#prose is not my thing haha

[lizkreates]

Black Coffee & Donuts ☕ 🍩

~A Trigun fan comic~

(Image description under cut)

[ID: PAGE 1 Panel 1: Wolfwood and Vash sit at a bar counter just as they’re finishing breakfast. Wolfwood annoyed, is hunched over grasping his coffee mug as he pushes Vash’s face away, who is playfully waving a chocolate sprinkle around. Dialogue: Vash: “Try a donut? Come on, they have sprinkles on the today!” Wolfwood: “Forget it, Spikey!”

Panel 2: Close-up of Vash’s hands breaking the donut into a smaller piece, crumbs flying in the air.

PAGE 2: Panel 1: Vash, drawn in chibi style, reaches over and gently places the donut piece on Wolfwood’s empty plate, utensils resting on the side. Wolfwood, holding his hot black coffee, looks over his glasses annoyed. Dialogue: Vash: “Just a piece?”

Panel 2: Close-up of Vash with pleading eyes and an innocent smile asking “Do it for me?”

Panel 3: Dialogue: Wolfwood: “Okay, but only if you try black coffee.” Vash: “You got yourself a deal!” Wolfwood and Vash toast their coffee mugs in agreement.

PAGE 3 Panel 1: Wolfwood, eyes closed, begrudgingly puts the donut piece in his mouth and eats it. Dialogue: I don’t get what’s so great about this.

Panel 2: Wolfwood looks over to Vash, who is cartoonishly dumping the entire cup of hot coffee in his mouth. He snaps at him “What are you doing?!”

Panel 3: Vash yells, “HOT HOT HOT!!!” Steam rises out of his mouth, and tears stream down his face as he waves his mouth with both hands in an attempt to cool it down. Wolfwood shouts, “You idiot! You’re not supposed to drink it all at once.”

Panel 4: Wolfwood calms down, now concerned if Vash burned himself, and asks “Are you okay?” Vash leans over and chugs a pitcher of water and answers “Mm-mm.” (Which is uh-huh mumbled.)

PAGE 4: Panel 1: Close-up of Wolfwood’s lower face, as he takes off his glasses, no longer concealing part of himself. “Sorry, I should have warned you.”

Panel 2: Wolfwood looks down remorsefully and cradles his coffee mug with both hands. “You need to respect it. Nurse it slowly, let it cool down. Savor the bitter taste.”

Panel 3: Close-up of Wolfwood’s eye in surprise. “It sounds just like you,” Vash observes.

PAGE 5: Panel 1: Wolfwood lights up and laughs, “Ha it sure is!” Panel 2: Vash lightly blushes and smiles softly looking at Wolfwood’s contagious grin. He got him to smile, a win.

PAGE 6: Panel 1: A view from behind, we see Vash and Wolfwood from the back as they continue their banter. Vash sits like a gay, legs everywhere, and Wolfwood straight like a proper Catholic boy. Vash asks “How’s the donut?” Wolfwood responds, “It’s sickeningly sweet…actually it reminds me of you.” Vash blushes, “Aw, Wolfwood! You called me sweet~” Wolfwood denies it, “N-no I didn’t…!” Kuroneko, a black cat, sleeps at the foot of Wolfwood’s bar stool. End ID.]

[revelisms]

Papa is too far gone to remember, now.

Papa, with soot on his clothes, coal-dust lungs and smoke-stained teeth; with his stiff-canvas collar tickling her chin and sunlight in his hair and his hands so warm—

Hey, sweet girl. Did'ja sleep okay?

She remembered his voice the clearest. It was all she could remember. Slurring and soft and centuries old.

And Papa was gone. Snuffed like a flame. Vi was burning. And Vander was there.

Vander, with his smoke-stained teeth and stiff-canvas collar. Vander, whose voice didn't sound right—

Hey, sweetheart. Hotcakes for breakfast, right?

The boys liked him—Vi liked him—Powder refused to call him Dad—

(Because he wasn't wasn't never would be—)

And Vander was gone. Burnt up in blue and fire. Vi was burning out. And she was gone, too—a blot of ash, swept back to the shadows; Vi was gone, and—

Never been fond of tea, myself.

A new voice. New face. Not Papa, not Vander, not Vi—

But he frowns like her. Has scars like her. Papercuts on his fingers and burn spots on his thumbs. Smoke-stained teeth and soft-silk collar, and a whole drawer of shirts that still smell like soot.

His hand is cold, so cold in hers—but he squeezes her fingers back, lightly, and it feels like—

Which jams do you prefer, child? Blackcurrant, or raspberry?

Dunno. We never had any of those.

Well. Snide, like a secret: Most the lot of us hadn't.

And he makes her toasted bread and butter, the way Papa used to. Lets her pick the jam jars by the color, the way Papa let her pick her juice by the prettiest shade. And she sits at the counter, stares at his scratched up hands and the night in his hair and his mismatched eyes, centuries old, and wipes her crumbs on her sleeve.

Powder would have refused to call him Dad—so Jinx does, too.

But he sets a coffee on the varnish, lights up a cigarette, and asks, Did you sleep well, little dove?

And it's almost—

Almost enough.

powder/jinx, on father figures / what you never said.

[syncrovoid-presents]

Sorry y'all, next chapter of The Consequence of Imagination's Fear will have to be a bit late. There local Apple Blossom festival took up more time than I expected haha

On the upside, the festival went well! It wrapped up today after a week (I didn't get to go to most of it though) of various events and the parade was super cool!

Stay tuned @:D

[westywrites]

Cypress Ascending - the Sphaera

A brief introduction (with pictures!) to the Gods

Long ago, this world was ruled by many gods. There was a god for each thing, no matter how insignificant. And the people worshipped whichever god they pleased. But a god of songbirds does not help humanity. And a god of rainbows should not be more beloved than a god of youth. 

So, the Sphaera formed - six gods united under a common goal, worshipped by those who sought the progress of humankind. 

At the foundation, in shadow and soil, is Life - the ever-present Haia. The mortal plane consists of the Stages: Infancy, Adolescence, Adulthood, and Old Age - or Taphla, Hedaph, Raishadin, and Eadim, respectively. Above it all, watching with light and clarity, is Death - Yarham - a benevolent god rarely seen by mortals. 

It was not hard to make the mortals believe that the Sphaera were the only true gods. After all, what is there that cannot be associated with Life, Death, or one of the Stages? Their sphere is enough to encompass the whole world. 

(These images were all made using this picrew, which is intended for creating feminine characters, so these are depictions of the Gods in their more feminine forms).

Haia - God of Life

pronounced hi-uh Colours: black, silver, brown Imagery: night time, the moon, shadows, agriculture (especially soil)

Haia - Life - is the foundation of the Sphaera. Their chosen heroes are champions of tough love. One cannot appreciate the day without the night; one cannot reap a harvest without getting dirty. Life requires balance and challenge. People pray to Haia for bountiful harvests; for courage through tough times; and for reassurance that all suffering has its place.

Taphla - God of Infancy

pronounced TAFF-luh Colours: light grey, teal and pale blue Imagery: winter, clear blue skies with white clouds, gentle rain, small animals, children's toys

The First Stage, Taphla is a guardian for infants and toddlers. People pray to the playful god of beginnings for matters of parenthood and family; curiosity and discovery; peace; sleep; and prophecy. Taphla's God-Touched heroes offer guidance and support during big decisions and life changes, and many serve in the mission to care for and educate the young.

Hedaph - God of Adolescence

pronounced he-DAFF Colours: green, vibrant shades of blue, pink, and yellow Imagery: spring, gemstones and jewelry, streams and fountains, the foothills, meadows

The Second Stage, Hedaph represents late childhood and adolescence. The heroes touched by the temperamental god of youth are associated with music, revelry, freedom, and play, but also violence, righteous anger, and mood swings. Youth-touched heroes serve diverse missions of justice, liberty, or entertainment. People often pray to the Second Stage to seek blessings for their celebrations and help with their children, or simply when they feel overcome by emotion.

Raishadin - God of Adulthood

pronounced raysh-din Colours: all shades of red, dark grey Imagery: summer, carpentry tools, machinery, cities and buildings, tall sturdy trees

The Third Stage, Raishadin presents the ideals of adulthood. The god of fortitude and rationality chooses heroes who can lead with a firm and steady hand. People pray to Raishadin for matters of business, finances, trades and crafts, or to ask for mental and physical strength. As the god of stability, Raishadin also receives prayers for help with romance, marriage, and other relationships.

