#no formatting no tags. like we’re just out here writing into the void

[sashimiyas]

cw: dad! osamu

osamu’s baby memorizes onigiri miya’s phone number before even learning how to write his own name. he likes to call his dad when nana miya is busy hanging up the laundry outside.

obviously, phone calls at onigiri miya are of the norm. the working class on a limited lunch like to place an order ahead and families cater. there’s complaints and compliments but when the little boss calls, the atmosphere changes.

the phone is exchanged between hands, everyone screaming a hey, little boss into the speaker, smiles on their faces from the babe’s infectious giggles. osamu has to fight through the crowd, yell at everyone to get back to work so he can have a chance to speak to his son.

they all relent, knowing all too well with the excited grin on osamu’s face that there’s no bite in his tone. he’s just a father who loves his son and is so clearly loved back.

“here ya go, big boss,” someone says while handing him the phone. the nickname is accepted graciously. he wouldn’t be big boss without a little one.

and the one on the phone loves it because he loves his dad so much. he has no clue what boss means, only knows that when someone says it, he’s picturing his father in an apron and black cap, and smells of green onions and sesame and rice, but that’s him. he’s exactly like dad, just littler.

“hey, little man,” osamu says as he steps back into the alleyway behind his restaurant. he wipes his brow, an exhale escaping him.

and his son laughs hysterically on the line. his employees always get him so riled up and the kid is saying hi repeatedly in multiple octaves, out of breath just like he. the cook can only imagine his kid running through the living room he and atsumu used to play in.

work is hard. it doesn’t get any easier but osamu doesn’t mind if the smallest breaks he can fit in sound like this.

“ya dancing over there?”

“no! i’m killing monsters!”

osamu can’t help but laugh at the gremlin noise, “wow, ya so brave. where’s granny? is she helping ya?”

“nana’s outside.”

of course osamu knew that. or else he wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.

“maybe ya should check on her. there might be monsters outside too.”

there’s a dramatic gasp on the line as if osamu’s said the most outstanding thing in the world. his son is too cute.

“okay!”

“alright. i’ll see ya soon, okay? make sure ya give the phone back to granny, alright?”

“okay!” he’s already running but before he hangs up, the kid makes sure to shout into the phone, “love you, big boss!”

osamu’s heart sings.

“love ya too, little boss.”

[kanotototori]

Chapter 103-2

Happy extremely belated New Year’s, everyone - it is now February of 2023 buuuut this is my first meta of the year, so. :P

These Noragami thoughts where brought to you by “3 AM coffee and write the chapter thoughts post because it will never get done otherwise.”

Note: I had to remove all the links to my sources because Tumblr really hates them and so prevents the post from showing up in the tag. Urgh. Sorry about that.

Thoughts under the cut.

Word Count: 2,100~

Dated: February 6, 2023

Chapter 104-1

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me change my mind about this chapter at least 3 times already - the truth is, I am still kind of on the fence about it. I think the next one and a half chapters could make or break the plot of this arc, depending on how Adachitoka chooses to contextualize Father’s new-found (asspull?) ability and what happens within the space this ability created. But that’s getting a bit ahead of things!

This page in particular is very intriguing to me.

 夜ト　おまえは言ったな　「どこの世界で生きてんだ」と

それがいい。今なら出来る

…この力を何と呼ぼう

What Father is quoting here ( どこの世界で生きてんだ ) is Yato’s line to him from Chapter 102-2: Lifeline.

I usually read Noragami chapter raws in full when they first come out and what I found interesting here is what comes after Father quotes that: それがいい。今なら出来る sore ga ii. ima nara dekiru (roughly, “That’s just fine/good. I/You can do that, now.”) The thing about Japanese is that it often omits the subject of a sentence if the subject can be inferred from the context of the conversation, which can be... quite vague, sometimes, more so in manga format where it isn’t always clear what the speaker is referring to. 今なら出来るin very literal terms would be something like “now, can do.” It’s not specified who can do (something) here: you could insert “you” or “I” or even “we” - if we’re counting Mizuchi as a participant in the conversation - as the pronoun and it would still make sense.

I think fast-moon’s translation makes perfect sense too but personally, when I first read this page, I inferred the subject to be Yato (”You can do that, now”) rather than Father (”That’s something I can do now”) because Father was quoting Yato (the subject of the sentence, the one doing the saying, おまえは言ったな... omae wa itta na). If Father was referring to himself, I would rather think that he would have used オレ (ore) preceding the sentence, the masculine pronoun that Father uses to refer to himself.

In that sense, I took it to be something like “You say I’m living in a completely different world, well, now you can do that too”, as in - you can live in that world (that I live in), too. Definitely take it with a grain of salt because I certainly don’t have as much translation experience as fast-moon buuut considering Hiyori sees the memories of the past in that void, I think it’s a reasonable interpretation to entertain.

102 also gave us this flashback, after all.

So, what is Birthing a Nation and what can it do? And - perhaps more importantly - where did this ability come from? (The jury is still out on whether it’s an asspull ability or not, lol, but I am definitely intrigued by it.)

The only thing we know for certain is that it can create a space: it is that black, reflective void that Shiiho likens to a lake, which is expanding (insert domain expansion joke here). Hiyori sees it as a space that is underwater, where several scenes can be seen. They might be memories, as we see the sakura tree under which Yato met Tamanone, Father and co.’s old hut, and possibly their home in Tamagahara. The end chapter note describes it as an “enchanted world” ( 魅せる世界, miseru sekai)* that was created by Birthing a Nation.

* Side note: I thought the 魅せる in 魅せる世界  miseru sekai was an alternative/archaic kanji spelling of the modern 見せる (miseru, “to see/to be shown”), but it’s actually a special class suru verb 魅 する (misuru, “to charm/to bewitch/to enchant”). I do wonder if it’s meant to be homonym worldplay on both  魅せる世界 “enchanted world” and 見せる世界 “world that can be seen/is shown”, Adachitoka does love their worldplay.

Its Japanese name, Kuni-umi ( 国生み ,”the birth/creation of the land/nation”), also alludes to this ability to create. As fast-moon pointed out in the translation notes, it specifically refers to the creation myth of the Japanese archipelago by Izanami and Izanagi.**

After the formation, Heaven was above and Earth was still a drifting soft mush. The first five gods named Kotoamatsukami (別天津神, "Separate Heavenly Deities") were lone deities without sex and did not reproduce. Then came the Kamiyonanayo (神世七代, "The Seven Divine Generations"), consisting of two lone deities followed by five couples. The elder gods delegated the youngest couple Izanagi and Izanami to carry out their venerable mandate: to reach down from heaven and give solid form to the earth.

This they did with the use of a precious stone-covered spear named Ame-no-nuboko (天沼矛, "heavenly jewelled spear"), given to them by the elders. Standing over the Ame-no-ukihashi (天浮橋, "floating bridge of heaven"), they churned the chaotic mass with the spear. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed into the first island, Onogoroshima. In forming this island, both gods came down from heaven, and spontaneously built a central support column called the Ame-no-mihashira (天御柱, "heavenly pillar") which upheld the "hall measuring eight fathoms" that the gods caused to appear afterwards.

- Kuniumi, Wikipedia

** According to Wikipedia, Kuniumi in reference to this myth is spelled 国産み instead of 国生み, which is how it’s spelled in Noragami. The kanji 産 seems to have stronger connections solely to the act of childbirth, among other things. While 生み can also mean “birth, giving birth”, it can also refer to the act of creation, “bringing into the world.”

I remarked (partly in jest) that Father has become undeniably “Izanagi-coded” buuuut in truth, he has always been partly “Izanagi-coded” in the sense that he seems to have been inspired by the mythos of Izanagi (an idea that @nyappytown​ helped me tap into with her brilliant breakdowns of Susanoo inspirations in Yato’s character). I touched on this briefly when I did my post on the origins of the mythical magatsuhi-no-kami 禍津日神 (once again Noragami’s spelling differs a bit, magatsukami 禍津神, even though clearly this concept was inspired by the myth). It warrants another mention because immediately following the Kuniumi came the Kamiumi 神産み (”the birth of the kami”), a period where many kami were born from Izanagi and Izanami’s union, then Izanami’s death, Kagutsuchi’s death, during Izanagi’s escape from Yomi, and, finally, during Izanagi’s purification following his return from Yomi.

I think a lot of the comparisons to the Izanagi mythos re: Father came from the fact that he calls himself “Father” (as in, the “father” of the gods, in a sense) and the parallels with his descent into Yomi (I think it’s fair to say that Father seeing Kaya’s likeness in Izanami can be compared to Izanagi descending into Yomi specifically to see Izanami, his deceased wife, on some level) and subsequent return from Yomi. Father returning from Yomi has certainly been talked about a lot but the immediate aftermath has not yet come up - I think it’s safe to bet that it will be drawing from Izanagi’s purification, the last part of the Kamiumi.

The TL;DR of the Izanagi purification story, as written on Izanagi’s Wikipedia page (complete with citations that I will not include here):

Izanagi, feeling contaminated by his visit to Yomi, went to "[the plain of] Awagihara (i.e. a plain covered with awagi) by the river-mouth of Tachibana in Himuka in [the island of] Tsukushi" and purified himself by bathing in the river; various deities came into existence as he stripped off his clothes and accouterments and immersed himself in the water. The three most important kami, the "Three Precious Children" (三貴子 mihashira no uzu no miko or sankishi) – the sun goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami, the moon deity Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, and the storm god Susanoo-no-Mikoto – were born when Izanagi washed his left eye, his right eye, and his nose, respectively.

(Note: As you can see, water plays a big theme in Shinto. The islands of Japan were born out of the sediment in the ocean, and here, it is an agent of purification by which one can clean themselves of ritual impurity, kegare 穢れ. That continues to be the case in modern day practices, which you can see at Shinto shrines, and in Noragami as well - clean water is used to purify blight caused by ayakashi.)

The Kamiumi Wikipedia page goes on to elaborate that Omaga-tsuhi (Magatsuhi-no-kami, just a slightly different variation of the name) was the second god born of the impurities that were stripped from Izanagi after he discarded his clothes, following his return from Yomi. According to Japanese Wiki Corpus, Magatsuhi-no-kami is a god of disasters.

I won’t rehash too much of what I said in “On Matagtsukami: A Few Noragami Thoughts” but one thought has got me thinking:

How exactly was Yato wished into existence by Father, from a single strong wish? Perhaps, just maybe, the thing that some people argued would make it implausible for Yato to have been born from Father’s wish - the fact that his return from Yomi rendered him no longer fully human - is the very thing that enabled it to happen in the first place? Could it have been from the purification process after returning from Yomi? Or maybe with the help of the Brush - not Father forcing another name on an already existing, reincarnated god, but by using the Brush as a catalyst for the manifestation of Father’s wish in some way, since Yato was born after Mizuchi had been named with the Brush?

Bear with me, here.

It was said a few chapters ago that the Brush has been “infused with Izanami’s spirit” - it has Izanami’s power in it, and that’s probably why it works and simply naming ayakashi with a mask and incantation does not. After all, ayakashi have “lost their spirit” and have “neither true names nor human forms” - they are simply vectors of negative energy and impurities.

Side note: Just realized we got pretty much the same visual in this chapter. Not a coincidence by any stretch of the imagination.

But Izanami helped create the islands of Japan, her power is (was?) “creation”, just as it is Izanagi’s. Her status as the “matron god” (国母たる神, koku botaru kami) of the country has even brought up in 103-2.

I suspect that Father had “infused” himself with the power within the Word by drawing the ayakshi eye on his face, giving him abilities similar to that of Izanami. We never really got an explanation of the powers we see her use in Yomi. Naming ayakashi and corrupted spirits is one thing... using such a power on a spirit akin to a deity might be entirely another. (Considering the fact that Izanami is sealed in Yomi and the whole “laws of the Underworld” we’ve gotten a few chapters ago, though, I can’t see this ending well for Father.)

(Note: The above panel of Izanami is from Chapter 36, titled 呪 縛 Jyuubaku, “Binding Curse/Spell.” It’s the chapter in which Izanami completely seals off Yomi to prevent Yato from escaping. Possibly the name of one of her abilities?

Also, I’ve always thought some of the patterns bear a striking resemblance to Jomon pottery.

From Prehistoric Japanese Pottery.)

Birthing a Nation being a reference to the creation of Japan would seem to confirm that, indeed, the Brush has powers of “creation” - Izanami’s powers. In tandem with the myth of the birth of many gods following Izanagi’s return from Yomi (and the established parallels with Father), I would not be surprised if Father had somehow used that power to create Yato, hence why just one man/deity/goryo was able to create a kami when it shouldn’t have been possible.

Considering that the last Brush was said to be weaker than the current one Father is using, I do think that another element was needed for a kami to be created. As to what that would be, I have no idea - this theory certainly has its holes, it’s not perfect, but I wouldn’t say it’s far-fetched, either. A lot of kami seem to be born from things like blood and random articles of clothing so maybe that’s on the table? ;P

But back to Birthing a Nation. So, it has created a space that looks like a reflective, watery void, bearing the same patterns that we see Izanami use in Yomi. Hiyori sees what seem like memories but... what is that space? What is actually in it?

I don’t think they necessarily have to be memories. Seeing as Father was specifically responding to “you’re living in a completely different world”/”just what world are you living in?”, I think it could be any number of things. Does Father want Yato to experience the world as he sees it (considering that Yato specifically said he doesn't know "what bullshit you think you've been seeing or hearing")? Is he sending him back to the past? Has it something to do with Father's or Yato's memories?

...Is he creating another alternative timeline altogether?

I guess that remains to be seen. But I think we are going to be seeing Father’s return from Yomi and Yato’s birth very soon!

[zirkkun-uthcs]

Generic Headcanons (Sanses)

This list includes short bits of information on the various Sanses to be included on this blog. If you’re looking for a specific one, please use CTRL+F to search for the AU, due to the length of this list. Reminder as well that most of this information is entirely headcanon. If there’s canon information that I’ve messed up somewhere on this, please let me know so I can fix it and adjust accordingly!

Please note: When answering asks, I will first list the character being requested in the format of AU!Sans, but the nicknames here are listed because sometimes I drift off while writing and lean towards those names.

