#reference to one of my most popular fanfics <3

[twistiraki]

🎀Headcanons how Twisted Wonderland boys met you and what kind of family you'd have 🎀 Ignihyde and Diasomnia

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗ TᗯIᔕTEᗪ ᗯOᑎᗪEᖇᒪᗩᑎᗪ Characters Leona, Ruggie, Jack, Azul, Jade, Floyd x F!Reader Warnings none ‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗

💀Idia Shroud

Idia and Y/n's paths crossed at an anime convention where they both shared a love for games and geek culture. Y/n donned a cosplay of one of Idia's favorite game characters, catching his eye instantly. Nervously, he mustered the courage to ask for a photo, and to his delight, Y/n gladly agreed with a bright smile. However, underneath his hoodie, Y/n noticed a faint glow, and her curiosity was piqued. Blushing and feeling anxious, Idia admitted that it was not a cosplay but his actual, blue flamy hair. Y/n found him even more exciting and beautiful, and without hesitation, she asked him on a date. Idia tried to deny it, but his heart had already been stolen by her charm. Unable to resist, he agreed.

Idia and Y/n are blessed with two wonderful children. Their daughter, Lyra, has inherited her father's shy and withdrawn nature, but with Y/n's gentle encouragement, she blossoms into a confident and creative young girl. Their son, Darius, is the spitting image of Idia, with the same blue flamy hair and sharp teeth. He shares his father's enthusiasm for gaming and engineering, and together with Y/n's support, he excels in both fields.

🐉Malleus Draconia:

Y/n worked as a knowledgeable guide at an old castle with intricate gargoyles. She, a knowledgeable guide, led tours and noticed Malleus returning again and again. He couldn't resist coming back for her tours, enchanted by both the castle's beauty and Y/n's expertise. On the third tour, she couldn't help but recognize his unique horns. Intrigued, she asked him what fascinated him so much about the tour, and Malleus couldn't resist sharing that he was captivated by the castle's most beautiful gargoyle – Y/n herself. As they exchanged stories and knowledge, their hearts connected like magic. To express his gratitude, Malleus invited Y/n to his palace, where she was not only in awe of the magnificent gargoyles but also utterly charmed by Malleus's princely demeanor. It was love at first sight, and their hearts were forever intertwined in a fairy-tale romance.

Malleus and Y/n are proud parents to four lovely daughters. Each girl possesses a unique blend of her parents' traits. The eldest, Aviv, takes after her father's calm and respectful demeanor, often displaying her magical talents with grace. The second daughter, Aurelia, shares her father's yearning for connection with others, and she has a caring and nurturing nature. The third daughter, Aspen, shows signs of Malleus' naive and childish side, bringing joy and laughter to the family. Lastly, the youngest daughter, Arun, is fiercely protective, just like her father, especially when it comes to her sisters.

🦇Lilia Vanrouge

Y/n's dreams came true as she performed on stage with her new metal band. Amidst the electrifying music and energy of the crowd, she noticed a guy in the audience with an infectious smile, singing along to her solo. Their eyes met, and in that moment, time seemed to stand still. Feeling a connection like never before, Y/n impulsively took off her bracelet and playfully tossed it to him. With a wink, he caught it, stealing her heart in the process. After the show, Lilia approached Y/n backstage, returning the bracelet with a cheeky smile. However, he had a mischievous request – he wanted a date with the talented and enchanting rockstar Y/n. Flattered and blushing, Y/n happily agreed, and their love story became history.

Lilia and Y/n's family is a harmonious blend of both biological and adoptive children. Their biological son, Goldewin, is playful and friendly like his father, and he loves teasing his brother and friends. Silver, Lilia's adoptive son, has found a loving home and a caring mother figure in Y/n. Together, the family creates a warm and inviting atmosphere, filled with laughter and camaraderie.

💤Silver

Y/n's pet bunny escaped in the park, and she frantically searched for him. Panicking, she searched everywhere until a sweet and gentle boy with shimmering white hair appeared, holding her furry friend in his arms. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Y/n insisted on showing her thanks, but Silver simply smiled and declined any reward. Instead, he expressed that helping her was enough. Impressed by his kindness and adorable airheaded nature, Y/n insisted on repaying his kindness with a cup of tea at her home. As they sipped tea and shared stories, their hearts warmed, and Y/n discovered that Silver was not only a kind soul but also the missing piece to her heart's puzzle.

Silver and Y/n embrace the joys and challenges of raising triplets. Their daughters, Marin and Kathrine, have inherited their father's serious and reserved demeanor, but they also show glimpses of Y/n's thoughtful and caring nature. The youngest son, Kayden, takes after Silver's airheaded moments but has a strong sense of responsibility like his mother. The family shares a deep bond, and Silver is particularly cautious and protective of his children, ensuring their safety with unwavering dedication.

⚡Sebek Zigvolt

Y/n's path crossed with Sebek's in a hilarious mishap. He accidentally tackled her to the ground, assuming she was a threat to his dear Liege Malleus. Though Y/n was perfectly fine, Sebek's genuine concern touched her heart. Amused by his hot-blooded and prideful nature, she reassured him, but he couldn't believe it. From that day on, whenever Y/n had something to do in Briar Valley, she would catch glimpses of Sebek trying to help, with endearing and poor results. To try to make the damage less as possible, Y/n decided to invite him on a tour of the romantic spots in Briar Valley. Sebek was over the moon with excitement, and as they explored together, their hearts raced with laughter and love.

Sebek's household is full of energy and passion with his three children. His son, Kai, is a mirror image of his father, proudly displaying Sebek's traits and taking on the role of the family's protector. His elder daughter, Anaya, has inherited Sebek's loud and prideful nature, while his younger daughter, Poppy, balances it with Y/n's gentle and honest qualities. As a father, Sebek encourages his children to be true to themselves and embraces their individuality. The family's love and respect for each other create a lively and dynamic atmosphere in their home.

You can find the other parts here! Hearstlabyul Savanaclaw/Octavinelle Scarabia/Pomefiore Ignihyde/Diasomnia (You are here)

[pray4byron]

HIHI!! Can I request Vox, Alastor and Velvette with a fem s/o who's a powerful overlord and has an iconic trio in hell with her friends, and reader is like, the main one, the most popular, plus she's not afraid to be mean or rude, so she's basically the leader of a powerful and evil trio and is very busy all of the time

TY <3

𝐯𝐨𝐱, 𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨!𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫!𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝 ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

a/n; heyyy! ofc i can write this for you!! this is giving me strong heather chandler vibes so i did smth like that?? enjoy!

warnings: gn!reader in vox and alastor’s parts, implied fem!reader in velvette’s(?), profanity

proofread: no i’m abouta go to school i don’t have time 😭

tags: hazbin hotel, vox, fanfic, alastor, x reader, velvette

𝐯𝐨𝐱

you reminded vox of himself in many ways — even if the connections weren’t clear as day to the public eye

the fact that neither of you were afraid to be straight-up rude and that you’re both very busy kinda stuck out to him

speaking of, he’s a bit upset that you’re both so busy because it has a tendency to put limits on how much you two can see eachother

yeah, idk what to say with this one 😭😭

𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫

alastor grew up in a time where manners were crucial — so he never thought he’d be with someone who didn’t have that same mindset

despite that, he was nothing but a gentleman to you 24/7 !

believe it or not, like vox, alastor also has quite a bit of stuff on his plate, but do not fret! - he still sets time aside for you personally <3

𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞

finally the one i actually had ideas for going into this 😭😭

honestly, you and velvette just hardcore rock out as the bad bitches around hell, you both think you’re tough shit and you don’t give a fuck if people think you’re not

let’s be real, velvette walks around just thinking to herself, “wow, i love my bad bitch” - like she refers to you as her bad bitch, aloud and internally

yeahhh uhhh, idk how to elaborate on this idea, sooo

i do not permit for my work to be reposted, translated, or stolen. all rights go to signedmio. characters are not mine, unless stated, and belong to their rightful creators.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

The Current event makes me smile since it kind of confirms a headcanon I had that the Great Seven have animated movies based on them. Makes me wonder about the plot of the movies

Disney should get on the Twisted Wonderland AU Animated Remakes. What is Ursula was a good witch, what if Scar was right to take the throne and did he take it from Mufasa? (Or whoever is the stand in for him)

The Evil/Beautiful Queen...actually GOOD?

Yeah, it makes sense! Since the Great Seven are historical figures and the stuff of legends, surely there would be popular media made in their image. It’s like how the Disney fairy tales borrow from stories in the public domain or how there are historical retellings and reinventions (Hamilton, anyone?).

I believe TWST has mentioned films based on their own stories and history before too, but purely in the animated sense rather than live action. In book 3, Ace and one of the Atlantica Museum guards talk about an animated movie based on the tale of the mermaid princess and her prince; this movie is said to have come out ~30 years ago, which corresponds with Disney’s animated The Little Mermaid. Ace compliments the movie’s soundtrack too way to stroke your own ego, Disney/j.

Later on in Tapis Rouge, the characters discuss other films based on the Great Seven, including one Queen of Hearts movie. A Sea Witch movie is also mentioned; in it, she “goes gigantic” and also sings as she brews potions. The Octatrio quite enjoy this particular film.

(Side note: I don’t have the link for it anymore since it’s such an old post, but another anon once suggested to me that people probably also write fanfics of Neige and Vil since they’re celebrities… Think like “My mom sold me to One Direction?!” Wattpad kinds of fics, but replace One Direction with Vil or something.)

It’s… interesting this event specifically has Vil promoting a live action adaption of an in-universe animated film about the Beautiful Queen—an animated film which was the first full-color animated movie AND it originally released close to 90 years ago. They also reference the funding issues that Disney suffered while producing Snow White + inviting bank employees in to preview the movie to acquire more investments, stating that the studio that made the animated Beautiful Queen experienced the same. The in-game live action is even slated to come out “NEXT YEAR”. They’re not being subtle here with TWST’s references to their own version of the irl Disney Snow White (the live action is coming out in 2025, the OG is also almost 90 years old, etc.). I wonder if the EN server will actually get Tapis Rouge around the time of the irl release of Disney’s live action Snow White as part of a promotional campaign? 😂

UPDATE: There are even more not-so-subtle references to Disney animations in part 4 of the event, including discussion of cel animation, rotoscoping, adding blush to the characters, and how Disney brought in real animals/observed the “real thing” to help with animating similar scenes or subjects. They also cheekily say that most animation nowadays is CG 💀

I know some books under Disney publishing try to show alternate tellings or show the villains in a more sympathetic light, but I don’t know that they would ever commit to fully animating a film like that. It definitely would not happen in the style of traditional animation, Disney no longer seems well-equipped to handle that task 😔 I feel like it would also be pretty niche or might not get overwhelming positive reception with recent audience calls for “true bad guys” instead of twist or sympathetic villains (though I’m not sure what percentage of people watching Disney actually have this opinion).

I do wonder how those “AU” films would work though…? It wouldn’t be as simple as suddenly turning the G7 into “good guys”. The scenario and other characters would also have to drastically change. TWST doesn’t necessarily make the original “good guys” “bad” in a world where the villains are historical figures; we still hear plenty of positive or neutral stories about the achievements of the mermaid princess and other Disney heroes.