Eadim - God of Old Age

pronounced AY-dim Colours: orange, soft pinks and purples Imagery: autumn, herbs, birds, mountains and cliffs

The Fourth and Final Stage, Eadim is a protector for the elderly, served by heroes who seek to bring peace, comfort, and calming advice. Those touched by Eadim are often doctors or healers. People pray to the sage god of resolution for wisdom and hindsight, as well as protection, warmth, and security.

Yarham - God of Death

pronounced YAR-im Colours: white, yellow and gold, the colours of flames Imagery: daytime; the sun, especially sunset; candles and the hearth; mirrors; paths and roadways

Yarham - Death - reigns at the top of the Sphaera, a quiet, benevolent leader. Few heroes are chosen by Yarham, and even fewer have actually seen the god of death. The rare death-touched heroes have gone down in history as revolutionary leaders who ushered in new ages of prosperity. People pray to the leader of the Sphaera for clarity or hope, and, of course, to honour the dead on their journey beyond.

Bonus: Cypress Schyley - ascending? - a mystery

Long ago, the world was not ruled by humanity. It was ruled by neither money nor progress. Nor even by dreams. The world was ruled by cycles - time looping in and out in spiraling waves. Nothing was destroyed and nothing was created. Everything that once was could be again. 

But that was long ago. 

The age of cycles was gone. The Sphaera and their God-touched eradicated the old gods, so they say. They freed humanity of the chains of worship for gods whose domains were all the insignificant things of this world. The past and future had been tamed by the Sphaera and their god-touched servants. 

Within a few generations, the old gods have become unknown to mortals - living or dead, it does not matter. All that remains is the Sphaera. 

But at the edges of society, there are those who protest the cruelty of the God-touched. There are those who believe knowledge should not be caged, only seen by the few the gods deem worthy. There are those who believe that the progress of humanity should not leave behind songbirds, rainbows, or any "insignificant" thing that shares the natural world. These resilient, dangerous few whisper of the Forgotten.  They dare suggest that, perhaps, it is time for old gods to be remembered. The time that was could begin again - after all these years, the cycle could start anew.

Maybe, they whisper, the Forgotten Gods never disappeared entirely. And maybe, just maybe, they did not die without a plan.

There, at the edges of society, high in the mountain fields, is a girl. Named for trees that never stop reaching. Raised by a man with ink and dreams and revolution in his veins. She is a lost thing that has been found, a forgotten thing remembered. 

She is Cypress. And it is time for her to ascend.

Cypress Ascending introduction post here and you can read more about the Sphaera here

Taglist: @ratracechronicler @lunewell @lady-redshield-writes If you’d like to be tagged in (likely infrequent) updates about this WIP - including mood boards, excerpts, and worldbuilding - please let me know and I’ll add you to the list!

[isekyaaa]

The writer equivalent of trying to figure out if something looks better one pixel to the right or left is trying to figure out if something should be worded, "She was truly happy" or "She truly was happy."

[lefresne]

hey, i was wondering what you meant by the tags of your last post, about publishing houses?

Hi! So to be completely fair I don’t partake in a lot of ‘retelling’ discourse bc a tonne of people have been far more eloquent than I could ever hope to be on the topic and to be completely honest I feel kind of neutral on the whole debate. On the one hand I think it’s a great way of introducing wider audiences to older literatures and modes of storytelling (I myself became interested in Arthuriana bc I was completely obsessed with BBC Merlin as a twelve year old, and watching the pilot episode literally rewired my brain and altered the course of my life – so a lot of my personal outlook on the question of ‘retelling’ is coloured by that) on the other hand I feel quite sceptical of the fact that publishing houses have a tendency to find literary ‘genres’ (i.e. retelling of myths for example, supernatural romance back in the early 2010s), codify them, and then churn them out at speed for maximum profit. I guess I’m apprehensive abt just the potential of seeing something I love so deeply and whose textual history is so complex and delightful (and itself marked by retelling and transformation) being reduced to a cash grab?

It's been a few years now that I have been expecting the onslaught of Arthurian retellings and I’m actually quite surprised it’s not really…happened yet? I did however read both the Guinevere deception AND half sick of shadows ( which were  BONKERS by the way) because I guess I cannot resist the lure of the YA retelling (and interestingly, neither could readers in the thirteenth-century if texts like the Livre d’Arthus are anything to go by)

Tldr I don’t have anything against retellings in theory! I think they can be really fun and a great way of engaging with literary history as long as it is done with love and care (and a minimum of research if poss)

[thebibliosphere]

Not to keep talking about AI, but to really compound some of the things I've said before: AI is no match for human understanding of context.

It's also only as smart as we make it.

That's why Google Docs was constantly trying to correct every instance of "quirked" to "querched" for the longest time because it was learning that people misspelled the word "quirked" more often as "querched" and assumed the latter was correct due to the frequency of occurrence.

It's not smart. Not in the way people seem to think it is.

Also, P-R-A and Grammarly launched a new "use AI to rewrite this sentence" feature not too long ago, and I've seen some people freaking out that it's the end of writing/editing because the machines are spitting out prose and able to spot errors and make tone suggestions. But here's the thing, my entire week has been consumed fixing AI-generated mistakes for a handful of my writers who assumed the machine knew better.

The tone is off, the context is missing, and the nuance is gone. It reads like someone copy-pasted something foreign into their existing text, hoping no one would notice. And also, haha, the grammar is wrong.

Anyway. Back into editing hell I go as I try to salvage this prose and convince the author to stop relying on Grammarly for tonal advice.

Have more faith in your skill. You're better than the machine.

[breathlesswinds]

(Devlog) What We Learned Making A Trans Dating Game

Hello, Amelia here, the writer for Breathless Winds. It's been 250,000+ words, countless revisions, and three years since this game entered development, and I wanted to talk about what I've learned leading up to release.

The concept for Breathless Winds was actually sort of a joke between friends. I was talking with Doris about how there should be a dating game where you play as a trans woman and your dating options revolve around certain ‘tropes’ we’d both seen in trans fiction-- the totally accepting cishet guy who falls in love with the trans heroine before she even knows she’s a woman, the cool trans woman who the heroine doesn’t know if she wants to date or wants to be, and so on.

Doris wound up suggesting we make this game ourselves. We both like visual novels and want to tell LGBT stories. Still half-jokingly and half-seriously, we started fleshing out what the romance options would be and coming up with a setting-- and soon, we were fully committed to making this game real.

I was a fan of visual novels but had only ever written prose. I knew which visual novels I liked and which scenes stood out, but I didn’t know why they did or how to make my own. 

I read some great advice from visual novel developers, but a good amount of my knowledge came from just working on Breathless Winds. As our first project, this game has grown a lot with us and we’ve learned a lot while making it.

Learning How to Write Visual Novels

A bad habit I had to break out of was only using the ‘novel’ part of the game and not the ‘visual’ part. I would sometimes write “He smiled” or lines like that, and Doris informed me that we can convey this much more simply with a sprite change.

It sounds obvious in retrospect, but lines like that are often pretty invisible when you’re reading a non-visual novel. These lines change the sprite of the character inside your head (if that makes sense, haha). I realized that I’m so used to them being ‘invisible’ that I didn’t notice their absence in visual novels I liked, so I would accidentally include them while writing. 

I was also writing these routes in a word processor, so I didn’t have the visual portion to reference, myself. I wound up making a lot of ‘tone’ notes like, “Lantana should be smug here” so that the meaning would carry when revising and implementing these into Ren’py. 

So, while visual novels share a lot with prose, they’re an entirely different medium. On the subject of representing things visually, I’ve struggled trying to figure out how much can be visually represented and how much should be written. 

Every asset in the game has to be drawn by Doris, so if I want the characters to go to a new location for a scene, I have to keep in mind that’s another background that Doris has to draw. If I want a new character to show up, that’s another sprite she has to draw. I don’t want to overload her, but if I’m trying to avoid this entirely, characters sometimes wind up standing in one room talking for ages without anything significant changing on-screen.