Undertale

Nickname/s: Comic, Tale Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / asexual

+ takes a lot of time to like someone at all, usually by default doesn’t trust people + isn’t a fan of physical contact, but if someone was to manage to get close to him, he’s incredibly cuddly + horrible with directions, will get lost really easily; uses shortcuts to make up for it

character tag

Underswap (original concept by p0pcornpr1nce, who has left the fandom and deleted the content)

Nickname/s: Blue Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: non-binary Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / bisexual

+ is a pun connoisseur; will only accept the best puns, anything less is just unacceptable + is emotional, but tries to hide it because he feels the need to keep on a strong persona for the sake of everyone else +  is secretly an incredibly talented writer and has a lot of written works in his room

character tag

Underfell (original concept by Vic the Underfella)

Nickname/s: Red, Fell Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: panromantic / pansexual

+ is extremely self-conscious and hides this by acting like as much of a confident asshole as possible + crushes incredibly easy due to the lack of caring people he has in his life, but refuses to believe he’s lovable + secretly hates cats. doomfanger may or may not be the cause of this

character tag

Underlust  (original concept by nsfwshamecave, who has left the fandom.)

Nickname/s: Lust, Lusty Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: biromantic / bisexual

+ is secretly a hopeless romantic, but has yet to meet anyone interested in romance over sex, so he takes what he can get + flirts with anything that breathes; has a plethora of horrible pick-up lines + has been outside of his own AU and is well-versed in the multiverse

character tag

Xtale (by jakei)

Nickname/s: Cross Date of Birth: Oct. 10th Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / bisexual

+ has difficulty trusting anyone anymore due to the betrayal he’s had in the past + he finds comfort in doodling or other art-related things, and can often be found locked away for hours doing so + will wear literally anything but his uniform when no one’s around, no matter how stupid it looks

character tag

Ink (by myebi/comyet) (same headcanons apply to Underverse!Ink)

Nickname/s: None Date of Birth: April 15 Height: 3′9″ / 116 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: aromantic / asexual

+ his ink vials’ colors represent: green = comfort/safety, yellow = joy/energy, orange = encouragement/creativity, red = wrath/violence, pink = love/care, purple = lust/attraction, blue = sadness/concern, cyan = calm/relaxed + refuses to ever drink his pink or purple vials anymore due to the fact he doesn’t want to mislead people into thinking he cares about them + his tastes change based on what emotions he’s feeling/ink he’s drank

character tag underverse-specific

Pale (by unu-nunu-art/unu-nunium)

Nickname/s: None Date of Birth: May 26th Height: 3′9″ / 116 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: aromantic / asexual

+ clings to people who help him literally only once, because he considers all nice gestures as “Oh, so we’re friends now?” + appreciates any and all physical contact and can get a bit nervous if he’s near someone but can’t hug them + when he absorbs an AU for emotions, he has even more emotions that Ink does, but it’s far more temporary

character tag

Fresh!Ink (by myebi/comyet)

Nickname/s: None Date of Birth: ??? Height: 5′0″ / 152 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: aromantic / asexual

+ is a parasite like Fresh is, but isn’t the same exact one; they exist as separate beings + doesn’t ever really drink ink vials, hence why he’s replaced them with his spray cans entirely, which just contain normal pain + enjoys making large street-art style murals, but never keeps them, so he places them in hugely inconvenient parts of the multiverse just to annoy people

character tag

Error (by loverofpiggies/CrayonQueen) (same headcanons apply to Underverse!Error)

Nickname/s: None Date of Birth: April 4th Height: 5′4″ / 163 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / demisexual

+ doesn’t trust anyone and would rather just dispose of someone before he gets the chance to even try and trust them + has tried to delete his own emotions on several occasions, but concludes he must lose his SOUL to do so, and is too scared he’ll die + lacks logic due to the fact that he’s a glitch in a program, meaning he can no longer create logical conclusions

character tag underverse-specific

Template (by unu-nunu-art/unu-nunium)

Nickname/s: None Date of Birth: April 3rd Height: 4′5″ / 135 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / demisexual

+ constantly does a plethora of redeemable, good things within the multiverse to compensate for the fact he’s an “Error” + tries to be more comfortable with things like hugs in order to further distance himself from Error, despite also having haphephobia. + unlike Error, remembers his past as Geno a lot more vividly

character tag

Ragnartale (by NaomyMikolMaria) (please note I’m a bit behind on this AU)

Nickname/s: Knight Date of Birth: ??? Height: 5′5″ / 165 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: heteroromantic / demisexual

+ doesn’t like using his magic anymore, but can’t exactly remember why it leaves a bad taste in his mouth + actively tries to void out his emotions for others’ sake, as he finds his own life far less valuable + part of him likes being a monster more than a human, because he thinks he looks horrible now and that more people will leave him alone

character tag

Dusttale (by ask-dusttale)

Nickname/s: Dust, Dusty Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: lithromantic / asexual

+ absolutely despises all humans and it wouldn’t be surprising if he tried to kill any on sight + can often be seen talking aloud to “himself,” but he’s actually talking to “Papyrus” + has the same observant skills as Sans and is just as quick on his feet if not faster, however he’s also more rash in his decision-making due to his insanity.

character tag

Fresh (by loverofpiggies/CrayonQueen)

Nickname/s: None Date of Birth: April 20th (pretends it’s April 1st) Height: 6′3″ / 191 cm Gender: genderfluid Pronouns: he/him or they/them Sexuality: aromantic / asexual

+ while he be default doesn’t have any emotions, if for some reason he starts to feel anything, he will reject it immediately, and become incredibly harsh + started dressing in 90′s clothes as a joke, now he enjoys them unironically and has genuinely started watching human 90′s shows + sends memes to Error just to piss him off; his favorite to send is Rick Rolls

character tag

Outertale (by 2mi127)

Nickname/s: Outer Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / asexual

+ because he can see the stars all the time, he’s far more fascinated by the Earth’s sun and atmosphere compared to other Sanses + has had his jacket since he was a kid but just didn’t bother getting rid of it. that and he never outgrew it. sometimes people still think he’s a kid because of it + gets cold easily; his jacket is extremely thick and fuzzy to make up for this

character tag

Altertale (by friisans)

Nickname/s: Guardian Date of Birth: ??? Height: 4′9″ / 145 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: biromantic / demisexual

+ despises his brother so much that he won’t even look in his general direction and will likely burn or destroy anything that reminds him of his brother + appears very calm and collected most of the time, but can easily turn around and be manipulative or angry when least expected + is horrible at keeping watch of the human children because he always teaches them how to exploit things and they use that against him

character tag

Aftertale (by loverofpiggies/CrayonQueen)

Nickname/s: Geno Date of Birth: ??? Height: 5′0″ / 152 cm Gender: demiboy Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: demiromantic / demisexual

+ is really bad at social interaction due to extended isolation and because of that may come off as blunt or rude + if anyone acts friendly around him, especially if they are a more physical kind of person, he will instantly not trust them + seeing spaghetti is a sure way to make him burst into tears, but he’ll pretend he’s not actually crying

character tag

Swapfell (by poptatochisp and community)

Nickname/s: Mal Date of Birth: ??? Height: 5′3″ / 160 cm Gender: cisman Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: panromantic / demisexual

+ doesn’t do well with people who disagree with him. this will cause genuine unintended arguments over the smallest things + very formal in most situations possible, but assumes everyone else should be too + is bad at emotions, just, in general. understanding them, having them, everything

character tag

[wxlfbites]

The Polymorph Chronicles

Ask Me About My Daemon!

It’s been a little while since I’ve talked about daemonism in a more in-depth way rather than just in passing, so why not get back into the swing of it by doing a “daemon tag”. These questions are from a question prompt post by user flynnardkuwata but I wanted to answer them in a different kind of format. So without further ado:

Anfang: What gender is your daemon?

Philomena is a girl but on occasion she can have a more masculine kind of energy.

Belisaria: How talkative is your daemon? What does their voice sound like?

Mena’s not necessarily a chatterbox but we do talk a lot when we get on it. She’s more likely to communicate through tough and body language. She has a soothing southern accent, though sometimes it’s more transatlantic, and her tone is soft and motherly. If anyone else could hear here, they’d absolutely describe her voice as being warm and welcoming.

Cerebaton: Do you think your daemon is smarter than you?

I wouldn’t say more intelligent necessarily, I think she’s definitely more rational and logical than I am most of the time. 

Golden Monkey: Are there any unscrupulous traits that you find your daemon possesses? Would you say they have a dark side?

Philomena can be so judgmental it disgusts me. There have been a few times I’ve had to scold her or give her the silent treatment because she’s said some nasty things about people. I don’t think she has a dark side, just has some not so nice opinions I don’t approve of.

Hester: How would adventures with your daemon be like?

Extremely fun. Philomena is curious and sometimes rambunctious so she’d be getting into everything, trying to play with things she probably shouldn’t, and making funny observations I probably would have never noticed.

Kaisa: Does your daemon notice things before you do? Are they more aware than you?

Sometimes. I know I’ve learned a lot about myself from her that I otherwise probably wouldn’t. She’s more observant than I am.

Karossa: What mood is your daemon usually in? Do you even feel their emotions?

I’d say Philomena is usually in a calm mood. I always feel her emotions so when she’s sad, happy, excited, etc. it influences my own mood and amplifies itself because there are two of us feeling the same thing. Sometimes our moods are opposites though, like when I’m unmotivated and have no energy but Mena is bouncing off the walls wanting to do things at 3x speed. 

Kirjava: What form do you think your daemon will settle as? What do you want them to settle as? If you are settled, do you particularly like their form?

Philomena is settled as a red squirrel. I think it fits her really well and she absolutely loves it herself. Her essence is embodied by the squirrel and the way the analysis fits both of our personalities is almost too perfect.

Kulang: Do you know your daemon’s personality types? Would you say their personality is the opposite of yours?

I think our personality types compliment each other really well, while I am a Hufflepuff, Philomena is a Gryffindor. I am INFP-t and Mena is ENFJ-a.

Kyrillion: How do you think your daemon would interact with the daemons of others? What about with other humans?

Philomena, as I said before, is really curious and sometimes rambunctious. We’ve daydreamed about interacting with other daemons and such and almost always she takes on a complimentary or twin-like form to the other daemon. She loves imagining herself flying around with bird daemons or rolling around in the grass with dog daemons. She’d be polite with humans, she’s very friendly with both humans and other daemons so I’m sure others would find her very pleasant.

Matapan: Does your daemon comfort you/cheer you up when you’re down?

Almost all the time. Sometimes I’m too upset to focus on what she’s doing but when I can focus, she’s trying everything she can to help make me feel better. Whether its physical affection, kind and inspiring words, or being silly to make me laugh.

Musca: What do you think your parents’ daemons would have named your daemon? Do you think it would have been a fitting name?

I think my mom would have named her something like Amaris, Ruta or Rivka. All of which are Hebrew (like my name) and have meanings surrounding being given by god or being a companion. I think I like Rivka the best out of those but the name Philomena is just something we know is meant to be. 

Pantalaimon: Does your daemon argue with you a lot? About what? Who’s right?

We argue sometimes. Mostly about my stupidity 😂 Mena is always right.

Ragi: Is your daemon more mature than you?

I think in some ways? Maybe in the same way I answered if I think she’s smarter than me.

Ratter: What forms did your daemon take before you were settled?

She was most commonly a grizzly bear and a fancy rat but also loved (and still loves) dog, bird, monkey and cat forms.

Salcilia: Would you give up your daemon for anything? What would life be like without them?

I wouldn’t... couldn’t... give her up for anything. Life would have no purpose at all without her. I’d feel void and completely without direction. This is something (along with separation/intercision) we rarely think about because it’s too upsetting.

Sandling: What is your daemon’s outlook on life? What are their opinions on various philosophical topics (the afterlife, the nature of morality, etc.)

I think they match mine almost exactly, if not slightly more realistic where mine are more fantastical. We pretty much share the exact beliefs otherwise.

Sayan Kotor: What would your daemon be like if they existed in corporeal form? Do you wish corporeal daemons existed?

We wish every day that corporeal daemons existed. Even as we’re writing this, we’re feeling very sad and cheated that they aren’t. Mena would get us into trouble a lot because she’d be knocking everything over and “borrowing” things that aren’t hers. She’d probably say a few things that aren’t very nice and I’d have to apologize on her behalf which would cause a lot of anxiety. We’d be really close though, almost always touching in some way.

Sergi: Would you have liked to undergo separation (a la the witches) from your daemon?

Absolutely not. Just the thought of that disgusts us. Not that the witches and their daemons are wrong or disgusting for going through their rituals, but me and Mena could never!

Stelmaria: Has your daemon ever fallen in love? What do they think of your past datemates/crushes?

I don’t think so. I think she’s had a crush on someone elses daemon but it was very fleeting and short lived. Philomena has expressed a dislike in everyone I’ve dated because she doesn’t think they deserved me, which in retrospect, she was right... like always.

Sophonax: How well would your daemons form have matched your physical appearance?

I’ve heard people say that they definitely see me as a red squirrel and that Mena matches me very well 😅

Zohariel: What is your daemon’s name, and what does it mean?

Her name is Philomena and it means “friend of strength”, “friend, lover”, “mind, purpose, strength, courage” and “loved one”. 

[yayninjabob]

Update 1/20/21

It's been swell having my freedom again now that I'm covid-free.  I'm not going anywhere or anything.  But things like gardening in our backyard, taking my dog-kids Fable and Riot on walks, cuddling with my wifey on the sofa and watching netflix or whatever, and just being able to cook again for myself in the kitchen... I've missed all of it so much.  So much in fact that I've been slacking on editing more than I should, whoops.  SORRY, GUYS.

But I did finish up all my rewrites yesterday FINALLY so the new chapter is nearly done.  All that's left is another swoop of editing and maayyyybee swapping out this one scene I have for another that I originally had planned for 13 instead.  So give me a day or two to decide what feels best for the story while I start tinkering with 13 a bit.

