#this is where my classics major would have been helpful if I was actually done with it

[abucketofweird]

I don’t have the time to write it all out or to do the research but I would love to see some analysis of polin compared to the myth of Euros and Psyche that was referenced in episode 4 of season 3!

I just don’t know the myth well enough which means I would have to do a lot more research to fully grasp the nuance that I believe exists within this frame of reference!

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Thinking about writing a 14 year old girl who starts out bratty and grows and changes, but thinking about the best way to write her in a bratty manner without seeming like I'm bashing on teenage girls in general, any thoughts?

Oh, that's actually something I have quite a few thoughts about!

the shortest answer I can think of is to look at teenagers you know in real life and their behaviours - that's a good start to make that character authentic. A lot of people get age milestones wrong when writing kids (personally that's why I avoid writing kids) and especially with girls, it feels like a lot of authors can only write 'basically an over-sized toddler' and 'she only cares about boys and sex'. Now, teenagers are also tricky because they are all very different. I think learning about what actual 14yo do in their freetime, what interests them, what music they listen to, what jokes they make - or to maybe look at some of the things you did at that age - can be very helpful to avoid being too "how do you do, fellow kids!

Tbh, I always feel like the biggest issue with the way people write the 'bratty teenage girl' is that she's always there to be the 'reaction character'—because she's written by adults, and it reflects how adults feel dealing with teenagers, especially teenage girls. Usually, you have a main character, typically a middle-aged man, who is doing something, and the teenage girl character is standing on the sidelines, chewing gum and telling him he's boring or uncool or be like 'urgh, old people'. At the end of the story he wins her over and, in a heart-warming scene, she will say something like, '…actually, you're not that bad,' or '…okay, maybe you are pretty cool.' It mostly just feels like the adult author feeling insecure about their own age and whether they're still in touch with The Youth, and it's been done A Lot.

Then you often have teenagers as damsels to be saved—and the bratty factor often makes them more difficult to save. That's also a very common trope that often results in people hating on the character, even though, in my opinion, that's often unfair (and very often especially unfairly directed at female characters).

If you think of teenage girl characters who work really well, I think it's the ones that sincerely reflect the experience of being a teenage girl (or a teenager in general). Or whose experiences serve as a good allegory for those experiences. Think of your classic 'teenage detective' stories where the adults just. don't. listen. In those stories, 'bratty' is often a label assigned to the main characters BY adults who ignore them—we understand the context of why they are bratty. It makes perfect sense for them to be that way. Or think of your YA protagonists who stand a little outside society, who often try to do what is right but get very little recognition for it. Or think of all those shows featuring teenagers that have aged well and are still popular with adults—shows like Avatar or Kim Possible. They are usually stories that take the problems of teenagers and the world they face quite seriously - by placing them side by side with actually world-threatening events. While at the same time, the dismissive way adults treat teenagers is a giant threat to these worlds.

Now, obviously, these were shows specifically FOR kids—but I would argue that similar rules apply when writing a teenager in any other genre, especially if you want to avoid bashing them. Take their issues seriously. Explain why they are 'bratty.' Explore what it means to be 'bratty.'

For example, right now I'm rewatching Gotham (a show not for kids), and a major character is Selina Kyle, the young Catwoman, who is living on the streets as a homeless girl. She has a flippant, careless, often mocking demeanor and doesn't really let people in. A lot of people see her as a 'brat'—but because you see her in many situations, you understand what her life is like. You see how people treat her (she's frequently referred to as 'street trash'), and you understand perfectly why she acts that way.

When she does show that she cares about someone, when she lets people in, or when we find out, for example, that she takes care of other kids on the street or the stories she tells herself to feel better about her family, it’s not just to make some adult character feel better. In those moments, we actually learn something about her, build a meaningful connection with her, and see what makes HER tick. She is more than just the 'bratty teenager.'"

Obviously, it doesn't always have to be a giant tragic backstory. That really depends on the story you're telling. Personally, I would argue that even being a teenager (especially a girl!) in normal middle-class society comes with enough reasons to be a 'brat.' There you are, 13 years old, and old men are cat-calling you on the street. You're in your training bra while the beauty industry bombards you with insane beauty standards. Your parents are divorcing, and when you want to understand why, everyone talks to you in a baby voice. You get bullied in school, someone makes deepfakes of you and shares them on Snapchat, and when you try to explain that to the teacher, you can see their eyes glaze over because they don't have a clue what you're talking about.