I’ve learned that it’s recommended for something to almost always be changing on-screen, though, so sometimes I just have to ask Doris to make a new asset for a certain scene. I still try to stick to locations/characters that already exist more often than not.

Every single thing in a visual novel is deliberate. Another thing I’ve had to learn that I never even considered before is how to write each line so it fits in the text box. It sounds obvious, but when I’m playing a visual novel, I don’t usually think about how each line has to be carefully constructed so it doesn’t need to be split up into two or more text boxes. In my mind, if a visual novel is well-created, there’s not much that breaks a reader’s immersion.

Planning & Outlining

The previous section might sound really weird to some people, so let me elaborate.  I’m a lifelong ‘write by the seat of your pants’-er, so the biggest trial-and-error of creating Breathless Winds for me was planning out the game.

Initially, I created outlines for each of the four routes, and we agreed ahead of time on which CGs each route would have. That way, Doris could draw the necessary backgrounds and CGs while I was in the long process of drafting this game.  My original outlines weren’t great. I know a lot of people have different experiences with writing, but for me personally, a story is always shaping itself in my mind. When I started making the outlines for Breathless Winds, I knew the concepts we wanted to convey, but I didn’t know what each route (and the game as a whole) was really about yet. This might sound weird and unprofessional, but sometimes, I don’t know what a story is about until I finish the first draft.

So while I was writing, I would look at my outlines and I would think, “this doesn’t actually make sense, he wouldn’t say that” or “this plot point would work better if moved to this other section” or “there’s a plot hole here I didn’t notice”. The story wound up changing a lot in this way as I learned what it’s really ‘about’. 

And even after I finished the first draft, I’d get feedback from Doris and/or my editor and they would suggest fixes to problems that even I hadn’t noticed, and then I would revise the route some more, and later on I’d come back and need to redo part of the route to comply with something I wrote in a later route-- I haven’t really felt ‘finished’ with Breathless Winds at any point, and I think I’ll still feel this way after the game is released.

This means that sometimes, a background was created but would go unused because there was no space for the scene that would use it, or we’d need a new CG last-minute, or so on. 

When I’m figuring things out as I go while writing a non-VN, the only person that I can adversely affect is my own self… so I’m eternally grateful for all of Doris’s patience with me on this matter. I think Breathless Winds has come out a much better game for all the re-plotting and revision. 

I redid the outlines several times as I went. I think I’ve understood how to create outlines that personally work for me-- ‘living’ outlines that hit all the main points, but leave wiggle room for moments when a character does something unexpected, work the best for me.

Scope Creep

So, originally, each route was meant to be 40,000 words. “With four routes, that’s only 160,000 words!” I thought. “And some of my favorite visual novels are about that long, so I can write that much, too!” ← clueless

This is the most infamous mistake that new creators make, and I walked right into it. I should have known better since I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with past non-VN writing projects before, but I was starry-eyed and didn’t realize how much work it is to make a VN. Some of those favorite visual novels I referenced were made by much larger teams, writers whose full-time job was writing (I wrote all of these routes on the side while working at a day job). 

If I could have done it again, I would have asked Doris to start out with a really short VN. But, I don’t regret making Breathless Winds at all. It’s brought Doris and I a lot closer, for one. Every time I thought I wanted to give up on this, Doris would motivate me to continue. Without the two of us both and our strong friendship, Breathless Winds wouldn’t exist, and I think that’s beautiful. 

No matter what, we’re going to see it through to the end. (I hope people like it, though…)

Anyway, here I am talking about how much 40,000 words is. Each route now is about 60k to 70k words. The problem with having evolving outlines is that they can often evolve into double their original size.

We came up with the idea of the poachers really early in development, and then not addressing the poachers felt like a failing, but by that point it was too late to remove the poachers entirely… and so the game wound up a lot longer dealing with the poachers. 

I think that if we had an editor sooner on in the game’s development, then we might have had someone to tell us, “do you really need all of this in the game? Does this plot point really need to be there? Will you be able to write all of this in a reasonable amount of time?”, haha. But Doris and I were really excited about the possibilities of this game when we started creating it, and without anyone to reel us back in, we wound up coming up with more and more things we wanted to put in the game.

Did you know there was going to be an island full of talking rats who say things like “the big cheese” and stuff all the time in Breathless Winds? Yeah. 

The Core Design Philosophy of Breathless Winds

So, for anyone who’s read this far but doesn’t know yet-- the premise of Breathless Winds is that you play as a trans woman who doesn’t know she’s trans yet, and she finds love with one of four love interests as she discovers her gender identity. 

In real life, it can be a lot messier for a person to date when discovering their gender identity. To put it briefly and mildly, a trans person’s life and sense of personal identity can rapidly change during a gender crisis and the early stages of transition. 

However, we wanted to make this game a ‘wish-fulfillment’ type story-- a trans fantasy about acceptance, community, and love. During a gender crisis, it can be easy to feel as if one has lost touch with themselves and become isolated from others. A sincere wish shared by many trans people is to be accepted, loved, and even celebrated as their true gender, not just tolerated. 

Since many trans people don’t get love and acceptance in real life, especially with the ongoing transphobic moral panic, we wanted to create a game that would bring this feeling of trans joy and celebration to trans audiences. 

We also hope that cis players will still enjoy the story and characters, and maybe come away from the game with a new understanding about being transgender and other aspects of LGBT identity (although we never intended this game to be ‘educational’).

Making Characters that Celebrate Trans Identity

Although we went through several revisions, the core identities of each character stayed the same since the game was first ‘jokingly’ pitched. In another post, I discussed how each character is themed around a change in seasons. (I also wound up theming them around the four humors when I was initially concepting them-- I really wanted to avoid too much ‘overlap’ in the LI’s personalities, haha). 

Ultimately, characters are created to serve a role. The LIs in Breathless Winds were designed to be love interests, of course-- characters who would appeal to the hypothetical trans femme audience. As mentioned earlier, we modeled them after other trans fiction tropes because these types of characters have a certain tried-and-true appeal, but this left plenty of flexibility to put our own spin on it. 

A trans woman being loved as a woman by a cishet guy can feel like a high form of ‘passing’, ‘fitting in’ to the female gender role, and being validated by his orientation. He only likes women, and he likes you, so you’re undoubtedly a woman. As a cishet guy, he represents a sort of acceptance into a societal norm that trans women can desire to live to. (Lantana, as a cis lesbian, represents the sapphic counterpoint to this-- although there is of course a big gap between the ‘normalcy’ of a cishet man and a cis lesbian woman, and I don’t mean to say those two are equivalent.) 

But not all trans women want to live to that (cis) societal norm. Rue and Valerian, as a trans woman and a trans man respectively, are the t4t options. 

Rue’s route represents that trans/sapphic ‘envy’ (“do I want her or do I want to be her?”) as well as finding power in community aside from what society considers ‘normal’. We’ve always been pretty clear about what we wanted to do with Rue’s route.

We went back and forth a lot more on Valerian’s route. Initially, we were unsure if he should be trans. He and Rue are the two less-friendly love interests (at least initially), so I was afraid it would come across that t4t is a more hostile option, which is not true at all. But it also felt like a mistake to not have a trans man in the game-- but making Gallardia trans would have required a big overhaul of what we had in mind for him and his route. (Although, childhood friends t4t is a really good idea...)

Beyond that, Valerian takes a villainous role in any route that isn't his own. We were worried that it would be wrong to have a trans antagonist who represents unjust power. However, Breathless Winds is a queer game with other positive trans characters, and we've always approached Valerian as a hot anti-villain man that you can't help but like.

In the end, Valerian’s route is about breaking generational cycles and what it is that makes you a man, and I also managed to sneak in a scene where they dance at a ball in the royal palace, so in the end I think it all worked out great.

Wish Fulfillment and Catharsis

Doris and I both agreed that we wouldn’t depict on-screen transphobia in Breathless Winds. Poppy worries about not being accepted, but fear of acceptance can come with any change in identity. Rue was rejected by her family for being trans, but this doesn’t take place ‘on screen’ in the game. There exist certain metaphorical parallels for transness and transphobia, but every route has a happy ending. 

Following up on this-- it can be difficult to write about discovery of gender identity without writing about transphobia, considering how many trans people suffer from internalized transphobia during their period of repression.