So basically I'm stepping away from 12 today to work on the scene for 13.   Depending on what I decide to do with that scene, I might finish chapter 12 tomorrow night after work, or I might need another day after that.  But I don't think so.  I'm already like 90 percent sure on what I'll probably end up doing lol.   Just gotta write this up first to be sure and it will EASE my perfectionist mind.  Once that's done, then it's final editing and formatting stuff which takes me usually a day or two.

Alright that's just a really wordy way to say I will have CHAPTER 12 up this SUNDAY, JANUARY 24TH.  PROMISE GUYS.  

I feel so bad it's been so long since our last update that I'll share one scene with you guys from 12.  I mean, if you’re checking this blog you're probably looking for an update, right?  Well for now, I hope a little sneak peek will suffice until Sunday.

Personally, I think it's kind of a cool sneaky peeky because honestly it doesn't really give away much of the plot of the chapter and still leaves the suspense of where we last left off pretty much.  SO.  If you wanna read a little bit of 12, here's scene #3 for you guys early.  If you want to avoid it and remain pure, I’ll see you Sunday I guess lol.

Uh... heads up, it's got some gore lol.  A creepy little horror comedy scene, really.  One of my personal faves of the chapter, too.  PLEASE ENJOY.

SNEAK PEEK:  Chapter 12, Scene 3 under the cut....

scene 3

The green Powerpuff lay in the dark unable to sleep.  Even though the teenager had turned out the light hours ago, there was no stopping the never ending loop of the night which still replayed over and over within the young hero's mind.  Buttercup had done nothing but tossing and turning in an attempt to try and find rest that night, and had managed to kick away all of the bedding and sheets.  Laying upon a bare mattress and still hopelessly waiting for sleep with eyes shut tight, there was a sudden faint knocking sound heard coming from within the bedroom.

Buttercup sat up in bed with a jolt the moment the sounds began in the dark.   Immediately the Puff's emerald eyes fell on the door to the bedroom closet.  The door to the closet was shut, but the noise was definitely coming from behind it.  Buttercup watched the door intently, while silently and cautiously moving towards it.  With super hearing activated, the Puff listened to the sound of something rustling about inside, and as the young hero crept closer and closer, there was a rotten, burning stench in the air.  Buttercup reached for the closet door's handle and opened it.

"Where is it?  Dude, it's gotta be somewhere around here!"

Buttercup blinked at the blood soaked kid for a moment before a look of annoyance came next.  The sixteen-year-old Puff watched as the thirteen-year-old apparition  dug around the heap of dirty laundry that littered the closet floor.  The kid had her back turned as she knelt upon both knees over the large pile of laundry and searched frantically for something.   Buttercup groaned, still holding the closet door open, "Oh no....  What are you doing here?  Dude, really, I'm just trying to get some sleep tonight and you showing up now just isn't-"

"Where is it?!" the kid jumped onto their sandy wet sneakers and began to search the shelfing within the closet, "Where the fuck is it?!"  As the thirteen-year-old removed an old snowglobe from the shelf and tossed it carelessly over her shoulder, Buttercup caught it and glared at her.

"Where's what?!" Buttercup snapped at herself.

The kid stopped suddenly and slowly glanced over her shoulder with her ghostly, opaque white right eye.  "Where's the mask?"

"Oh," Buttercup's angry expression softened.  "...It's... gone...."

"...Oh...."

"...Yeah...."

As Buttercup reached over her to return the snowglobe to its spot on the shelf, the kid turned round to face them.  "Can't you get it back somehow?"

The green Puff sighed deeply and floated slowly back over to the bed, "Nah, Dude..." Buttercup reclined upon the bare mattress again, "I think... I think that shit's over now....  I mean, shit's getting pretty serious now that Mojo knows about us.  I'm hoping it all works out tomorrow, and he's really not gonna make me do something fucked up in return for his silence, but... even if he does keep his word..." Buttercup shut both eyes and yawned, "It's just gettin' way too risky, Dude...."

"Huh..." the kid stood at the teenager's bedside, "I thought we were just startin' to have some real fun...."

Buttercup's eyes remained shut, hoping the illusion would go away soon.  "It was fun while it lasted...."

"Sucks, Man....  Say, you got anything I can eat?  I'm fucking starving, Dude-"

"Dude," Buttercup interrupted with annoyance, "Why are you here?"  The green Puff sat up in bed once more and looked towards the kid and saw that she had made her way across the bedroom.  The blood soaked child stood in front of Buttercup's dresser, staring at the pair of birds that sat within their cage.  Her back was towards Buttercup, but Buttercup could see that the kid suddenly gripped something shiny in her right glowing green, acid burnt hand.

"Same reason I always drop by," the kid answered with her back still turned.  The apparition turned her head slightly, and even in the dark Buttercup could make out the devious glint of a small, sly smile as she still gripped whatever was in her hand.  "I'm here to help you out, you know... since you got nobody else, right?"

Buttercup continued to stare at the kid, but chose to remain silent.  The green Puff watched as the illusion returned her attention to the birdcage, and with her left, seared bloody hand, she reached for the cage's small door and opened it.  Both Snot and Pus instantly tried to dart away from the sizzling glowing green acid drenched palm that reached for them, but the kid easily managed to yank the fluttering green bird from the cage.  Buttercup's eyes widened in shock as she watched the kid cut into the squirming, live bird with a shard of glass, slicing the helpless creature straight down the middle.  His yellow companion fluttered about within the closed cage behind them, squawking loudly as the kid raised the green bird to her lips and began to slurp loudly.

All the green Puff could do was look on in stunned silence as the kid continued to suck the blood from the slowly dying bird.   As many times as the green Puff had received a "visit" from their former, "dead" self, this sort of thing... was definitely new.  As Buttercup continued to watch, the green Puff tried to keep in mind that what was being witnessed... could definitely not be happening.

The kid used her tattered black jacket's sleeve to wipe away the fresh blood-stache from her face, before turning to Buttercup.  "Did ya want the other one?"

The green Puff shook their head.

"Suit yourself," the kid shrugged and tossed the dead green bird over her shoulder, before she repeated the same act with the yellow bird next.  

Buttercup still could not look away.  "Dude... what the actual fuck...?" Eventually, the Puff's green eyes drifted slowly back to wear the discarded dead green bird's drained body lay on the floor of the room.   There was a gust of wind and Buttercup watched as the wooden floorboards of the bedroom and the dead bird began to blow away like strange particles of sand.  The green Puff rose from the bed mattress as it next faded away into the dark atmosphere around them.  "Ah, shit, no wonder..." Buttercup laughed a little nervously, "I'm dreaming...."

"We're dreaming," the kid added as she stood beside herself with a grin.

The green Puff glared briefly for a moment at the unwelcomed tag-along before looking around once more.  The once empty black void that was the adolescent's default dreamscape had changed as of late.  It was still a mostly desolate land, but no longer shrouded in total darkness.  Now, the sky shook with thick, dark and thunderous clouds which boomed with a growing, green electricity inside them.  The fiery green light that crackled within the black storm clouds illuminated the land with an eerie green glow.  The earth was cracked and dry and as the storm ahead continued to boom above, the windy weather of the vast wasteland kicked up the sandy dirt around them.

"Well, whaddya  know?  Ya changed up the place, huh?  I like it!" the kid grinned as she cupped one bloody beaten hand over her brow and looked about the dreamscape.  The thirteen-year-old turned back around and saw that she had been left behind as the green Puff continued to float on ahead without her.  "Yo! Wait up!"

The green Puff carried on without stopping, moving towards a large, distant shadow in the east.  After several minutes, the kid managed to catch up, loudly wheezing and gasping for air as she tried to catch her breath beside the casual floating Powerpuff.

"Dude! I told ya to wait up!" she socked Buttercup on the shoulder with a bloody, bruised fist, "I don't have my ghost powers in this dream world!"

"What sorta sense does that make?"

"I dunno!" the kid threw up her hands, "You tell me!"  the kid paused to cough a little, splattering the dirt with blood.  She wiped at her mouth with her tattered sleeve, as she walked quickly beside the Powerpuff, "Here, I'm just like you were when Goody-Goody left ya behind on that island!   Weak and human-y and useless and burning alive!  You remember?"

The green Puff glared at the kid for a moment before muttering, "Yeah.  I remember."

"So, where we goin' anyway?"

As the two approached a tall arched golden gateway, the green Puff stopped and turned towards the kid.  "No way.  You ain't comin' with me, alright?  Why don't you run off somewhere else, and I dunno... play."

"Why?" the blood-soaked kid strained her eyes as she tried to peer through the thick golden bars of the gate. Besides only having one functioning eye, there was a dense mist in the air that made it difficult to see. "Where are we- Oh-" she stopped as her vision focused on a short redhead walking her pet Pomeranian through the garden.  "Her?" the kid laughed a little, "Dude.  What do you see in her, anyway?   Like... do you like gettin' bossed around, or is it the big boobs, or-"

"Shut up," the green Puff rattled the gate a little to get the kid's attention once more, "Look," the skinny teen's scarred hands grasped the kid by her hooded jacket and spun her to her left, "Go that way, alright?  You'll find Ace's place and have a good time."

"OK, cool!" the kid thankfully agreed, "Which building is it?  That one or that one?"

"What are you talkin' about?  There's only one other build-" the green Puff stopped mid sentence, noticing for the first time a tall silhouette in the distance.

The thirteen-year-old watched as the green Puff shot off for the tall structure with a flash of green light.  "Shit!" she started to chase after on foot, "Wait up!"

As soon as the structure came clearer into focus, the flying teen halted mid-air, "The water tower...?"

For a while, the green Puff remained suspended in the sky, watching the tower intently from afar.  As far as the hero could tell, there were no signs of anyone there, but the scene still felt too ominous.  It was several minutes before the teenager worked up enough courage to continue forward.

Touching down on the metal landing of the water tower, the structure was so high up in the eerie green atmosphere that the darkened mist was especially thick and overpowering even for superpowered vision.  The green Puff gulped nervously, walking cautiously around the platform, tense and ready for anything.  Both green eyes glowed as they searched around the labyrinth of the thick metal beams that supported the tower's massive water tank.   As the teenager reached the railing on the other side, far below could be heard the desperate wheezing and coughing of a struggling thirteen-year-old attempting to climb the tower's ladder.

"Oh, Man!" the kid shouted from below, "I don't think I'm gonna make it!  Dude... a little help?!"

The teenager sighed before zipping downward to retrieve the kid from halfway down the ladder.  The green Puff carried her back up to the metal landing and set her on her feet, but the kid instantly collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily from exhaustion.  

"You know..." the wheezing thirteen-year-old spoke between hard breaths, "That's hard enough... without powers... but climbing really sucks... when your hands... practically have no skin..." she sat up and coughed as she struggled to climb back onto her feet.  The kid stood silent for a while as she watched the green Puff continue to intently search around every metal beam of the platform.  "So what's up?" the kid finally asked after a while.  "What're you lookin' for?"

The green Puff came to the center of the landing, and turned to look back at the kid, wearing a somewhat disappointed frown.  "Nothin', I guess."

[themountainsays]

Ok I'm gonna ask because I saw your tags mentioning another story, and when you posted CoTA you mentioned you had another, bigger, and more political AU. So... Can we know what it's about??? 👀👀👀👀

Omg omg thank you and also, yes! i have this thing! Oh god i don't know where to start because I'm very excited about it! Oh boy haha

It's this very complicated AU uuuuh here's the basis of it:

The Mist never fell and Runeard didn't die. He was severely wounded during the battle and during his recovery, baby Agnarr acted as Prince Regent. By the time he recovered, Agnarr and his weird girlfriend had figured out a way to manipulate him into abdicating and leaving the throne to him, making Agnarr king and leaving Runeard bitterly planning a game of thrones to take the throne back. Agnarr, as a young and inexperienced prince, took the easy route and delegated a lot of power go the church and the bourgeois, reducing the power of the State so he could deal with things more easily. Both the church and the bourgeois had been waiting for this for decades, as Runeard hoarded all the power to himself and gave other political actors almost no room to do anything. This granted Agnarr some very powerful allies and consolidated the legitimacy of his power very easily, ESPECIALY after Runeard got better and the bourgeois turned against him. Also, the people liked him a lot more. Having Runeard again after living under Agnarr's rule for a year or two would have caused an uprising.

The Northuldra are driven out of the forest around a year or two after this due to flooding and the damage of the land caused by the dam. This was part of Runeard's plan, because his military was so small and they had so little budget that they literally couldn't afford to conquer other land, so if he wanted to control the Northuldra, he would have to lure them into Arendelle.

The Northuldra now live within the borders of Arendelle, traveling around as they're a nomadic people, and herding their reindeer like it's nobody's business. they're severely opressed. The whole point of the plan is to force them to assimilate into Arendellian culture, in hopes of better controlling them and to take away their magic (magic = non-institutional violence. Any organized State would try to either eliminate it or institutionalize it). Iduna has been brainwashed by evolutionist antropology or some bullshit like that and she doesn't even dare to be in contact with her people until The Incident happens, when Anna is hurt by Elsa. She's desperate and she takes Anna with her to seek help, leaving Agnarr and Elsa behind. But guess what as soon as she's back with her people she realizes she never should have left, and because of a whole bunch of spoilery reasons she decides to stay with them and raise Anna with her people instead of going back and bringing Elsa along

Uh oh Anna has amnesia! Elsa thinks Anna is dead! ANGST

Anyways Agnarr dies at sea and Iduna "disappears under mysterious circumstances" around the same time. Runeard rises to power as Prince Regent until Elsa comes of age at 21 (as if that's ever gonna happen *evil laughter*).

Oh shit why is it snowing in summer

Elsa is depressed but if i start listing the reasons we're gonna be here forever.

Meanwhile england the Southern Isles is doing a napoleon and trying to conquer all Northern Kingdoms (Arendelle, Corona, Weselton and a few other OC kingdoms I made up). I know this has been done a million times but bear with me! The war already supposes a big punch in the gut for the economy, but add that to so much of the royal budget going to trying to colonize the Northuldra AND the fact that most industries have been interrupted with 1) the sudden death of crops and livestock 2) the lack of raw material entering the productive process 3) the interruption of trade 4) the nearly non-existent industry in Arendelle making it dependant on commerce and 5) the constant strikes among the proletariat factory workers and the miner's guild for a better salary and the reduction of prices (supply and demand baby!) AND the fact that both the industrial and the rural bourgeois HATE Runeard, the economic crisis ends up being a more dangerous enemy than the Southern Isles. The only industry that's doing well right now is the Northuldra reindeer herding industry (and just barely, as the sudden change in the weather didn't give the animals time to get all fat and ready for winter). It would be a big pitty if the Crown decided to expropriate the reindeer huh.