There are also times when the same story diverges into multiple separate stories that seemingly have no connection to one another. For example, there is a story where a princess marries a street rat (clearly referencing Aladdin) and they live happily ever after in spite of the difference in their social statuses. However, there simultaneously exists a story in which the Sorcerer of the Sands saves a princess from being deceived by a fake prince (also referencing Aladdin). The same goes for the mermaid princess (Ariel)—there is both a story referring to a “mermaid princess” who married a human prince and also a different story (clearly still pulled from the same film) about a mermaid who made a deal with the Sea Witch to find true love but broke her contract in the end.

Very cool idea, just not sure where it would lead or it it’s feasible or worth it monetarily for Disney.

[daydreaming-en-pointe]

the swan and her princess (part 1)

summary: Swan Lake isn’t all beauty and grace, contrary to popular belief. And you experience firsthand that as you wage a one-sided war with your “rival” for the role of the Swan Princess, Odette.

pairing: Gwen Stacy (Spider-Woman) x fem!Ballerina!Reader

word count: 842

warnings: uses of Y/N, lots of ballet terms and references, the teacher displaying blatant favouritism ig?, mildly petty reader 💀

a/n: I finally got around to doing it! yay :D academic rivals to lovers ftw honestly

gearing up for my first official chapter-based fanfic WHOOOOOOOOO

dividers by me btw! it’s my first time doing dividers so any feedback would be appreciated <3

part 1 // part 2 (pending)

glossary:

Swan Lake: Swan Lake, Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. It is now one of the most popular ballets of all time. The ballet is based on a German fairy tale, and tells the story of a prince named Siegfried who falls in love with Odette, a princess who has been turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer

Odette: Odette is the main female protagonist in the ballet "Swan Lake," which is composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. She is the White Swan, also known as the Swan Princess/Swan Queen.

Anna Pavlova: Anna Pavlovna Pavlova was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. (basically, every ballerina’s idol)

first position: In the first position, the heels are together, with toes turned out until the feet are in a large, open V or a straight line.

relevé: Relevé is a French term meaning "raised up." It is one of the basic ballet moves. The dancer starts in a demi-plié (a move where the dancer bends their knees halfway while keeping their feet on the ground) and then rises up into demi-pointe (on the balls of the feet) or en pointe (on the toes), either on one foot or both feet.

“Let’s take it from the top, Y/N. More turned out this time. And your ‘wings’ aren’t flowy enough. You are the very Swan Princess, not a struggling cygnet. You die gracefully.”

You blew air threw your nose a little more forcefully than you usually would, trying your best to follow your ballet teacher’s instructions.

“Ah, Gwendolyn! So nice of you to join us.”

That statement was usually used sarcastically in most settings. So why did your teacher’s voice take on a note of adoration? You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, not even looking at the new arrival. All she ever did was drop into class half an hour late - without even doing her hair in a proper bun - and get showered with praises for everything she did. Always Gwen this, Gwen that. You were so sick of it.

“Gwen, if you decide to try out, you would be a perfect fit for the White Swan,” Your teacher eagerly told her, and your ‘flowy feathers’ tightened into fists. Just brilliant. In her eyes, you had no chance at Odette, did you? Once again, Gwendolyn Stacy would swoop in and snatch up something you had worked so hard for, spending hours upon hours on late nights at the studio practising alone, all because the teacher thought she was the next Anna Pavlova. But every time, you bit your tongue and kept your head down. One day, you would show them. You would show them all how good you were. And little Gwendolyn Stacy, the number one teacher’s pet, would watch and weep.

You cleared your throat to jolt your teacher out of her rambling. “Miss? My audition?”

She blinked as if she were just noticing you. “Ah, right. Yes, you may continue.”

You were ready to hurl your pointe shoes at both of their annoying faces, but you focused on making yourself extra turned out and extra graceful. Oh, how the tables would turn when you got this role.

You risked a glance out of the corner of your eye and noticed with a smug satisfaction that Gwen was staring at you, eyes wide. Completely enthralled.

Ha-ha, Gwendolyn Stacy. Look upon actual, hard-earned talent and despair.

You finished the Dying Swan - the Swan Lake piece you were doing for your audition - and bowed, standing in first position with your head held high.

“Thank you, Y/N. That was very nice. Everyone, let’s get started. Get your shoes on and get into your positions at the barre, please.”

Ugh, the barre positions. Your arch-nemesis, apart from a certain Gwen Stacy. Well, maybe not apart from her, since your barre position was right in front of her.

“One, two, three, four - hold, two, three four…”

You tuned out the voice of your ballet teacher; the exercise was purely muscle memory to you by now, and her voice was only distracting you at the moment.

“Hey, Y/N.”

You were pulled out of your intense focus by the voice behind you. Once you realised who it was, you had to resist the urge to scoff. “What is it?”

“I, uh… I just wanted to say that you did amazing. It was very graceful. You’ll make a good White Swan.” That almost made you lose your balance in a relevé and twist your ankle, because what?

Gwen Stacy thought that you’d get the role?

Oh. That was new.

Or maybe it wasn’t, and you were just imagining the whole ‘undeserving slacker’ thing and painting her as the bad guy…?

You almost giggled at that. Nah. This was definitely some ploy to get you to relax a little, to stop practising almost obsessively. Yeah, she was just trying to ensure you weren’t a threat. The moment you let down your guard, she would snatch up the role of Odette. You just knew it. Well, she could try all she wanted; you would not make it easy for her.

“Oh, I know,” You replied coolly, ending the exercise with everyone else and turning to offer her a politely bored smile. “But thank you.”

Gwen’s smile dropped a little and her eyebrows scrunched together slightly, her piercings glinting in the studio’s warm light. “Okay, well… I’ll see you around, I guess.”

She reached down and grabbed her duffel bag, unceremoniously dropping her teal pointe shoes into the mess of clothes and who knows what else she kept in it.

You kept your eyes on her until she disappeared out the studio’s door after a quick goodbye to the teacher. She was like a ghost, always appearing and flickering out just as quickly as one. And somehow always getting away with it, every single time. Not to mention… she was also somehow really good. Despite missing classes and coming late.

“Remember, class. Now that I’ve seen all your auditions, the roles will be up next week. Don’t be late,” your teacher called as you all left the building.

You kissed your teeth in annoyance. Yeah, don’t be late. Unless you’re Gwen Stacy.

Good grief, that girl would be the death of you.

Taglist: (reply to be added!)

@hobiebrownismygod @l0starl @therealloopylupin2099

[pinkrelish]

I know many people though the romantic relationship aspect in FOI was unnecessary, and whilst I partially agree with that, I also kinda liked it because it was some of the only time in the book we got to see Eddie happy.

As you said this actually a pretty sad book and Eddie spends most if his time in it anxious or angry, so seeing any happy moments weaved in there made me happy too.

so, i'm gonna use this as a jumping point to talk about my take on the paige plot line. this is just my interpretation, and if you read the book differently, then that's your take. our views are shaped by our individual life experiences, and those factors influence the lens which we digest media in the context that it is given. if you don't agree, then that's your experience.

that is to say—

i felt bad for paige for most of it. eddie kinda sucks lol.

i hesitate to even call it romance because that has a certain connotation, and as someone who almost exclusively reads and writes romance, very little about their relationship comes across as romantic to me.

to build context, at the beginning of the book schneiderhan makes a nod* at a popular fanfic trope: girls using eddie because they want to know what it's like to 'get with the freak'. he says he doesn't mind this because "he's not looking to be anyone's boyfriend anyway," and this self-reflection rung true to me.

eddie's initial attraction to paige stems from 1) her being pretty, 2) she treats him like a person and not a "munson," and importantly, 3) she could get him infront of an important record producer.

in his monologues where he's visualizing his future and what he's looking forward to: being a rock hero, hellfire, getting money from his dad's scheme, california... he never names her. in fact, there's several opportunities for him to think about her, but he doesn't. she's a vehicle for two of those dreams, yet he forgets her. i'm a big romantic softy, so there were two times in particular it felt deliberate he didn't mention her when he thought about what he was excited for in the future, and it kind of stung ngl. he describes how happiness washes over him from the way she looks at him, and when they're together (in a sexual context) he remarks in his head about how he wants it to last forever, but it's like once she's off the page, she's gone.

at one point he runs inner commentary about how he never saw a future for himself where he'd do the whole meeting-someone's-parents thing, so he defaults to what he sees in romance movies. he opens the van door for paige and helps her inside. he gets flowers and expensive chocolates for her mom when he's invited over for dinner. but he rarely like... talks to paige about anything that's not related to the record deal, or what she's doing in town lmao. we as an audience barely learn anything about her. and maybe that's because it's the plot line in the book the least, or because the book itself is short, but *shrug*.

they clearly both like each other, that much is clear. he gets nervous around her, it's sweet. but it was equally clear from my interpretation that she likes him more than he likes her, and while they're both using each other (him for the record deal, her to move up in her industry's hierarchy by proving to her boss that she can provide him with a rockstar in the making), their relationship is very shallow and just sex, especially on his part. "not looking to be anybody's boyfriend."

i don't know if all that sums into it being unnecessary because i personally appreciate and pour over any context we're given in how he would treat potential romantic partners, but it did make me feel bad for paige since by the final reveal at the end of the book, it comes across like she invested more into the "relationship" than he did, and his last interaction with her probably felt extra shitty, even if both of them hesitated referring to each other as anything more than a friend or future roommate.

if anyone's not reading the book because they don't want to read about eddie falling in love with another girl, don't worry, it's not that deep for either of them lmao.

/* i don't know if the nod is intentional, but i've also used popular fandom tropes ("reader comes to eddie wanting weed, but is out of money and pays for it with sex") in my own work and thought it was a neat inclusion.

[thescentofrainonstone]

It's the voice. It's what He says YOU and only YOU directly into your ears.

Or "fanfics, audios and self esteem building"

Let me explain.

There's an addendum to be had on the matter of where we go for escapism, when it's stories or fanfics that then become books if that experience of disappointment in current life, frustration and longing is shared enough (like in the case of twilight and fifth shades).

I seem the only one vocally noticing when one writes a self insert is because of their need ultimately to feel special, chosen by the character for whatever reason is desirable to them (usually tall, dark, handsome, immortal or thereabout and wealthy but not ostentatiously because money exists as preventative from problems).

But what hit me recently, and admitedly late, relates to audio. And the baldur's gate 3 people who fell hook line and sinker for Astarion might probably back me up on this because from what I understand, as someone who hasn't played and doesn't even know the game but got still hit by the way the pale elf got into the zeitgeist (at least of nerdy people whl play d&d old fashionably around a table monthly) is that most of the heavy lifting and heart throbbing is due to the work of Astarion's voice actor Neil Newbon.

Now, audio is a peculiar thing, go check out GoneWildAudio on Reddit and see for yourself the quite literal mind🦆it can be to have someone, speaking in your ear, addressing YOU and then go convince your brain that is *not* an actual human referring, adoring, and talking to YOU.

First: audio recordings have been around a little over 150 years. So in a way you'd think we haven't evolved to understand the difference between a recording and someone there who really whispers in your own ear.

But then again, film shocked the first time they saw the locomotive but nowadays no one would dream what's in their TV is actually part of their surroundings. And to that I argue: audio has no frame. Nothing physically breaks the illusion like the screen and its separation from your actual surroundings.