Sometimes, repressed/closeted transgender people ‘hyper-perform’ their assigned gender as a form of denial. A trans woman might grow out a beard and join a gym, while a trans man might become very interested in makeup and feminine clothing. 

In Breathless Winds, Poppy often struggles with ‘strength’ and what it means to be a man. In several routes, she tries to prove her strength under the assumption that being stronger would make her happy. Afraid the world would reject her if she became who she really is, she preemptively rejects herself.

Not every trans person suffers from prolonged denial, internalized transphobia, or even gender dysphoria. I don’t think it’s impossible to tell a purely-positive story about trans joy. 

While Poppy never gets rejected for being trans, faces transphobia, gets called a slur, etc, she faces both internal and external (metaphorical) obstacles to realizing and accepting her identity. 

Gallardia represents a societal norm that Poppy can’t live up to herself as a man.

Lantana suffers from certain aspects of her identity as a woman, which makes Poppy feel guilt for wanting to be a girl.

Rue is isolated from town at the start of her route, a ‘punishment’ for breaking this societal norm.

Valerian has to hyper-conform to his masculine gender role at first in toxic ways before finding acceptance from within and from his loved ones.

These struggles are real to a lot of people, but instead of pretending they don’t exist, I hoped to tell a story about catharsis. Poppy is able to live up to her truth as a woman and finds love with Gallardia, Poppy and Lantana redefine what being a woman should and does mean to them, Rue and Poppy find community in others who don’t fit the norm, Poppy and Valerian stop seeking gender validation from a society that was never made to serve them. 

Although these powerful forces of oppression exist, loving yourself as a trans person- and loving those around you, protecting the natural world, and standing up for what you believe in- can save the day. That’s the kind of story we wanted to tell.

Wrap-up

There’s a lot more I could write, but this has already gotten really long (sorry!) so I’ll wrap it up here. 

Learning how to write a visual novel in terms of technical skill (how to depict events on-screen, how long each line should be) as well as in terms of writing skill (how to outline the game, how to plan visual assets) has been a massive undertaking for me. 

Writing Breathless Winds has been a big challenge but also deeply rewarding, and all of your support has made the experience even more wonderful. Thank you for reading and thank you for supporting the game!

[painted-bees]

Hi-Note Masterpost!

[Also available to read over on our website!: https://www.larkandwren.com/hinote (some of the earlier writing and such has been edited there, as well, for better/more accurate continuity! It's a better read, in general.)] So, who are these guys?

They're just characters who've been living in my head rent free. Sean and I have been kinda developing them on a whim and we don't really intend for them to have like... a formal comic production or anything, just really casuall...little slice of life comic sketches, largely unedited walls of texts, that kinda thing. This little masterpost is about as organized of a product as you're gonna get about them!

Here, have their toyhou.se pages, as a starter!:

https://toyhou.se/2430896.cortes

https://toyhou.se/21370126.rafael-ephrem

https://toyhou.se/21369477.magritte-bailey

Introductory post, the basics about these guys!:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/cortes-80275480

Raf's Family: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/720121276234170368/one-person-said-yes-thats-all-the-permission-i Raf's Condition: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724184582183927808/good-questions-and-im-nervous-to-answer-cuz?source=share

[comic] The litmus test:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/722423019768774656/nah-just-bog-standard-this

[prose] The Meet-Cute: i https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/731262008425644032/august-12-2008-magritte-had-only-ever-heard?source=share&ref=painted-bees ii https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/733051366576144384/part-i-hitting-a-cafe-during-rush-hour-wasnt?source=share&ref=painted-bees

Raf and Margie's early relationship:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/713687883290214400/thinkin-more-about-magritte-and-rafael-because-of

[comic] Place to stay: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/728717693050650624/november-2008-magritte-and-raf-had-been-meeting?source=share

second night: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/732783223474733056/a-scribbley-little-comic-about-the-second-time-raf?source=share&ref=painted-bees

[prose][nsfw] First Kiss: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/735866872788074496/cw-explicit-content-march-18th-2009-the-top?source=share

[comic] Forgetful:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/722820351292211200/a-quick-sloppy-little-comic-about-magritte?source=share [New!] Job Offers and Commitments: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/745376745457418240?source=share

[comic] Oui'd: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/733959177193586688/terrible-thanks?source=share

They had a little fight: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724734371517579264/haha-okay-deep-inhale-so-back-before

[comic] "Omelette du Fromage":

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/718285360589930497/she-doesnt-understand-a-word-of-french-original [New!][comic] What if things were different?: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/745579096757747712/rafs-amount-of-self-awareness-and-the-amount-of?source=share

[nsfw][comic] Havin' a normal one:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714015076047273984/its-dead-hours-on-tumblr-everyones?source=share

[comic] The Phone Call:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/727857213109059584?source=share https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/727881395615170560/follow-up-from-last-nights-lil-doodle-magritte?source=share

[prose]How They Met Cortes:

i https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/733653276161130496/september-23rd-2010-i-the-tide-was-lower-than?source=share

ii https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/733928740517724160/part-i-and-ii?source=share iii https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/734558753585856512/part-i-and-ii-part-iii-iv-and-v?source=share iv https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/738680136750219265/part-i-and-ii-part-iii-iv-and-v-part-vi?source=share [comic] Bong Water: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/739481533849698304/a-sketchy-lil-comic-about-the-first-and-last?source=share [nsfw][comic] "Want anything from the store?":

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/713269794440364032/smutty-sketch-beneath-the-cut-youve-been-warned?source=share

[comic] The Grant:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714134937042927616/magritte-receiving-the-most-validating-news-shes

Fourth Roommate:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/716454157486374912/painted-bees-they-found-a-very-unwell-cat-in-the

[New!][comic] Quiche: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/745361507256238080/she-said-what-she-said-raf-hi-note-draw-by?source=share

[comic] Today's Mood: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/745084030149689344/hi-note?source=share

[comic] Dig your vibe: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/725286527536611328/dorks-ocs?source=share

[interview] Vanity Fair: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/741733741222854656/raf-ephrems-return-to-be-honest?source=share

Lil' timeline of major events:

-1980: Rafael is born in Monaco, January 29th. -1984: Rafael receives his first custom-made violin and begins lessons. -1987: Magritte is born in Timmins, Ontario, August 12th -1988: Rafael's uncle, Guillaume, quits his role at Ephrem Records and leaves Monaco. -1992-1997: The peak years following Rafael's rise to becoming an internationally recognized child performer, bringing the Ephrem Records label into popular culture. Raf begins attendance at Juilliard during the autumn of 1997. -1999: Magritte buys her first musical instrument (Yamaha PSS-270). -2001: Rafael graduates Juilliard with a bachelor's of music. -2002: Rafael reaches out to his uncle in Vancouver and moves in with him the same year. Begins his job at Hi-Note Studio as a sound engineer. -2003: Rafael receives his formal diagnosis of (complex)post traumatic stress disorder and paranoid personality disorder. Moves out of his uncle's house and into his own apartment during the winter. -2004: Magritte graduates high school. -2005: Magritte is kicked out of the house. -2006: Magritte starts her "Stampy Ptarmigans" youtube channel with recordings of her street busking sessions. -2008: Magritte and Rafael meet in a downtown Vancouver skytrain station. -2009: Magritte moves in with Rafael and begins working at Hi-Note Studio with him. -2010: Uncle Guillaume passes away, leaving Rafael to inherit the cabin on Cortes Island. Rafael and Magritte move to spend a full year on the island and meet Cortes during the autumn. -2011: The trio return to Vancouver as their main home, electing to spend the late spring months on Cortes island. -???? -???? -2014: The trio formalize To Be Honest as their band name and release their debut album.

