#now it's a fave but it took time and some lyric reading

[spinningwebsandtales]

Imagine Steven Grant Decorating The Christmas Tree With Your Daughter

Steven Grant X FemReader

Rating: G

Warnings: None it's all Christmas fluff

Word Count: 718

Requested by @the-marshals-wife

(A/N:) I still owe my friend some requests for all the amazing work she does for me. And while she didn't request this character I know he is one of her faves and I came up with the idea at work. She seemed more than happy with the results from my brain. It also helps that it's the season! So Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy this fluffy goodness! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

The Christmas season had finally come and it was your favorite time of the year. The house always seemed cozy with the glittering lights and heater going. It made leaving into the nippy mornings even harder than usual. But your favorite part was the giggles of your little girl and the boisterous singing of your husband who thoroughly loved Christmas carols. You were busy decorating the fireplace with garland and stockings while Steven and your daughter took care of the tree. They had just finish shaping the artificial branches that had been smooshed together from it's time in storage and started untangling the lights. You hummed gently to yourself while taking quick glimpses of your two loves. Steven had just finished singing the exhausting carol of 12 Days of Christmas, his daughter clapping and singing while her dad ran out of breath, due to him holding the last note for an absurd amount of time. Steven quickly recovered and went straight into Deck the Halls.

You shook your head, focusing back on your single task. Before too long Steven got tired of not having the music playing and forgetting certain lyrics of the carols his little girl was requesting, so he switched on the radio, tuning it the local station who had begun playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. You joined in and now there was an impromptu trio filling the house with song. Steven hummed along to Silent Night while he wrapped the tree in sparkling Christmas lights. Around and around he went, it was making you dizzy just watching him. Of course he had to act all dramatic and cause little squeals coming from their side of the living room. Steven was laughing until he got too dizzy from his rocking around the Christmas tree and fell down almost taking the whole tree with him. This time you laughed loudly and swooped in to save your husband.

"Only you would get dizzy putting lights on the tree," you teased while helping him to the couch.

Clamoring up on her father's lap, you patted your daughter's head while Steven kissed her rosy cheek. While Steven recovered you finished up the fireplace mantel and finished up the lights on the tree. By then Steven was ready to get back into the game. Walking hand in hand towards you it was time for ornaments. You remembered the years fondly of your daughter being so small that majority of the ornaments wound up on one side of the tree at the bottom. The radio had become background noise for a little bit while you and Steven walked down memory lane. You remember your first Christmas fondly with your then new husband and then you remembered that first Christmas with your baby girl. Now here she was the spitting image of her father and your fierce attitude.

Steven jolted, cocking his head to the radio he grinned broadly down at his little girl. She started jumping up and down excitedly as her dad ran to the radio and turned up the song playing. You laughed, shaking your head as their favorite Christmas song of all time begun to play.

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas flooding the house as both Steven and his mini me sung at the top of their lungs. Their silliness was contagious as you joined them in their singing and even the little dance they choregraphed on the fly. Though a short song all three of you wound up in a breathless pile on the floor. Like Steven before, you were a little dizzy from all the joyous spinning.

"I vote for no spinning next time," you panted.

"I second that vote," Steven agreed.

"Extra spinning," your little girl crowed.

It took a little long for you and Steven to recover as you both were content laying on the soft carpet until the room quit spinning. Steven slipped his hand into yours, giving it a gentle squeeze he shuffled closer to you. Your daughter had taken to spinning more around and around before she went back to placing ornaments on the tree. Steven kissed our cheek before he nuzzled into your hair.

"I love you," he mumbled.

You gave him a quick kiss on his chin, relishing in the scratch of his facial hair, "I love you too."

[wehangout]

Another @shamelessdvdcommentary requested by the wonderful @suzy-queued with questions made by the amazing @callivich! This one is for Slick back My Hair (You know the Devil's in There)! These are a lot of fun, so hit me up if you want to see this for a different fic 😘

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)

Wrote it in 2015! It’s a long one-shot, and I think my second ever shameless big bang.

What was the initial inspiration for your story?

Okay. Took me a minute. I knew this was inspired by a one-shot I wrote for GW2015 that has since been taken down, but I also knew the one-shot was inspired by something and it took forever to go back and figure it out. Anyway, the initial one-shot was inspired by the Day 7 theme of “Imagine Your OTP – go to the website http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/ and choose a prompt!”. I don’t recall what the exact prompt was (I think digging a grave together), BUT apparently I still have the one-shot posted here on tumblr if you wanna read it! So, yeah, the Big Bang fic was inspired by this one-shot which was inspired by GW2015. Phew. That was a novel on its own

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character?

Mickey. Because I am me.

What was your favourite scene to write?

I’m not sure, but reading back, I really like the scenes with side characters as assasins. Sheila, Jimmy, and Angela. Fun stuff.

How did you come up with the title?

Ugh. This was back when iTunes was a thing lmao. I basically went through all my music, picking out songs I thought might fit the fic’s plot, then went through the lyrics.

Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?

Two! I had fake IDs with the names John Foley and Axel McClane which is a reference to John McClane and Axel Foley – Die Hard and Beverly Hills Cop respectively. And I also had this line “Two inches to the right and it would’ve hit your fucking heart, Ian.” "Two inches to the left and it would have missed me completely” which was reference to The Mighty Ducks. Only one reader picked up on these lol.

Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?

The Terry fight scene. And, honestly, I just pushed through it.

Favourite line in the story?

Okay, the “My hero” continuation, but also, back in 2015, I wrote, word for word, “Knew you’d come.” I mean, it’s Ian saying it, but obvi why it’s a fave lmao

What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)

I wouldn’t call them twists, but the little surprises that turn up along the way – Sheila being a badass, the texter being Mandy.

Are there any ‘behind the scenes’ info you’d like to share - e.g. what’s going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?

At the end, where Mickey goes to save Ian. Ian’s “goodbye” is legit. Dude was sure they (at least he) was going to die.

Reading back the story now, is there anything you’d change or add?

It’s very quick. I’d probably add more depth to it. (also the title shh)

Would you ever write a sequel to this story?

I’ve considered it, but one half of the dynamic duo gets taken in this one. What other plot could there be?

Are there any ‘easter eggs’ in your story - e.g. references to other stories you’ve written, a trope you often use etc?

I think I did the big Oh moment in this, along with a few others. I think that’s about it.

If you’ve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?

This is definitely not my most popular, lol, but I appreciate the love it’s received!

Were you nervous or excited to post this story?

Oh, always excited

Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?

I did! Again, this was back in 2015 when my pal Ella @hubrisandwax was still around. We had similar time zones, so we’d Skype and write at night (poetry, bitch), and have our own little sprints. She was my cheerleader and beta!

Anything else you’d like the readers to know about the story?

I know this is an Ian and Mickey romance, but I actually preferred the scenes after Ian was taken. Getting into Mickey’s head when he’ll do literally anything to get Ian back? Including torture and murder his own brother? That shit was fun.

[americaswritings]

My Tim & Lucy stories

The collection

* my personal faves

Safe place

Lucy realizes that she was wrong; Her safe place is not a place anymore, it's a person.

Trapped

It's Lucy's last day as Tim's rookie. But instead of spending it on the streets of LA fighting crime, they are trapped in an elevator together. This brings some unwanted memories back for Lucy.

Where the heart belongs

"You and I both know that there have been three people in our relationship from the beginning and I can't keep pretending to not notice that your heart belongs to someone else." (Rachel breaks up with Tim & Lucy is the one to read the message to him.)

Losing control

“I think Caleb- he-he put something into my drink”, she stuttered, and she heard Tim take a sharp inhale at the other end of the phone." (What if Lucy realized Caleb put something in her drink and called Tim for help?)

Dream a little dream of me

A familiar song is played at Angela & Wesley's wedding. Tim won’t let it break Lucy.

Found that person in you

Lucy tells Tim what happened with Chris. He finds out she hasn't just watched the video of herself in the barrel, but the body cam footage of her rescue too.

No place I would rather be *

"It's about Lucy. She uhm- she had a bad day. She's not coming out of her room anymore. I don't know what to do." He inhaled sharply, his eyes closing for a second as he swallowed. "I am on my way." (Lucy deals with the aftermath of watching the video, Tamara is worried & calls Tim.)

Can’t help falling in love (multiple chapters) *

Her gaze locked with his, brown met blue, and it was like a wave of calmness washed over her. He was studying her, his eyes fixed on hers, an intensity in them she had rarely seen from him.  Why wasn't he looking away? And when had she stopped thinking about the lyrics? (Lucy agreed to sing at Angela & Wesley's wedding and shares an intimate moment with Tim.)