Add that to the constant attacks coming from the Southern Border, the Northuldra armed groups intercepting caravans delivering firearms from the port to the southern border and the formation of independant militias in the south of the country to fill in the void left by the military, and the levels of non-institutionalized violence is driving the State (and the budget) crazy.

Elsa sings this @ the Northuldra

Also, being all alone, Elsa has to hide her magic from her grandfather.

Anna and Elsa find each other again in this shitty context, but they don't recognize each other. It starts with Elsa needing help to translate some documents in northuldra which she thinks may help her stop the winter, but it soon turns into a dramatic story about propperly reconnecting one's lost heritage, navigating a court of people who want you dead, hiding your identity in enemy territory, mastering the four elements, fixing colonialism (ha), winning a war and also an i*cest love story, because I couldn't help myself.

Oh and also! The spirits have followed the Northuldra south and now live within the borders of Arendelle, but things are so out of balance, they're violent and dangerous to everyone. God knows the giants are a problem. You think you hate the giants from Skyrim? Wait until you meet these guys. Only Gale seems to be chill with humans, and that's only because she's fond on Iduna and her daughter. If only there was a fifth spirit to bring balance to the world 🤔🤔🤔 someone who already knows how to deal with spirits. Maybe someone who is already friends with one. It would be super conveniente if that person also sort of had a claim to the throne.

Bruni and Anna become bros.

You have no idea how happy it makes me that you asked 😭😭😭 i have more stuff and i already have 4 chapters (out of 30) written down but if i tell you everything i have in mind i will never stop. It's heavy and it's A LOT and i really really really hope i can finish it and post it some day. Just writing this makes me want to go work on it right now haha. Thank you 💙💙💙

[justanalto]

quarantine tag game

i was tagged by @crazyrichfilipinos (hi and ty!) 

1. Are you staying home from work/school?

yup. no school, no temp assignments...just a big ole unemployment void. so this is what it’ll be like when i’m older. 

2. If you’re staying at home, who’s there with you?

the other three members of my family and the voices of everyone my mom calls on the daily. 

3. Do you have pets to keep you company?

no, and i really wish i had at least a hamster. a dog would be preferable. i’d even take a cat.

4. What do you miss the most?

i miss a lot of things. i think mainly i just miss having a sense of purpose? i got caught in the unemployment crossfire (without actually being able to file for unemployment welp) and everyone else in my house is learning online/working while i’m just kinda...floating around doing nothing. 

5. When was the last time you left your home?

march 14. i went to the gym and picked up some picture frames from ikea, and the next day began the stay-at-home advisory. the last time i physically left the house was about two weeks ago, when i went photographing, touched the ground and subsequently panicked about getting sick for the next week. (this was fueled by my mom’s reaction and i know she’s right but also still it’s a Lot)

6. What was the last thing you brought?

overcooked and overcooked 2 for steam baby! they were both on sale and i’ve just been playing with my friends. about to buy jackbox 5 tho cause it’s also on sale and might debut it at my possible zoom grad party.

7. Is quarantine driving you insane or are you finally relaxed?

i have never been less relaxed because literally every anxiety is in play every single moment of the day

8. Are you a homebody?

i used to be! then i went to college and all that stuff. home is a great base to touch in on every now and again, but being home requires me to take up a specific role that i’m not comfortable being in for the rest of my life. i also fell in love with travelling, so...no, I guess? i’m a homebody in the sense that I enjoy quiet nights in. but other than that let me out of here please i’m begging you

9. What are movies you have watched recently?

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE. THE GAY. oh! and saving face, because bitches can’t WAIT for the half of it! it’s me. i’m bitches. 

my ultimate goal is to work through the list of movies i want to watch (snowpiercer, parasite, knives out, to all the boys 2, etc.) and then work my way back through the movies i haven’t seen in a long time (princess diaries 1 + 2, all three Lilo and Stitches, camp rock)

10. An event that you were looking forward to that got cancelled?

just...everything. commencement ball. commencements parts I-IV. the acapella concerts I was supposed to see my friends at because it was their last hurrah. the conference where I was supposed to present the thesis project that stripped me of my mental health during my last semester of college! my friend and I were supposed to go see AJR in may. we were all supposed to throw grad parties. class of 2020 really got gypped y’all. the start of a marketing position i’d just secured with a temp company. 

11. What’s the worst thing you’ve had to cancel?

probably commencement. it was supposed to be a last hurrah with my friends because I wouldn’t have hung out with them since i left uni the semester before. our crowning achievement, if you will. the defining moment that said yes, despite every piece of drama and every bit of trauma along the way, we made it and we’re ready to fuck up the world. the crowning glory. and now all of that’s been stripped away and instead, society’s just going to throw us into the dry pool called the job market. commencement was supposed to be the breath of air before we went back to trying to swim against a current. now it’s just a continuous struggle that won’t be made better because no one can retire. plus the market, which is normally fucked for creatives, is going to be extra fucked because no company has ‘money’.  

12. What’s the best thing you’ve had to cancel?

uhhhh...i mean i guess when you put it that way, it would be the research conference. i was not ready to turn my brain back into academic mode. 

13. Do you have any new hobbies?

not new hobbies per se...just re-picked up a lot of old ones? knitting, writing, photography. folding stars. all sort of muscle memory things you can do while binge-watching TV. i’m in the process of making jars of little stars for my senior friends because they’re ‘senior stars’! cue ‘we’re all in this together’. 

but in all seriousness (and cheesiness, sorry guys) i wanted to make them something that was decorative and cute and reminded them that they were important. like stars. and just as like. a present. ‘cause they deserve that. 

14. What are you out of?

serotonin, dopamine and a will to live, almost. i’m so tired y’all.

15. What music are you listening too?

mostly my current music playlist, but i’m trolling my friends’ playlists too. i am repeating “complicated” from sex&drugs&rock&roll, though, mainly because i’m resonating with it so deeply to the point where i want to cry. and am unable to. as one does.

16. What shows are you watching?

a lot of the shows i watch ended production early so that’s really no more for grey’s...ok basically just grey’s ended early but i’m still watching 9-1-1 because they’re still producing regularly. b99 is too but I think they’re just about to wrap up. i’ve been meaning to start the recent season of odaat but i’ve just been watching the old episodes on netflix because idt we can get poptv. 

i started rewatching victorious, i’m at a pause with dynasty and sex&drugs&rock&roll mainly because of formatting. does anyone have any tv recs? 

17. What are you reading?

i’ve been meaning to start into the interior by michelle cliff, and after that i’d really like to re-read ‘i hate everyone but you’ by gaby dunn and allison raskin. i’d like more gay books tho.

18. What are you doing for self care?

watching a lot of the try guys. in the middle of trying to reset my sleeping clock tho.

19. Are you exercising?

i....am. mainly because not exercising makes me feel worse about myself and i can already sense the hell i’m going to catch if I don’t look good for my cousin’s wedding. (we’re gonna assume it happens.) 

20. How’s your toilet paper supply?

when we first started this whole thing, i looked in the basement and uh...let’s just say we’re gonna be pretty okay for a while. still hasn’t stopped me from monitoring my sheet usage though.

21. Have you made any changes to your hair during quarantine?

i cut my hair short just before quarantine, actually! so i’ve sort of been revelling in that. if this goes on for a while longer i might trim it myself, just because i would rather stay short than go long again for the sake of my own sanity. 

tagging: @agentmmayy @peacequack @lalalyds2 @the-writer-girl-nerd and anyone else that feels like doing this lovely quarantine tag or is slowly trying not to go insane

[againstallelse]

First Draft of whatever this is

Johnlock. Picks up after the final scene in series 4 episode 2 before the Eurus stuff starts. We’re just writing that out. John reads through Sherlock’s messages with Irene Adler and discovers information he wishes he didn’t. Not yet formatted. Looking for proofreaders.

Warnings? Mild. Drug use. Suicidal thoughts. Invasive behavior. Sexual reference.

“People text, even I text, her. I mean, Woman. Bad idea. Try not to, but you know, sometimes…”

Sherlock’s words rang through John’s head like a bell. Over and over, echoing in the dumbfounded emptiness of his brain. No matter how he tried to push the thought away, it came back over and over. Throughout Sherlock’s birthday celebration, the cab home, putting his daughter to bed, and trying to put himself to bed. He laid awake, listening to the words bounce back to him yet again, confused by their persistence.

“He texts her back?” John wondered to himself, “What would Sherlock text her about? He hardly even texts me back. Why is it a bad idea? Apart from all of the obvious reasons. Are there more… sentimental reasons?”

John rolled over in bed, throwing his leg out in frustration. What did it matter? Things were what they were regardless of the situation with The Woman. She wasn’t why his relationship with Sherlock was so severely broken, only splintering more year after year.

He was.

He was to blame for their slowly dissolving relationship. He was why their friendship felt so fragile, like if you simply tapped it, it would come apart. He felt himself slipping into a deep self-loathing for yet another night when the words came around again.

“People text, even I text, her. I mean, Woman. Bad idea. Try not to, but you know, sometimes…”

What do they text about?

    He knew Sherlock’s passcode. Of course he did. He had opened the man’s phone countless times to make calls or send texts for him. They had developed a certain amount of trust, or perhaps a certain amount of acceptance of seeing way more of each other then they intended, in their years of living together. While Sherlock used to, and still sometimes did, actively invade John’s privacy, John had never done such a thing to him in return. His hands were sweating when he picked up the phone shortly after its owner went to shower.

His chat with Irene was easy to find. It had no name, only a wilted rose where her name should have been. He was surprised how fast it was to scroll to the top of their messages. Most were boring, the usual requests to have dinner, the teasing. The flirting. Almost all of which was not replied to. Then a message caught his attention.

Irene: Are you really dead?

Sherlock: No.

Irene:  How lovely of you to join me. Irene: So. Why are you pretending to be dead? Irene: How did you do it? Irene: Does John know?

Sherlock: No.

Irene: Ouch. You faked it without telling him? I wouldn’t want to be him right now.

 The messages were dated within days of Sherlock’s supposed death. She knew. She got to know immediately that Sherlock was fine while he had to suffer, thinking that he had lost his best friend for years. He clenched his teeth and braced himself to read the rest of their messages. He quickly noticed that they often took days to reply to each other and sometimes had months between conversations.

  Irene: Is it boring being in hiding? No cases to solve.

Sherlock: There are always cases to be solved.

Irene: Is there? And can you solve them on your own?

 No response. John kept going.

  Irene: I’m in Greece. If you’re in the area you should hop on a plane and join me. The sunsets are beautiful.

Irene: I’m in a lilac hotel on the ocean, Mr. Holmes. Find me. Join me.

Irene: Where are you anyways?

Irene: The men of Latvia are so dull. They even make me miss England.

Irene: Looking for a vacation spot. Somewhere you’d care to meet for dinner?

Irene: I saw a Holmes spotting online. Are you in Prague? I’m only a few hours away.

Irene: There was someone murdered in this little town in Northern Italy today. I think we could use a Holmes to come sort it out.

Irene: I haven’t had any good food in days. Meet me for dinner.

 Months of silence on Sherlock’s side as the woman threw out so many messages. His more imaginative side wondered if he did go find her at some point, but judging by the total lack of response his logical side knew the answer.

  Irene: Are you ever going to tell John that you’re alive? I’m sure your loss is driving his funny little mind mad.

Sherlock: I can’t tell him.

Irene: Well why not?

Sherlock: If I don’t make it back it’s better to die once and stay dead.

Irene: You don’t think you’ll make it back?

Sherlock: I don’t know.

Irene: That’s your least favorite answer to give.

 John frowned as he read that message. He had always wondered why Sherlock hadn’t let him know, at least give him some sort of sign. He resented him since they day he returned, no matter how hard he tried to push it down it resurfaced at the worst of times. He had never considered that Sherlock had thought it was kinder to only leave once.

His heart began to sink, feeling guilty for reading these messages. But he was already this far. He wasn’t going to stop. He begun to scroll past most of the endless flirting and various holiday acknowledgement, only stopping when something of note came up.

  Irene: Have you seen John’s Facebook?

Sherlock: I didn’t know he had one.

Irene: He does. He doesn’t look good.

Irene: I know you’re looking now.

Irene: Do you see that photo he was tagged in last week? It looks like he’s on death’s door.

Irene: You should call him.

Sherlock: I can’t.

Irene: He loves you. You need to talk to him.

Sherlock: I will when I get back to London.

Irene: If you think it can wait.

 John blinked a bit. He supposed it shouldn’t surprise him anymore that Sherlock never felt the need to dissuade others that they were involved, but in this seemingly private setting with seemingly a close friend, it felt different. He shook it off, forcing himself to continue onwards.

It seemed every few months of no replies, Irene would get frustrated and would throw out John’s name in conversation. It always seemed to warrant a reply.

  Irene: John seems better. I saw him on the street the other day.

Sherlock: You’re back in London?

Irene: Yes. Undercover of course.

Irene: He was with a woman. Pretty blonde lady. They had takeaway bags and were laughing.

Irene: Seems someone’s been replaced.

Sherlock: It won’t matter. It never does.

Sherlock: One of John’s girlfriends has never been a real hindrance before. Just an annoyance.

Irene: He’ll move on eventually you know.

Irene: No matter how wondrous you think you are. No one waits forever. Everyone moves on with their life eventually.

Sherlock: You haven’t yet.

Irene: Oh please.

Irene: Serious Sherlock. Just message him.

 John smiled a bit. At Sherlock’s cockiness. At Irene’s concern. At remembering that time in his relationship with Mary, when things were fun and he felt alive for the first time since Sherlock had left.

His relationship with Mary had moved quickly, which was entirely the fault of Sherlock being gone. John needed someone, needed a companion to fill part of that gaping void left behind by Sherlock. The silence in his home and in his mind were driving him mad. No amount of time with friends, or shifts at work, or bottles of alcohol could save him from the gaping silence left in his life.