QnA and comic doodle repository:

Cortes tidbits

#All Cortes Posts! About her shapeshifting:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714957835563417600/so-do-magritte-and-ralph-also-kiss-cortez-when?source=share

Some more about Cortes: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724506918894338050/bestie-i-just-gotta-know-more-about-cortes-i?source=share

Favorite marine animal to eat??? Wanderlust?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/716285392928849920/cortes-when-not-in-human-shape-whats-your?source=share

Sexuality?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712778141904551936/ive-not-seen-the-uh-juiciest-bits-but-is-she

Smol ears:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714819788155879424/brush-back-your-cryptids-hair-to-revealtiny-ear

On weaknesses, grudges, and stress:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719478125281558528/29-30-32-36-for-the-beloved-sea-monster

[nsfw] Aphrodisiac seafoam:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712764198982172672/weird-sexually-suggestive-sketch-under-the-cut-no?source=share

Rafael tidbits

#All Rafael Posts! About his upbringing:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/713735788987400192/as-a-fellow-acespec-i-want-to-toss-raf-into-a

Age meme: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/736152968285585408/here-a-quickly-drawn-little-age-meme-thing-of?source=share

Why Raf didn't quit music:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712841341417177088/aw-haha-hes-come-close-lets-be-real-initially

His relationship to music now: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/731592322959245312/this-little-meetcute-writing-doodle-has-funnily?source=share https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/737858475276779520/reading-through-your-hinote-tags-it-was?source=share

Past Relationships: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/735254268413657088/okay-lets-start-with-margie-then-when-she-was?source=share https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/735961804412436480/do-you-have-a-drawing-of-rafs-ex?source=share https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/735972292585259008/lacey-and-raf-brought-out-the-worst-in-each?source=share

On wanting to be loved:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719294362638499840

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719299404703711232/has-raf-not-had-a-single-loving-relationship-in

Why the shitty shades, buddy?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712297486497267712/the-glasses-are-dorky-orange-plastic-framed-dollar

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714677266522734592/raf-latched-on-to-the-cheap-dollar-store?source=share

Patience and therapy:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/722908753561812992/i-was-wondering-if-theres-a-story-reason-or?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/722980953078792192/everyone-is-sharing-about-the-ticket-comic-from?source=share

Anxiety Beach:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/725410887443398656/rafael-has-always-had-a-lot-of-trouble-with?source=share The shoes are his toxic trait:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/715404514243608576/rafael-pls-ignore-me-im-just-an-unremarkable

On appearance, wants, secrets, and gestures:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719483329917894656/aaaaand-27-42-43-48-for-raffy-3

On being scared:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/723058277983862784/for-rafael?source=share

Has he met Margie's folks?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714545195223515136/a-while-back-i-asked-if-margie-met-rafs-parents

[nsfw] sexuality:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/713594497867595776/smutty-sketch-and-character-ramblings-under-the?source=share

Magritte tidbits

#All Magritte Posts! Age meme: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/736321876488601600/margies-turn-to-be-quickly-sketched-for-the-age?source=share Past Relationships: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/735254268413657088/okay-lets-start-with-margie-then-when-she-was?source=share Her relationship to music: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/732043488118636544/best-reactions-of-me-playing-on-toy-pianos-which?source=share A bit about her (very nascent) career: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/725706356775075840/i-havent-said-much-about-magrittes-musical?source=share Her feelings towards her parents: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/737368200819458048/ok-im-just-gonna-come-right-out-and-say-it-i?source=share

[New!] She really likes Kirby: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/737230742514548736/okay-but-i-feel-like-i-need-to-make-a-post?source=share

On smarts, self image, and hobbies, home, stress, and gestures:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719481526715318272/for-the-ask-game-that-you-just-posted-i-would

One ridicule, humor, life goals, and voice:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719482287952199680/sweet-magritte-39-40-44-48-49-3c

Has she met Raf's folks?

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712869691265253376/has-margie-ever-met-rafaels-parents-howd-they

All Three

Is it polyamory?? (yes):

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714455918796013568/this-has-probably-been-explained-already-and-i

Their dynamic between the three of them: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724339636885995520/sometimes-a-family-is-a-man-a-woman-an-eldritch?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/722433005627555840/okee-good-morninganswering-this-for-real-now

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/723077384272773120/im-procrastinating?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/735210215055736832/who-can-resist-a-good-meme-template-not-me-x?source=share

on conflict and resolution: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724639084135530496/i-am-very-late-to-the-blorbo-birthday-ask-party?source=share https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724640459960565760/cortes-wasnt-mentioned-in-that-ask-but-i-want-to?source=share

Jealousy?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714952145726816256/question-for-bee-are-any-of-the-cortes-trio

Raf + Cortes:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714226843319943168/if-you-took-the-whole-vibe-of-lofi-beats-to-study

Drugs..?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714312079362932736/ocean-spray-mdma-makes-me-want-to-know-more-about

The best gifts they have received?: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724537976617648128/happy-birthday-what-is-the-favourite-gift-the?source=share

On manners, school, and humor:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719479400026062848/raf-21-magritte-14-cortes-40

Who cooks?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712782848085622784/ooh-speaking-of-favorite-foods-do-they-all-cook

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/714402100415709184/about-the-cortes-trio-what-is-their-go-to-dish-to?source=share

Sexuality:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712832179060801536/so-now-we-know-that-cortezs-sexuality-is-squishy

Nightly routines:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/716217886433230848/cortes-trio-question-what-are-their-night-time

Who likes suprises?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/715000402582667264/magritte-loves-surprises-unexpected

Favorite type of music? https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724508117912748032/happy-birthday-hope-you-have-a-great-year-your?source=share

Favorite hobbies?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/716215145470246912/cortes-trio-favourite-hobbies-and-things-to-do

Favorite Animals?: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724510976169443328/what-are-the-trios-favourite-animal-i-would-ask?source=share Favorite foods?:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/712779176885780480/i-have-a-question-youve-mentioned-that-cortes

On pokemon teams, soup, and surprise encounters:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719931743598231552/bless-you-esh-lmaooo-we-did-give-them-pokemon

Do they like bugs?: https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/724508334491877376/happy-birthday-do-any-of-the-cortes-trio-share?source=share

Voice HCs:

https://www.tumblr.com/painted-bees/719754784740098048/you-ever-listen-to-a-song-and-think-the-way-i

[temnurus]

Draco Falls First Fic Recs

I made this rec list when someone in a server asked for fics in which Draco falls in love with Harry first. I love pining, & this scenario is the perfect setup for it. As a result, I had rather a lot to choose from, but here are ten that made the cut this time.

The Unbearable Burden of Caring & it's sequel Sins and Scars and Shattered Things by Tessa Crowley (E, 22,189)

Thoughts: These fics both ruined me. They were so damn good that I could have wept from the sheer beauty of the prose alone. I swear I must've spent half of them clutching a tissue in anticipation of breaking into ugly sobs every five minutes. They were romantic & beautifully poignant; even the smut was so emotionally charged that I was left spellbound. I highly, highly recommend them both.

you've got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass (E, 20,730)

Thoughts: My heart was breaking for Draco before I even got through the summary. This soulmate fic is recced a lot & with good reason. It's still one of my favorites, & I reread it quite often.

Dragon Heartstrings by JET_Playin (E, 23,825)

Thoughts: Admittedly I'm a sucker for soulmate fics, so here's another for you. I liked how the author covered Draco's experience with seeing the red strings that indicated soulmate bonds throughout the years, briefly touching on his early childhood & skipping through his years at Hogwarts before settling into the meat of the story during his & Harry's eighth year at school. This is another one that I've reread several times because I just enjoy it so much each time.

Beating Out of Time by Moss_Man_Writes (E, 73,574)

Thoughts: I was sucked in from the very beginning, & I loved Draco's POV the most. The pining on Draco's part was perfect, & watching Harry fall in love with him was just enchanting.

The Butterfly Kiss by triggerlil (T, 1,998)

Thoughts: This is the shortest of all my recs, but it's by no means less engaging. The ethereal atmosphere of the whole thing left me breathless. Draco as a butterfly was something I'd never seen before, & even though I knew fairies were sometimes viewed as butterflies by unsuspecting mortals, I never would've thought of it as a premise. It was such a gorgeous soulmate AU (couldn't help myself). Draco's pining for Harry throughout was heart-achingly beautiful, too.

The Shape of the World by bixgirl1 (E, 48,276)

Thoughts: Memory loss fics often guarantee a healthy dose of angst, & this is no exception. Harry being the one afflicted did provide the perfect setup for Draco to fall for him first, though. He was probably already a bit in love with him before he ran back into him, to be honest, haha. This is by my favorite Drarry author, & rarely is there ever a time one of her fics doesn't make it onto a rec list of mine.