Audio doesn't have that. Put on headphones, close your eyes and with a good quality equipment (or binaural) it's freaky what audio can give the impression to your brain that's going on.

Now personal vulnerability moment: years ago I went into a rabbit hole that led me to the work of a certain GWA Voice Artist. I was writing a paper and supposedly "researching and studying" like a good observer of the human condition when I suddenly found myself nothing short of addicted to sound in the form of their very unique specific voice. to the point I took it upon myself to try and understand what kind of ton of bricks hit a performer when they share something seemingly personal and vulnerable... Via audio. Which as said above, doesn't have a defined frame that separates it from how our brains differentiate everything else that affects any of our other senses in reality. Let's just say that I realised the experience of someone whose voice presented male is vastly different from someone like me whose voice was coded femme. And that's because cishet men don't know how to respectfully interact with the subject of their porn. At least that's what I saw in my brief but intense experience as a virtual sex worker, basically.

But beside the point: voice and sound create such a good illusion because of how many more human facets come through with timbre, every breath intake, every exhale, all those imperfection that communicate "human".

Now here's where it gets tricky: there is an agreement on the swoon-worthiness of words spoken to YOU about YOU in Your ear. How "unique, amazing, exceptional, beyond whatever he dared to imagine You are, how You affect his entire world and way to see at every human after you who doesn't hold a candle to your being". Which reflects in the popularity of audio and I suspect justifies the success of Astarion beyond the video game world like, to my knowledge, no character had breached before.

But.

What struck me is one specific effect Audio has on people, and I mean beyond the physical effect of the rightfully horniness. I refer to:

self-confidence.

Please consider this an invitation to confirm or deny, but after spending days, listening to a voice telling you how amazing, and special, and sexy you are, how crazy you drive him/her/them and how they only have eyes for you, don't you start to walk a little bit taller? Head a little bit higher? Hips a little bit swayer?

And this is to say: I don't think most people have the ability to do that for themselves, to write themselves into self inserts and yet being able to praise themselves like they clearly yearn to. And audio then becomes I guess like you're masturbating with someone else's hand voice?

Btw: again kudos to fanfic writers in the Astarion realm because at least they are a step ahead the last fandom I checked and if not praising their self insert enough (ever for me, but maybe I'm just a praise slut) they definitely spend more time in the pale elf's head than I ever witnessed in the last twenty or so years I've read (and occasionally written but I will forever deny under torture) Fanfiction

In this air, if you are looking to disconnect from reality with amazing heartfelt smut go check our @again-please and @fangswbenefits ❤️❤️❤️

[444rockstargf]

hii! omg okay so i absolutely love your works and your writing style and i wanted to know how you started up writing on here because i’ve been wanting to for a while but have no idea how to start 😣

thank you so much for this question! I'm gonna answer it in detail and feel free to dm me if ur confused abt anything!

OLIVIA'S (almost) COMPLETE WRITING GUIDE!

the basics.

i'll start off really easy. to begin, find someone (preferably famous). if this person is in any films, watch a few to get a taste of a couple different characters. this will help you form a hyperfixation to a character. this will be who you write for. for me, it's rory culkin & spencer reid. from here, now we can get to the fun part.

your aesthetic.

your theme is the next thing that will draw in an audience. I'm completely aware of the trillions of different aesthetics in the world, but more popular ones tend to draw a larger audience (odd, I know.) currently trending aesthetics include 2014 grunge (shades of black, pink, and lots of soft filters), coquette (pastel pinks and soft cremes, can be followed with slightly disturbing content), and my favourite, gothic. (falls into 2014 a little. i include themes from my favourite album. music will draw in a crowd too.) but this part is extremely flexible, so choose any style that you want!

friends & your fandom.

one of the best things you can do to give your account a kick start before even starting is to make friends in a fandom. reblog fics you like, leave kind comments, "sneak" into dms and leave encouraging messages. this'll earn you some followers and supporters right off the bat. if you're comfy with it, tell your friends outside of tumblr to follow you too (but I totally understand where that can get messy, so no pressure.)

writing + visuals.

now we're getting to the good part. fanfics are categorized into 3 main parts: smut, fluff, and angst (all I'm sure you've seen on my page.) smut is sexual stuff, fluff usually has a more cozy atmosphere around it, and angst is all the gut-wrenching stuff that really tugs at your heartstrings. as you write for either one of these things, keep in mind that your visual should support whatever the theme of the fic is. idk how long you've been supporting me, but ever since the start (august 2023) I have included some sort of visual in my content. first I only used gifs and ordinary fonts, then I branched out and began putting together my own photos and making the title match. your visual will reflect the quality of your writing.

when writing for anything, second person is usually my go-to (you went to the store, you took a walk, etc). it is the most commonly used perspective and prevent any confusion for the readers. when writing smut, there are certain words and phrases that'll be good with readers, and some that won't. when referring to the vagina, "cunt" and "pussy" will do better than "coochie" or "bearded clam" (yes, I've actually seen that used in a fic). when writing angst or fluff, create a mood by using sensory words that paint a picture in the reader's mind. practice this by googling good descriptive words and weaving them into your fics. this'll boost your writing by a ton, trust me.

conclusion.

this was a lot to take in, I know. when I first started publishing fics on this account, my content was far from good, but I promise you will improve as you go. remember to pace yourself, don't force yourself to write if you just don't feel like it. any writer on this app will understand that feeling. leave your inbox open most of the time to receive good ideas from your supporters, but let them know if you ever need to close it because of an excessive workload. i don't know if you're in school, but finding a good balance between schoolwork and writing fics is a huge part of this whole thing too. thank you so much for the wonderful ask, and my dms are open if you have any more questions.

xoxo, olivia.

[uroboros-if]

Whats your advice for other wip ifs on tumblr? Ive got my intro post and everything but it seems like no one is seeing it :(

🥹😭 I'm flattered you think I'm qualified to answer this, especially as I don't consider myself wildly popular or anything! I wouldn't call myself an expert on this, but I'll tell you what I know:

Tumblr's tagging system / Discoverability

Make sure you're searchable! If your blog is too young, or if you have links in your post, or too many pictures, etc. etc. anything can trigger Tumblr's alarm bells. What this means is that your post won't show up in the tags, aka won't be shown when people search it up. Here is a post about actions you can take to prevent it and another one here. Generally you want your blog to be older than 2 weeks, and to be posting a few times on it before it gets any searchability. (This sideblog used to be an old fanfic blog that I've repurposed for the IF for this exact reason!). If you'd like, copy and paste your intro post, and re-post it (if you don't mind losing too many notes on it), or you can just experiment with another post. Tag it with the appropriate tags, and then wait 2-3 minutes before searching Recent posts on the tag (like #interactive fiction). If you don't see it, your posts aren't showing up!

Make sure you're tagging your post. Bigger one of them, I think, is #interactive fiction (since that unifies CS, Twine and visual novels together). You can, however, add things like #twine/#choicescript, #twine fiction, etc... Any tags you personally might use to search posts up. Just make sure people can see your post in the first place with the first bullet above!

Timing. For whatever reason, I get a good amount of traffic around 9PM Pacific time/5-7AM in Europe (UK to Greece)/12-2PM Eastern Asia (Philippines to Sydney, Australia). I have friends from those places, so I memorized the time difference. For reference, this is 4PM UTC time. My guess is that Europeans are waking up a couple of hours around that time, and some Americans and Asians/Australians are active around that time as well. You should experiment with timing with your posts!

Submit your post to Interact-IF. I got more notes when I submitted mine through their blog! They have a page called, "Are you an IF author looking to promote your project?" and they'll put yours through the queue. Here's the link!

Formatting

Make sure your post is eye-catching, and a pleasure to read. I think what catches the eye is

A header and a title. Find a header that conveys your IF's atmosphere/mood/vibes/aesthetic. Then as far as making it a pleasure, make sure the text guides the eye smoothly. This means:

Organizing your post logically. Synopsis->features->characters makes the most sense to me, as these are the top things people look for besides the characters, which you have to contextualize before you introduce them! You can also...

Mix up formatting--synopsis can be a wall of text, then features can be a list format, and then characters can be a list in prose format, etc.

You may also include breaks, like using a header or line with a title to signal a new section, e.g. the start of the Synopsis, the start of Characters, etc.

Just don't make it hard to read for whatever reason! Your goal is to make the process of learning about your IF digestible and smooth.

In fact, I made a point to make this post itself as a teaching lesson! It could have all been a wall of text, in paragraph/prose form, but it isn't. I organized the sections in a logical sequence, titled them and grouped them, and used a generous amount of formatting available to me (but not too much to hurt the eye).

Intro Writing

Just to discuss certain sections you should pay particular attention to, and what you may want to include in them!

Check for errors. Minimize any typos, grammatical errors, etc. It's totally fine if you're a beginner writer! Just make sure it's polished, lest it may disrupt the flow of reading.

Write an interesting synopsis. Your idea could be the best, but you need to put real thought into how you introduce it to other people! For me, I read other people's synopses for inspiration. You generally want to a) describe who your MC is, b) describe the setting, c) "Everything used to be..." d) "... Until the fire nation attacked!" -- meaning, describe how life used to be for the MC, and what threw all that off-balance, hence revealing the conflict of the plot or the disruption in the story. You can make this section show your writing abilities, but I constrained myself to shortening mine as much as possible (digestibility).

Features. Again, look at other intro posts! Outline what can be customized about your MC (appearance, personality, sexuality, etc.), a brief mention of the ROs (without names) that can be romanced if there are any, cool features your IF may have (a codex, a dice rolling system), a sneak peek into what readers may expect to do in the story, and more!

ROs!! You'll want to tap into what personally inclines you to liking an RO right away, and include that. You can make this section as detailed as you want to be or as brief but effective. Some include character appearances, some don't. All of them mention who they are in the story, and a description of what they are like. Maybe you can hint at their deeper, individual character subplot! Hitting upon keywords of certain archetypes as well may make it easier for the reader to go, "Ah, so this is the X character," in the story. Leaning on tropes a little isn't bad, especially to play it up for the audience to know "this is the cold one, this is the flirty one, etc." so long as your characters aren't merely their trope.

Your Story

Did you notice this is the last thing I'm discussing? Before you change your actual story, you want to make sure you've considered every reason why your intro post isn't very public, which may have NOTHING to do with how interesting or appealing your story is. Think of it like chess--the last thing you want to do is move your king. It's also just simply harder and disheartening to change the vision of your story.

In fact, the vast majority of things covered here are only points to consider, rather than things to actually change.

Do you have a demo? People want demos before investing into a story! a) They want to know if they will like your writing at all, b) demos give a good look into what they may expect from the story overall, and c) it's more promising for an IF to have one, as far as actually finishing the story!

And if you do have a demo, is it polished? Is it short? Does it actually introduce the conflict or any of the characters people are interested in? Does it look good?

Who really is your target audience? Your story is probably written for yourself, but you may want to understand what generally appeals to people. You can't please everyone, hence mainly appealing to a certain audience. If your story is high-fantasy, people want you to mention all the fantastical things your MC can do, see or experience in your story! If your IF is a revenge story, make the MC feel dangerous, and capable of exacting their plans. Mention everything people would WANT to know about your brand of story.