Can Beauty come out of Ashes? *

“You should get cleaned up”, he told her softly, letting his hand fall back to his side as he realized the dirt he had tried to rub away wouldn’t come off. He wondered if she would ever not look beautiful to him. (Tim and Lucy share a moment after the explosion nearly took Lucy's life.)

The Reality of Losing you (multiple chapters)

“Can we talk about something else? About your engagement perhaps. Congratulations by the way.” Her words sounded more forced than delighted and Lucy bit her lip, willing herself to get her emotions under control. (Tim doesn’t directly clear up his proposal is a prank and Lucy has to face the reality that she might lose Tim.)

No regrets

Prompts: "I'm sorry I kissed you" & "I'm not with Ashley anymore"

Head in the Game

"Hey." His arm came up to her shoulder, a firm touch to bring her back to reality yet gentle enough to show her she was not in immediate danger. She startled at the gesture, her head snapping towards him, and he could see unshed tears in them. Shit. If Lucy cried right now, it was over. (Tim & Lucy find out that Rosalind escaped while being undercover together.)

Never Alone With You By My Side *

"Come on, you can't say you didn't enjoy it!" She was teasing, of course, but there was a strain on his face. "Could have been worse." "Wow!" Lucy grimaced mockingly. "Way to make a girl feel special, Bradford!" "You know how special you are." (Now that it's all over the apartment feels too empty. So Lucy calls Tim.)

When will this nightmare ever end?

"Lucy-", he began, but she shook her head. "Don't tell me it's all going to be okay, because it's not! Chris almost died, because Rosalind wants to get back at me. I can't- I-" She closed her eyes, exhaling. "When will this nightmare ever end?" (Lucy waits for Chris to wake up and Tim is by her side.)

I thought you never saw me that way

Prompt: “I thought you never saw me that way."

Some things matter more

“I only wanted space, because I thought that’s what we both needed. Time away from each other to think.” Lucy tilted her head, biting her lip. “And did it help?”, she asked, her voice wavering slightly. Tim closed his mouth again, his jaw twitching. “No.” (Prompt: “Some things matter more.")

Always find you

5x03: Lucy gets trapped. With her radio signal blocked, Tim is left with nothing but his imagination about what could have happened to her.

Where our story begins

“Vegas- it wasn’t just pretend. Not for me anyway and I...I think it wasn’t for you either.” (Prompt: "I can't be your aide anymore.”)

One Good Reason

"Then why are you pushing me away?", Lucy asked. "Don't you want-", she bit her lip. Their eyes met and she saw the question in his eyes, the need for her to finish that sentence. "Me." (Prompt: "Are you afraid to be with me?")

Healing

"It might take a while but eventually it will feel real", Tim told her, referring to her words as she had stared at Rosalind’s lifeless body. Lucy looked at him, a mixture of emotions flickering over her face. "It just- seems too easy." (Tim makes sure Lucy is okay after they found Rosalind’s body)

If Tomorrow never comes

When the nurse had left and Lucy met his gaze again, his brows were lifted. "Boyfriend?" "I said partner."  "If I recall correctly, I'm your superior", Tim pointed out. "No sign of amnesia then." (Tim asks Lucy to lay with him in the hospital bed)

Sick Days

Lucy gets sick, but goes into work anyway, because she's already taken a lot of sick days due to what happened with Caleb. Of course Tim notices.

[swiftllama]

August Compliments ☀️🔍

[Compliments Masterlist]

Hello everyone! So this is the continuation of the first Compliments Post I made and a round up of the compliments from August 2023.

So let’s jump in shall we!

August 2023

Starting off the month we got a double dose 4 days into the month. And it actually comes from Ian!

What Would Our Warning Labels Say? | Let’s Get Talking

Ian, Shayne, Courtney, and Angela all played a Q&A style game where Ian gave some answers relating to and complimenting Anthony :-

I should also say the time stamp title for this question in the video is ‘Who Are Our Fave People’ 🥹

Q: “Who do you admire the most?”

Originally Ian agreed with Courtney’s answer of Amanda but never expanded on why and gave a very Ian answer of “things like that [what Courtney said]”, before changing his answer :-

Ian: “I have a different answer actually - Anthony.”

Courtney: “Awwww!”

Courtney being the resident Ianthony fangirl once again and representing us all 😌

Ian: “I think because he was always - until towards the end of his time at Defy he wasn’t a hundred percent in it, but before that with the sketches and now that he’s back, whenever he’s doing something, he’s a hundred percent into it. He’s fully committed. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it’s the best it can be.”

I know we don’t get it as often from Ian, but these little tidbits that we do show that the appreciation for Anthony is there just as much as Anthony’s is there for him. Ian just expresses himself in different ways. He actually mentions similar thing when it comes to himself and showing outward excitement even when he is excited and Courtney chimes in with how she has seen him showing his excitement outward and how she’s seen it “especially lately” 🥲 I made a post with the clip at the time which you can find here.

Another little moment from the video that is compliment-adjacent I’d say since I think it says a lot about who someone chooses as their answer to the question :-

Q: “If you had to be handcuffed to a person for a week, who would it be and why?”

Ian: “I guess I would say Anthony, because I feel a lot of the video ideas that we came up with back in the day was just out of boredom of being around each other a lot and we’d just come up with a video idea. So I feel like being handcuffed to him for a week would give us an opportunity to come up with a lot of ideas for sketches.”

Okay, so again in typical Ian fashion we gotta read between the lines a little on this one 😅 Ian doesn’t like to get mushy as we know so his reasoning being “coming up with video ideas” doesn’t surprise me lol. But I think the first part of his answer gives a lot away - having someone you can be bored with says a lot. That’s a very specific level of comfort with another person. Not to let my swiftie side show on this post lol but there’s a lyric Taylor has from her song Peace that perfectly sums up what I mean by this

“Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other.”

That’s what I mean. Someone you can be bored with and it’s still a good time, there’s no awkwardness, you can sit in silence because it’s enough to just be existing in the same space that they are.

Moving on from the Games video.

Variety Article (aka Blue Dot Gate)

On the same day, Variety dropped an article with Ian and Anthony, and for some reason Ian had blue dot on his face in the photo that was used for it 🤷‍♀️ Ian was just as confused and so took to his Instagram Story :-

And Twitter :-

But Anthony was quick to show his support 🫡 :-

SLEEPWALKING DISASTER! Watch Party

So during the livestream someone in the chat says that Ian should change his profile picture in the Smosh Royalty discord server to the one of him with all his cross-country medals from his high school senior portraits. He’s got a really terrible haircut in it 🙈 He does find it funny but I’m not going to share it because I know part of him hates it and I feel bad, but it is out there so you should be able to find it if you’re curious.

Anyways, they’re joking around about it and Anthony’s (affectionately) taking the piss out of him for it.

Ian: [explaining the photo] “So I was posing with all my cross-country medals; Cause your boy is a freakin’ champion. No, not really.”

Anthony: [in cutesy voice] “Yeah you arrree.”

Ian don’t you know by now that Anthony will not allow you to downplay your accomplishments! 😤

Anthony: [finds and shows the photo to the camera] “Why did you take a photo with all your medals?”

Ian: “Cause I didn’t accomplish much else [in high school]...”

Anthony: “Awwwww no, yeah you did!”

IAN STOP BEING MEAN TO YOURSELF THATS SO SAD 😩

Glad Bestie Anthony is on hand 🥺

Assassin’s Creed 3 Song - Flashback w/ Smosh Ep 1

First episode of their new podcast brought forth a few little complimentary moments :-

Ian: “I look so adorable here [the screencap above].”

Anthony: “Yeah, you look so cute.”

Anthony: “Awww, Ian being a soft boi”

Plus the little hint of a smile on Anthony’s face seeing baby-face Ian ☺️

That Smosh Guy - Ian Hecox Interview | How Famous Is Jirard?

Another little compliment from Ian sprinkled in the month. Nothing major, just wanted to include it. He went on this podcast and talked about Defy and how what Smosh became ultimately led to Anthony leaving.

Ian: “So after the years of doing all this extra stuff that Anthony felt like wasn’t really core, I think it just really wore him out, and the thing with Anthony is that - if he has a project, he’ll put his whole heart into it.”