One very common statement I hear about teenage girls is "they do it for the attention" - which, to a point, is true. Obviously, they want attention. Everyone wants attention to some degree. But notice how this is the same language often used to ignore and neglect the needs (especially medical needs) of adult women. Teenagers also often don't have the language to communicate the complex feelings and situations they are dealing with now. Being bratty or sulking or similar behaviours are they way of trying communicate their feelings. A good way to write a teenage girl like that is to explore her character and to be true to the motives and reasons why she is acting like this.

For example, I think a lot of teenagers are in a very alienated position in society. They're in a very difficult phase in their lives: They are growing into adult problems and adult feelings, adult routines. But those are still VERY big shoes for them to fill. It is overwhelming. This is also why they make convenient main-characters for these kinds of YA novels - because these are not yet integrated into society. They often have an outside perspective. They question the status quo. And this also appeals to teenage audiences because they are in the position where they start questioning the world around them, their family, school, gender, religion, politics.

Teenagers want to have an identity for themselves, make their own decisions, and explore who they are—but very often, the adults around them still treat them as kids, limiting them without even bothering to explain why. Much of the environment created for teenagers is out of touch with their interests—it's often condescending, lecturing, and not very empowering. Every time they have new hobbies - Pokemon Go, Fortnite, some new band, they are always mocked relentlessly by the same adults who don't even know how to entertain them. Some kids on youtube are eating tidepods and suddenly their entire generation is being blamed. The same messages are repeated over and over at teenagers and they're preached to in this way regardless of their own experiences or behaviour. If you are a teenager, no one cares about YOUR life, situations, or struggles—which, at this time, can be quite serious. You want to take charge of your own life, start captaining that ship—but very often, you stand by while some adult does it for you, telling you not to start smoking (it's dangerous!! Don't listen to your friends!!). (again, doesn't it make sense why teenagers see themselves in girls fighting dystopian governments?)

When kids become teenagers, their parents often stop being the most important go-to people in their lives—this is when their friends become their social bubble, and they share many things ONLY with them. So, the things adults often mock about teenagers (like 'But daaaaad, I reaaaally want to go out tonight!' or 'Muuuuum, I really need that One Direction tattoo!!') genuinely are that important to them. 'But everyone is going!!!' really is a valid reason in their eyes. And they often experience adults who not only don't understand but are extremely mocking toward them. Another reason why they might seem bratty to adults - when their behaviour might seem perfectly sensible to them.

Also, consider that when teenagers are portrayed as dumb or naive, that's usually the adult perspective on kids being less cynical and experienced than adults - and that's why they get angry when you say no to something or get bored and annoyed when you lecture them. They might genuinely believe that a new top or a trip to the clubs will help them win new friends, or that this boy might really like them if they do what he says. It seems real to them because they haven't lived through it yet. They have hope that these things will work, and they're a lot less worried about risks because they haven't seen things go wrong as often as adults have. (Just recently, I walked down a narrow street on a steep hill that I used to skate down at breakneck speed without any helmet or protection as a teen—where I could never have slowed down or avoided a car—and back then, it hadn't even occurred to me how dangerous it was. As an adult, I had a 'how am I still alive??' moment seeing that place.)

You know how we often say, 'Be nice to toddlers and babies, this really is their first time on a plane/in a car/in a supermarket'? The same applies to teenagers when it comes to things adults find childish. Wearing THAT outfit or going THERE really is that important to them. And do you know who they hang out with? Who some of their most important social contacts are? Other teenagers, who also think THAT is important. That romance book with its familiar tropes or those song lyrics we've heard a thousand times really are That Deep for them—because it’s new to them

They also don’t live within the same contexts as we do—they don’t have jobs, they go to school, and they don’t get money or immediate rewards for what they do. Is a teenager sulking during a trip or on holiday? Well, they worked just as hard at school this year as you did at work, but they don’t get a say in where the trip goes, most of the time. When they mow the lawn, they don’t really care what the garden looks like—because it doesn’t impact them. So of course they roll their eyes when you ask them to. They live in a world where they constantly do things without seeing any direct benefit, while the things they do find rewarding are often mocked or forbidden by adults

So yeah, one way to make a bratty teen sympathetic is to explore why she is bratty and to show her side of events.