What's the gender ratio of your ROs? The fact that your story may be exclusively/vastly heterosexual, or your story may specifically be a wlw or nlw/mlm or nlm story may influence how much reach it has. I hate to say it, but IFs with mainly male characters are in abundance compared to female interests. However, this doesn't mean you should change your ROs, especially if you intend the story to be heterosexual/lesbian/gay--this is just a factor to consider.

Consider other factors. Does your story have any actual romance? (People really like romance.) Is it only going to be short? (People like long stories generally.) Are you using Twine or CS? (Most people like both, some may have a preference. I almost exclusively read Twine.) Will it feature very disturbing content? (If it does, it may appeal only to certain people).

Closing Thoughts

I am flattered you asked for advice, so I took the time to exhaust everything I know! Of course, again, I am no authority or expert on the subject, so do with this as you will. Either way, I'm happy you asked ! 🥹💕 Thanks for asking!

P.S. If you want, my messages are open on my personal blog! You can send me a DM if you want feedback or an opinion :)

[demonichikikomori]

“Lemon” Cookies

You purchased a vial of what you thought was lemon extract. Sam said that by purchasing the glittering yellow liquid from within the glass case, you would get much closer to the person you cared about most. All you had to do was use it the next time you baked something sweet and give it to them as a treat!

And so you bought it, refusing to question his display choices or the reason it needed a key to get to in the first place. The price was high, but Sam has never let you down. And maybe some of these guys would start being a little nicer to you! After all, you are the unofficial therapist on campus. You and Grim were up all night baking lemon cookies together. Well, you were the one actually working on the cookies, Grim just wanted to eat the uncooked dough lacking in the extract. You molded them into rounded heart shapes before slipping them into the oven. You had used the entire bottle in your batch of cookies that you planned to give out to those close to you. Hopefully they taste as good as they smell.

You wrapped them up in a small plastic bag, tied with the Ramshackle ribbon color. You prepared to deliver the treats with a smile on your face. You wanted to see a reaction from the person you gave them to. How his face brightened over knowing you were thinking of him when he made the heart shaped cookies.

Unfortunately, you and the resident of Twisted Wonderland you gave the cookies to had no idea that the extract you used, was a form of aphrodisiac. Why was Sam selling it? Well, he sells everything. You and the person you gave the treats to would find out very soon that your blunder had consequences. But for now…

Enjoy the tart taste of "Lemon" Cookies

Welcome to “Lemon” Cookies! This series is inspired by the Early 2010’s fanfic community making reference to the fruit when writing Smut/NSFW content! An anon asked me a bit ago about a scenario I liked a lot and I’m an open fan when it comes to ‘darker’ themes. Pretty much, I like my smut with a spicy flavor. This is the post in question that pushed me to create this event! This event will be a one shot for the most voted character in Twisted Wonderland. This includes staff and our boys off campus. The voting will start today (01.01.23) and will end (01.14.23)! Think of it as a treat for Valentines which will be coming up towards the end of the voting period. It’s my favorite holiday after all! <3 My treat for all of you good little demons out there! <3

It is possible I will come back to this as it will be posted on Ao3 and add chapters for the other most popular students casted in. But, that will be decided as I finish the first character you all requested!

Results!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bNsFW6enu-iDuzXlE0VQjDPPTLp6nw66LErUC2CgqIw/edit?usp=drivesdk

[hotchs-big-hands]

Today turned out to be Pretty Bad™ stuck down very awful bad memory lane and I just wanna clarify to ppl why I may not always answer dms/asks etc. I've only really told one person on here the big details about this, and I won't go into all the details here either but it'll be enough to explain why. I hope anyway. Idk why I'm doing this.

I'll give a quick tl;dr here because it is long and also goes into very triggering topics such as self harm/suicide.

Basically I used to have a very close best friend, who I'll call shithead, back in early 2018 until late 2022 who extremely manipulative, emotionally abusive and just very overall toxic. If you've ever seen me refer to a "shithead" in tags or whatever then its about the person imma talk abt here. I was essentially the person they turned to to talk them out of doing things to themselves, if you get me. As well as a lot of other stuff. Ended up getting therapy (but not for the right reasons tbh) and also got a bad coping mechanism where I tend to not talk to people, I keep my distance and its smth I wanna tackle but it's difficult. So if you haven't heard back from me it's not cuz I don't like you, I am fighting with my brain. Also I kinda question if I actually am a good person or not because of stuff that I did in retaliation to this person.

I'll get into details now under the cut but yeah don't read if self harm/suicide/toxic dynamics are something you don't want to hear about for whatever reason.

As above, in early 2018 I used to have a different fanfic blog for a different fandom. I won't go into detail about which fandom and what the blog was but it was fairly popular. This is how I came to be friends with them. And like at the beginning it was fucking great! We became fast friends and we had a lot of shared interests. They introduced me to a lot of games, TV shows etc. But that's also where the problems started.

They were one of those types of fans. The "very possessive over certain characters" type of fan. If they liked them and had a crush on them then you couldn't do the same cuz character belonged to them. Which at the time I didn't rly like but I used to be friends with someone in high school who was also like that about characters so I assumed it was just a thing ppl did. However, it escalated to if I had a character I liked then they'd for some reason not like them and in fact hated them. This was kinda draining cuz they never wanted to talk abt stuff I liked, without actually directly saying so. They'd just shit talk them the whole time or say they hate them. So I stopped talking about what I liked. Later, they'd suddenly really like said media or characters and only then was it fine to talk about them. But in turn they'd be possessive and if I said oh okay I'll step back from them they would make me feel like I was being stupid because "no they didn't say I couldn't like them".

Anyway thats not rly the worst of it of course, the actual bad stuff is now so again, final warning for self harm/suicide. Will square off the triggering sections.

*********************

They struggled with their mental health a lot. Like a lot. I'd be there for them to listen, offer help and support because I like to take care of ppl and make sure they'll be okay. Except it escalated to them using me to talk them out of harming themself and killing themself. And this was almost everyday/night. And need I just say they were an hour ahead of me as well btw. I went to university in 2019 originally and by December I was completely burnt out because I spent every day and night making sure they didn't fucking do anything to themself. I got at most 2-3 hours of sleep a night if I was lucky and I stopped doing my hobbies and uni work because I just had no drive to do them anymore. It was clear I was also suffering mentally. I was suicidal and thinking of harming myself as well (and unfortunately I did do so a couple times). But I prioritised them. Everything was triggering for them, and I mean that. I had a long list pinned to my wall of everything I was to avoid mentioning because it would trigger them.

They never took care about my own mental health btw, which I'm not saying they HAD to but I know it was because they just didn't care. And they said as much too. They said because they are autistic they have no empathy and therefore do not feel anything about my mental health. So I suffered basically alone.

*********************

I dropped out of uni in early 2020 and in fact went home the weekend lockdown began in the UK. Things were not good. I was still trying to be support for shithead, I went to therapy and started medication for the wrong reasons. I wanted to get better so I could take care of them. Which like. Never do that. Never go to therapy so you can be someone else's therapist. Go to therapy because YOU want to be better for YOURSELF.

We were in in a bigger friendship group spread across a few discord servers and they all broke down one way or another. One instance there was an argument between shithead and a bunch of others who were comparing who had it worse during ww2. The others were Americans but were also of Jewish heritage with family who were affected by the holocaust and shithead lives in a country near where the holocaust happened with relatives who went through a famine. Either way it was just not gonna be a good conversation. Shithead left, I stayed and like I already don't rly talk to people much in groups because its overwhelming but I did do a little bit. Someone who was friends with shithead and still in the server told shithead I was talking to the others and in turn I basically betrayed shithead. Hindsight I wish I had just left the server ages before and like maybe j shouldn't have talked to the others idk. I regret it either way and think abt it a lot.

Another few shitty things I did in response to how shithead would treat me is giving them the silent treatment, giving short answers etc. I wanted them to feel bad, but it would round back to me being told I'm a coward and horrible to them. Which maybe I was but frankly I was scared of them.

*********************

Things began to rly break down when they showed me their fresh self harm wounds, blood and all, because they were "bored". I didn't talk to them for a few days and their apology wasn't much of an apology, more just making excuses again (aka I have autism so it's not my fault). I started talking less and less because by this point my brain had had enough ig and began to close off from them and just ppl in general.

*********************

In 2022 I finally returned to university and thats also when I finally stopped talking to them. A few months ago I finally blocked them on everything. However, I still struggle with communication and don't rly do it much. It's difficult to maintain friendships and I don't trust easily. I plan on going back to therapy whenever i can because this is just unresolved. But yeah idk I'm sorry to everyone who I haven't responded to, or take a long time to respond to.

One thing that is good tho is that like, after shithead I didn't enjoy anything. I didn't rly watch or hyperfixate on anything. But last year around this time I came across an Aaron Hotchner x plus size reader fic and I've been obsessed with him since!! And now here we are, got a blog and everything for a fandom finally after so long :) so it's not all bad.

But yeah that's why I struggle keeping up with messages and asks. Idk if anyone is gonna read this but if you've read this far then thank you and you mean a lot. Big hugs to yawl and I hope yawl have a lovely day, and if not then please take it easy 💖💖💖💖

[eponymiad]

For Yuletide this year, I wrote this pseudo-Vox article for @newtsoftheworldunite's gift. The premise is a modern-day feature article in the QT universe where Shakespeare wrote a play about the king who married the queen who cut off his hand, and what the modern discourse about their real relationship would look like in both historian and fandom circles.

I had a lot of fun with it, and I crammed it full of both fandom references and non-fandom references. I made a list of all the ones I could find when I reread it (I'm sure I overlooked a few), which you can check out below the cut.

Princess Bythesea novels by Phresine are a reference to in-world bodice rippers from @hoeratius's Princess Diaries AU, for which both she and @hippolytas have written fic.  

The Genny Diaries is a play on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries 

The Setran Eugenides & Ira is a nod to my beloved Bride & Prejudice, a Bollywood Pride & Prejudice adaptation (and imo the best P&P adaptation) 

Wikipedia talk pages are basically a discussion page on every Wikipedia article to help editors behind the scenes make decisions, fix citations, and discuss what should/shouldn’t be included on the page 

Clothing references: the birds and twigs are a canon reference (thanks, Pheris), the wild fennel robes are a nod to a comment on a post MWT reblogged that someone else later made art for (she also reblogged the IRL coats which are beautiful), and the “ornate, traditional” clothing was a reference to Greece's really stunning regional clothing.

The rings were inspired by posy rings, which were popular in England and France in the late Medieval period. The inscription on Irene’s ring—Yours to command—was a legit inscription I found on a list so you can imagine how fast I added it in.

The poem is heavily pilfered from Sappho fragment 94, although it’s been edited to pay tribute to the most beautiful woman on earth 

The “life size statue” fights were @hippolytas's idea (among other things in this fic, but that’s what I remember most clearly) 

The Friends finale reference is a little joke for myself. Ross/Rachel were *the* will-they-won’t-they couple of the 90s and 00s, and I told some friends earlier this year that I think if Matthew Perry and Courtney Cox had had 20% less on-screen chemistry, the romance narrative might’ve shifted to who Monica would ultimately pick and let that be the big finale moment (and, frankly, have given Ross and Rachel’s storyline more creating room—but I digress). 

The RPF fics are all references to QT fanfics. The missing scenes and wedding night fics are obvious, but the two AUs are are this sci-fi one where the Attolia AI trains the guard and one of my own, Where Did You Come From, Where Did You Go? 