Just thought this was nice little one to include since we’ve had a lot of Anthony recognising Ian’s work ethic, so why not the other way round for a change? I think it’s also another example of why their dynamic works well, especially since Ian goes on to say that he’s not like that, and that if he’s not feeling a project he won’t put all his efforts into it. I feel that must balance them out well - that if Ian isn’t really feeling something but Anthony is he can encourage Ian to see the potential in it, and same goes for if Anthony’s putting too much pressure on himself to create something perfect when he doesn’t necessarily need to, Ian is able to pull him back and recognise that he doesn’t need to burn himself out.

Roasting Each Other’s Cringey Tweets (You Posted That)

They brought up the ‘baby more like daddy’ tweet that I included in the first compliments post. And what did I say about how the period of time when Anthony kept complimenting Ian on social media before their reunion stood out to me. Now we have confirmation that, as Erin dubbed it in have video, they were “soft launching” the fact they were talking/friends again.

Ian: [tweet shows on screen] “So I said ‘Baby’s first chain’. Ha ha [fiddles with necklace] now I’m a chain boi.”

Anthony: “Awww.”

Not really a compliment, just thought it was cute lol.

Anthony: “I remember this was my first time ever publicly supporting you.”

Ian: [smiles] “Noooo, that’s not true.”

Oh 🥺 I don’t know what to call this moment exactly? Almost like the shoe is on the other foot? Ian not allowing Anthony to paint himself in a bad light by saying this was the first time he ever showed support to Ian publicly. I agree with Ian that it definitely isn’t the first time over the years but obviously the ‘between years’ caused a big gap and the years before I think it’s clear from what Anthony said in the journal video about not praising Ian enough in the past that he feels bad about that and it’s why he’s so vocal now in supporting him - to make up for that.

Anthony: “It’s [the tweet] something like ‘daddy likey the blingy’.”

Not Anthony lying to try and save face 🤭 he knows exactly what he said! That man remembers the most random, minuet details about things - especially when it comes to Ian. He just doesn’t want to admit he has a thing for calling Ian ‘daddy’ 😏 it’s okay Anthony, you can embrace it, we get it.

EVIL AI TRIED TO KILL ME! Watch Party

Someone in chat congratulations Anthony for being nominated for a Streamy and the boys talk about how they’ve got suits for it and then proceed to go back and forth saying how ‘good’ and ‘hot’ they’re going to look - Which indeed they did 😍

Someone in chat then asks if their suits are matching.

Anthony: “Matching suits? No they’re not matching. But they do look really good together though. They vibe well together.

I don’t think that’s the suits Anthony, I mean they help, but that’s all Ian and you. They look good and they vibe well together 😌

Anways, that was just a fun little one!

Moving on…

Ian ‘Cupid Shuffle’ Hecox

Ian blessed us with this Instagram post of him busting a move and looking 🔥 at Kimmy’s wedding :-

And of course Anthony couldn’t help himself :-

Streamys 2023

We didn’t really get much from the Streamys (not even Anthony winning 😤) but there was one little moment that happened early on in the show where they mentioned OG YouTubers and a clip of Ian from Food Battle 2012 where it looks like he’s doing ‘questionable things’ to a doughnut plays on screen.

Now obviously I don’t know how Ian felt in that moment having that play, but I think anyone would feel a little under the spotlight, especially given the context of the clip and how for people who’ve never seen FB or Smosh it must have been fairly confusing lol.

But no worry, because Ian’s no1 fan was sitting right there next to him. From the audience, over the people laughing and a few claps, you just hear Anthony’s voice yell “YEAH!” with his hand raised in the air :-

Always there to be Ian’s cheerleader 🥹

Anthony Plays Smosh Hide and Seek

So this was just a silly little moment, that again is more compliment-adjacent but still thought it deserved a little shoutout to close out the month.

In the hide and seek video Anthony and Ian are down to the last remaining few people to try and find - one of those being Chanse. Earlier in the video Anthony had checked the clothing racks and not found anyone - Ian wanted to allow him to seek his own as it was his game, but since they were having to re-check where they’d already been Ian decided to help him out, and low and behold, he found Chanse 😆

Anthony couldn’t believe he’d missed him!

Anthony: “That was such a good spot, holy shit! And your feet being in this bucket - holy shit! I would have never found you. Ian, damn, you found him!”

Literally just thought this was cute of Anthony giving Ian the recognition of finding him and that he wouldn’t have been able to without him. That’s all. Have no more thoughts on this one lol.

And so August slipped away into a moment in time…

Hope you enjoyed reading and I shall see you next time!

[epickiya722]

If you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top favorite fics that you've written (feel free how much that you want to list)? Why they're special to you? Is there a specific inspiration when you wrote them?

Thanks if you want to answer....

I'll tell you, all my fics are special to me and most of the time, I find myself having fun writing them. Writing isn't just a hobby, but a way for me to release pent up feelings I have or express an idea that came to me.

To name a couple...

Beware of the Bunnies - It's the first fic I wrote for "if Miruko was Midoriya's mentor". It was fun writing that fic, especially when it's a fic for my two #1 faves. I honestly didn't expect the amount of attention I got for it!

Not Red, Black - I sometimes like branching out from writing warm-hearted, funny fics and this is one of those times. Another AU idea I had, but if Miruko and Midoriya were eldritch-like creatures and related. Unlike its prequel, this one stepped more in horror imagery and I think the direction the fic took.

Forbid a Woman from Being Great - Yes, another Miruko fic and one I actually wrote out of spite. When it comes to this fandom (as with any), is how double standard they can get. With Miruko, I have seem people hate her for being "too aggressive" or "too mean", but praise other characters for those same traits or even give excuses for their behavior. Or with fanservice, the same people who complain about it also thirst over the male characters getting bloody and shirtless. I don't hate characters like Dabi, Shigaraki or Hawks but I can't stomach how their fans act when it comes to Miruko or any other character really. It was actually a Hawks fan that irritated me enough to write this fic as well as get me out of the writing funk I was in.

An Absolute Menace - This is a fun little fic. It's part of a series of Class A and occasionally B partaking in antics. With this one, writing Koda as this troll was new, but fun.

Let's SK8 Over the Rainbow - This is actually a SK8 series that I wrote and it's still one of my favorites. It started off as a headcanon (Reki allowing Koyomi to paint his nails) and then spiraled into a collection of short stories themed around colors and I love colors so much. One of the fics, You're Lime Green Jell-O, I dove into expanding a character that only appeared once in SK8. Her name is Miki and she has green hair and I remember seeing her and going "You, you're getting some personality, a story, etc." Best decision ever. I just loved writing Miki and I think it was the first time I wrote a whole story for a character that only had two lines in canon.

Tu es le Moment Auquel J'appartiens - Another series I adore. I wanted to write some jealous Vanitas since I don't think I had seen a lot of Vanoé fics where he was the jealous one while Noé was more oblivious. Not at the time, I don't know about now since I haven't read a VNC fic in a long time. The title translates to "You are the moment I belong to" which is a line of lyrics from the anime's first ending song that I love so much.

It's the Pink Hair, Isn't It? - Do not get me wrong! I do love the AUs I see where Sukuna and Yuji are brothers, but the idea of this fic came from what if they were identical strangers and not related in the slightest. Even funnier, in the fic, Kenjaku and Suguru are siblings that look like twins, but Kenjaku is older. My favorite scenes probably have to be Kenjaku and Yuji interacting and Sukuna and Yuji meeting. I've also been cooking up a sequel so I can write more of Kenjaku and Suguru being siblings and Yuji's brothers and I do mean all nine older brothers. (I relate to Choso so much.)

Your Heartbeat Is My Comfort - Ever see a beautiful piece of fanart and you want to write a fic about it? That's what happened here. I saw this FushiIta art post here and it was like BAM! I had to write a fic. It was also another I didn't write something comedic, but more somber, bit of tragedy yet comfort in there.

Maybe Someday We'll Meet Again - I'm all for the Teacher Geto AU! However, this fic came from a what if scenario had Suguru and Yuji had met when they were younger and I always how Kenjaku was even aware of Suguru's technique. So I put both ideas together and thus this fic was born. It isn't dark, but little less comedic than others and I tried my hand at focusing on more of Yuji's strangeness and innocence here along with Suguru's character before he became a curse user.

You Are My Special - Again, another time I went for less comedy and fluff and tried with something else. I actually don't know how to categorize this one in terms of genre. SPECIALZ was stuck in my head for a long time and it got when I really started thinking about the lyrics and decided why not try writing something from Kenjaku's POV about Yuji? It may have took forever to write, but I'm glad I did. I actually wanted to write a companion piece of sorts but from Sukuna's POV about Yuji.