Until Mary came. She never filled the hole Sherlock left, but she made things not quite so quiet. Not quite so lonely. She made him eat. And shower. The things John used to do for Sherlock. She believed in him.

  Irene: So, are you in love with him?

Irene: Just between you and I of course.

Irene: I can tell you love him. Any moron with eyes can tell that you love him. But are you in love with him?

Irene: Would you have dinner with him, if he called right now? Would you go find him?

Sherlock: You sound jealous.

Irene: I’m just curious.

Irene: You’re obviously queer. No offense of course. I am too.

Sherlock: What makes it so obvious?

Irene: Everything about you.

 John squinted at the exchange. Was he? Really? Or was he playing with Irene? Over all these years was it just that easy? Would Sherlock had told him as easily if he had asked?

Many months passed without word from Irene. In fact, it was half a year before another message was sent, this time from Sherlock. He wondered if Sherlock had gotten a new number.

  Sherlock: He’s engaged.

Irene: Who? John?

Sherlock: Yes.

Irene: I told you that no one waits forever.

Irene: I’m sorry.

Sherlock: He moved out. I’m back and he’s not here. What do I do?

Irene: What can you do?

Irene: You left him for two years without a word. You can’t expect him to wait for you that long with no promise of you coming back.

Sherlock: What do I do?

Sherlock: What am I supposed to do without him?

Irene: Have you tried telling him that you love him?

Irene: He was more loyal to you than a dog last I checked. It might still work.

Sherlock: Of course I haven’t told him.

Sherlock: Nor do I intend to.

Sherlock: He’s happy. She’ll make him happier than I could ever make him. It’s not a competition.

Sherlock: What do I do with myself?

Irene: Move on with your life. I suppose.

Sherlock: That would be brilliant.

Sherlock: If it was an option.

 John wasn’t even able to fully process the words in front of him. He couldn’t even begin to unravel the feelings that sprung up from reading this exchange. He knew he didn’t have long left and pushed the processing of his feelings aside to gain more information.

The Woman’s messages slowly became less flirty and more concerned.

  Irene: I’m watching The Man Who Fell To Earth. Opinions?

Irene: What do you like to watch?

Irene: What are you doing with your time between cases? Since according to John’s blog you are working together again.

Irene: I think you’re better than she is.

Irene: I hope somebody is remembering to feed you.

Irene: How do you feel about him getting married?

Sherlock: Is there some way I should feel about it?

Irene: Generally people don’t feel fantastic about seeing the love of their life marry somebody else.

Sherlock: He’s happy.

Irene: What about how you feel?

Sherlock: That hardly matters.

Irene: Yes it does.

Irene: You have to live with it. You have to feel it. That matters.

Sherlock: He’s still here. With me.

Sherlock: That’s more than I expected when I saw him with her.

Irene: Is that really enough?

 John realized much too late that he was taking in information that truly, deeply was not meant for him to know. He couldn’t take it back. He couldn’t unlearn it. He kept going.

  Sherlock: I wish you were here.

Irene: How was the wedding?

Sherlock: Beautiful.

Irene: Are you okay?

Sherlock: No.

Irene: Do you need me? I could be there in a few hours.

Irene: I’m serious. If you need anything.

Irene: Anything at all.

Irene: I’ll pick up and come to you immediately.

 He had noticed that Sherlock had left his wedding early but he had never imagined it was for this. He had just assumed the man hadn’t wanted to spend time with so many people longer then he had to. He imagined the man curled up in his bed, crying whilst texting The Woman. He clenched the arm of the chair with his free hand.

  Irene: Have you eaten?

Sherlock: No.

Irene: For how long?

Sherlock: Days.

Irene: Dinner?

Sherlock: No.

Irene: What would it take for you to have dinner with me?

Irene: For you to just… see me?

Sherlock: What would it take for John to see me?

   Irene: I saw your blog post. Seems you were quite upset about John’s “Sex Holiday” as you put it. Is sex an acceptable word in your vocabulary these days?

Sherlock: I’m upset whenever John is away. I’m upset now and he’s been back in London for over a month and we’ve yet to exchange more than a handful of words.

Sherlock: Sex was never an unacceptable word. Just because I am uncomfortable with a concept it doesn’t necessarily follow that I am uncomfortable with the vernacular.

Irene: Who spiked your tea? You’ve never had that much to say over text before.

Sherlock: Stronger than a spike.

Irene: What?

Irene: What are you doing?

Irene: Sherlock.

Irene: For God’s sake Sherlock! Are you shooting up again?

 She even knew about that before John. The corners of John’s eyes began to burn. How could she know even before he did? Was it always this easy to know Sherlock? He just had to ask. Or was she special?

   Sherlock: I miss you.

Irene: No you don’t. You miss him.

Sherlock: Maybe so.

Irene: You must really resent Mary. Must be hard to see her pregnant and happy.

Sherlock: I don’t. Not at all.

Sherlock: I’m glad John is happy.

Sherlock: Mary is a wonderful woman.

Irene: Oh come on Mr. Holmes. Drop the act. It hurts. It’s obvious.

Sherlock: Don’t assume my feelings work the same as yours.

Sherlock: John is happy. Mary is a good woman. A much better life partner than I would ever make.

Irene: Oh. You don’t hate her because you hate yourself.

Irene: You don’t think you’re worth it.

Irene: I know the feeling, I am genuinely sorry.

 John heard the shower turn off and Sherlock’s shuffle of getting dressed. He began to speed read.

  Irene: I saw you on the news. You look bloody awful.

Irene: Stop killing yourself.

Irene: Even if John isn’t there, you have people who love you.

  Sherlock: Would you like to have dinner with me?

Irene: Not if it’s a farewell.

Sherlock: Worth a shot.

Irene: Ask for help before you ask again. I won’t say no next time.

Irene: You clearly won’t accept it from me. But please find some sort of help.

Irene: At least tell John. Tell him the truth of how you feel. At least try. You’ll feel better.

Sherlock: I tried to. I lost the nerve.

Sherlock: Now I will never see him again.

Irene: Don’t say never. Get help.

 Silence on both sides for months after that. John couldn’t stop himself from being angry at Irene. She knew how bad he was but didn’t keep up with him? Didn’t check in on him? How could she do that?

Even though she did more than he had done to help Sherlock.

Finally he came to Sherlock’s most recently sent message to The Woman.

  Sherlock: Goodbye Ms. Adler.

Irene: Sherlock please for the love of God.

Irene: Don’t do this.

Irene: I’m glad you aren’t dead.

Irene: Happy Birthday, Mr. Holmes.

 John quickly put the phone back where it had been. Just in time too, as Sherlock appeared from the hall just a moment later.

“Oh… you’re still here.” Sherlock drawled, putting on the kettle in the kitchen.

“Yeah. I am.” John acknowledged, doing his best to not look uncomfortable.

“I’m just going to have a cup of tea and go to bed. There is really no need to stay and babysit me right now.” He sounded stiff, a bit miffed at still being treated like a child after his binge and subsequent hospital stay that had nearly killed him. It had admittedly been nearly two months since then, but truly none of them liked leaving Sherlock alone for any period of time. They cycled back and forth between who was babysitting Rosie, and who was babysitting Sherlock.

“I was actually thinking about spending the night.” John’s words tumbled out of his mouth before he had managed to connect what he was saying to his brain.

“Spending the night?” Sherlock scoffed, striding into the living room. “What about Rosie?”

“Molly’s got her. She’s fine taking her overnight.” Something he hadn’t asked her for this particular night. But if he messaged her and explained the situation, he was sure she wouldn’t protest.

“You really don’t need to stay here. You have a life to get back to.”

He was right. He did have a life to get back to. Here, at 221B Baker Street.

John stood, facing Sherlock. The man was entirely ready for bed. He wore a familiar pair of pajamas. A pair his mother had bought him the Christmas they had all spent together. His hair was damp and he smelled like mint. John squared his shoulders. And then walked past him into the kitchen.

“Chamomile or Valerian?” He asked, pulling tea down from the cabinets.

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

The Three Deadly Fanfiction Sins and How to Avoid Them

I love fanfiction with all of my heart.

I think it’s an amazing tool to use to hone in on your writing skills and learn about time management, how readers view your work, and in some cases− if someone leaves a helpful review− how to improve your writing overall. Not to mention that if you have a severe case of writer’s block on your WIP, writing fanfiction is a great way to keep yourself writing even if it’s not on your main work.

As a reader of fanfiction, however, I often come across works that, when I read the description, I get super excited about. It’s the perfect fic! It’s about my favorite pairing, the plot sounds amazing, it has ten chapters with a sufficient word count, AND it’s complete! And then I open it up and immediately click out of it before I finish reading the first paragraph, disheartened but determined to find something else that sounds just as good.

We all know that feeling when we’re excited about a great-sounding fic and then we open it up only to find that it’s committing one of the Three Deadly Fanfiction Sins.

What are these sins, you ask? And how can you avoid them when writing your own fanfiction?

Well, buckle up tight because I’m here to tell you what will make readers immediately click out of your story and move on to another one.

JUST A NOTE:  ONE OF THESE POINTS ARE JUST MY OPINION, AND I DON’T INTEND TO OFFEND ANYONE WHO MAY ENJOY WRITING/READING FICS LIKE THIS

1. It’s just one.....long.....paragraph

^^By the way if you actually read this like I did you’ll probably find it absolutely revolting, and not in a sexual way

Did you read that entire thing?

I bet you didn’t, and that’s my entire point.

Do you remember the beginning of this post? Do you see how I’ve broken it up in to separate paragraphs and formatted it in a way that it seems well-organized and thought out?

Now, imagine I didn’t do that:

I love fanfiction with all of my heart. I think it’s an amazing tool to use to hone in on your writing skills and learn about time management, how readers view your work, and in some cases− if someone leaves a helpful review− how to improve your writing overall. Not to mention that if you have a severe case of writer’s block on your WIP, writing fanfiction is a great way to keep yourself writing even if it’s not on your main work. As a reader of fanfiction, however, I often come across works that, when I read the description, I get super excited about. It’s the perfect fic! It’s about my favorite pairing, the plot sounds amazing, it has ten chapters with a sufficient word count, AND it’s complete! And then I open it up and immediately click out of it before I finish reading the first paragraph, disheartened but determined to find something else that sounds just as good. We all know that feeling when we’re excited about a great-sounding fic and then we open it up only to find that it’s committing one of the Seven Deadly Fanfiction Sins. What are these sins, you ask? And how can you avoid them when writing your own fanfiction? Well, buckle up tight because I’m here to tell you what will make readers immediately click out of your story and move on to another one.

If you say you wouldn’t scroll past that, you are, indeed, lying.

You could be the best writer on this side of Earth, but if you don’t format your story correctly, people won’t even read it.

I’m not sure the scientific part of it, but I just know that most, if not all readers are intimidated by large paragraphs that don’t end.

It’s just a lot to take in, you know? Not to mention that it’s technically incorrect, since MLA format insists you break up your writing into separate paragraphs in order to make it easier on the eyes. (But seriously fuck the rest of MLA this is creative writing not an essay).

Basically, whenever a new things begins, or a new thought (For example, let’s say you’ve just finished describing the scene and are now moving to talk about the actual plot) Make it a new paragraph.

Even if it’s not a different thought and you just see a huge chunk of text in your document! SPLIT. IT. UP.

Not only will it make your fic seem longer, it’ll also keep those clicking into it from clicking out of it.

If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, go to your favorite fandom and look at the fic with the most favorites/follows/kudos/etc. Does it look like that huge paragraph from above? I doubt it.

The way you present your writing is just as important as the writing itself.

2. Improperly punctuated dialogue

Okay, so this kind of goes hand-in-hand with the last point.

A lot of people don’t seem to know how to properly punctuate dialogue, and I’m not one to judge, since I’ve been writing since third grade and only learned how to properly punctuate dialogue in eighth grade. Granted, eighth grade was a while ago, but I still learned, even if it was five years late.

Instead of droning on and on about how it affects your audience, I’m just going to tell you right now.

“Hi, Stace.” Jack mumbled, looking down at his shoes . “Hello, Jack.” Stacie retorted through gritted teeth. “How are you?” “I’m good, thanks.” 

This is an example of improperly punctuated dialogue, and it makes my brain hurt just looking at it; it’s difficult to follow and is grammatically incorrect, so here’s how it should look when it’s properly punctuated:

“Hi, Stace,” Jack mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

“Hello, Jack,” Stacie retorted through gritted teeth. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

You can’t really see it, but I bolded everything that I changed. You see how, where there had once been periods at the end of the dialogue, there are now commas?

You see, whenever there’s dialogue followed by some form of speech tag ([insert name here] shouted, yelled, said, mumbled, retorted, etc.), you put a comma within the quotation marks and not a period. If it’s an exclamation point or a question mark or an elipsis (this thing: “...”), you can leave it the way it is. This only goes for periods.

Not to mention that someone speaks, you need to make it a separate paragraph. This helps break it up and make it easier to tell who’s saying what; you can’t have a huge chunk of description and then someone speaking at the end. The speaking needs to be separate from that, and whatever that person is saying can be in the same paragraph. If someone new starts speaking, then that gets a new paragraph and so on.

3. First Person

Okay, I know I’m gonna get a lot of hate for this, so feel free to skip over this point if you personally like reading/writing fanfiction in first person.

First person is a great POV, unlike what some people might think. It’s the POV of my novel, and I feel that whenever you’re writing an original work, you shouldn’t immediately dismiss it.

However, with fanfiction, it’s a huge problem.

I myself used first person in my fanfiction when I just started out, and the only reason those fics haven’t been catapulted into the void already is so I can look back on them and look at how much I’ve grown as a writer (or just look back at them so I can cringe so hard my eyeballs roll out of my skull)

First person in fanfiction is incredibly difficult because, unlike with your own original characters, you don’t know everything about the character you’re writing about.

You might think you do, but only the author really knows the characters inside and out, and because of that reason I don’t appreciate first person in fanfiction; it leaves too much room for errors, and often leads to them becoming OOC.