I'll update the list if I notice any others, but feel free to ping me if you think I've missed one! There are some other easter eggs in there, so if you think you spotted something else—you're probably right!

Thanks to everyone who has kudosed and commented on this fic, and to @thecrenellations and @cartograffiti and @hippolytas for their help and cheerleading, would legitimately have lost my mind if not for them <3

[h4mm132l1c3]

20 Questions For Fanfic Writers!

I got tagged in this by the lovely @onewhoturns, and I'll tag some others at the end!

1: How many works do you have on Ao3?

I only have 8 actually published there, but for reference, I went into my WIP folder and found over 100 more... So I do write things! I'm just really really bad at actually publishing them.

2: What's your total Ao3 word count?

Assuming I've done my math right, my current total word count sits at 262,909. Most of that is probably the longfics I've done with Turner, but there are almost certainly some hidden gems in there as well.

3: What fandoms do you write for?

Well, I haven't actually written and published something for a specific fandom for a while now, but my more common interests these days are Genshin Impact, Fire Emblem, Metal Gear Solid, Ace Attorney, Shadow & Bone (Netflix TV show specifically) and a few sporadic others! But my past works were for Oxenfree, Destiny, Ava's Demon, Homestuck, Overwatch, Critical Role, The Magnus Archives and Half Life.

4: Top five fics by kudos?

That would beeee So It Goes, Blue Hair, Red Jacket, A Different Angle, One Foot, and finally Holy Spirits!

5: Do you respond to comments? Why/Why not?

As much as I love getting comments on fics, I don't often respond to them. I don't really have enough published to get engagement super often, and even then, I'm just not the kind of person to reach out at random simply because I've heard too many Internet Horror Stories(tm). But, maybe if I do publish more in the future, I'll make a habit of answering then!

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

I... Don't really know? Most of my fics are either one-shots or unfinished multi-chapter works. There's probably something really angsty in my WIPs, but since it's never seen the light of day, we'll never really knows.

7: What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Hmm. Hm hm hm. That would probably be a toss up between A Different Angle, which is just meant to be a nice, feel-good oneshot, or Pyrite-50: Quiet Moments, which is a kind of character study of one of my Destiny PC's.

8: Do you get hate on fics?

Since I only have 8 published, and I'm not like a super-duper popular author, I don't really think I get hate. All of the comments I've seen have been really sweet and lovely, which I'm thankful for.

9: Do you write smut?

I've been known to partake... On occasion....... <- Currently hiding most of it away in that damned WIP folder

10: Do you write crossovers?

Aside from the every-so-often "AU fic inspired by another piece of media", no, not really. But maybe that will change sometime! I wouldn't be truly opposed.

11: Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I'm aware!

12: Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. My reach, like I said, is pretty minimal. But if anybody were to ask, I'd say go for it, as long as I got credit as the author.

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

Most of my published fics are co-written! My co-author was actually the one who tagged me in this, Turner. You can go check out all our Oxenfree stuff on Ao3 right now.

14: What's your all-time favorite ship?

Oooooh, this one is hard. The one I've undoubtedly written the most for is jonalex, but I'm a huge multishipper, so I've never really preferred one pairing over another before. It's always so dependent on my mood! Can I just say all of them?

15: What's the WIP you hope to finish but doubt you ever will?

The forgotten Kaz Brekker/Darkling smut. It sits in its little google document, taunting me. I know that you're there. I KNOW.

16: What are your writing strengths?

I'd like to think I'm good at metaphors? Generally, getting into a character's psyche is what I strive for, and when I get it right it feels like a real achievement. I've also been told that I'm very good at making dialogue that feels real, or that flows in a way that makes sense, which is something else I'm really proud of.

17: What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing things. Fight scenes (of the physical variety). The two big F's.

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

Seeing as I am a person who only knows one language (and guess which one that is), I don't often write in other languages for my fics, because I'm a liiiiittle too scared of fucking up. On the rare chances I have, I usually use someone I know as a translator, but that limits me on how many languages I can conceivably use. As far as foreign languages in other fics go, I'm all for it!

19: First fandom you wrote for?

It's either Harry Potter, and that fic has now been orphaned to the wind, or maybe Homestuck?

20: Favorite fic you've ever written?

Of my published fics, it has to be So It Goes. That one has a special place in my heart for a multitude of reasons, and not just because Turner and I got to write it together. Of my WIPs, there's an unnamed freemance fic that I've been dying to finish that I just recently found again, and it made me fall in love with my writing for a second time; in a strange way.

Tagging!!

@artemis-crimson @reddgiant @starchemist @starlit-bawka @cranehusbands @duvirii and basically whoever else wants to do it.

[lulu2992]

Hey ! First thanks for this blog, it's full of really great posts :) And second, I saw you gave advices to fanfics writers for John and Jacob but I didn't see anything about Joseph, I believe I'm not the only one to think The Father is the hardest to write ! Any tips, advices or anything else ? Thanks a lot and continue this wonderful work !

Hi! And thank you :D

I suppose you’ve played the game and already know Joseph’s story, but as I did in my previous posts, I’m going to give you (and anyone reading this who might not be familiar with the Far Cry 5 universe) a few links and resources:

The Book of Joseph: an official but rare book that seems mostly canonical. Its real-life author is unknown, but it’s written from the Father’s point of view and provides details about his life before Hope County. Contrary to popular belief, though, this is not Eden’s Gate’s sacred book; that’s The Word of Joseph and we can’t read it (except one page; see below).

Joseph’s sermons: the “first” one, “Soul Search”, the one about “the elite”, and “The Truth”. The latter is him reading the only page from The Word of Joseph we can find in the game. There’s also this one for Jacob’s Armory, and this, supposed to be broadcasted in the Heralds’ bunkers when the Collapse has arrived.

His only radio call.

The message he left for John at Seed Ranch.

His lines during the final fight against him.

His Arcade lines: Part 1 & Part 2.

His scars and tattoos.

I wrote a summary of what other characters say about him (masterpost here), but the cultists and Resistance/civilians’ comments can be listened to here and here. And chances are they’re not relevant anymore, but you can listen to his deleted lines here and read even more here.

The Far Cry 5 lore is all over the place if you want to take all the content they’ve ever released into account, but there’s also:

The song “Now He’s Our Father” (choir version here and reinterpretation here)

The two live-action trailers, The Sermon & The Baptism

The novel Far Cry: Absolution (not legally available for free)

The short film Inside Eden’s Gate (and, as a bonus, the long version of one of the scenes)

The comic Far Cry: Rite of Passage #3 (not legally available for free)

The game has an official sequel, Far Cry New Dawn... but it’s not really canon to me because of the retcons. And I have to talk about it because it exists, but there’s also the Far Cry 6 DLC, Collapse. It takes place in Joseph’s mind, and you would think that would make it the most reliable source of information regarding his psyche, but it was developed by a new team and there are many discrepancies between it and Far Cry 5, so I would personally advise against using it as a reference... Finally, this isn’t only true for Joseph, but take everything you see on the Far Cry Wiki with a grain of salt, especially unsourced information that makes you go, “oh, I didn’t know that”; that’s very suspicious :’)

In the Far Cry 5: Official Collector’s Edition Guide by Prima Games, the game’s Lead Writer, Drew Holmes, said the following about Joseph:

What we really focused on was creating an enemy that truly believed in his mission—that only he could protect humanity during the end of days. We wanted to create a villain who had pure intentions but who was so consumed by his own madness that he could not see his own evil. He views himself as Noah—but everyone else sees him as a madman. (...) Joseph Seed is a villain we haven’t seen before in Far Cry. Yes, he’s magnetic and crazy...but there’s also an honesty to him that makes him compelling. He believes he has purpose. He’s not crazy for crazy’s sake—he has a very clear message that he’s trying to impart on the Player—and hopefully makes you stop and think whether or not he’s actually right.

He talked about him in other interviews, such as this one.

Joseph was co-created and has always been played by the same actor (except once), Greg Bryk, whose opinion on the character is always worth reading/listening to. Here’s a selection of videos, some of them also featuring Drew Holmes and Dan Hay (Executive Producer/Creative Director/Writer):

Cult of Personality (UbiBlog)

Meet Greg Bryk Joseph Seed Actor

Interview - Greg Bryk and Drew Holmes (Gaming Trend)

Greg Bryk (Joseph "The Father" Seed in Far Cry 5) - Game On Expo 2018

FORGED ep10 - W/ Guest Greg Bryk

SacAnime Summer 2018 Greg Bryk Far Cry 5 Panel

Joseph Seed "The Father" aka Greg Bryk talks FAR CRY 5 & FAR CRY NEW DAWN

How Far Cry’s Iconic Villains Were Created (IGN Inside Stories)

Fans also asked him questions on Instagram and I compiled his answers here (and here). In the latest live stream, he said Far Cry 5 had been “an amazing chapter in [his] life” but that Joseph’s story was “finished”, implying he didn’t feel like playing him anymore...

Finally, it’s not really informative, just fun, but there’s this.

Now, my analysis and interpretation! Despite the fact Joseph is an antagonist in Far Cry 5, I wouldn’t really call him “evil” or describe him as a villain because he’s (weirdly) well-intentioned. His followers undeniably do awful things for him and his siblings, but even though he’s a cult leader, he’s neither hypocritical nor a liar, and his primary goal isn’t to take advantage of people. Joseph heard a Voice he believes is God’s and It entrusted him with a mission. Although who that Voice belongs to is up to interpretation, it’s clear to me It’s not a figment of his imagination; It’s real, and It’s powerful. Joseph has unwavering faith in It and will obey It, whatever It asks him to do, even the worst, because he’s extremely devoted and convinced he’s only doing what’s right. He genuinely believes the Collapse is coming and that he’s the prophet chosen to save as many “souls” as he can (at least 3,000) from it to march them to Eden’s Gate, which is why he started his Project.

I said he was well-intentioned but, as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”, and I think Joseph embodies this proverb perfectly. The fact he’s convinced his actions are righteous is precisely what makes him dangerous and almost unstoppable. He won’t let anything or anyone prevent him from fulfilling his destiny and get in the way of his divine purpose, even if it means people have to die. To Joseph, this is “God’s will” and those non-believers will perish when the Collapse comes anyway... The people his Family saves might fight or not want to join them now, but he thinks that in the end, when they finally understand he was right, they will be grateful. As the Father, he feels he knows what’s best for his Children.

I believe the Voice showed him several versions of the future and that Joseph isn’t sure which one(s) will come to pass. He may know his siblings are likely to die and not see the New Eden, but he hopes they will live because he truly loves them. As for the Deputy, they’re the person destined to trigger the Collapse, so they’re special to him and he doesn’t want his followers to kill them. That said, he also hopes he can make them join his Family so everyone can be safe in “The Garden” the Voice promised.

I think Joseph hasn’t really moved on from the loss of his wife and is still, in some way, in love with her. That doesn’t mean he could never love someone else, but in the game, he’s not quite there yet. That may seem paradoxical, and he’s still convinced he did the right thing, but I also believe his daughter’s death was a tragedy to him because evidence suggests he loved her more than he loved himself. Joseph is a man of strong convictions… and contradictions.

He’s usually calm and collected but can still feel and express extreme emotions in some cases. When he speaks, it’s like he’s naturally solemn and charismatic, which is probably why so many people follow him. Again, the fact he doesn’t lie to them and sincerely believes in his message is probably the reason others started to believe in him in return.