The Pink Sky and Cherry Blossoms - I actually just posted this fic and I'm glad I waited to answer this ask because of it. I was rereading the manga and came to Uro's fight with Ryu and Yuta and instantly fell in love with her character and thought about how would it have been like if Uro met my other favorite, Yuji? They have some similarities going on there and it was eye-opening writing those into this fic, especially with Uro's character. I wasn't around when that arc came out, so I didn't know how the fandom acted towards her, but for me, I just felt there's more to her than the surface. She's the Miruko of JJK to me as Yuji is the Izuku. Just as I would love for Miruko and Izuku to be a duo in a big sis-lil bro/mentor-mentee way, I love the same for Uro and Yuji.

The Craving That Paints Your Lips Red - The last fic I wrote for 2023 and a sequel to another fic, I wanted to try my hand at the horror again. But more tame, but still "Oh my gosh". I'm writing a post about it, but I have thoughts about Yuji and Sukuna's relationship and sometimes I have this feeling that Sukuna wants to corrupt Yuji, kind of like shape him to be the next him almost. Not for certain, but it's an idea that kind of struck me. For this fic, I wanted to explore a more horror fic side of Yuji housing the King of Curses. The best part of this fic for me is how I unintentionally stuck with the idea that Yuji keeps getting back up no matter how many times Sukuna tries to break him.

That list got longer than intended, but again, I have a lot of fics I have enjoyed writing! I'm glad to have talked about them and I thank you for asking! 💜

[604to647]

💖Fic authors self rec!💖

when you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. (if you feel like it, no pressure.) spread the self-love 😘💕

Thank you Kate and @milla-frenchy for the ask! One of my most self indulgent guilty pleasures is to look back on what I've written 🤭🤭 I seem to have gotten into the habit of writing series, so I'll try to pick my favourite individual instalments/chapters if it applies 😁.

Birthday Present - one of the few one-shots I've written and the only thing I've written for Javi P (my love 🥹). Even though I started my writing journey with SwY, this story with Javi is the first I ever conceptualized - it felt wonderful to get some of it "on paper". I may never write the full story for them, but these days I think about doing another one-shot to show their meet-cute (there's spilled coffee! A misunderstanding with the Ambassador!), or a little photocopier room scene that takes place after her birthday 🤔

Lingerie (Safest with You is my baby on its own, but this one is my fave of the series/au) - I think I've said it elsewhere, but this is one of my favourites simply because when I posted it, it was the first time I told Mr. 604 about my writing and he was so, so supportive. So I'll forever associate this story with those good feelings.

Husband Material (The Rockford Portfolio) - I love the TikTok trend that inspired this story! It's so cute (although the OG video not so much) and now when I'm on the clock app, I keep an eye out for new couple trends that might inspire more stories for these two. This is also where my brainrot for soft!Tim who's totally obsessed with his girl took root 🤭

Barón Tovar Takes a Wife (particularly the Second Movement) - my only crossover and it was such a blast to write because while I was doing so, I was getting all hyped on the anticipation for Bridgerton Season 3. The dialogue style of this time period is so beautiful sometimes (almost lyrical), it was great fun to attempt it!

Strawberry Shortcake (all three parts) - I actually started two other Frankie fic/mini-series first but this one flew into my brain and just would not leave. What I was worried about with this one (that the three parts were sort of inconsistent in terms of feel and vibes) ended up being the thing I liked the most about the series in the end 😊

Thank you so, so much to anyone who has ever read or supported any of these stories or anything I write 🥹 It contributes so, so much to my own enjoyment of my fics, you don't even know!

[brits4gerardway]

i'm never on anon :3 hello!!

okay so here are my 3 questions

1: fav movie ?

2: best mcr album in your opinion ?

3: ever read homestuck ?

HIIII!!!!! TY FOR THE ASK :3

(this will probably be a long post because the first two questions evoke massive ramble urges within me)

1: FAVE MOVIE AHHHHGGH I really like The Shining 😭 I have a jack torrance funko pop :33 but also One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest crushes my soul in a good way (i like watching old movies) BUT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I RLLY LOVED SUICIDE SQUAD THAT WAS SUCH A SILLY TIME FOR ME (not a fan of jared's joker though sorry guys) margot robbie's harley quinn you will always be famous🫶🫶

tbh now that I think of it I have a lot of favourite movies and i'm a nerd for this kinda stuff which doesn't really help my case (has took BTEC media and is also going to do A-level film studies) ,,, FUCK,,, I'll just name some more favs!!!!!

Joker 2019, The Dark Knight, Birds Of Prey, Melanie Martinez K-12, American Psycho, The Crow, Girl Interrupted, MCR Life On The Murder Scene ((IF THAT EVEN COUNTS)), Pearl (I'M A STAAAAARRR!! D:), La La Land, Corpse Bride, Coraline and also Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle :D there are probably some i've missed but for everyone's sake i'll stop there

2: this will always be the most difficult question ever to me because I love all of them so much equally and they're all great fucking albums that mean the WORLD to me,, statistically it's The Black Parade which is the best and it's sososososo good 🤤🤤🤤 but ngl I'm a massive Conventional Weapons lover even if it's not technically an album . BURN BRIGHT SAVE US BURN BRIGHT WE SAY IN UNISON🔥🔥🔥 but ACTUALLY albumwise I'm stuck between Bullets and Three Cheers I LOVE CONCEPTY ALBUMS AND DEEP LYRICS SO MUCHJSJDJD AND THEN THE UNDERRATED OVERHATED DELECTABLE MASTERPIECE OF DANGER DAYS EXISTS TOO WITH THAT SILLY CONCEPT AND SHIT I'VE SAID THEM ALL.

but bullets. i think. for now. yeah❤️ (I change my mind every time I think about it)

3: I read a teeny bit of homestuck back in 2020 but I never continued for some reason I totally forgot why 😭 I REMEMBER THE KARKALICIOUS SONG THOUGH THAT SHIT GOES HARD

I loved doing this instead of sleeping<33 take this pretty yet blurred swarm gerard image as a cheers to anyone who read all that

[carmenized-onions]

Oh my onions ,

This chapter was the first thing I saw when I opened my phone this morning and I immediately started reading cause when I tell u I have been waiting for it like crazy. I took a break and kept reading after my statistics class (master’s thesis kicking my ass thank u). 

It was such a relief of the tension in the previous chapters, some honest moments between Carm and Tony and also the reality and craziness of their family and faks being around. 

I am so curious to see how the DD and kids dynamic will unfold cause in season 3 I bawled my eyes out in the ice chips episode and I was so happy Sug is taking those baby steps towards redefining her relationship with her mom now that she herself is one. It would be nice to see some cathartic moments here too(obviously given the complexity of the relationships cause lord knows it’s fucked to the core). 

HELL YOU ARE MAKING ME MISS CHRISTMAS NOW I KINDA WISH WE HAD LIKE A WEEK TILL CHRISTMAS IRL CAUSE I HATE THE SUMMER. 

cuteness baby Michaela and Tony (hohoho make her and Carmy babysit pls pls) 

RICHIE THE MAN THAT U ARE. he totally is an old fashioned in my brain so I get the whiskey and peaches thought Tony u are right. 

Also …. Sydney baby I can sense the tension…. I see u getting off the floor … I SEE U NOT SAYING IT BACK SO …. 

Also side note I always listen to music while reading this to set the cinematic vibe yk yk and today I happened to listen to father John Misty’s “I love u honey bear” and “everything is free” and COINCIDENTALLY they match the vibe quite perfectly make sure to check them out if that’s your vibe, I feel the lyrics to these 2 songs were kinda fitting to this chapter (are they my personal soundtrack that played in this episode ?! Yes they are !) 

Can’t wait for next one u never fail! Can’t wait for the Christmas special if u will. ALSO 14 K I know u said for both our sanities it’s getting shorter but I’m so glad I saw a double digit no pressure my love Heheheheheh !!!! I gotta stop yapping stay safe till next one :)))))

AHHH I hope the next one isn't shit, we're dropping in like idk whenever I finish answering these last couple asks that i've let sit in my inbox for DECADES (a couple weeks). If I failed this time, no one tell me. Let's all let onion live in ignorance okay. a handful of times i was like "what if I simply restarted" at like 8k in.

But I've finished my final draft edits and I think it's fine. I think it's a very necessary chapter. It's like how I felt about Doing Too Much back in the day, but now that one's like, one of my faves in terms of how much it actually establishes--- ANYWAYS WHAT THE FUCK AM I TALKING ABOUT let's talk about your talkings

I hope your thesis went/is going well!! It's been so fucking long where is everyone on their life projects. Me personally I'm applying to OTHER FUCKING JOBS. Who wants to pay me to write CK full time? I'm so fr.