Also, if you’re writing smut, please don’t use first person. Under any circumstances. It’s as if the character we all know and love is personally telling us about their sexual exploits and it’s really awkward and uncomfortable, at least for me.

HOPE THIS HELPED, AND FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR OWN ISSUES WITH FANFICTION THAT YOU CONSIDER DEADLY SINS!

[pearwaldorf]

A repost of a list I made the last time I did a real deep dive into the Critical Role tag. I have included relevant spoiler warnings but they’re not meant to be comprehensive, so please tread accordingly. Asterisks by new additions.

Percy/Vex

Porny

hold me down, I wanna find out, by sabinelagrande Percy has some plans and not much else, but it’s enough for Vex to go on. It’s Percy/Vex femdom. That should probably be enough for you to figure out if you want to read it or not.

whatever you do (do it for me baby), by mischief7manager Percy finds something that belongs to Vex. After testing, he takes it upon himself to make some improvements. The Percy inventing the strap-on story we all knew was inevitable. This is Impressively Filthy in the best way.

under your moonlit gaze, by seimaisin Vex, Percy, the hot springs, and sex. With a brief interruption from Scanlan. Excellent PWP. Not kidding about the lack of plot. <3

I’ll show you how it’s done, by sabinelagrande Vex is a woman on a mission, and Percy had better hope he can keep up. Lovely bit of bondage and femdom. A++ need more of this.

Not porny

Serving Repentance, by CurrieBelle Set after Episode 40. Vex and Percy discussing their shared interests: trick shots, repressed feelings, poor timing, and ill-advised vengeance. This is a lovely little bit of connection between these two, and I like it a lot.

Inheritance, by CurrieBelle Set after episode 30. Vex asking Percy the question we were all thinking. The Percy voice is just so good in this.

Within the Words, by pagerunner While searching for clues that might help them on a mission, Vex encounters a book in a language she can’t read…and so she turns to the one ally who can. A lovely little moment of connection and discovery.

closer to the sky, by seimaisin Vex is a problem he’ll never be able to solve. A necessary conversation after The Sunken Tomb (episode 44).

The Hands-On Approach, by JettieBettie Vex has never given Percy’s hands much thought before; she is very much like everyone else, distracted by the white hair, apathetic aristocratic gaze, and quick witted intelligence. He certainly seemed the type when they first met, the kind of man with nothing but a callus on his finger from a quill pen. By now she knows better. Lovely bit of character study.

the myth of loneliness, by seimaisin “The wings were a big deal, huh?” “Yes and no,” she says. “I don’t know. Which is a very specific answer, I know.” A lovely little bit of connection in a lonely place.

I want to tell you but I don’t know how, by impossibletruths Such an easy phrase, he knows, small and simple and short, but it sticks in his throat. Besides––actions, they say, speak louder than words. Aww, this is sweet and lovely.

A Civilized Discussion, by curriebelle The one from Trinket’s POV. I love it so much.

Kima/Allura

oh and it aches (and it feels oddly good to hurt), by mischief7manager “They’ve been traveling together for three days now, and if that self-righteous, sanctimonious, supercilious paladin opens her mouth to spout about Bahamut’s glorious purpose one more time, Allura is going to cast Hold Person on her and dump her off a cliff.” Three times Kima saved Allura’s life, and one time Allura returned the favor.

Brighten My Northern Sky, by impossibletruths Cassandra keeps speaking, but Kima pays her no mind because standing at the window, tired and pale and dusty and here, alive, in Whitestone, is Allie. Aww, this is lovely and sweet.

Just promise me we’ll be alright, by impossibletruths In the space of a heartbeat, it all comes crashing down, and she makes her choice. Kima’s voice is so good in this; I love it so much.

we’re not broken, just bent (look, i’m still around), by mischief7manager Kima and Allura rekindle their relationship at Whitestone and find out what has changed, and what hasn’t. This is gorgeous and quiet and vulnerable. I love how Kima snaps and is uneasy, the way Allura blames herself for what happened.

Percy/Pike

Time is not on our side, by thevaliantdust Pike’s divine connection ends, and the waiting begins. Set after episode 59. This is some Quality Angst.

Until you set your old heart free, by impossibletruths In the aftermath of the tomb, Pike makes a discovery, and Percy remembers that not all healing is magic and mended bones. Quiet, lovely, comforting. (ep 44 spoilers)

Keyleth/Vax

i’m yours and that’s it, whatever, by mischief7manager (Keyleth/Vax) “Vax’ildan of Vox Machina asks Keyleth of the Air Ashari to marry him on a warm day in early spring. ‘Wait, what?’ she says.” Cultural misunderstandings surrounding marriage is my jam! Oh god it’s so stinking cute.

love is watching someone die, by nighimpossible (Raven Queen/Vax, Keyleth/Vax) Five dreams Vax'ildan has of the Raven Queen. Creepy and melancholy.

Other pairings/multi

Things in between the fractures and fissures, by impossibletruths (Keyleth/Kashaw) It’s fine, she tells herself. It’s an idle curiosity. It’s checking in on a friend. There is a question she needs to ask, but it is not the one she’s thinking of. Or, two weeks after the Tomb Incident, Keyleth and Kashaw have a chat. There is never enough Keyleth/Kash, and this is so lovely and well-characterized.

The dance, by valiantdust (Vax/Gilmore) Gilmore wakes in Vax’s arms. Yes, it is a Gilmore POV of That Scene. Because I love dying and being dead, I must spread this around. (episode 39 spoilers)

another dream, another love you’ll hold, by zornslemon (Cassandra/Kaylie) “Vox Machina is like that. They come into people’s lives, perform incredible acts of heroism, and then leave again, ignoring the people they leave behind.” Cassandra and Kaylie bond. This is so out of left field, and it works really well.

elements of desire, by notalwaysweak This is a series exploring the formation and negotiation of multiple pairings, from multiple POVs. It’s like a cozy polyamorous blanket.

What Are You?, by Sparxflame (not tagged but basically Percy/Orthax) “What is this?” asks the smoke, quietly. Percy swallows, on his knees, hanging in the endless dark of the void. He knows he’s dreaming, knows none of this is real – but none of that changes the fact he’s alone, and it’s dark, and the smoke is so thick around him that he can barely breathe. “It’s- my gun,” he says. The kinda fucked-up Percy gun kink story I didn’t know I wanted. 👌🏼

serve you well, by endquestionmark (Vax/Briarwoods) So: “Anything you need,” Vax says, and means it with all the fervency of someone with nothing left to barter. Legit the fic I was hoping somebody would write after Vax disappeared into the Briarwoods’ room. (dubcon warning)

Gen

Prowl, by resonant_aura Pike Trickfoot has been a healer for as long as she could remember. But she isn’t only a healer–and it would be beneficial for her enemies to remember that. Who doesn’t love a badass!Pike story? I like that this fills in some of what happens when she’s at the temple.

Simple Creed, by notalwaysweak Helping Pike out in the hospital is more gory than glorious. But Gilmore discovers it’s not without its own rewards. A lovely little character piece, illuminating both Pike and the effect she has on people. (episode 39 spoilers)

Gods and Champions, by earthquakegirl Following Ep. 48, Pike gets fed up with Vax avoiding her and decides it’s time they talk. I like how this digs into both their characters, and people’s perceptions of Pike.

we are not along in the dark with our demons, by TechnicalTragedy “How do you do it, Pike?” “Oh, it’s a constant fight. But us? We’re good at that.” I love how this digs into how much everybody looks up to Pike, and how important it is for the group, but especially Percy.

In Healing Healed, by icarus_unchained Set just at the end of Ep.52. Pike considers Percy, Vox Machina, light and darkness, healing and being healed. Pike’s perspective on what Percy does is absolutely lovely.

And we will stand beside and breathe in their new life, by impossibletruths Percy has lost siblings enough; he had thought himself free of the fear of losing a loved one. He never expected the bright-haired druid girl to crawl into his heart and stir up those long-buried memories. But then, Keyleth rarely does as expected. Or, six times Percy saw his siblings in Keyleth and one time Keyleth called him on it. I am super weak for Percy and Keyleth stories and this is such a good one.

Just the Endless Frozen Pines, by isyotm Keyleth is there long after everyone else is gone. She makes sure Whitestone is too. There may have been ugly crying while reading this.

Intertwined, by sabinelagrande The morning after doesn’t go quite like Percy expected. Technically Percy/Vex, but not really the focus of the story. Cackling.

tame the ghosts in my head, by lakilaes Vex is five when she starts keeping track of how much they spend. Oh this is just fucking heartbreaking.

Night Moves, by sabinelagrande Vax has an unexpected guest, and he would rather not know why. The one where Trinket gets sexiled.

Culpability, by CorvidFeathers After Vex’s brush with death, Percy and Cassandra have a conversation about judgment and guilt, and work out a few of the knots in the tangle of past regrets and mistakes that shadow them both. Why does this not have more kudos? This is complicated and real; probably the best Cassandra and Percy fic I’ve read. (episode 44 spoilers)

Of Edges and Survival, by Kayssna She cries the day she forgets her mother’s favorite perfume, and cries harder when she realizes she doesn’t remember her eldest brother’s face. A lovely little vignette.

It Might Sting a Little, by curriebelle Everyone in Vox Machina must have pierced ears so they can use the magic whisper earrings. Ergo, an ear piercing fic that turned into a Percy character study, because of course it did. It’s really interesting having a look at this Percy, who is so different from the one we see on the stream. Also he gets roughed up a tiny bit in a loving way.

Empires at Peace, by curriebelle Post Episode 38 - Gilmore reflecting on Vax’s decision. Oh god this hurts, and it’s so perfectly in character.

New beginnings, by thevaliantdust Gilmore and Sherri begin rebuilding their business in Whitestone This is so cute.

sugar, we’re goin’ down, by notalwaysweak “I’ve never dueled a dragon before.” How it all went down: the duel, and Emon’s walls too. The one where Gilmore is a badass and a hero, and Sherri is too. There may have been some crying. (The title is a nice touch.) (episode 39 spoilers)

A little help from my friends, by impossibletruths It all seems pretty simple to him. She knows, he doesn’t, she can teach him. Two plus two equals–– well, whatever. Point is, there’s nothing wrong with asking for a little help. Keyleth teaches Grog a thing or two about fighting. Delightful.

Garden-variety training, by charmedward It’s the middle of the afternoon when Grog finds Keyleth crying in the grounds of Greyskull Keep. A lovely bit of interaction between two characters we don’t see talking much together.

the light in me will guide you home, by notalwaysweak While Vox Machina roam Tal'Dorei gathering allies and power, a smaller group holds Whitestone together. A nice look at the bits we don’t see in the main narrative. (Chroma Conclave spoilers)

forget forgotten, by 1001cranes 5 Times Vax Was Not the Raven Queen’s Champion Proper drabbles, each a delightful tiny AU in itself.

* fifteen feet of pure white snow, by cinderfell Critical Role (post Chroma Conclave arc); Cassandra de Rolo When you’ve lived your life in a gilded cage, it’s hard to leave even once the door has been opened.

This is such a fantastic character study focusing on a fear that Cass would plausibly have, and it’s treated with such empathy and compassion.

AU

frost in the brambles, by vype There is a universe where Percival de Rolo was struck down by arrows instead. The one where Cass is the one Vox Machina finds. I love this so much.

Exandria NM, by sabinelagrande The series where Vox Machina works for the National Parks Service. Don’t laugh, it’s fucking great because it is so wonderfully specific and obviously written with insider knowledge. Tell Sabine how much you love it so she’ll write more.

Modern Keyleth/Kash coffeeshop AU omg it’s so stinkin’ cute.

* The Hero’s Petition, by NevillesGran Far in the northern reaches of Tal'Dorei, the city of Whitestone lies half-buried under snow and dark trees. They say monsters live there, now, ruled by worse. They say strangers are hunted and killed. They say to enter is death, particularly to enter the castle.They say sometimes, if you're very brave or very lucky, or merely very desperate, it may be worth the risk.

The dark Keyleth & Percy AU I didn’t know I wanted. Sequel here.

[cedarmoons]

Not an ask meme question tbh but it's something I really wanted to ask because I admire your writing (ditto to video's writing if they see this (hello btw)!): how did you get over your fear to post writing things on tumblr? Sharing my writing scares me so much that I don't really write outta fear. I miss it a ton so I wanna start again & share with folk but the idea is scary. How do you do it?

First of all, thank you!! I’m so glad you like my writing! :’)

Second, I would say tumblr is a fucking terrible platform for writing, though some fandoms (dragon age) are way better about reblogging/supporting their fanfic writers than others (the arcana). I’d highly recommend posting to ao3, because ao3, while the arcana fandom isn’t necessarily active on there either, it has an infrastructure built to support and nurture writers!! I want you to get as much support as you can, anon!

But to get to your question as to how I get over my fear to post my writing on tumblr: 

I’m a massive hoe!

more writing advice under the cut :)

I think the mantra “don’t write for others write for yourself uwu” is, to a certain extent, complete bullshit. Sure, I love writing my stories and sure, I love my characters, but I also want other people to love my characters and read about them. I want other people to want to read about them and their stories. So what do I do?

I keep writing, and I keep posting, and eventually people will start to notice. It can get really discouraging at first; my first arcana stuff on tumblr got, like, 3 notes. I seriously considered leaving the arcana and going back to the same solas hell I’d been in for the past three years until @4biddenleeches fuckin’ reblogged one of my oneshots and added a whole paragraph of nice comments in the tags AND commented on ao3!! She saved my arcana fandom life!! She’s the real MVP yall, without her I would have written like 3 things for the arcana and that would’ve been it.

So that’s my answer: I’m a hoe, and I want people to read my stuff. Writing fanfic isn’t fun for me if I don’t get to share my work w/ others and I don’t know that other ppl are enjoying my work alongside me.

But I am curious as to your reasons as to why you’re afraid to post to tumblr. I can think of a couple reasons why this might be, though I don’t know your reasons specifically. So, I’m going to be using a fictitious presumption that you want to write Nadia and/or Asra-centric fic for the Arcana fandom as opposed to fic for the Dragon Age fandom.

Is it because you think no one will read it? 