Also: You can explore what makes her less bratty! Perhaps she's nostalgic for simpler times or she really loves animals or she moved and misses her old home or she is passionate about a hobby or music or drawing. These things might make her more approachable to people who also respect them and we see the personality beneath the brattiness.

And also you can explore what bratty means! There are many different flavours of "bratty teenagers". Some are already well-established tropes like the rich brat* or the goth kid. But the real challenge to making a bratty teenager likeable, imo, is to give them a distinctive personality and to make their bratty behaviour reflect real life motivations. In which way is she bratty? Does she disagree with everything you say? Perhaps there is a bigger thing she feels she's not listened to about. Is she reclusive? could be there are a lot of arguments happening around the house she wants to avoid. Does she have specific opinions and viewpoints she stands in at all times? Or is she contrarian on principle? Are there people she's particularly bratty towards? How does she act around her friends, teachers, strangers, neighbours, parents etc. I think the more you explore that the more she becomes a person and the more she becomes a person, the less it feels like you're bashing or mocking teenagers.

On the other hand, you could also write a character who really is a huge dick or even a villain. There's also many flavours of that - anything from the pissy older sibling to the mean girl bullying people in school to the Creepy Kid. (Think of characters like Joffrey from Game of Thrones, that's how far you can go with an evil brat villain even in adult story.) In these cases, I would also explore why they are who they are - even if the answers to this might be less sympathetic.

If you do that, you could also include other teenage characters with very different personalities to show that you are not making general statements about teenagers but that this is just one character you are describing. Or you could give her parents who act similarly. Or maybe it's a question of schooling - that's another popular trope for teenage villains, they might be a reflectin of a dysfunctional social environment like their school or the place they live.

*the thing about the rich brat trope: As someone who worked as a teacher at a boarding school for very wealthy kids, I often have issues with the very shallow depictions of this that basically boil down to "this kid gets everything they want so they suck". There are some very specific forms of neglect that are common among rich people and tbh, I think if you want to go in that direction, I would also look at what life this kid lives and WHAT they are lacking.

[cloveroctobers]

SILVERADO — Boone [September Prompts]🩶

A/N: this was actually supposed to be my first drop out of the small bits of twisters fics that I’ve written but I’ve been waiting on a certain song that I knew fit perfectly for my loud mouthed ADHD baby + storyline so blame her okay!?

WARNINGS: written in bullet form as a “quick” summarized read type of situation since I’m not entirely in the mood to write a fic, possibly language, giving Boone a backstory along with reader (not overly done for reader dont worry), & the anxieties of finding your place in the world!

PROMPT ADDED FROM HERE & I’m using: 8) a coat draped gently over a sleeping form.

˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు

It’s become a thing, pointing out Silverado’s or catching each other’s eyes across the field whenever the other spots it first.

This was also a shared look that was given after the EF5 hit down in Oklahoma (along with the vicious wind that shoved you to the theater wall that you thought you may have broken a rib. Boone rushed over to you, getting you back up to shaky feet and underneath the seats as he shielded a bruised you and you accepted that maybe this was how it was intended for you to die, right in Boone’s arms. When it was over you snorted to yourself, not believing that you were more dramatic than Boone in that moment!) and you both made it back outside to excess the damage before running to Kate out on the field. 

A silent message of being thankful for that truck because the both of you came a long way since North Carolina but that didn’t mean you weren’t the same people inside.

You and Boone went to high school together, weren’t really in the same circles but had a few classes together and actually ended up bonding over a Saturday detention (you initiated a walk out during one of your classes and Boone set off fireworks in a nearby trashcan in the hallway for fun but actually caused the schools nervous wreck of a teacher to go to the hospital over it. She didn’t die though!) —real breakfast club type shit—which you mentioned and Boone was in awe that you knew of that classic.

That’s where you learned he was a huge film nerd and not just some loud class clown.

He would film majority of his friends doing stupid stunts and parkour all over the city but as an artist yourself, you appreciated the perspective.

Boone even started slipping pieces of paper of handwritten recs of films for you, whether it was in class or in your locker and you for him with books.

You learn he’s dyslexic and got crapped on about it by some “friends” and even a few mean teachers growing up. Boone even debated about dropping out of school after some disciplinary action was in place after he got violent because of his learning disability junior year.

thankfully he had a caring guidance counselor and a social worker who looked out for him and taught him how to start using his own voice in better ways, even if he chest got tight, blood was boiling, and if he stuttered.