Chapter 14 will always be that girl when it comes to tension breaking. Like christ. Two Steps Back is my favourite chapter to reread because I love Mikey and Chip and I also think I am the most in my bag when I'm writing sad shit but Chapter 14 is always nice when I'm havin a ROUGH DAYY

I hope. When I do eventually cover DD. Which is tragically for me, quite soon, that I do it fucking any justice. I'm very thankful for the compliments comparing me to canon but MAN if anything is a test of my ability to understand these characters, Donna is my final fucking exam. I am so bad. At writing moms. Just in general. Ice Chips was truly like my favourite episode of the season too, so I hope I can do all the fucking insane dynamics of adulthood blended with motherhood justice. I can barely do them justice in my own life, YKNOW??? man.

Me and my roommates take christmas so fucking seriously. As we have for the past... 3 years. And now that this is our first christmas living together again, I truly start gift planning now. did someone say psychotic? NO. i just PUT THE DATES OF EVERY SALE OF EVERY IMPORTANT RELEVANT RETAILER IN MY PERSONAL CALENDAR. I'M NORMAL. FUCK YOU I'M NORMAL!! what i'm trying to say is, it's christmas whenever you decide it's christmas.

Ohhhh Michaela Blurb. Someone request it someone request it. I so hope in S4 they let that man be a good Uncle. I know he avoids family like the plague but come on man. its a BABY!!!!!

I hope everyone loves the drink menu I have planned, or I mean--- Sorry, the drink menu chip has planned. Jerimovich you whiskey peach bitch da MAN YOU ARE!!!

It's s o hard to not write like a little bit of tension with Syd. Like I can't not. It's so in my brain I cannot get squidink out of there someone call the police dont actually

i love. when an indie bitch enters my domain. i love father john misty!! I can so see those songs. There's a lot of songs I adored for this chapter. I think my most probably unagreed with would be I Like It, by DeBarge--- Listen, I know it's so cheery-- But that's exactly it. That is so Song That's Playing At The Wedding Outside The Bathroom While We Full Breakdown In Here. HEAR ME OUT OKAY

We are,,, at 15k for this chap. Chap 14 was 14k,,,, I feel like Chap 16 is not going to be 16k (but rather, horrifically, more), but it'd be cute to continue the pattern. I'll attempt to reduce myself.

Also:

I WISH THEY MADE A CHICAGO JOKE IN CANON, esp with Carmen's drive by about Musicals in ep2? Come on man. Chicago's (the city) like. top 3 of american cities for theatre. what the fuck. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTS???

i love chicago (the musical) (maybe also the city idk), so I had to give a little credit. And frankly, while writing that bit, I watched the moment back--- He did KIND OF RUN INTO IT, LIKE I HONESTLY THINK THAT WAS KIND OF AN ACCIDENT

anyways i'm gonna shut the fuck up now chapter out soon love you bye gotta answer more asks!!

[justicerikai]

graduation

In Japan, when one decides to move onto greener pastures or simply quit the current job they have been doing for quite a while, that is referred to as graduation.

And thus, I too, will be graduating from translating Charisma House.

Earlier this month (May 2023) I decided to go on a break due some medical and personal issues I had to deal with. No thinking about translating at all, just doing what I want and what I like. It's been roughly two weeks now and for someone who is doing things all the time, it was more than enough to decide where I want to keep going with translating.

Of course, this isn't a spontaneous decision. It's something that weighed in the back of my mind for a bit- can I handle all of this? I love translating, but can I handle all of it? No, I cannot. I need to know my limits.

But most importantly, know what's fun.

Charisma House was very novel for me. I had to learn to understand the humor, grasp what's being implied, the nuances of the jokes that can be easily misunderstood if not read properly. It was a challenge that definitely pushed me beyond anything else ever could. And yet, that honeymoon phase of grasping something so novel, so different, has come to an end.

I still love Charisma House, and always will. I actively keep up and peruse the interwebs for fun theories and content. Yet with the direction of Season 2, I have noticed... translating it no longer sparks joy as it once did. It is still good content, but not the one that made me lose my marbles, or perhaps I have simply gotten used to it?

Or perhaps, I simply just... lost the spark and drive I once had for it. And that is fine. Such is the beauty of what's fleeting, 物の哀れ if you will.

Translating Charisma House was, and will always, be a fun experience for me. I'm happy I took the risk, a mere amateur like I, to still translate it. I learned a lot, I laughed a lot, I shared a lot. I never thought I would translate drama tracks, or even still try with song lyrics (which I did give up on but alas). Besides this, I have also dabbled in subbing anime, I have even attempted manga translating. But at the end of the day I realized that what truly sparks joy, what actually is fun for me, for me is visual novel type content.

Not only that, I also want to translate because... I want to. Not because it is an obligation to give the people content. A few weeks ago, my favourite mobile game released an event with my two fave characters and I had so much fun working on it. I felt so excited with each phrase I translated, I couldn't wait to show this to people.

Even when I am thinking of an other mobile game that's coming out soon, all I can think of is "God, I cannot wait to share this with the masses! I have to! It's my duty as a human being!"

That feeling is, alas, what I have been lacking with Charisma House for a while. And that is when I should know better, and draw the line.

As I said, it is no longer fun.

Is it that serious? That I'm dropping a series that I have translated? No, probably not. Happens all the time, I'm sure there are others waiting in line to continue what I was doing, or maybe not. Who knows.

But to me, it is, and that's why I wanted to convey it in a long hefty post.

As closure, I will share some words of one of my favourite manga. Something I live by, and will for as long as possible.

"The world is filled to the brim with nice things... and all of them are carrying someone's intentions and feelings.

When those feelings get across and manage to make someone happy... I gain little pieces of confidence,

that I'll gather together and carry with me as I move on."

And I believe something like that, is only achievable when you do something that is fun, to you.

Thank you for reading, this post, and my translations. Thank you for being able to find enjoyment in Charisma House through my translations. This blog is not going anywhere and will stay up, of course. You will probably still see me around on my other ventures, just not here.

And never forget,

Rikai-kun is cute and he will always be.

Sayonara

[kwockwoc]

kwoc's writing year in review [2023 edition]

got tagged by the fab @glowingvenus (cheers mate) 🥂

i really should do a 'reader' version of this bc i read some great stuff in '23 💝

if you (yes, YOU) want to play along then hereby consider yourself officially tagged ok? 👋🫡

How many words have you written this year? oh wow how am i meant to calculate?? not sure. ao3 reckons i've published 546k in 2023. there's more in draft and more that got deleted, so too hard to count. no idea.

How many works did you publish this year? too many

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? can’t really single one out

What work of yours has the most hits? better this way (btw)

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? Fresh

Favorite title you used? uhhh this is an odd question. Dreamboy maybe

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? lana del rey

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? seiji/nick (FENCE Comic)

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? goddamn robert coste/omc and an even more goddamned omc / omc which is unpub’d

What work was the quickest to write? no idea. Some of the Fence challenge pieces were like an hour or two of mindless tapping (as if you couldn’t tell haha)

What work took you the longest to write? btw

How many WIPs do you have in your docs for next year? decline to answer

What’s your longest work of the year? btw

What’s your shortest work of the year? most of the Fence challenge stuff

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? these hidden streets. IN MY DEFENCE it was MEANT to be 3 short chapters and at last count was 65k in draft ☹

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? oh no idea, probably light angst

Your favorite character to write this year? Seiji

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? also Seiji

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? haven’t really thought about it

Which work of yours have you reread the most? again

How many kudos in total did you get this year? i know this sounds fake but like 700

Which work has the most comments? btw

Did you do any collaborative works this year? nope. 'doesn’t play well with others'

Did you write any gifts this year? yeah <3

Did you receive any gifts this year? yeah <3

What’s your most common category? all man all the time

What do you listen to while writing? depends

Favorite work you wrote this year? probably shadow theatre although tbh I don’t really do faves of my own stuff

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? oh not sure. that requires introspection. don’t really do faves

Biggest surprise while writing this year? somehow managing to unlock a trove of other E writers. like opening the front door and finding a gaggle of new friends. again was the longest complete E fic in the fandom and now look at us 🕳️🫡

[koskela-knights]

I’m trying to make my own AW2 playlist of chapter ending songs—do you have any recommendations? Feel like we’re similarly obsessed with the spiral…

Thnx for your question! And well yeah I might be a bit obsessed with the spiral/loops and its endless possibilities & scenarios that could've been 👀

Besides the official ending songs the game already provides, there are some other songs that give me general AW/AW2 vibes or specific feels for certain characters! I've been pondering about songs to share for a while, so this is a great opportunity! Thnx again for the ask!