First of all, if this is the case, TAG ME, 🅱️LEASE, I WANT TO READ UR STUFF!! (esp. if it’s nadia or asra content... feed me... i’m starving)

In all seriousness, this is a totally understandable concern. This partially feeds into how hostile tumblr as a platform is for fanfiction and other writing, but it can often feel like your work is being ignored, especially if you’re in the Nadia or Asra tag and your beautiful fanfiction keeps being drowned out by meme posts about how Julian is disaster hottie husband material (I’m joking but really people please stop putting Julian-only stuff in Nadia & Asra’s tags, we know u want notes but pls we’re starving!!). 

But there’s a whole complexity that goes into posts that show up or get attention, including whether or not there’s external links, formatting, length, etc. It really just takes a lot of tinkering to find that “fit” or to decide that you don’t care, which is also a valid take.

The only advice I have for this would be to keep writing. The more content you put out there into the void, the more likely you’re to be noticed, to get feedback, and to gain a following. @kauriart has an excellent tumblr-fanfic-centric advice post here. And if worst comes to worst, if you tag me, I’ll read your work and possibly shove it in all of my friends’s faces!!

Is it because you don’t think your work is up to snuff? 

Again, I would continue to encourage you to keep writing. The best way to improve is to practice. I hated my Asra characterization in my first few chapters of handle with care, and now he comes very naturally to me, because I’ve written like,,, 100,000+ words about him ://// press f for respects re: my wrists

Also, keep in mind that you are always, always your own worst critic! What you may think is absolute garbage may be what someone else thinks is 24-karat gold! If you really hate a piece you’ve worked on, that’s totally fine -- shove it on a google doc somewhere (DON’T DELETE! There may be lines or paragraphs you like & that you can cannibalize for later work! Internet space is infinite!) and start again, thinking about what you can do different, how you could improve what you’ve already written, etc.

There may be another reason you’re afraid to post your work on tumblr, in which case I invite you to send me another ask so I can give you advice, or even send me an IM! But my advice mostly bubbles down to this: keep trucking along. good things come to those who wait. your dues will come; the forest always knows what it owes. :)

last but not least: pray to aphrodite, patron goddess of fanfiction. she will not lead you astray, sweet writer.

(if u post anything u better tag me anon 🔪)

[lil-creatorwritings]

Mind if I ask the "Fic Writer Ask Game" for questions number 5, 9, 28 and 35? 💕✨ Hope you are doing well!

Hi! Yeah sure, I’d love to answer questions! I’m doing okay and I hope you are too~ (whispers) You can ask more if you want to, haha!

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something? Hm. I think my highest pet peeves are the Y/N thing and weird formatting. I suppose the latter is very subjective, but I’ve seen fics before where it was just a block of text? Like there’s no spacing between paragraphs and dialogues. I’m not sure if it was an error in posting (like when your formatting doesn’t translate when you post) or something intentional, but it makes it difficult for me to read. I guess they do have a huge impact since I actively stay away from Y/N fics. This is just a personal preference of mine and has no bearing on fic writers who use Y/N. I respect them in using whatever perspective they prefer to express their ideas, but simply put, it just isn’t for me. So there’s no reason for me to go about reading them when I know I don’t like it. It isn’t fair to me, the writer and their fic.

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community. Oh gosh. Do I have to? I don’t want to start some sort of war in the replies! I’m gonna have to pass on this! *bow*

28. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie: pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc)? Honestly? Poorly, haha! I never got to finish my Kinktober 2019 and currently, I’m still working on the Summer of Smut Challenge and am way behind on these Napoleon Birthday Prompts. I’m really bad with deadlines, I really am. I think it’s also because I don’t have a series that I’m working on. If you’ll notice, all of my fics are one-shots. Even those with sequels, each of them can technically be read as one-shot. Also I don’t do commission work (I don’t think anyone would apply) so I don’t have any hard deadlines to reach!

For the negative comments, I’ve received one (it’s not in the realm of “your fic is trash and awful” sort) and honestly, I just shrugged it off. I’ll admit that it did hurt when I first saw it (to the point that it made me hate what I wrote and considered deleting it, but for reasons, I couldn’t). But in the end, I’m the only one who’s losing if I let the comment live rent free in my head even if other people tell me that it was a great piece. I also do not look at that fic anymore so that I don’t remember. Besides, I could use the time fretting over that one thing and use it for something else, like making more fics!

35. How much has writing fic changed your life? Well it hasn’t done a 360 on my life, but it’s definitely had a degree of impact, specifically due to otome fics. I technically started writing at the tender age of 12 (oh, I was foolish but sincere, knowing so little yet wanting to express my ideas) but it was mostly one sided in that I would post but not have a community for it. I fell out of writing eventually because it didn’t make me happy like I initially thought it would and I soon lost interest. But when I started writing for otome, it led me to a community that I could get involved with. I got into a writing group, I joined servers to meet other people on the internet who shared my love for otome, I made friends who I can share fic ideas with or spazz about our favorite 2d man (or better yet, discuss kinks with them hahahaha) and not be judged for it because we’re all in the same boat. It rekindled my love for writing and coming up with new and creative ideas to tell a story or express my thoughts. It gave me the confidence to actually start writing AND posting them into the internet void! Who would have thought, right?! Surely not the 15 year old me who gave up on writing for years. So yeah, while writing fics hasn’t made me a billionaire, it’s definitely enriched my life.

Ask list here~

[digigal-transbian]

The Void’s Return: Tome 1 Prologue

Our world has more to it than we can see. Perhaps there is some ultimate driving force, or, on the other hand, everything happens and has happened by chance. Who knows? But here, in this world laid out before you, everything has a purpose. Everything is with cause. All with Resolution, and with resolution, meaning. Here, we shall take a journey into the workings of this world. 

We begin as Naso finishes his most recent project, and with a sigh of relief, he places his pen back down on his desk. He knows that this will all be worth it. As he stands up for the first time in ages, he looks over at the piles of pens and paper that have been created due to his inability to make final decisions.

“Sweet holy cheese of the Swiss, I’ve been at this for a while.”, He says, checking his calendar, “A really long time.”

He organizes the nine small books on his desk and cracks a grin. The books are all cleaned off and placed into his bag. He quickly brushes the eraser shavings into the trash and, with the snap of a finger, the piles of pens and paper vanish.

“Writing’s done, room’s clean, time for the read over.” Naso says, picking up his bag. “I wonder if they’re awake, it is mid-day so they should be but… Yeah, that’s never a guarantee. All I can do is hope.”

As he leaves the room, he steps out into a large, ornate hallway that seems to stretch on for eternity with room numbers and beautiful paintings placed at even intervals, giving the whole place a feel of divine order. Naso checks to make sure his door is locked and heads towards the elevator, running into an old pal on the way.

“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to leave his room.” The friend states with a smirk. “How many projects were you even working on in the first place? With how long you were in there you could have probably finished at least three.”

“Try nine smaller projects.” Naso replies, giving his old colleague a slap on the back, “How’s life been treating you, Samoth? Word on the street says that you’ve been a busy guy.”

“And how did you hear that? Most times I’ve walked past your room it’s always locked with the light on.” Samoth replies with curiosity filling his voice. “But by the great war-ax of the Niale, you heard right. Life’s been busier than ever with the whole deal down in Genesis’ realm. I doubt you would know something about that?”

Naso glances around, checking to see if there is a way out of this, or if there is some way to quickly change the subject. He cannot find any. He presses the down button on the elevator and returns to the conversation with Samoth.

“Well, you see, the thing is” Naso cautiously replies, “I may or may not have had a hand in that. Being the creator of this whole shabang and whatnot. But I just set everything in motion for what you’re talking about, I’m not the central cause. I wouldn’t go that far, and you know that to be fact.”

“You always did have a weird way with wordings.” Samoth says, rolling his eyes, “What with the wi-”

“I’m gonna have to stop you right there, on the grounds of an absurd amount of w’s” Naso quickly interrupts, “You doin’ anything right about now?”

“I was going to go down to the food court and grab a quick bite to eat, but other than that, not really. Why?” Samoth asks.

“I’ve just got to make a quick drop-off real quick to The Reader, but after that, mind if I tag along with you?” Naso responds, “I’ve got nothing really going on today, so I figured I could ask you if I could join ya in somethin’. Bumping into you just sped the process up a little bit.”

“Getting their approval?” Samoth asks.

“Mostly just seeing how they respond to it.” Naso replies, “What with a different format than usual and all that”

Samoth responds, “Well, can’t blame you for trying something new. Did you do the cover art or just leave it simple?”

“Simple, have you seen how awful my art skills are? A blind, drunk toddler could make a more visually appealing work of art than anything I could put together.” Naso replies with mild discontentment in his voice. “And to top the whole thing off, a toddler could draw a much better person than I ever could.”

The elevator doors open and the two go inside. Naso pushes the button for the third floor and they begin their descent.

“Only problem I have with this place is how long it takes to get down to The Reader.” Samoth states, “Why is this place so damn massive?”

“Well if you have a better solution for a hotel designed to hold an infinite amount of beings I’m open to suggestions.” Naso states with cockiness filling his voice, “Unleth you want to take the teleporterth that are under maintenanthe, Thamoth.”

Samoth looks at Naso with irritation in his eyes, while Naso stares him down with a snarky grin. The two sit in a brief silence before one of them decides to say something.

“That’s what I thought.” Naso says, his grin not wavering, “And the wait isn’t even that long in the elevator. Look, we’re practically there.”

The floor indicator shows floor 117 and is decreasing steadily. Samoth has an impressed scoff and notices a strange glow from underneath Naso’s shirt, as if small LEDs have been placed there.

“What’s with the glowy shirt there, pal? Glued some lights and a battery to it?” Samoth asks.

Naso looks down and sees that the underneath of his shirt is slightly glowing. His face is filled with a subtle washing over of fear. The lights get brighter.

“Oh you know, just figured it would ‘light up’ my day” Naso replies with a nervous chuckle. “Figured the pun’d be worth it. It was.”

The lights on Naso fade out slowly as the elevator dings for the arrival on the third floor. Naso breathes a sigh of relief and steps off. Samoth follows Naso out towards room 325.

“You can hang back by the teleporters here since these ones actually work. I’m just gonna be a minute. Gotta make a quick drop-off.” Naso tells his impatient friend.

“Fine by me, pal. Just don’t take too long.” Samoth responds, slightly annoyed by having to wait. “I don’t wanna get caught up in any long lines today.”

Naso waves off to Samoth and heads towards the room. He stops for a second to look at a painting of Swiss cheese that has a halo above it. He reads the inscription underneath it.

“Everything with purpose. Everything with cause. All with Resolution, and with resolution, meaning.”

He smiles as he continues on towards room 325. As he approaches the door, he reaches into his bag to make sure everything is in there.

“Oh, good. Everything’s right where I put it.” Naso says with a sigh of relief. “Be a shame to have left it in my room after this little adventure.”

Naso knocks on the door, and on the other side, the rustling of papers can be heard.

“I think I woke ‘em up.” Naso states with a chuckle.

The door opens and a vague figure is standing in the archway. They seem to be exhausted, they look as if they had just jumped out of bed.

“Wake ya?” Naso asks with a grin.

“Surprise me, mostly.” says The Reader, “I thought you weren’t going to be coming by for another few weeks.”

“Ha, and I thought you’d still be asleep. Anything interesting happen in Reader-land while I was out?” Naso asks with his brow raised. He reaches into his bag and pulls out nine small books. “Because I have something you may or may not be interested in.”

The Reader raises an eyebrow, “Oh really? What’s the name of this mystery project of yours?”

“I think ‘The Void’s Return’ is a good title for it, myself. Can’t forget the infamous council of inter-dimensional hellions.” Naso replies with a faint smile.

“The Writer bringing The Reader something to do, how fitting. We’ll see how well the title fits by the end, shall we?” The Reader says with a bright grin.

Naso grabs the ninth book and puts it back in his bag. “I’m gonna hold on to this one for now, I’m going somewhere with Samoth and I feel like I’m gonna need it at one point. Don’t worry about me ‘withholding information’, it’s just a little epilogue and besides, I’ll give it to ya when I get back from my little trip.”

“As long as I get it at a reasonable time and it’s not awful. That’s all I ask.” The Reader responds with a mild grin. “I just hope that it isn’t the real ending. You have had a history of doing things of that nature. Remember the whole thing with-”

“Like I said, don’t worry. I didn’t pull one of those moments, not here. The epilogue is just a continuation of a side plot. I’m not gonna pull a fast one on you this time, I have no hidden intentions here. Just relax and take a read. With you and your collective mind, I feel at least part of you will enjoy it.” Naso says in a dismissive way, trying to avoid being reminded of his past writing choices.

Naso waves goodbye to The Reader and leaves, closing the door behind him carefully. The Reader looks at the stack of books and grabs the first one. “Let’s see what this idiot left me this time. Hopefully it’s better than a few of his past works.”

They open the book and a note from Naso falls out. The Reader picks it up in confusion.

“I’d appreciate some feedback and constructive criticism, seeing as this is my first foray into this medium. I figured it would be an interesting thing to try out.”

-Your Pal, The Writer

The Reader simply places the note back on their desk and looks back at the book titled “The Void’s Return: Per Order of the King”. They seem intrigued by the nature of the note. Usually, Naso doesn’t seem interested in future improvements. Something must be different this time.

“Now I’m interested. Let’s see what this guy has left me this time. I want to see where this goes.”

[yourlocalyorozuya]

If you could get your wish granted one day...?

Pairing: Soraru/Mafumafu

Rating: M+ SUPER HOT OH LORD

A03 Link

[[STORY UNDER CUT OH LOOOORD]]

If you could get your wish granted one day, what price would you be willing to pay?

An Utaite fanfiction

I wish it was still April Fools.

...

Yes this is an April Fool's fic. "10 days late?" You're asking me?

Friend, time is an illusion, death is upon us and my uploading schedule is the real joke of this entire fic. It was actually supposed to be me uploading 2 fics in one day but this works too tbh

Anyway, if you're still here, might as well deliver!

If you could get your wish granted one day, what price would you be willing to pay?

An Utaite fanfiction

“This is terrible!” 

“What?” 