The Light More Beautiful by firethesound (E, 81,255)

Thoughts: Draco was so clever & creative in this, & the way he felt about Harry took my breath away. He appreciated the exact things about him that make me love Harry so much as a character, & it was probably my favorite thing about this fic. The pining was achingly lovely, the banter & teasing were fun, & the smut was scorching hot. firethesound is one of the most popular Drarry authors to date, & this is probably my favorite fic of hers.

The Lily Spell by pickledghost (E, 86,512)

Thoughts: Okay, fair warning, this is an Omegaverse fic & the author is up front about the fact that Draco's characterization isn't standard to canon or even most of fanon. He was so sweet that I just couldn't get enough of him. It's also an AU in which there was no second war with Voldemort, & I think it had a very believable interpretation of how Harry might've turned out under those circumstances. He was still very much himself at his core, just more confident & self-assured, in my opinion. The slow burn was so well done that I didn't even notice the passage of time while I was glued to the story. It hooked me in & kept me invested from start to finish.

Pop Up Pals by bambimoss (E, 62,447)

Thoughts: I cannot believe I almost forgot to add this fic. I read it twice in a row. That's how much I enjoyed the story. Draco being so lonely broke my fucking heart. Seriously, I think someone would have to be a sociopath if they couldn't empathize with Draco's experiences here. Surprisingly, I laughed a lot at this, & I also cried like a baby at one point. The characterizations were amazing, & the fic was jam-packed with emotion. It was absolutely stunning, & nothing has managed to knock it off of my top ten favorite Drarry fics list despite some very close contenders since the first time I read it.

[nanaminokanojo]

THAWING ICE QUEEN (part 79)

–one night of fooling around with the annoying campus king gojo satoru (he thinks so), turns into...well, something else more long term

CHARACTERS: gojo satoru x you | geto suguru | jjk characters

GENRE: college au | smut | smau | smau + prose | everything in between | ons | fubus to lovers | aged-up characters | idk where this is going

⚠️ TW/CW: strong/mature language | 🔞 | mentions of alcohol, smoking, etc. | this has narrations | god-awful pet names | will add more if something arises

MASTERLIST | CHAPTER INDEX

<<prev part 79 next>>

A/N: Sorry for taking too long to post and for the short update. I didn't really get a chance to write, and work is getting in the way of my fan girl life lol Anyway, I'm leaving y'all with this very short update and then I'll start with groveling haha

TAGS LIST: @arxliana @neeneee @charlie-xo @aelynaneedsalottathing @arizzu @cloudxp @justpuddinglol @mikkies @nyfwyeonjun @whats-humanity-lol @letthewindlead @whore-of-many-hot-men @localgaytrainwreck @pikibee @bloombb @mr-underhills-things @lysaray @chocoyanchan @poemzcheng @bookswillfindyouaway @dreamxiing @koutaroo @taelattecookie @kazuhasmaid @weebbuscuit @moonmalice @taengkatsu @reagan707

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI’S JUJUTSU KAISEN. [20240213]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART/ANY MEDIA CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[infamous-if]

dev update (august 9th 2023)

I'm really bad at doing these, I apologize. I find I prefer just dropping things without much notice haha but since chapter 2 is out I do want to do better at these sort of weekly log things.

Anyway, with the Patreon out I've been having a lot of fun dropping stuff. I have a whole folder of deleted scenes and extra bits that I kept aside collecting dust so that's been fun. I've done a lot with August so far so I'm determined to keep up that momentum, especially since I'm deep in G's POV right now.

I started picking away at Part II. Luckily, I feel it may be shorter than Part I so it won't be too long until I'm dropping it. I'm going to make sure not to change any variables until after it's published so people can just play from where they finished off. Hopefully...if I can avoid it. If I speed run through Part II I feel like I can drop it next month or late this month. I'm not making any promises but if I do, I'll be giving myself a huge pat on the back lmfao.

Since Part I dropped, I've been getting a lot more asks and suggestions. Many people have been suggesting certain choices and reactions and dialogues which is great. People tend to catch things that I don't catch or have ideas that don't come to me so it helps when I go back to rewrite. I can't promise I'll add it but so far I've been getting a lot of good suggestions. I don't respond to them just so I can keep them in one place, so don't think I'm ignoring you! I do read all my questions I just tend to be picky with answering them so as not to flood the dash. I was having a wild idea to make a side account just to answer questions because I wake up to so many that I can hardly handle it and my inbox gives me a bit of a fright every morning lololol I currently have 3.5k questions and I feel terrible every time because I feel like I'm ignoring people.

As I said before, once Part 2 is out I'm going to go through the entire demo with a fine tooth comb and pick it up bit by bit. Improve on it, add dialogue, choices and just fix it up. It won't be a rewrite lol since I like what I have but I think I can improve the prose and the overall...cleanliness? of my writing!

I'm always taking suggestions or anything that may make the game better. I can't do everything but I do try. I'm also always taking song suggestions for the master playlist. I do listen to it when I write so that's fun lol

This was a non update but I do like keeping everyone up to date on what I'm doing! If anyone has suggestions for something August related to do this month, I'm all ears!

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. A) Itmf fics where wwx is actually a servant. B) Or has a specialized skill that is not cultivation related, possibly one he's known for?

1A)

The Myrmidon by Basingstoke (E, 33k, wangxian, NHS/WWX, LXC/JGY, major character death, graphic depictions of violence, underage, WWX raised as a servant, spiritual weapons, gusu summer camp, Flirting, they're young, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Behavior, War, WIP) sadly this is probably never going to be finished, but the WIP is great on the concept of wwx actually being raised as a servant to the jiang household

~*~

2. Itmf any fics that readers of this lovely blog absolutely adore. Their favorite fic, and please tell us why! :D Did it have beautiful writing? A plot you think about even ages later? Introduce a new idea or change ur mind about a rare pair? Was it a tearjerker, or make you laugh till you cried? Did it make you warm and fuzzy to read, or scare the bajeezis out of you? Let us know! :D

The Bunnies and The Roomba: A Love Story by Nikki373 (T, 6k, wangxian, modern, Fluff, Humor, Idiots in Love, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Siblings, Siblings Try and Are Trying, College/University, 1 if by phone; 2 if by text; 3 if by mouth, Kisses, Romance, Falling In Love, LXC is the eternal captain of the good ship Wangxian) I adore The Bunnies and the Roomba by Nikki373. It's a hilarious and sweet story that I believe is hugely under-appreciated.

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) this fic has been on my mind a lot lately!!! i love the yearning and exploring the complexities of their relationship in this setting. i also just love the way the author's prose

ruined me with your regard by laallomri (T, 46k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Introspection, Epistolary, it is not all letters but there are quite a lot of letters, Discussion of Canon Events, Pining) there's so much lyricism and elegance and emotion and I keep going back to it every time I need it.

Keep Holding On by abCEE (M, 316k, JYL & WWX & JC, wangxian, canon divergence, demonic cultivator JYL, YLLZ JYL, yunmeng siblings dynamics, role reversal, ghost general WQ, sunshot campaign, angst w/ happy ending, established relationship, accidental baby acquisation, PTSD) I’ve always LOVED roleswap AUs, and this one is the most in-depth one for mdzs. I’ve always loved reading WWX in JYL’s role just because I have the inner need to see him doted on and loved like she is, and this has all of that. Even past that, everyone in this fic is very fleshed out and all of the arcs still follow the og mdzs timeline, but have just enough divergence so it’s fresh!

~*~

3. Itmf wwx and wicked musical crossovers. Esp anything that uses/has the vibes of the song "no good deed goes unpunished"

it's not *technically* a fic, but I think the asker would enjoy this song parody

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4. pretty sure this answered this before, but i couldnt find it for the life of me. im looking for fics where jiang cheng (usually its him) makes wwx be forgotten or erased from the timeline and things just go downhill from there. if its bashing or at least not friendly to the other characters its preferably

The Way It Wasn’t by KouriArashi (T, 72k, WangXian, XiYao, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, (eventually haha), Slow Build, Family Feels, Moral Ambiguity, Eventual Happy Ending)

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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5. hello and thank you for all that you do. i was hoping you could help me with the itmf post and share some fics of wei wuxian’s core getting restored, perhaps with a focus on dual cultivation being the cause of it? and if none come to mind then what other fics handle the restoration of wei wuxian’s core well and stand out?