Because of what he went through in his life, it appears Joseph is always desperately trying to build a family and surround himself with loved ones. Sadly, he also seems doomed to always lose them, one way or another… His commitment to the Voice is absolute, and serving God is what keeps him going. In the end, he’s certain everything he’s endured and sacrificed will be worth it. Unfortunately, while he always aims to do “what’s right”, the tragedy of Joseph is that he usually ends up inadvertently making things worse, for him or the people he loves. His faith is his reason for living, but it’s also, too often, the main reason for his suffering.

[yukidragon]

Damn! The last user won me the question but not exactly how he would do it, I love the context where Jack and Shaun become good friends and they take care of MC a lot but Ian's part and his reaction didn't seem to me...weird

I mean, Ian gives off vibes of being someone who would go crazy just knowing that his ex (who he cheated on) is starting a family with another man, while reading that I imagined a scene where Ian accuses Shaun of getting MC pregnant and even trying to forcefully take MC to form his "happy ending with the woman of his life" I honestly know that it is his canon but if we can in the context that Iban can be someone jealous, possessive and manipulative I see him capable of trying to force MC into having a relationship with him, threatening her and pretend to be the father of the BB (although I think this would be torture for the bb)

In another scenario, in the death of MC during childbirth, Ian tries to kidnap the son of his beloved and a scenario is created in his head where it is his son.

I get the vibes you’re talking about. It’s why there’s a pretty popular theory that Ian is actually a yandere too, or is going to go yandere in the game. In fact, I suspect all the love interests are yandere for MC, as I went over in a previous theory.

Admittedly, I didn’t touch too much on Ian’s reaction in the previous pregnancy headcanon post since I was trying to stick with happy headcanons, and, well... Ian’s reaction is definitely going to be anything but happy.

But since you really want to go into those darker headcanons and touch on the Yandere!Ian AU... let’s go for it, shall we?

Buckle up, y’all. If you don’t want to dive into darker topics such as the ones Anon here came up with, you might want to give this post a skip. Don’t worry, I’m sure to make a happy headcanon post following this one as a pallet cleanser because hoooo... we’re in for a ride..

First let’s get the warnings out of the way. Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack is an Adults Only game. There are mature themes in this story, and this topic no doubt is going to go into 18+ territory after the cut, if not just very disturbing territory.

Any and all pictures I might post for references are drawn by Sauce/Jambeebot and were publicly posted on their twitter before it went down. I’ve asked them if it’s okay for me to use them in these theories with credit.

As a reminder, what isn’t okay is posting private pictures from the SnaccPop Patreon. If you enjoy the lore of the game, then consider joining. It’s only $3 to get some lovely SDJ bonus content, including the very cozy Sleepy Time Jack virtual body pillow. While you’re at it, consider pledging to the kickstarter. There’s less than 2 weeks left to go, and there are lots of amazing rewards still left to get!

While I’m plugging links, why not check out my SDJ fanfics Sunshine in Hell and Sunshine in Another World? Sunshine in Hell is my interpretation of the game’s events, while Sunshine in Another World is where I intend to collect my AU short stories. With all these headcanons I’m making, I’m likely going to have more AU short fics appear sooner rather than later.

Lastly, it’s time to tag the lovely people who want to be alerted whenever I post some headcanons. If you want to be added to the list, please let me know!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars

Now, with all that said... let’s play with another “what if” scenario about one of the AUs on the art meme Sauce did: the Yandere Ian AU.

First of all, how Ian finds out and how much he knows about Jack will likely depend on how open MC is with him despite their falling out. Since there are a lot of possibilities, and the last post specifically centered around the headcanons of my personal version of the MC, Alice, I’m going to use her in these hypothetical scenarios. I’ll try to make note of where things apply to most MCs across the board, but with the specific scenarios you’ve given me, I’m going to need to narrow my focus, since otherwise there are way too many variables to consider. We are talking about a late-stage relationship with Jack after all, which is tricky enough to headcanon when we don’t know what’s going to happen in the game.

Sorry for giving you some more Bad End AUs to run through, Alice. I’ll make it up to you later with more smutty loving cuddle time with Jack.

Let’s start off with Ian accusing Shaun of getting Alice pregnant. This would be the most plausible explanation Ian would think of once he hears about the pregnancy. Alice(/MC) was his first relationship and puts a lot of stock into love and relationships. Unless she changed while he was gone (and of course she wouldn’t, since he would know her best), it’s unlikely she would get knocked up from a casual sexual encounter. If she did, it would be because she was in an emotionally compromised state and/or incredibly lonely, like what prompted Ian to cheat.

Alice does talk about Jack on her social media once they’re in a relationship, and had alluded to having a “new roommate” before that. She doesn’t give details about the whole supernatural situation, but Ian would have heard a little bit about Jack from stalking her socials.

I know this might not apply to all MCs, as some might just keep Jack entirely a secret even after getting pregnant. Again, there’s a lot of variables with a general MC at this point in the story, especially if they’re the vindictive type or just want to rip the band-aid off and tell Ian directly about the pregnancy to get it over with. An MC that carried a torch for Ian for a long time until finally learning to love Jack will react differently than a MC who still can’t forgive him for what he did, after all.

In any case, Ian has heard about Jack in this scenario. He’s even seen drawings Alice made of him, but no actual photos. It strikes him as suspicious, and the fact that no one he knows has ever met Jack or talked to him in person would make this seem like a “my girlfriend in Canada” situation. Without any evidence of this “Jack” person existing no matter how hard he scours the internet or their mutual social circles, it would be easy for Ian to assume that Jack is a fantasy, a husbando Alice made up to make herself feel better or to keep him away.

Ian is familiar with the concept of husbandos and waifus, having had many of his own before. Alice had some herself before they got together, which makes the possibility all the more likely in Ian’s mind.

In this scenario, Ian would not have encountered Jack before Alice was pregnant. If he did, well... he would’ve gotten the Nick treatment with those horrific nightmares... if not worse. We’re assuming Ian lucked out in this regard simply because Alice herself gained the strength to cut him off and block him completely, not allowing him to get near her again. As such, he didn’t become a threat that Jack needed to personally take care of.

While Ian could potentially ask Shaun about Jack to get answers about who Jack is and Jack’s relationship with Alice... Shaun and Ian, most likely, have a rough relationship due to the whole cheating thing. Shaun is protective of Alice, and he knows Ian hurt her very, very badly. With how manipulative Ian has been to try and get back into her life, Shaun would most likely cut him off and tried to encourage Alice to do the same until she finally did. I can totally imagine Ian getting in contact with Shaun after the cheating incident, only to get nothing but a “Fuck off.” in return.

Those who Alice trusts enough with the truth about Jack are unlikely to talk to Ian, as solidarity with her and what she went through when Ian cheated on her. Those who sided with Ian and tried to talk Alice into making up with him were similarly cut off unless they stopped trying to send messages from him to her. She wouldn’t be able to trust these friends completely even if she remained friends with them, as there’s that risk of them feeding Ian information, and the situation with Jack is too... supernatural to share with anyone but those she can truly trust with a secret.

Hearing about Alice being pregnant sends Ian into a spiral. Is this real, or is this made up like Jack? Some people who have imaginary spouses do have imaginary pregnancies. Alice has always been chubby, so you can’t tell she’s pregnant at a glance alone, so he still holds out hope that she’s deluding herself and tries even harder to figure out ways to reconnect with her.

It’s only when Alice posts a sonogram of the unborn baby and reverse image search turns up no matches does it really hit home for Ian that she really is pregnant... and it’s not his baby.

Ian is hit with similar sickly feelings that Alice experienced when he cheated, and he finds perverse irony in that. Is this karma for what he did?

...This makes them even now, doesn’t it? Ian slept with someone else, and so did Alice. The pain is even now. They can put it behind them. He’ll accept the baby as his own. He has the money to take care of all three of them, he has an acting and modeling career, acclaim and connections...

So Ian goes to further extremes. He can’t track Alice down, as she won’t let anyone who is still friendly with him know where she lives, and she’s blocked him everywhere electronically. Burner phones and new accounts are used, but never answered, but that’s to be expected - she never answers random numbers anyway and typically deletes messages from unknown numbers without even reading them.

Ian turns to other methods, going to Alice’s family and to closer friends like Shaun. Shaun can’t ignore Ian with an in person confrontation. The discussion gets heated quickly, as Ian is desperate and Shaun is disgusted by his insistence that he and Alice are meant to be together. Shaun puts his foot down, making it clear that Ian isn’t going to get anything about Alice from him and to fuck off and leave them alone.

Ian laser focuses on the use of “them” and jumps to the conclusion that Shaun is the father. Shaun is “Jack.” It all makes sense, right? Shaun likes to dress up in costumes with heavy makeup. Sure the drawings don’t look remotely the same, and, hell, are even the wrong race altogether, but that’s just a drawing! It’d be the perfect cover to hide their secret relationship, making him go crazy looking in all the wrong places.

Violence isn’t Ian’s first solution even when enraged and his sanity is fraying - he’s not very strong or tall after all; Shaun would snap him like a twig. Still, the argument gets heated and things escalate. Ian accuses Shaun of being the father of the baby, and Shaun snorts a bitter little, “I wish.” It only makes Ian more sure that he’s on the right track even after Shaun insists he’s not Jack. In fact, Shaun admits that he and Jack are friends. Sure, they butt heads sometimes, but ultimately Jack makes Alice happy, and she’s doing far better with Jack as a partner than she ever did with Ian.

That sets Ian off. It’s all but an admission of guilt, Shaun bragging about himself under the character of Jack, while at the same time insinuating that Alice was unhappy with Ian when they were meant to be together. Sure, Ian made a mistake, but so did Alice! He’s going to fix this!

Ian starts getting physical, adrenaline making his shove actually have enough force to it to shove Shaun back, but Shaun doesn’t just stand there and take it.

There’s a bit of a scuffle, but since they encountered each other in a public place, the fight would be broken up quickly. Ian still has his image to maintain, and too many eyes on him are judging him... judging what he did. He has to maintain that image if he wants Alice back.

Ian can’t let Jack win.

So, reluctantly, Ian is forced to retreat. For now.

Shaun is the primary target for Ian now. Word about the encounter with Ian gets back to Alice and Jack. Although Shaun wouldn’t want to worry Alice, especially since she’s pregnant and stress is bad for her and the baby, he would be worried about Ian acting so unhinged. It would make him fear Ian might do something to her and the baby.

Jack would take charge immediately, telling Alice gently not to worry about Ian. Ian doesn’t know where they live, otherwise he would have tried coming after her, not Shaun. Shaun won’t tell anyone.

Yes, Jack is trusting Shaun in this scenario. I did say I wanted them to be friends, remember? ;)

I will point out that doesn’t mean it’s a blind trust or that Jack fully lets down his guard around Shaun, but the two of them have formed a bond. Shaun accepts Jack makes Alice happiest, so Jack learned he’s not a threat to steal away his sunshine, essentially.

Naturally there’s a lot more to the relationship and trust building between them than that, but I’m keeping it short since this is about yandere Ian and this post is getting long enough as it is, so let’s get back on topic.