Also feel free to share your own songs in my inbox if you feel like it :D

It's gonna be a long post so buckle up 😅

This is the moment to share my love for Lord Huron, specifically their Strange Trails album but also Vide Noir one.

Strange Trails is, to me, an album about being lost and cursed and it's about love. Honestly, I don't think The Night We Met is a good representative about the entire album.

Meet Me In The Woods

This entire song just screams Alan Wake to me.

I took a little journey to the unknown, And I come back changed. I can feel it in my bones. I fucked with forces that our eyes can't see. Now the darkness got a hold on me.

(...)

How long, baby, have I been away? Oh, it feels like ages though you say it's only days. There ain't language for the things I've seen. And the truth is stranger than my own worst dreams.

(...)

I have seen what the darkness does. Said goodbye to who I was. I ain't never been away so long. Don't look back them days are gone. Follow me into the endless night. I can bring your fears to life. Show me yours and I'll show you mine. Meet me in the woods tonight.

Like, how can you read those lyrics and not think about our boy Alan.

2. Way Out There

Drifting in a land time forgot If you think that I've changed, you know me not I belong bodily to the earth I'm just wearing old bones from those that came first I been unraveling since my birth

Those lyrics and partially the song in general remind me of Alan in the Dark Place trying to escape. How many loops has he been through? (Thus in this context, kind of wearing 'old bones from those who came first, aka older iterations of Alan himself) Also, the theremin they use is so fitting and it's an instrument often used in horror movies so <3

3. Vide Noir (both album itself & song)

Where can you go when it’s all in your head? These are the last words that I ever said Where can you go when it’s all in your head? These are the last words that I ever said

Tbh, this album also gives off major Control vibes with its themes and songs about the Astral plane & the black void. Many other songs on the album talk about the main character getting lost and drifting in-between time/space and living/dying

4. War by Poets of the Fall

You might be familiar with the song already and its music video 👀

I like how all the Poets were involved in the video as Taken (have you seen BTS shots of Olli with a fake beard?!!) Anyways, the song makes me think of how Alan has to remember that there are people out there who want to help him. That there are people out there fighting against the Darkness, even if he is mainly unaware and might even feel he doesn't deserve external help. It also reflects Alice being Alan's bright light in the darkness, and the reason he wants to keep fighting to get back to her.

In a similar vein, Lust For Life (also PoTF haha) this song could also be seen through an Alan/Alice lens, the shared shoebox mechanic and Alice trying to help/guide Alan back to the real world.

What is lost may be found Safe and sound

5. Hello Cabaret by PoTF

Now this song is maybe one of my faves of the Ghostlight album. Relistening to my fave lyrics of the song, it reminds me of the Koskelas and Ilmo specifically.

For when you come calling Dancing on my grave For all my choices made Judging me for how I played The hand you dealt me Stains the blood that flows

(...)

Of all I once did love but lost Nothing comes without a cost The wise fool said that's just the way it goes

(...)

Most will never comprehend Till' they're in the very predicament

To me, Ilmo at the end of the game is heartbroken and dead inside now that his other/better half is gone. The 'you' in question here might as well be the player or Scratch/Alan and he feels judged by the narrative of his previous actions. He's made decisions and sacrifices and used the Cult as a palpable 'villain' for the greater good. Something many probably didn't/wouldn't understand unless they were in his shoes.

6. Chasing Echoes by PoTF

It's a fun coincidence that in AW2 you have literal Echoes to chase huh.

Is this a role or disguise seeking mercy in creation? Just another device or truly a time when we will rise? Oh one and all, to the occasion And bridge the gap to see the other side?

The more on-the-nose/literal meaning aside, I think this song can be read as another one about Alan trying to escape the DP/spiral upwards toward ascension. Again, there's a 'you' in this song that could be interpreted as Alice who is a light inside Alan's darkness.

7. Brother by Lord Huron

How long have I known you, brother? Hundreds of lives, thousands of years How many miles have we wandered Under the sky, chasing our fear? Considering the spiral and the historical background of the Koskelas and their (indirect) ties to the Huotaris, they might as well known each other/been brothers for longer than what we see in-game. Some kind of trouble is coming Don't know when, don't know what I will stand by you, brother 'Til the daylight comes or I'm dead and gone

(...)

I know we can't stop what's coming But I will try, oh how I'll try Will you fight with me, brother One last time, one last fight

We know Ilmo got visited by the Dark Presence and has had nightmares about killing Jaakko. Luckily, he rose above that (as far as we know) but I think the dread and fear of losing Jaakko keeps lingering just underneath the surface. Personally, I enjoy the thought of people sometimes remembering the previous loop/spiral and that those affected/remembering would try anything to keep the loop from repeating.

8. You Belong To Me by Cat Pierce

If you're a fan of Alan/Scratch, this song has that obsessive/possessive vibe to it that seems to be a dialogue/mix between them.

I've heard allegations 'bout your reputation I'll show you my shadows if you show yours Let's get it right dear, give a good fight dear We'll keep it all up behind closed doors

(...)

I must confess to you, I want to possess you Feels like we're dreaming, we're tripping and reeling Just say that you belong to me I could get lost in the feelings we're feeling Just say that you belong to me

[nevoadecaipora]

Hiiii tagged by @xielianss (thank you darling! <3)

list 13 songs you’ve been listening to lately

Francesca by Hozier this song took me completely when i first heard it, i love the lyrics and the emotions Hozier puts in every verse. i keep singing it non-stop

Enamorado Tuyo by El Cuarteto De Nos that i've first heard in a sasunaru edit tiktok. i have no regrets since i always discover great songs by sns AMVs and they always manage to pull real human emotions from me when i'm feeling disconnected

Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones there's something about this song that sounds so crispy and good to me but like texture wise?? idk how to explain it but it sounds so so good to me

Maar Daala from the movie Devdas so Devdas is one of my favorite movies ever, is so dramatic and the visuals are beautiful, but this song in specific is the reason why i went after the movie to watch and it was super worthy, and this song is so good and the scene is amazing. seriously Devdas is a gorgeous movie and the songs are great, but this one is *chef's kiss*

...IN HEAVEN... by BUCK-TICK i just love the vibe of the song, and BUCK-TICK in general. as jade said, their vocalist passed away, sadly, but the great songs remain with his beautiful voice. since it came out i've also been liten to Mugen Loop a lot too since it came out

Identity by Sakanaction this song is soooo good. Sakanaction in general is a band that i've discovered a few years back and i love their songs and videos, but mostly i loooooove the baseline.

When I'm Alone by Twisted Nerve got addicted to this song since i first heard it in my friend's ig story. really good and idk i really like this texture of old recordings it adds yo the song.

Senhor cidadão by Tom Zé this song is a bit tripy and in general feels like a post-modern play written by liberal theater students and the lyrics are soooo fucking powerful and it never stops com making me feel punched in the chest when they get to "eu quero saber com quantos quilos de medo se faz uma tradição" (i want to know with how many kilos of fear a traditions is made) and after that is just non stop raw feelings

O Mundo É Um Moinho by Cartola i love the guitar of this song it's beautiful, but in genera this song is heartbreakingly beautiful and sad even if it makes me optimistic. i wish i could talk more about it but it's something that you have to listen and read the lyrics and you'll feel

What's Up by 4 Non Blondes i was singing the He-Man meme version of the song one day and then i stopped to pay attention to the lyrics and i thought "oh shit i'm going through this exact same thing right now what the fuck?" so this is the song i'm listening to lately to go through the very difficult days at work

Holy by King Princess i needed to chose a name for one of my fishes and this song was playing and i really liked the melody then i got really addicted to in and listened to it non-stop for four days straight

Baby sung by Gal Costa i love this song so much and i love every single version i've listened to so far, but to me this one is THE ABSOLUTE BEST because the strings and Gal's voice is angelical. and again, old recordings have a specific texture and this one i feel like im in a huge theater as the only person in public listening to them perform. in general is feels very dream like, an absolute fave. and i'm cheating a little bit because i'm always listening to this song not just lately, lmao, but it deserves to be mentioned

Tá Escrito by Grupo Revelação listen, samba and pagode in general are not music genres i'm really into, i have nothing against it, it's just not something that i listen. but one specific hard day i was taking the bus home in a bad mental health day and this song came randomly and saved my day. it's very optimistic and hyper, and now every time i'm needing some hope in my life i listen to it.