🔒 Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 117k, WIP, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war)

these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, …eventually, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Mutual Pining, like really unreasonable amounts of pining, Slow Burn)

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence) WWX meditates his core back, not realising he's actually taking his own core back from JC

Golden Core Reveal / Golden Core Fix-It Comp

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6. Hello Mods! 😃 for ITMF I was wondering if there are any fics that

A) have LXC be angry at JGY for everything that happened/he did, or just let LXC be angry at JGY

B) do something with WWX being the Yunmeng jiang head-disciple, like focusing in on that or it being a plot point or something like that

C) show JYL and WWX being close and spending time just with each other, - I can't really find any where get to do that without JC being there and while I like Yunmeng trio I would like to see them have a bond independent of him

thanks! 😃 and have a great day!

6A)

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics) in 12 moons and a fortnight verse, there's this lovely scene (and I belive it also is recurring addressed through the series to various degrees of lxc dealing with how he feels about jgy and what jgy had done) where lxc *spoiler alert* has a rebellious breakdown and starts slashing up the Lan rules with his sword *end spoiler*

There's a fic that I can't find yet, its short (tagged angst) where lxc hurts himself with his sword in guanyin temple as leverage so jgy doesn't hurt wwx. he's either angry or cold toward him iirc

6B)

Check out "First Disciple WWX" under The Untamed fandom here

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics) (Link in 6A) literally the opening premise of 12 moons and a fortnight is based around the training that wwx received as the first disciple. He was always intended to be jc's second in command - who could even lead the sect in his absence or injury etc

🔒 Heart's Courage by RighteousInAdversity (T, 19k, wangxian, WWX & WQ, NMJ & WWX, WWX & Yunmeng Jiang Disciples, WWX & WN, Lotus Pier, Sunshot Campaign, No Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Destruction | Golden Core Melting, WWX has a Golden Core, Genius WWX, Jiāng Family Critical, not Jiang family friendly, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, BAMF WWX, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon JC Characteristics, Jiang Family Has A Redemption Arc, WWX Still Leaves Lotus Pier, not YZY friendly, Bad Parent YZY, not JC Friendly, As for JFM and JYL, not Bashing exactly, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia)

6C)

it's a long road but we're not alone by Stratisphyre (M, 62k, wangxian, JYL & WWX, LWJ & LJY, LJY & LSZ & JL & OYZZ, Canon Divergence, Not Everyone Dies, Canon-Typical Violence, Parenthood, Grief/Mourning, Family Feels, Reunions, Golden Core Reveal, Getting Together)

Atlas by Folderol (T, 2k, JYL & WWX, JYL & YZY, JYL & SL, JC & JYL & WWX, Child Neglect, Metaphors for living life with a cultivation disability)

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7. Hi!! for itmf, could i ask for ppl's fave canon dynamics authors? (self-recs very welcome!!) i was advised to avoid untagged E-rated fics but then i feel like i'm missing some great fics, so i'd love some help! thank you!! 🙏🏽💙

hi! i asked for 7, and i didn't wanna over-explain, but since it was asked, maybe you could add this to the itmf to clarify, if it's not a bother? 😅 thank you

i do mean top lwj and bottom wwx (only because sometimes the other dynamic can get a little ooc, which is fine, put the blorbos in situations! but not what i'm looking for currently), but /also/ canon dynamics for me means exploring while keeping their personalities: lwj being mean and bitey and awkward, but respectful when it counts, wwx being bratty but confident and enthusiastic. both dom & helpless waif wwx are interesting headcanons rather than canon to me. (also cnc/breeding kink r nice but not obligatory ofc adskjkfs)

tl;dr basically i've been 4+ years in this lovely fandom, and i feel im still not done appreciating the thoughtful way mxtx writes the characters and their dynamics, literally none of her MCs or MLs can be called 'typical' in BL standards

these authors do mostly tag their works but to be sure: 🔒kizukatana, diamondbruise, and saltyfeathers are some of my faves

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8. i’m in the mood for fic where wwx is a talisman genius! @efavs

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 712k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement) This is absolutely *the* fic about WWX being a talisman genius

🔒 Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 117k, WIP, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war)

💖 Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing) his main invention is an array but talismans too

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9. For itmf, does anyone have any recs where folks treat wwx gently? Thanks!

🔒 Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, like self-indulgently so, by way of dark(er) gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not really gusu lan friendly either, not particularly friendly towards anyone really, aside from wangxian of course, Cultivation World Critical, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Politics, Courting Rituals, possibly implied mpreg, Genius WWX, Talismans, No demonic cultivation, but wwx is still the lynchpin of the war, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ) (link in #11) depending on your definition, instead (in #11) counts for #9 as well?

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10. ITMF fics where jiangs are actually a family. Like not that they're only fam in name and are living together like in canon.

The Late Great Custody Debate by stiltonbasket (G, 9k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, LXC/NMJ, JC & WWX & JYL, modern, Domestic Fluff, baby a-yuan, Single Parent WWX, LWJ is a confused rabbit owner, nielan are married, nhs is: xoxo gossip girl, Custody Arrangements, engagement, Confused WWX, WWX voice: if i'm the one with the kid why are you suing ME for child support?, LWJ kills his own love life in the worst way, Happy Ending)

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11. Hi! For itmf, does anyone know of any fics where JC and LWJ find WWX in Burial Mounds after Wen Chao throws him in there but before WWX learns to conduct resentful energy? Like, they scoop him up and rush him to healers and WWX never goes down the single plank bridge?

🔒 Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, like self-indulgently so, by way of dark(er) gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not really gusu lan friendly either, not particularly friendly towards anyone really, aside from wangxian of course, Cultivation World Critical, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Politics, Courting Rituals, possibly implied mpreg, Genius WWX, Talismans, No demonic cultivation, but wwx is still the lynchpin of the war, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ)

Hope Dangling by a String by KouriArashi (M, 70k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, everyone lives, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, psychic bond, telepathy, communication, emotional/psychological abuse, jiang family feels, lan family feels, canon-typical violence, canon-typical politics, improper use of sacred forehead ribbons, gratuitous hair washing) I'm not sure if this counts or not for 11. Lwj saved wwx just a few days after he's thrown in the burial grounds, but wwx still learns demonic cultivation. He's never alone though, and has support from lwj and his family

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12. Hi!! Is there any fic where Wy is indeed Jfm's illegitimate son?

leading tone by silencemostofall (G, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates, with a lil twist, Eventual Happy Ending, lesbian wq rights, Music, Orchestra, platonic and romantic pining)

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13. For your next itmf I’d like to find fics that focus on wwx’s kindness. It can be any setting except a/b/o. I just want to read stories where we see his kindness and generosity shining through.

Thanks for all your help.

~*~

14. Are there any fics in which wangxian are in military? @constellationdks

囍 | a ghost wedding by sweetlolixo (E, 11k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Ghost wedding, Pining LWJ, Ghost Groom LWJ, Corpsefucking in the most romantic way possible, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Explicit Sex, Love at First Sight) probably not quite what OP wants, but LWJ is technically military in this fic

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15. Explicit ITMF! I recently reread the incense burner extra and I would just love to read some more stories where wwx is already soft and open without prep because of their everyday! Thank you lovely mods and reccers (novel dynamics only please!)

To Know, To Be Known series by cqlorphan (E, 38k, wangxian, Cock Warming, Multiple Orgasms, Marathon Sex, Under-negotiated Kink, Porn with Feelings, Aftercare, Dom/sub Undertones, Established Relationship, let LWJ get railed agenda, LWJ Learns Some Things about himself, sex tears, gratuitous use of names, Begging, Kink Discovery, Post-Canon, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Switching, Light Bondage, Blow Jobs, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Let wwx get tied up but also let lwj railed, Repressed LWJ, and his journey to sexual abandon aided by, Inventor WWX, Cock Rings, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Dirty Talk, Rough Sex, Dildos, Rimming, Edging) a treat really this entire series, mentions of u what u asked for AND lwj being soft and open w/o prep as a bonus

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16. hello! are there any fic recs or lists about a Lan Sizhui Sect Heir? thank you! @mexicantransman

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17. Does anyone know of any WangXian Sentinel/Guide aus? Sentinels are kind of like superhumans with heightened physical senses, and Guides are like empaths and/or mind readers. The two usually bond with and balance each other.