Jack’s focus would be on protecting Alice, both from Ian coming after her, and from the stress knowing about all this would put on her. Although Alice would feel like she should do something about this, Jack would remind her she already did - she told Ian it’s over and to never contact her again. She blocked him. Right now, she needs to focus first on herself and their little bundle of sunshine she’s carrying inside her. She shouldn’t be thinking about stressful things.

“Just leave Ian to me, okay, sunshine?”

Though reluctant, Alice allows Jack to talk things over with Shaun about the topic without her direct involvement. Even Shaun considers if Jack should use his spooky ghost powers to give Ian a little scare to make him back off... not thinking about the extremes Jack would be considering at this point. Shaun is thinking more along the lines of leaving spooky notes or making some stuff float, like he’s seen around the house. It’s more campy horror images.

However, Shaun would have some sense of Jack’s yandere side by this point, and caution Jack not to take it too far. After all, Alice would be hurt if she found out Ian got hurt. If nothing else, Jack needs to keep in mind how she hates to hear about even strangers getting hurt, never mind someone she grew up with and used to love.

Jack responds - via writing - that he’ll keep that in mind. Shaun goes after him for the ambiguous phrasing, and gets him to promise not to take things too far.

“Okay man... I’m trusting you not to lie about me about something like this. Keep the scares PG-13 max, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I know how to keep things kid friendly. The SunnyTime Crew Show had a Halloween special, you know. :o)”

Why not get a restraining order? Ian hasn’t done anything yet to require one. Besides, it would be up to Alice to jump through the legal hoops, which means stress for her and the baby.

Besides, how can a goth horror director resist setting up a good spooky scene?

Jack starts giving Ian nightmares... which does not help Ian’s fraying grasp on sanity. Now Ian has a face to go with the drawings, one covered in blood with putrid skin telling him how he is a burden to Alice, worthless, how she’s better off without him.

Ian knows it though. He knows he’s flawed and awful, but he and Alice are meant to be together.

They’re each other’s other half. There is no one else for Alice but Ian.

On normal Ian, Jack might break him with the nightmares. On yandere Ian, it only makes his obsession for Alice even more twisted.

Ian keeps up his outwardly shy, unassuming persona. He has an image he must maintain if he wants his happy life of stardom with Alice and their baby by his side.

Ian will accept that maybe Shaun donated the DNA, but that baby is his by right... and he’s going to take care of that issue.

Shaun, regrettably, gets caught in the crossfire. Again, Ian confronts him, but this time it’s several days later, after Ian has gotten his schedule from paying people for information. Ian knows Shaun works late at a certain studio, often alone to get extra work done. It’s the perfect time for them to have a chat.

The coffee is especially bitter that night, but Shaun chugs away at it anyway, trying to stay awake and get this one part of the editing done. It’s mid-sip that he hears a familiar voice, and he coughs.

“Careful, you might choke,” Ian says, and he seems genuinely concerned about that.

“What the hell do you want?” Shaun snaps once he finishes clearing his throat. His temper is short due to his lack of sleep coupled with too much caffeine. Now he has to deal with Ian’s shit on top of his deadlines? Fantastic. Looks like whatever Jack did wasn’t enough to make Ian take the hint.

Ian seems a lot calmer this time, more reasonable. He’s soft spoken as usual, but strangely more confident before, though still docile in appearance. He gives Shaun a heartfelt plea about how much he loves Alice, and how Alice loves him, but is just hurt and is hurting both of them in the process. He talks about moments that prove their love for each other, winding up with an impassioned statement about how they can only truly be happy together-

Which Shaun cuts off right at the climax of the speech. He’s in no mood for this nonsense, and listening to Ian talk about Alice like that is making his stomach churn. He’s going to need to buy a party sized bag of peanut butter cups after this.

Irritation flickers across Ian’s face at being interrupted after he went through all the effort to memorize what he wanted to say, but then he goes calm eerily quickly.

Ian had a feeling that this was how it was going to go. That’s why he spiked Shaun’s coffee - it was easy to bribe the intern to swap out the order for his own special blend before they left. The drug should be kicking in right about now.

Shaun gets hit with a spike of adrenaline, and getting worked up only makes the toxins in his systems activate faster. The world blurs and he staggers to remain upright, fear coursing through him.

“I have the antidote, you know,” Ian smiles, but it’s strained around the eyes, a tiny flaw in his act. “You have about 15 or 20 minutes left before it’s too late, and I don’t want Alice to be sad if she hears about your death on the news.”

Shaun tries to lunge at Ian, only to nearly fall over. He barely grabs onto the table to support his wobbly legs, knocking the laptop and other random items he was working with across the floor. Fear sinks in as he realizes that this is really happening, that Ian, crybaby Ian, constantly apologetic and pitiful Ian, has snapped. He tries to cling to the futile hope that this is just some sick joke to psyche him out, but the words no sooner leave his mouth before his stomach churns, and he winds up throwing up all over the floor.

Ian grimaces in disgust, stepping back. He fakes an apologetic look, saying that’s not going to help at this point. He did his research. Now, Shaun really better hurry up and tell him where to find Alice and his baby before it’s too late. Ian makes it clear with his deliberately chosen words that the baby is his, not Shaun’s, or Jack’s, or anyone else’s. His.

Shaun knows without a doubt that Ian has lost it now, but he’s not going down without a fight. He knows even if he gives Ian the information in exchange for the antidote, it would just be putting Alice in danger. His only chance is to take Ian down while he still can. He throws what’s left of the coffee at Ian, forcing the redhead to dodge or risk getting hit with the poisoned brew. It serves as a cover for Shaun to tackle Ian, intent on getting the antidote. Ian might be lying about it existing at all, but getting it is Shaun’s only hope if the poison works as fast as he says.

Unfortunately, Ian planned for this possibility too. A stun gun works wonders for a bigger attacker, and Shaun goes down hard.

Ian really didn’t want to do this, you know. Tears well up in his eyes, perhaps genuine ones. He didn’t want to take things this far, but Shaun forced him to do it. He’d never do this if he didn’t have to, but now... now...

Ian straightens up with a shuddering sigh, collecting himself. His acting coaches taught him how to shake off distractions and his personal feelings during a scene. He still has another act to perform.

Ian informs Shaun that this is Shaun’s last chance. He really doesn’t want to hurt anyone, really! He doesn’t want to make Alice sad, especially not over Shaun, but Shaun isn’t giving him a choice here. He asks for Shaun to please tell him where Alice is, then he’ll give Shaun the antidote. If not, well... Ian shrugs and gestures to the fallen laptop. He has the money to pay someone to hack into Shaun’s phone or computer.

Alive or dead, Ian will get the information from Shaun either way.

Does Shaun live or die? Feel free to headcanon that part for yourself at this point, but let’s move on. Ian knows where Alice lives after this encounter, and he’s not wasting anymore time.

Ian did rehearse what he was going to do when he finally saw Alice again face to face. He had done nothing but go over what he would say or do once he could finally reach out and touch her once again... but it’s a different thing seeing where she lives now. It’s a cozy little house in the suburbs, just like the one they talked about having someday. Sure it’s not exactly the same as the one he and Alice imagined back when they were together, but at this point he gaslights himself that every last detail is exactly what they planned out. It’s proof that Alice does still love him and has been waiting for him to come back home to her all this time.

Home. Their home.

Ian won’t leave her waiting a moment longer.

An unexpected late night visit isn’t out of the ordinary for Alice, not with a night owl friend like Shaun stopping by at odd hours. There are two ways it can go - either Alice happened to be closer to the door, and Jack was taking care of a chore, so she answered it... or Ian is surprised by the door opening to reveal nobody there.

It could go either way, really. Due to the late hour and Alice being pregnant, Jack would want to be the one to go to the door for her safety. However, if it’s not Shaun, a door opening with no one apparently there is a risk that can’t easily be explained away. Jack is limited in what he can do, after all. Shaun might be used to being invited in by a ghost(?) but a stranger is more unpredictable in how they’ll react.

Regardless of which way it goes, Jack is not going to be far away when Ian makes his grand entrance.

Since the scenario given is MC being directly threatened, let’s go with Alice answering the door while Jack is in the kitchen, preoccupied with making her food. Pregnancy cravings demand snacks at odd hours after all, even if they just had dinner a couple hours ago.

Ian is elated at the sight of Alice. Tears come to his eyes and he throws his arms around her, heedless of her shriek - obviously of joy - as he embraces her. He calls her name, gushing how he missed her so much. He loves her and is never going to let her go ever again.

Alice tries to push Ian back, but he’s not letting her. The hold is tight, too tight, and she yelps in pain. She demands he let go of her and cries out to Jack for help.

Or at least... Alice would have, if Ian didn’t silence her with an unwanted kiss just as she started to speak. He was just so happy to see her, and he needs to prove how much he loves her. She barely manages to pull back to breathe, and Ian gushes how everything is fine now, everything is fine. He’s here, he’s finally home. He forgives her for cheating on him, so now she can forgive him for his mistake, and they can be together, just like they always wanted. They can get married and have children. Oh, and don’t worry about Shaun or “Jack” or whoever knocked her up when she made her mistake, he’ll take full responsibility and love the baby as his own.

Fortunately, Ian isn’t going to get his way for long. An unseen force suddenly rips Alice out of his arms and holds her high in the air.

You best believe Jack dropped everything when he noticed something was wrong. He might not be able to touch Ian, but he can touch Alice. He’s much taller than Ian and is strong enough to hold her out of the intruder’s reach even at this late stage of her pregnancy.

Ian’s grasp on reality is tenuous at this point. Alice is... flying? Is this another nightmare? He chuckles, the sound cracking with this strange note to it as his sanity crumbles a little more, and he praises her on the trick. Did she set this up to surprise him? Aww, Alice, Ian already knew you were an angel, you don’t have to pretend to be able to fly now too.

Alice is terrified, clinging to Jack as best she can as her body shakes. She’s never seen Ian like this before. She barely even recognizes him as the man she once loved. She tells him to leave or she’ll call the police.

Ian chides Alice, saying she doesn’t have to pretend anymore. They’re even now. She paid him back for what he did, so now they can just forget everything and move on. Everything is fixed now, doesn’t she see? He said he can fix them, and he did. Now they can be together forever, just like they promised.

Ian tries to get closer, to grab Alice, assuring her that no one will get between them now. He can take care of it. He can take care of her. He won’t let anyone get between them ever again, not the police, not Shaun, not their mistakes. He took care of everything.

Jack doesn’t let Ian touch Alice, backing up every time Ian tries. The atmosphere is dangerous, chilling in fact despite the warmth of his sunshine protectively grasped in his arms.

The implication is not lost on Alice. She asks in a shaky, terrified voice what Ian did to Shaun.

Ian frowns, but quickly smiles again saying Alice can forget all about Shaun. Shaun’s gone now. Neither of them will make the same mistake again.

Fear grips Alice as she stares at this monster she can no longer recognize as her childhood friend grasping out for her with a gaze filled with desire that’s so sickeningly sweet.

Jack might not be able to speak directly to Ian, not in a way that the other man will consciously hear, but he can see that he went too easy on this threat that invaded their home.

The gloves are off now.

Figuratively of course. We all know how Jack likes to always keep the gloves on no matter what after all. ;)

(Yes I had to break up the tension for a moment to give a little roast about that. This situation is pretty dark even for me and I felt we could use a little levity. Anyway, back to the yandere vs yandere fight.)

