one of the fluffiest endings i can think of. i write quite a bit of fluff, but my main fandom also occurs during a war so it's a delicate balance lol

8. Do you get hate on fics?

kind of?? i've never had someone comment "u suck" on a fic, but i've had a LOT of passive aggressive stuff telling me i'm writing a character wrong, or that I write a fact wrong (i usually get these when i actually wrote something into a fictional universe with fictional, non canonical facts lol so i do get a little pleasure responding to those kind)

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

lol nope. i have an appreciation for certain kinds of smut in writing, when they're tasteful, but even then i typically don't read far into it before wimping out

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

i haven't, but i've written references to them into fics for people to find haha

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

yes, but basically my entire wattpad fic era was stolen on one of those weird bootleg fic websites?? honestly it was all crap they can have it

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but i'm hoping to translate all my fics into legible english prose one of these days. when will this clown figure out how to write is my question

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

i had one (1) fic in the works between @ashgryff and @ljbrary once like two years ago that never even got close to completion, i'm not even sure what happened to that thing?? but i remember panicking because i was terrified of messing up something and we were all kind of new friends at the time so it was mortifying ahaha

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

team "i crave familial affection" i literally took to scrolling my bookmarks to find one i love :') i might have to go with kanan/hera?? i just never get tired of them they're some of my favorite characters as it is

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

mmm so I Know, I'm Sorry (But You Can Do Better) is technically an ongoing fic, it's just a one-shot sort of thing that I'd really like to either give a full plot or just continue indefinitely but at this rate i have no idea if it'll even get another chapter

16. What are your writing strengths?

when i get into it, i pride myself on inner emotional prose, also people have complimented me on my dialogue before so i guess dialogue

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

plotting, pieces longer than 10k, sticking through rough patches to finish a draft

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

personally i only trust myself to do it in a tiny bit of french, but if it's done correctly i think it can be really cool

19. First fandom you wrote for?

sooo technically that would not be star wars even tho that's the first of mine on the internet, it would be Marvel, in which I wrote three paragraphs of a random movie ten years in the future after Endgame came out. it sucked, but look what it started i guess??

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

we've already established that i have a total 142 fics on ao3 so this is a struggle uhhh maybe Eternal, i was really proud of it when i posted it, also you didn't put those bones in the ground, because it took me a really long time to post after i finished it. i find most of the fics i hesitate to post are my favorites, because i don't want them to be harshly judged haha

that was long, thank you for sticking around!!

no pressure tags! answer any or none of these questions haha

lilly and ash who i already tagged and feel bad for double tagging, @ahsokryze @dashedwithromance @armchairaloof @twentyfunnybunnies and all who wish to join! i see this a lot but honestly if you want to join this, please take this as your permission! i will literally tag you if you ask me to so you feel better about participating

[badboysupr]

how similar are you (the writer) and leo? and how different are you from each other?

@nosestealer || thank you so much for this!

. . . well. how much time do you have? c:

no but really it means something that Leo is my longest-standing current muse on tumblr and is one of those characters i feel i can write in the snap of a finger even if i'm not fully feeling him, y'know? Like, even if I'm not "in the mood" to write him, I can still usually manage to write him ??? He's my "easiest" muse, simply put!

and he's that way because i relate to him so deeply

i could write a novel on this, so i'm limiting myself to one similarity and one difference to spare everyone my babbling at least somewhat (♡´౪`♡)

similarity: making jokes out of our pain (and please, please please please this is not meant to be self-pitying; just honest). me and leo are 🤝 with self-deprecating jokes or just making our problems seem smaller than they actually are. y'know, taking some massive grievance and basically being like lol that's life for you !! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ humor as a coping technique x10000000. and tbh, a lot of people do this! i think that's why leo in general is a fairly relatable character

difference: as equally as i'm not begging for pity, i'm also not tooting my own horn here, but emotional competence ??? i made a post awhile back about how much it PAINS me to write leo being so wrapped up in his own head that he comes off rude or uncaring toward people who need support— yeah, it pains me bc i try to be very empathetic and understanding to everyone around me that writing a character who is, uh . . . more "selfish" in that sense is actually so grating at times. i love nothing more than being there for my friends and being as supportive as possible, and while i do think leo feels similarly (that idea of wanting to be "useful": another similarity), he struggles a LOT more with expressing it and tends to get really stuck in his thoughts (but he's a teenager. i'm 2x his age, now, so good GOD i hope i have more emotional competence than him lORDY)

anyway yes !!!

of all my muses, i relate to leo the most. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ in, uh . . . plenty of ways that are both good and bad, but i like to hope i recognize my faults and attempt to better myself every day. thanks so much again for sending this!