So, now that I see it, a lot of them are stuff that i've been listening since teenage years, but i always go back and forth when it comes to songs/artists/genres. this was so much fun!!!

thank you again jade for tagging me!

ill tag: @jcamilov06, @soda-limonada; @happyholand; @adimelo; @zapatism and @corrupted-willy. Feel free to do it if you want, I thought it was really fun!

[syneilesis]

12 + 16 for let it stand! it’s honestly one of my fave ikepri fics so I was curious what made you think of editor chevalier after writing bookbound 👁️

Heeeyyyyyyy theeeerrrrre!!! ⊂⁠(⁠(⁠・⁠▽⁠・⁠)⁠)⁠⊃ Novelist AU my beloved 😆

12. What inspired this wip

One day I just had the thought that, since Chevalier likes reading romance books in canon, in another life he would be a romance writer. I think I was following some stuff in book twitter at the time, and then I posted that writer AU post. But then I immediately thought, what if Emma is the writer and Chevalier is her caustic, snarky, and very very strict editor? Thus, Let It Stand was born 🤓

16. What do you find frustrating about this wip

The novel excerpts, that's for sure 😂 Chevalier prose style is supposed to be lyrical and devastating, like Eric Gamalinda's (I reread a novel of his to mimic it lmao). Dunno if it took, but I didn't want to prolong my agony anymore hahahaha

And now I'm going to face another similar challenge for chapter 3: this time it's writing Emma's novel excerpt 🫠

Chev and goodreads! Lmao what an absolutely delightful topic 😆 He'd probably usually post one-sentence reviews of most of the books he's read. But for the ones he liked or hated it's going to be an essay-length worthy of journal publication, with full-on analysis of the themes and characterizations and even its socio-historical context lol. His reviews will spark discourse that would make it to other sites (like tumblr lol) and he's going to inevitably have a beef with a couple of authors he eviscerated 😂 Eventually he'll get invited to write a piece on booktok and boy that's going to be a rollercoaster ride 🤣 Clavis has his popcorn ready.

New wip development ask game

[charliesinfern0]

8, 9, 15, and 16 abt any f/o you want :D

F/O Voice Asks

im sorry i couldnt use my voice, im still not very confident about it ^_^;;

8. have you ever been in denial about your feelings for an f/o?

no not really. i do sometimes feel a little embarrassed when I share that i have a new f/o (thats why some of them are secret), but im never really in denial about my feelings lol

9. what's the shortest amount of time it's taken you to f/o a character? longest?

most recently, the shortest time it took me to f/o a character is 2 days. when i first saw matthew, i thought 'oh yeah im probably gonna end up liking him', but right after i finished watching scott pilgrim takes off, i didnt really feel like that about him. but then like two days later, suddenly i was like 'wait... i do like him o///o'

the longest its taken me to f/o a character is about like 6 years. back then i got the manga that 🐙 is from, and i didnt really think much of him, until just last week i got back into reading it, and then i realized 'oh wait... i like him!!!! >///<'

15. name a song or lyric that reminds you of your f/o or ship, and why.

I Think I Like You by Donora, The Missing Piece by Forgive Durden, and Orange Shirt by Sex Bob-Omb make me think of Matthew and Juniper ^_^ (also i changed her name its Juniper Quinn/Weldings now)

I Think I Like You is from Juniper's perspective, realizing that she feels a lot better just spending time with Matthew, they dont have to be doing anything special for her to feel happy.

The Missing Piece is a musical-sounding duet song, so it makes me think of like a theatric duet that they would do lol

Orange Shirt i think is just very cute and one of my fave Sex Bob-Omb songs, so yeah :)

(also also Seventeen (Age) by Mike Krol and I Feel Fine by Sex Bob-Omb make me think of just Juniper lol. Seventeen (Age) makes me think of the really shitty relationship she had with her family (also it just sounds very scott pilgrim-y to me), and I Feel Fine makes me think of how Juniper sleeps a lot during the day and mostly only goes out at night :P (its also another one of my fave Sex Bob-Omb songs lol)

16. wildcard, just ramble about your ship!

well, today i finally got to planning out my comic for Matthew and Juniper!! im mainly really happy about the fact that i figured out how they actually meet and how to make circumstances in which they'd see eachother a bunch. basically, Matthew is in New York because Gideon called him there to tell him about the League and his fight with Scott, and he decides to visit a record/cd shop, and while he's in there he meets Juniper, who recommends him some albums, and he ends up buying all of them bc he was just so shocked by her lol. then, way later, he's walking out the the G-Man Media building after his meeting with Gideon, and he passes Juniper, and hes like !!!! and turns and tries to stop her and talk to her buts hes all nervous and cant get a word out and she's like "...?" and walks off and he sees her walk into the G-Man Media Building and is like ??? so he waits for her outside and when she comes back out she's like "so wait who are you?" and he's like "um... im matthew. matthew patel." and shes like "oh like, the matthew patel gideon just told me to meet at the Rockit?" bc like she's Gideon's assistant lol. and she's like "oh yeah im juniper quinn, but you can call me june" (or maybe she says that he can call her june later in the story when theyre closer idk) and they both go to the rockit together (they get to the Rockit from New York by using a subspace thingy btw) and she gets to watch matthew fight scott and also meets ramona maybe? idk maybe they meet later, and then juniper saves matthew from getting killed by scott, and scott recognizes her from somewhere??!!? (but he cant remember where lol), and juniper and matthew get out of there, and im not sure about what happens next, i really want to like have juniper interact with the other exes too (i really want her to be friends with all of them), but yeah thats what ive got so far for my comic ^_^

[glassprism]

how would you rank all the international* productions? for me, my fave would've been the OG german production and the least is the hungarian. *international = foreign language ones!

Oh anon, that's a bit of a tall order considering just how many international productions there, and that I have very little information on some of them. Assuming that "foreign language" means "non-English", then that eliminates London, Broadway, and all the US and UK tours, of course, but also Toronto and the Canadian tours, both Australian tours including the most recent restaging, all the World Tours, and I don't know if you intended this, but you've also cut the Helsinki and Gothenburg non-replicas, the Greece non-replica, and the Sydney Harbour non-replica. But I'm going to pretend you did not mean to do that and include them. Also, I will be lumping several productions into one, including ones in the same country (so Hamburg, Stuttgart, Essen, Hamburg revival, and Oberhausen, you are all one item now) and revivals (Poland, you have probably had a dozen revivals but as far as I'm concerned you're one thing).

Also, why so low on Hungary? There are so many weirder ones out there... Anyway, I can't exactly go and pick a top favorite, so I'm going to imitate my favorite actors list and rank them in tiers, and then only list the rest chronologically. To keep it simple, my tiers will be:

Favorite (the best, would pay to see over and over again)

Love (more solid than transcendentally great but doesn't disappoint, would pay to see at least once and probably go back)

Meh / Not Enough Info (okay, no strong opinions, willing to watch it once OR don't know enough about it to judge)

Dislike (if you took me to see this version live you would have to pay and I would still sit in disgruntled silence for the entire show)

Objectively it looks bad but emotionally I need to see it (this looks absolutely wild, I must see it, take me to it, I will pay you)

Favorite

Germany (Hamburg + revival, Stuttgart, Essen, Oberhausen) - While this should technically fall under the "consistently good" category, it is so good at it, that it kind of ended up rising to the favorite category. Love the casts (save for a few here and there), love the wigs and costumes, love how dang fast the chandelier drops... apparently it's translation is not great, but everything else is, and I just really love all the German productions.

Mexico City, Mexico - It had a great cast (again, save for a couple members), strong visuals, and all that, but what I really love was just how much freedom everyone was given in the role. You see it the most with Saulo Vasconcelos, but even other members of the cast seemed to have been given a ton of leeway in how to interpret the roles, and I just adore it.

Copenhagen, Denmark + revivals - The production that is just so strong in every measure: the costumes, the cast, the singing, the energy of everyone involved.

Moscow, Russia - A long time ago, I remember reading that the production deliberately changes Christine's wig between 'Point of No Return' and the 'Final Lair' to one that is messy, long, straggly, as a symbolic way of showing the turmoil she is undergoing, and I think that little detail shows just how much attention went into this production. And it's just so pretty.

Love

Japanese sit-down tour - Big points for being the first international production, for being so long-running, for being possibly the only production closest to the original, and for forcing me to come up with the term "sit-down tour". Negative points for a pre-recorded orchestra in most stops and their casts being unmemorable because they have to stick so strongly to that. But the good strongly outweighs the bad.