Even though Alice is there in this moment, she’s scared and in danger. Jack uses his words, honeyed and like a devil whispering in her ear. He says that the police aren’t enough now. Ian isn’t going to listen to her, isn’t going to stop. He’s too dangerous. He did something to Shaun, probably killed Shaun. Jack won’t let Ian hurt her or the baby, but he can’t take care of Ian for good unless she lets him. Jack knows Alice doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt, and neither does he, but they need to think of their baby.

What will Ian do to their baby?

Alice turns away from Ian, shuddering, burying her face in the crook of Jack’s neck, as she nods, asking him in a tiny, terrified voice to make Ian go away.

Ian thinks Alice is speaking to him, until he hears a voice speak, not with his ears but like nails raking the words into his brain.

“As you wish, Alice.”

Alice doesn’t see what happens next. She blacks out. She wakes up the next day in their bed and everything is normal, sunny. Jack is cuddled up next to her like usual, and she buries her face into his chest, thinking it was all a nightmare.

It was all a nightmare, Alice keeps trying to convince herself, and Jack will let her believe it for as long as possible...

If Shaun survived the poisoning, Jack could possibly even cover up what happened to Ian with his help. Let Alice believe it was a nightmare. If he didn’t, well... Jack will do his best to comfort Alice and reassure her that getting rid of Ian was for the best. Ian was a murderer too dangerous to live. It’s not Alice’s fault or Jack’s for what happened. She should try her best to take it easy, if only for the baby’s sake.

Jack will do everything in his power to help his sunshine smile again. Alice deserves to feel nothing but joy at the birth of their child... and to never have to think about people like Ian ever again.

Jack slips back into his more unsavory habits to be more protective of Alice and their baby in the aftermath. Growth that came from his friendship with Shaun and the reassurance Alice gave him is backslid to some degree from this threat. If Shaun survived, it’s not as bad, but still...

Jack needs to convince himself that he’s still clean now, even after that night that Ian invaded their home and tried to take his sunshine away. He’s still clean... he has to be...

Personally, I prefer the option where Shaun survives, so I’m going with that. Maybe Ian left the antidote behind when he left, or maybe there was a miscalculation with the dosage and Shaun’s size. In any case, let’s not make Moon Pie an orphan on top of everything else, okay?

Besides, Jack would prefer it if Alice just thought that it was all nothing more than a bad dream...

That would be about where this specific scenario ends.

In the scenario of Ian trying to steal the baby away if MC(/Alice) died in childbirth... yeah, he’s not getting very far. Jack already snapped from the death of his sunshine. You think he’s going to let anyone touch their baby, let alone Ian?

Whatever happened to Ian that night in the earlier scenario, would pale in comparison to whatever Jack does to him if his sunshine was already gone.

Hoooo... that was sure a lot of dark headcanons, wasn’t it? I hope you liked this horrifying “what if” scenario. I’m probably going to go with a much happier headcanon post after this to counteract the bitterness with some sweetness.

Happy early Halloween, everybody! 🎃

[renlyslittlerose]

I was tagged by @ragnarlothcat @palfriendpatine66 and @thegrimshapeofyoursmile ❤

1.) How many works do you have on ao3?

108! I went over the 100 works mark during kinktober, but I was in such a fuge at that point that I didn't even realize. Woops! Anyways, that is over the course of twelve years, with some blank spots from 2019 to 2022.

2.) What's your ao3 word count?

1,308,673. That's.... that's a lot of words lol.

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Star Wars, but I used to write for Mass Effect and A Song of Ice and Fire. I also wrote Resident Evil and FFVII but we won't talk about that.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Downtown Eastside - By far my most popular fic of any fandom I've written for on AO3. Still can't believe how much traction this fic got, but endlessly pleased and grateful for it.

Cactus Flowers - An A Song of Ice and Fire Cowboy AU haha. I don't even remember writing this, but it still seems to engage readers now and again!

Three Aspects to Loras Tyrell - Another ASOIAF fic. It was just pure smut lol

Soldier's Heart - Another Mass Effect fanfic, exploring my Shepard's struggles upon his survival at the end of ME3. It was a series of therapy sessions between my Shepard and an OC I had created specifically for the story. Lots of themes explored like survivor's guilt and combat PTSD. Still really proud of this one.

Gold in the Air of Summer - And again, an ASOIAF fic from way back in the day. Modern AU, exploring Renly and Loras' relationship during university.

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

I do! Or, I try to! I think some get lost in the shuffle because I typically wait a few weeks before I respond. I like to collect a tidy sum and then go through and reply all afternoon 😊

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

Probably one of the FFVII fics we won't be discussing, but I wrote it in response to losing my Canadian grandparents. They passed away one after the other over the course of a few weeks, so I started writing fanfic as a way to cope with the loss and sort through my feelings. But the ending has a major character death so. Not the happiest.

But also, Sacred to the Gods, which was my first Star Wars fanfic I wrote. Has a canon ending with Obi-Wan debating if it'd have been better for him to have killed Anakin and then himself before any of the agony could have happened. Big yikes lol

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

A lot of them! Right now I'm thinking about the ending to my obikin fic Ain't No Mountain! Can't get much happier than an obikin proposal~

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

Back when I posted on FFnet I did, but that was back in 2007-2011 when the fandom culture had a lot less unspoken rules and niceties. Whenever people say they wish fandom could be like it was in the ~old days, I'm like 'were you guys not on any major website?' Because the hate could get pretty extreme then, too.

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

Yeah, a lot of it 😂 I write whatever sort of smut floats my boat, but I think I'm best known for writing emotional and plot-heavy smut? Like, I want the sex to say something, even if it's just a quick one-shot. Whether it's a character introspection, or looks into the dynamic between the two, or says something about the society they're in or the circumstances surrounding them.

I also like to get a little poetic even if it's just about Obi-Wan licking Anakin's asshole~

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

I guess my current fic Of Good Men and Monsters is kiiiiind of a crossover, in that it's set in a Buffy-type universe, with Watchers and Slayers, etc. But it's not a proper crossover as there are no Buffy characters present, nor references to the universe beyond borrowing a few concepts.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep! But again, back in FFnet days.

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few, yes! Some of my A Song of Ice and Fire fics were translated into Chinese 🥰

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I have not! But I soon will be... 👀

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

Spuffy, but that doesn't count because I haven't written for it. I am tempted to say obikin only because I am currently obsessed with it, but the other ships I've written for will always hold a special place in my heart.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Deine Toten Werden Leben. Another ASOIAF AU. But I don't doubt I'll never finish it - I know I never will. Sorry for those who liked it, but it is the one and only fic thus far I have abandoned.

16.) What are your writing strengths?

Evoking strong imagery, I think? Like, dragging the reader into the setting through descriptions of scents, sounds, textures, lighting, etc. I try and keep it to a minimum, though, as I don't want to bog the reader down.

I also think I'm pretty good at writing emotional scenes between characters

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes, for sure. Also, regarding what I am good at, I can also get bogged down in the details at times. Like we don't need multiple descriptions of how Obi-Wan's tummy doesn't feel good because he's anxious. One mention is good enough lol

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

My German grammar is not good enough lol

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

FFVII. I was a big Cloud/Zack fan back in 2006~

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

Persimmons and Sandalwood. An obikin fic that just came together without a lot of angst or editing afterwards. I'm still pleased with it and don't mind re-reading it. Close second and third is Moonlight Serenade and Soldier's Heart

I tag whoever hasn't been tagged yet! ❤❤❤

[a-very-tired-raven]

Okay, since ive been getting a lot of love for my ary lately, id like to give you guys some top ary blogs ive followed for years, that i feel they dont get enough love.

Keep in mind that these are not in order from best to least, just in numbered order to make things easy.

(Another thing! While i may have found the majority of these blogs from undertale content, i need you to understand that a lot of these either dont do undertale art as frequently as they used to, or not at all. So please dont go in expecting that these are all undertale blogs based on MY intrests. Thank you.)

1. @springbon-t-art /@thecoolerspringbon-t has WONDERFUL roundhouse like style, and her fanart and characters range from all over(cuphead and bendy and the ink machine are just two examples, she has so much more unrecognized works and animatics on youtube that i think deserves much more love)

2. @twitchydoodle i havent visted this wonderful blog in a while, but i have followed for a good time(lets just say for a few years lol) so i cant say for sure what art is posted there at this moment, HOWEVER, i CAN say that twitchy has a Breathtaking art style, and has some of the most interesting and fleshed out ocs!!! Definitely check em out!

3. @calcium-cat i know cals been gettin a little bit more attention over the last year or so, but i still think she deserves much more recognition for her art. She has wonderful and thought out fanfics, not to mention the funny and well drawn fanart she posts for them!

4. @glitchysquidd I dont pop in as often as i used to, but glitchy's blog is one ive looked up to for a while. Here you can find very well written fnaf fics and fanart, chill energ(not to mention hilarious shenanigans),and a very unique and distinct artstyle.(seriously broski ive used your art for reference so many time 😭🤚🏽-). I suggest you guys head down to the basement and enjoy the tour.

5. @meatygutsy oh gee where do i even start- this blog has some of the most unique and well thought out ocs i think ive seen in a very long time. The artstyle here and style of coloring and shading is like nothing else. All of the colors pop and go together just right, not to mention the well fleshed out backstorys of each character.

6.@glaucus22 while this blog certainly isnt as active as it used to be, this is yet another artist that ive used as reference for countless times. They have a very distinct artstyle, and put much thought into their characters and their lore. I highly recommend going through the art tags here and taking a peek, along with a reblog or two!!!

7. @ijustwannahavefunn another blog with VERY well thought out and styled ocs, and a to die for artstyle. I also recommend checkjng out their youtube channel, which has VERY smooth animations and animatics. Definitely a hidden gem.

8. @vrnicky is a very good friend of mine that is WAY WAY WAY too unrecognized. They dont get NEARLY enough love for the anount of love and hard work they out into their characters and art. Please show em some love for me!!!

9. @loupy-mongoose is a favorite pokemon ary blog of mine. While you might find mostly mewtwo and mew stuff, please know that this is because of this creators mewtwo comic. You may know what im takling about if you know about similar more popular blogs (@/xxtc-96xx @/mewtwoandme and more ) but what separates this blog from many others is their very very different story, and an artstyle that'll put you at ease. Not to mention unique and well thought out mew and mewtwo designs.

And lastly, for now at least ,10. @whiteartblood an art blog that i havent visted in a couple months. This creator has some of the best undertale art i swear. One of my favorite styles!! A very lovely and instantly recognizable artstyle(that again, i have used for reference...i dont even know how many times), and even better ocs.

Now i know there are so many more blogs that are deserving of recognition, but its late and i cant look up 50 usernames at the moment.

However, while you are not obligated to, I sincerely hope you go show these guys some love(and reblogs!!!!!!!) For me. These guys have been a very big influence on my art, artists ive looked up to for YEARS now, and luckly for me some of them even being friends of mine, which im so very thankful for.

Ill definitely be making another post like this, with more writing inclusion and even more deeply hidden gems that require some digging.

I apologize for any typos that are unfortunately guaranteed as thats kind've what im known for lmao <- has made a fool of herself countless times) and i cant help but feel nervous that these talented people will see them, but know ive done the best ive can.

Thank you, and have a great time everyone!