“Terrible!” Mafumafu says, “The title is so long, it can barely even be crammed into the post title!” 

“Don’t you mean fanfiction title?” Soraru replies, frowning, “Then again, it depends on the site where it’s posted.”

“It’s still long either way! It’s so long, we had to cut it to cram it short in both! We made it into an awkward looking question!”

“It looks like something you’d ask for Truth or Dare.” Soraru concedes, “Then again, it’s not like this fic is going to be taken seriously. It’ll probably go for 3 notes/kudos/likes, like usual.” 

“Yeah. I mean no! Isn’t that bad?! Shouldn’t we try to entertain as many people as possible?? Isn’t the the whole point of a story in the first place?!”

“Of a TV show, maybe. I don’t know about books...or fanfictions...in any case, the M rating should be enough to draw more than 3 readers in, right?”

“Anyway, we can’t really do that with you acting like that!”

“...? What’s wrong with how I act?” 

“You have all the enthusiasm of burnt ashes! We can’t engage the audience like this!!”

“...??? Isn’t this how I usually sound though?” 

“That’ll appeal to the Soraru fangirls for sure, but we need to bring in as many people as possible! We can only get so many ikemen fans, you know!”

“Exactly how do you want me to act then?!”

“It’d be nice if I could get an ounce of emotion in there...and hasn’t this format gotten confusing?!”

“Why? What do you mean???”

“First of all, this is entirely dialogue-based and no-one can tell who’s even talking any more!” 

“Isn’t this how fanfictions are written though?”

“It’s too confusing!! Much too confusing! It’d be easier if we did-”

Mafumafu: Something like this! 

Soraru: Eh?

Mafumafu: The ever-popular radio format!

Soraru: Are we seriously doing the radio transcripts?! Isn’t this for something like sexting fics or something? 

Mafumafu: -puts hand on heart- What kind of fanfictions have you been reading Soraru-san?!

Soraru: You’re even putting your gestures in this format now?! Why has this become Hikikomoranai Radio all of a sudden??!

Mafumafu: It’s what we’re most known for!

Soraru: This and not the songs we’ve made?!

M: Anyway, we have an April Fools fanfiction to write in!

S: Our names are already being shortened, geez. Are they that hard to write?

M: Usually, when we do April Fools’, we have one thing we turn to.

M: So naturally, we’re going to be girls again!

S: Y’know that changing our icons to girl versions of ourselves and posting as girls isn’t really crossdressing right?

M: We sung as girls though!

S: That’s entirely different from crossdressing! 

M: We’ve crossdressed before!

S: You have, I haven’t!

M: I mean, I did but that’s entirely different!

S: How exactly is that different?!

M: I never said we were crossdressing, Soraru-san!

S: You said we’d be girls though?

M: Eheheee, I did! 

M: -holds up really strange looking rock-

S: Okay, I can see that thanks, we don’t need the gesture thing!

M: But our audience does Soraru-san.

S: Mrgh.

M: And don’t interrupt, please! Now, this is a magical stone!

M: And it transforms us into our inner selves!

S: ....

S: Mafumafu-kun, I’ve always had my doubts...

M: Eh? 

S: I’ve had my doubts...ever since we did that song. But...

M: Eh??? Why are you talking in keigo all of a sudden???

S: You really are a Chuuni aren’t you? 

M: EH? 

S: I’ve had my suspicions, but really it’s come to this!! How can I ever associate with someone who actually thinks he’s a ruler of darkness and will take over the world-

M: Soraru-san??

S: I...I alWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING IS THIS TRUE HOW

M: Soraru-san!

S: Yes? 

M: Y-you calmed down from that rant fast. And hey, listen to me first!

S: Fine, okay.

M: Look, this stone is a magical relic...stop making faces. 

S: Okay, okay.

M: And all we have to do is touch it and we transform into magical girls!

S: And I’m lost. 

M: Eh, that was a flawless explanation!

S: You said we...transform into our inner selves! How are our inner selves magical girls?? We’re boys!

M: Inside every person is a magical girl! Even boys!

S: The hell???

M: Just trust me and touuuuch it already! 

S: Geez okay, okay already!

M: Ready? Ah, Soraru-san, put your whole palm on it, not just a couple of fingers! That’s not enough!!

S: Do you even realize how that...-sigh- Fine.

M: Okay, now we’re transforming!

M: Please feel free to imagine any kind of transformation music that you want during the transition!

S: Like from PM**. 

M: Or from Ma*io!

S: Or even from the Ga*ette. Or One OK Ro*k.

M: Soraru-san, that last one was too obvious! We won’t be able to avoid copyright! This fic wil be taken down!! And then the author will be too lazy to upload it again!!!

S: Since when did this become Gin****?

S: And hey! Don’t we have songs of our own they can use!?

M: Oh, yeah. Good point.

S: In any case, just get on with it already!

M: Okay!

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

                                Magical transformation sequence!!

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

Mafumafu: By the power of the void, the darkest phase of the moon!

Mafu-oh: I am the lady of darkness and war! Mafuyu, the goddess of the moon at your call!

Mafuyu: ...

Mafuyu: Uwah, even my voice changed! This is so cool! Soraru-san!!

Mafuyu: ..? Soraru-san? 

Soraru-?: ...

Mafuyu: Ah, Soraru-san?! You’re a...prettier girl than I thought you would be! Wow! 

Soraru(?): ....

Mafuyu: Soraru-san? Is something wrong?

Soraru(??): ...ing.

Soraru(??): This is...embarrassing...

Mafuyu: Gasp!

Soraru(idk): ?!

Mafuyu: Even Soraru-san’s voice is cute! In fact it’s too cute! I’m almost creeped out by it!

Creep-aru: H-how cruel, Mafuyu-chan!

Mafuyu: MAFUYU-CHAN?!???? EH

Who are you and what have you done with Soraru: Please don’t make fun of me!

Mafuyu: ??!?!?!?? Soraru-san?

Nani the kuso-ru: Eh?

Mafuyu: Soraru...chan??

The f is happening-ru: What is it, Mafuyu-chan?

Mafuyu: Keigo again!? Also something really weird is happening to your name tags!!

-whistles innocently- Soraru(?): Ah..that. I-If Mafuyu-chan is having a cute name then I’d like a cute name too!

Soraru(?): Please call me Soraruko!  

Aight then, Soraruko: I’m um...i-it’s so embarrassing when I say it out loud!!

Mafuyu: Wh-

Mafuyu: Weird! Too weird!!

Soraruko: Eh?!

A Suddenly Shouting Mafuyu: WhY HAS SORARU-SAN TURNED INTO A TSUNDERE

Soraruko: Ma-Mafuyu-chan!?

Mafuyu: Not even a tsundere!! A Deredere?! Wh-this is too much of an attitude change!

Soraruko: Mafuyu-chan, please calm down! Your chair!! You’re going to fall out of your chair!!!

Mafuyu: Ah! 

-sound of loud objects-

R.I.P nerds.

Soraruko: H-hey! Don’t kill us off just yet!!

Damn.

Soraruko: You don’t want to write this that badly?! Ah!! Mafuyu-chan, are you okay?!

Mafuyu: Ah...is that you, god?

Soraruko: A-aaaaaah, Mafuyu-chan!! It’s too early to go up to heaven!! D-don’t go!

Mafuyu: Ah...are you an angel? Are they welcoming me into hell finally? 

Soraruko: Mafuyu-chan, that’s the wrong place!

Mafuyu: Eh, Soraruko? Wow...your hands are really soft?? 

Soraruko: Eh!?

Mafuyu: It’s kind..of...weird. 

Soraruko: Ma-Mafuyu-chan!

Mafuyu: See, Soraru-san would have immediately called me creepy or pushed me away! What is this?!

Soraruko: ...I-is that so?

Mafuyu: Eh?

Soraruko: I-is that your type after all, Mafuyu-chan?!

Mafuyu: EH 

Soraruko: I-I thought you were joking! Are you really a hardcore M?!

Mafuyu: I’m an S!

Soraruko: That’s the part that you take offence to?!

Mafuyu: Anyway, this is too weird! I’m going to leave and post some updates on twitter, okay?

Soraruko: W-wait, Mafuyu-chan!

-Hurried footsteps and the slam of a door-

Soraruko: Ahh, she left. I can’t do this all alone, Mafuyu-chan...

Soraruko: ....

Soraruko: So that’s her type huh...

Soraruko: If...that’s what it takes then-

You’re going to be an M? You??

Soraruko: Is that really so surprising? 

Well, yes? 

Soraruko: You’re the writer right? You should know exactly what I’m capable of. 

Soraruko: -polite smile-

...

So the april fools’ twist is that you’re a yandere? 

Soraruko: No, it’s this entire pointless fanfiction. 

Good point. 

Soraruko: ...You can end this now. 

Alright, alright, geez. 

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...

well yeah that’s it man 

sorry about this i’ll resume my attempt of quality uploads after this fic so if you’re a new reader i hope the cringe didnt scare you off

...

well they’re all probably gone by the halfway mark eh

so yeah, if you’re still here mad props to you friend

and thanks for reading my poor attempt at humor! 

See ya! :D

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[generalrhapsodosarchives]

Hey, I was thinking of starting a Genesis rp blog, and was wondering what sort of advice you had considering you have such an amazing Genesis rp blog yourself.

// .___. I am a potato that goes with the flow friend, but thank you! Ahh….well ok, are you asking from the stance of you have never run a rp blog? Or have you had one before in a different fandom orrr? Kinda effects the answers really. Going with the former, one thing I will stress is have a clear info/rules page. Many people will look for this as a guide or a sort of gauge of if they feel they have the green light to go interact with you, or as a way to draw comfort that they won’t offend or misread your muse before replying if you are the one to approach first. In all reality I should change my info page to just ‘info’ and not 'basic blog info’because mobile users especially will look for ease of access in safari browsers. In all honestly a lot of my pages really need to get a facelift since I haven’t touched them since I made this blog a few years ago. Anyway, moving on! 2! Never feel obligated to go 'fancy’. There is no truly correct way to roleplay, though many of us tend to gravitate to para format or average sentence structures and not the whole *action here* form unless we’re fooling around and writing crack with one another. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s just what I’ve noticed. Don’t stress over having fancy detailed tags, or having unrelated posts on your blog. You don’t need special headers and font types, or bolded speech patterns to be considered a 'good’ or 'quality’ blog. How you reach that status is you have a clear understanding of your muse and be kind. You can be selective, you can be open, all that matters is be polite, and in some cases be the bigger person. 3! Don’t feel obligated to use icons or reaction gifs. Many of us do, I do when I am actually on my computer. Some of us don’t, and honestly I find it some real saddening bullshit when bloggers begin worrying or feeling inferior to other role players just because they opt not to use icons. That’s not what all this is about. 4: communicate! Try not to be like me in this sense. I am absolutely shit with communication at times, and this can hurt people unintentionally. Don’t be afraid to pop over to a partner and relay if you feel uncomfortable with where a thread is going, what their muse is doing, or if for some reason you don’t want to roleplay with them. But again, be polite. 5: find a friendly hub and network of people to surround yourself with. Every fandom has its bad apples and toxic corners that many people want to just punt into the void of the abyss, try and avoid these. I find myself pretty fortunate to have landed immediately into one of the very good corners upon starting this blog, everyone here has been absolutely amazing, understanding and supportive. The only drama I have ever seen was from 3rd party blogs where I knew who was involved or targeted, but I was a outside viewer the entire time. Honestly I find it a giant testimate to how good of a network I’ve landed in, that to this day, after almost 3-4 years on this blog, and 660+ followers in, I have never received a single piece of anon hate. Honestly I find it rather baffling. But I digress! Build yourself a network of positive welcoming people, build yourself a little hub of good friends, and you’re good!6: on the flip side of this. If you find yourself in a toxic area, and end up receiving anonymous hate DO NOT REPLY TO IT. Don’t post it, don’t reply, just delete it immediately, and if you need, go talk to a friend for support afterwards, cause that sort of thing understandably makes ya feel pretty shitty. As someone else in a post I saw said, replying to anon hate is what they want. Whoever was small and bitter enough to try and tear you down to make themselves feel better is going to be sitting there on their phone or at their computer. They’re going to be constantly refreshing their browser, monitoring your blog, waiting like a goddamn vulture to see the results of you getting attacked. They send those things for reactions. They feed off the negativity they spread. Don’t give them any satisfaction. Be the bigger person and ignore it. If it continues, there are ways out there to blog the IP address of whoever is sending the anonymous messages for good. Then they won’t be able to even access your blog. 7: Your muse, your portrayal. don’t let anyone else dictate how you write your character, especially when it comes to sexuality and identities since that seems to be a hot topic lately. I personally write my Genesis as being a cis flamboyant as all shit gay man, some people have him straight, I’ve seen some peg him as gender fluid, and all of these are wonderful! I’ve just learned through writing and even reading some fanfic that my personal muse has 0 interest in women. I read a very well done fic where Gen was with Aerith, and my muse was just blank the whole time, he didn’t care, he wasn’t interested. It didn’t inspire me and the character to do anything. As long as you’re writing a character, and nurturing a muse, you’re putting your heart into them, you’re giving them attention, you’re showing 'I love this character so much, I want to make their character deeper. I love them so much I’m going to build them up and expand on what their creators never showed us’. Who is to say this character wasn’t into this topic, or this hobby, in real life there are people that have interests and quirks you would NEVER expect by looking at them and learning the sheer surface of who they were, so this goes the same for our characters. 8: and last but not least ROLEPLAY IS A HOBBY. It is an escape for us, a way to have fun with other people, and you should never ever stress yourself out over it. If you get too overloaded, don’t be afraid to ask a partner if you could drop threads, take a break, anything. Because, if roleplay starts to make you stressed, it’s not a hobby anymore. It’s not a fun escape, and it should never feel like a job. Don’t be afraid if you lose your muse for a while, it happens all the time, people will understand. Don’t feel bad if you have to take breaks and leave for a while, or just lurk and stop role playing for a while. It happens to all of us! So essentially, have fun. That’s about all I can think to offer at the moment, but by all means nonnie! If you have any more questions or anything specific you want to know, my inbox is always open, and you will never be a bother.