Vienna, Austria - This one is everywhere for me. The orchestrations are incredible. The tiny changes to some of the lyrics is gorgeous. The translation is better than the one in Germany (or so I've heard). They have some awesome cast members - Alexander Goebel is just wonderful. But then there's Colleen Besett and her refusal to change her expression, and Alfred Pfeifer was apparently a dull Raoul and a worse Phantom, and I don't like a lot of their costumes. But you know what? Minor nitpicks! Still love it overall.

Stockholm, Sweden + revival - Kind of love the original more than the revival (Mikael Samuelson and Elisabeth Berg > Peter Joback and Emmi Christensson, though Christensson is pretty good), but both are good, strong productions.

Scheveningen, Netherlands - Not too much to say here, just another really good production that doesn't quite make it to the top of the list (though Joke de Kruijf is divine).

Antwerp, Belgium - Pretty much the same as the above. The trio of Hans Peter Janssens, Inneke van Klinken, and Michael Shawn Lewis is a power trio.

Seoul, Korea + revival + tour - Would almost fall under the "not enough info" page if not for bootlegs. Love the cast (the original slightly more than the revival), they used the World Tour sets, costumes, and wigs and I generally like those, the original translation was supposedly not good at all but they changed it a lot during the show and then after, so... yep, another good one.

Budapest, Hungary - Mixed to positive feelings. On the one hand, they stick pretty close to the original in many ways, which benefits the overall show. On the other hand, it's almost not original enough because of that. Great sets, like the variety of wig colors, costumes are hit and miss, and so is the cast for the most part (some favorites in there and some that I'm really not a fan of). Also had the oldest cast ever though, so points for that.

São Paulo, Brazil + revivals - Like the others, a really good production that does everything right. The existence of Thiago Arancam in the revival does drag them down though.

Prague, Czech Republic - Similar to the Budapest production, its similarity to the original is both helpful and hinders them. In general, another decent non-replica that plays it safe by emulating the original for the most part, until it decides to do something absolutely buck wild like their entire 'Point of No Return'.

Oslo, Norway - A non-replica that I actually like without having to say that it's because it's so close to the original! Basically took the template provided by the Bucharest production and improved on it in every way, resulting in a non-replica that keeps to the spirit of Phantom while also making a lot of interesting changes. Also, best chandelier crash ever.

Greece (Athens + Thessaloniki) - Mainly a clone of the above, so it goes here by default. Not happy that they toned down the chandelier crash though.

Sydney Harbour, Australia - Another great non-replica, may be tied with Norway as my favorite, one that is clearly modeled off the original but makes enough changes to be fresh and novel. Phantom flying down in a chariot? Awesome. Christine getting ripped out of her Aminta dress to reveal her wedding dress? Bold move. An actually tasteful 'Point of No Return'? Hell is freezing over. The entire cast performing in the rain? Kudos just for that.

Meh / Not Enough Info

Madrid, Spain - I used to like this one, but now it's just... fine? Nothing to write home about, I suppose. Visuals are fine, cast is fine. I like the amount of proshots that got leaked, at least.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - Lands somewhere between "meh" and "not enough info", because there really just isn't a lot out there of this production. The cast was very pretty, at least?

Estonia (Tallinn + Tartu) - Reviews of this production make it sound incredible: more contemporary aesthetic, a love triangle where Raoul and Christine are unequivocally the OTP, a version where Christine only kisses the Phantom on the cheek? Sign me up! But alas, there's only a couple of audios and no video footage of this production aside from promotional clips. Not enough info.

Kristianstad, Sweden - All I know of this production is "red-head Christine" and "full-face mask for the Phantom". Would love to know more about it.

Dislike

Poland (Warsaw + Białystok + revivals) - The idea of basing a production off the 2004 movie was a choice, but they couldn't even do that right; the costumes look terrible! Tempo is too slow, the cast was constantly emulating the movie cast (though at least they grew out of it), and what is that second unmasking scene? But hey, epic chandelier crash. Also, bondage Raoul.

Helsinki, Finland + Gothenburg, Sweden - Well, it has good sets. Um, the heavy metal aesthetic is... bold? And you have to admire the bravery of using a papier-mache chandelier, a deformity that rivals the 2004 movie's, and directing the Phantom to sing 'Music of the Night' to the audience with no movement whatsoever.

Bucharest, Romania - Everything about this production was improved in the Norwegian and Greek productions, but thanks for being the prototype. Also, Phantom please stop casting people who won a singing competition on TV.

Objectively it looks bad but emotionally I need to see it

Belgrade, Serbia - Look at this minimalist, peak modern set. I must see it, for I crave going blind at the sheer scarlet overload of it all. Also, flower crown Christine.

Sófia, Bulgaria - What is this production.

[epersonae]

ehehehehe time for fic writer asks! R, Z, AN, AP, BC, BV, and then BW, BX, and BY for carlita <3

GIRL THIS IS SO MANY

Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

fuck titles, all my homies hate titles, etc etc. I don't think I've ever come up with a title first, but I can't say never for sure, so: sometimes during, often after. occasionally it'll be a significant line from the story itself, sometimes it'll be the classic thing of looking for a song lyric (and sometimes that means you are pitching me TMG lyrics), and once I just ended up with the dumbest description and couldn't think of anything else. (Looking thru the first page of my recent works, I swear there's one of every possible methodology, and actually I think Commit to the Bit I had the title either before or very early during the writing!)

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Carlita help (ie, for the benefit of all the broken hearts) - I say this both as a writer and about the story itself, the whole process has been a kind of extended madness, and also it's just a very odd piece altogether imho.

If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

we were talking about this on the phone yesterday! there is a scene in the next chapter of for the benefit of all the broken hearts that I would actually make good art. I also think there's some good visuals in the boss battle scene of The Reckoning Arrives that would be fun to have as art. (oooh, or Lucretia sitting at Taako's bedside after?) Oh, and Ed and Stede in the auxiliary closet in nice either way.

What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

I just read the second chapter of Respawn and it's very good. This AU gets something about Stede that I really appreciate, and Izzy's intro is fucking hilarious.

Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

Is it possible????? that the unnamed wife (aka carlita) of for the benefit of all the broken hearts???? has supplanted my other faves??? Which is tricky because she is more or less an OC, so I don't know if that counts.

Honestly, even though it's been ages, it might still be Lucretia, if only because I am fairly evenly split in my enjoyment of writing both Ed POV and Stede POV.

I don't think? reader reactions comes into it much, except maybe specifically your obsession with Carlita lol.

You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

THIS IS A FASCINATING QUESTION THAT I HAVE ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT. (I'm not digging it up now but I wrote a long rumination about that in re that collaborative Choose Your Own Adventure project, and trying to recognize writers I know.) Here's what I would say is particular to my unbetaed work: punctuation pokemon (gotta catch em all!), excessive parentheticals, "and then", and "is verbing". (I cautiously tag @gaypiratebrainrot who is by now exceedingly familiar with all my writing tics)

Thematically? idk. I'm pretty sure it's there, but I often don't notice those things until someone else points them out.

These three were requests about for the benefit of all the broken hearts specifically:

What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it? 

I don't know about the longest, but I'm pretty sure this most recent chapter (13) took the most drafts and the most reworking and rethinking.

There's so much going on, and all of the characters are finally "on deck" as it were, which means there's both a ton of conflicting emotions and motivations to keep track of AND "I am bedeviled by the matter of the pronouns" AND there's important action that takes place entirely off-page, and deliberately so, which meant I was resisting the need to write what that was because it was going to be throwaway writing, but it turns out I had to in order to make it work. The bit where Mary and Ed first meet backstage I probably ended up with four drafts altogether, including once where I threw out a huge chunk and just rewrote from scratch.

(oh plus I had a real life experience that necessitated a handful of little setting tweaks)

All of which is fair, because it's a big turning point and needs to be both surprising AND make sense in context. Which means I also had to go back to earlier points in the story and adjust in order to get some sense of foreshadowing, or at least plausibility. So thank you for pitching me on the idea for what turned out to the most difficult thing I've ever written in my entire goddamn life, I guess.

Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]? 

I had this idea for something where Mary and Carlita would be painting together, maybe in the style of Jackson Pollack? (this may have been based on one of your pitches) And I can see it in my mind's eye but it just didn't work in context at all!

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter? 

I have two favorites, and one of them is the painting scene that I did write. I love the tension and the physicality of it. The other is in chapter 17, so a few chapters from now (YOU know the one), and I'm not going to spoil it but I like it a LOT.

[fic author asks]