Hyperprosexia by malkinmalkout (E, 192k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Sentinels & Guides, Sentinel WWX, Guide LWJ, Empath LWJ, Slow Burn, Rivals to Lovers, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, WWX POV, LWJ POV, Tags Contain Spoilers, Telepathy, Marriage, outsider pov, they have a kid, Telepathic Sex, Rough Sex, public exhibition, breath play, Rimming)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[olderthannetfic]

I've done some reading challenges before and I think they can be fun if they have a purpose: for instance, something like the Read Harder challenge, ones that encourage you to read from different genres or read more diverse books, etc. I have a sort of evergreen challenge where I encourage myself to read more books written by authors from different countries, and keep a spreadsheet of which countries I've "read." (I also do this with other kinds of entertainment like movies.) But it's definitely true that some of them just seem to be for the gimmick and aesthetic, and for people who prize quantity over quality of reading in a sort of commodity-fetishism (as they're prizing books as markers of intelligence over the actual experience of learning and expanding your world via reading). Like when the challenges start to be things like "read a book with an orange cover" that's where I start to roll my eyes a bit, haha.

I will say that while I try not to be a snob about reading, it does drive me nuts when I've had people lord over how many more books they've read or how many more pages when they're reading beach reads and YA and other easily digestible stuff whereas I'm reading stuff that is heavier. One time when I was working some crappy minimum-wage job in college, I was reading this big omnibus of all Jane Austen's works (because I was taking a class on her where I was required to read those, not that I wouldn't read Austen otherwise lol) on my break, and one of the other employees asked me how many pages it was and I answered and he was like "pfft, that's nothing, I read all the Harry Potter books in a week and they're more than that!" And I wanted to be like.... yeah, me too, dipshit. I mean, I didn't literally read them in one week, but when each one came out, I devoured it within a day or two like a lot of people did, despite it being 800 pages. Because Rowling's prose is really easy to gobble up like that. Not that Austen is impenetrable or anything (I don't think she is and I think that's precisely why she remains so evergreen popular), but she does require more effort than *that*, particularly when you're reading her work for a literature class where you're expected to write a paper analyzing it, so you want to linger to make sure you really deeply understand it.

I've read academic monographs that were 150 pages long that took me weeks to get through, and I've read 800-page bestsellers that I ripped through in a few days. Pure page length does not determine how long it takes to actually read something. I mean.... in fandom we should all be aware of this, how many of us have devoured some 100k fic in a night or two? As someone who has written some of those academic monographs myself and therefore is familiar with how word count tends to relate to book page length, I can verify for you that that is the equivalent of devouring a novel in the same time frame. But it's a lot easier to do that when you're reading relatively invisible prose and are invested in your OTP getting together (or whatever) vs. if you're trying to digest someone's very dry and convoluted argument about Foucault.

--

I just read all of Scum Villain in about five minutes, yeah. And it was great, but nothing to brag about as an achievement.

I've got this friend who goes on about reading sooooo fast but then admits to often rereading to catch things that she missed the first time. It came up when I was explaining how seldom I reread or rewatch anything. I tend to remember it far, far too keenly after one time through, and it just doesn't hit the same a second time. I still read pretty fast, but not that fast.

I don't think it's snobby to roll your eyes at people who clearly don't grasp the difference between different difficulties of reading and—this is key—who are trying to wave their dick at you about how great they are. They started it!

The time I do roll my eyes is when people think you should read mega hard prose in order to learn, especially in order to learn vocabulary or get faster at reading. That's not what the science says. (Apparently, the fastest way to improve on that kind of thing is to read mass quantities of faintly hard-for-you stuff, not stuff that's hard hard.) But to learn how to decode confusing arguments? Yes, absolutely.

I do wish people would put a little more effort into unwinding their own tortured syntax on Foucault though.

[threadbaresweater]

Jujutsu Kaisen Master List

Nanami Kento

drabble #1- you and Nanami relax under a shade tree on a hot, summer day

Unexpected- As a recent divorcee, you're eager for a chance to spend a summer alone, finding who you are apart from your asshole ex-husband. Your best friend surprises you with the trip of a lifetime, and you spend a blissful three months walking along the beaches of a quaint coastal town. Enter Nanami Kento, widower of two years, his name on the lips of every woman in town. He's never shown interest in anyone until you come along. What blossoms between the two of you is more than either of you could ever hope for. NSFW

Taking Chances A close friendship, a cozy dinner in, and an accidental nap set the stage for a long withheld secret: you're in love with your best friend, and he just might feel the same way. 2.3k words. Kissing, making out, confessions. A repost from a long-abandoned blog.

if music be the food of love, play on- You're the proud owner of a new music store that just opened up beside Kento's Bakery, a beloved oasis on a busy street of a quaint small town. Nanami is cold and unwelcoming when you first meet, but as the weeks pass, he discovers that there's a world of music and happiness right at his doorstep.

still- You've lived a lifetime together, and through it all, you've managed to keep the fire burning. The details: children/family life, non-explicit sex, aged reader and nanami (late 40's to early 50's), descriptions of aged bodies. 1.1k words

Satoru Gojo

drabble #1- you and Gojo contemplate a day at the beach to deal with the heat

Pretty- Satoru wants you to tell him that he's pretty while you're fucking. Like he needs the ego boost... NSFW

The Feeling Is Mutual- Satoru wakes to find you just out of reach, and it's taking everything in him not to touch you. It's a game that both of you can win. NSFW

Lullaby- everything changes after having a baby, and your sex life is no exception. Thankfully, your husband is patient and attentive. NSFW

Suguru Geto

drabble #1- a friend's destination wedding, an outdoor cantina, and the man of your dreams make it a night to remember

drabble#2 a morning at a farmer's market makes you hungry for something far more indulgent than the peaches you picked out. NSFW

midnight- It's not love, but its more than just a casual thing. Being stuck somewhere in the middle is harder than both of you are willing to admit, so you'll stay in a codependent limbo for just a little while longer. NSFW

one- prose-y smut, written solely for my pleasure (haha). NSFW

Megumi Fushiguro

in between- You're not his girlfriend, but it's hard to deny the ache in your chest when you think of him. You're always there when he calls, but at what cost? NSFW

drabble #1- first kisses and skinned knees

drabble #2- it's cold outside, and you love Megumi. You just haven't told him yet.

if she calls, i'll be right there- He's quiet. He's helpful. He's good with your kids. He's handsome and smart and totally not living up to his potential. He's younger than you. Months after your divorce is final, you find yourself entangled with your next door neighbor in more ways than one. At first it's just a casual thing, a way to blow off steam. But you realize after some time has passed, you're both in far deeper than you ever meant to be. NSFW

[selenedistress]

Two years ago I fell into the very narrow rabbit hole of gender bender webnovels on Scribblehub. Specifically, the very niche subgenre that is basically trans wish-fulfillment is disguise. Stories that use gender bending as a device to tell stories about trans people (mostly trans-femmes) for trans people. Or, to put it more simply, hatching-of-egg stories.

It was a good time. Certainly more fun and cathartic than the awkward phase of looking at infuriatingly bad gender bending manga, having gender feelings that you haven’t quite untangled yet. Completely hypothetical example that, nothing personal here haha.

Anyways, in that time, I found a bunch of good stories for anyone who might be interested. Also, all of these have transfemme protagonists, even if they don’t know that at the beginning. Here we go! I'll start with:

We’re Not So Different, You And I by Elamimax: Three friends find themselves transported in a strange world that blends cyberpunk dystopia with fantasy. Separated, the story is about them trying to find each other again, all the while going through a lot of changes and learning things about themselves. It’s a non-linear story that is in my opinion masterfully told. The prose is evocative and fun and even affecting. The characters go through a lot, and even though I’d say it is light on suspense, it goes heavy with emotions and the way the characters deal with their situation. The non-linear pacing does a great job at delivering a story full of pathos and catharsis. Plus, the world it creates has is concrete enough that I know what it's about, while also being vague enough with details that it can be developed further in a different story if that ever happens. Can’t recommend it more if I could.