Even learned new techniques to help him out with reading and writing.

He didn’t like getting confrontational but he had to learn to stick up for himself and sure it didn’t have to turn violent and he vowed to never get to that head space again but it was still a page of what made Boone, Boone.

He lived in many foster homes since the age of seven and some were less than pleasant. His mother couldn’t care for him anymore and he never knew why, which left an ache he couldn’t describe but he still remembered what she smelled like.

His father passed before he was born but he’s got a pocket sized picture of him at a race track…he’s got his easy smile and jawline.

His mother named him, “boone,” because that’s where she gave birth to him in NC. It’s not a nickname, or last name, it’s his government.

You’re originally from PA but moved away from a bad home life to live with your grandparents sophomore year in Banner Elk, NC.

Boone was able to reconnect with his father’s sister (who funny enough lived in Miami and actually knew Javi’s family) claimed that if she would have known she had a nephew, she would have done everything in her power to raise him.

He let her in because he’s always wanted to know what it felt like to have family that was blood.

Once high school was done, the both of you enrolled into community college with Boone majoring in media studies and video production and you in screenwriting and illustration.

Boone expressed that he felt like the school wasn’t teaching him anything he already didn’t learn on his own and quickly grew tired of the routine of school.

He was the first to drop out with the plan of having his own production company, he already had a camera or two and a laptop that he worked hard for at a shitty minimum wage job since he was fifteen and he had the YouTube channel that has over nine hundred subs then that he accumulated, thanks to those old videos of his childish high school friends but he also had side gigs of editing a few other YouTubers videos that gained traction.

It seemed Boone always knew what he wanted to do and didn’t mind if it took time. He knew after awhile that he couldn’t grow if he stayed in NC and knew it was a big ask for you come with him, asking you while the both of you swayed on your grandmother’s porch swing after that thanksgiving feast.

“…And where exactly are you going?”

He sent you that easy smile with the small laughter lines on his cheek, hands clasped together over the brown fedora that looked an awful lot like your papa’s (grandfather’s), “wherever the world needs me, baby. And I need my best bud to be right there with me but no pressure.”

Which sounds like he didn’t have any idea, just like whenever he would sneak onto your GranGran’s and papa’s property trying to get you to hang out with him at midnight on a school night. “To do what, boone?” You whisper-yelled from your window half awake; you hated having your sleep disrupted.

“Does it matter?! Why wouldn’t you want to spend time with me? I’m good lookin’, talented, the bestest buddy you could have ever asked for—

“Yadda, yadda, yadda.”

“Dang, don’t got to be so sassy about it.” Boone pouted with his arms crossed.

Yeah he was a sensitive thing but you loved him anyway, it was that kind of charm and heart that made it impossible to not believe in him. Sure you weren’t friends long back then but it felt like you were going to know him for a lifetime and vowed to have that friendship even more after that.

You didn’t break right away, telling him you’ll think about it but you were spending the holidays together and going Black Friday shopping with your papa—which your Gran-Gran all called you fools for doing.

She still went on that tangent about that time she went Black Friday shopping with her sisters back in the late seventies when she was pregnant with your father!!! which resulted in your papa having to post bail for her 😬

After a talk with your grandparents, your gran wasn’t exactly thrilled about this whole idea of you exploring the world while your papa was usually always down for an adventure and he liked that Boone brought that out of you.

In short: You were the house black cat and Boone was the golden retriever.

It’s funny how it took some time for papa to get along with Boone and see that he wasn’t just some loud mouth nut job who was always “all over the place!”, but actually found him to be a good friend of yours.

And Boone wasn’t going anywhere so Papa had to learn to love him.

You made some friends during your first year in NC, sophomore year but you know how high school friendships sometimes turns out!

Boone was the only one who you ended up being tight with after the diplomas.

Ofc they started to come back around once The Tornado Wranglers made it big but you made it clear that you wanted them to get well soon from their clout chasing. You really weren’t on the team anyway, which if you brought this up to any of the members they would tell you it’s all hogwash.

You came up a few of the designs and knew some web designers after the both of you settled in Arkansas (and they also helped you with your own work) but you kept far away from the tornados as much as you could…however you experienced one or two up close (before Oklahoma) after Boone and Tyler dragged you along just to show you what a day in their life on the job was like.

Tyler was also something.

He came up out of the blue and seemed to know who Boone was, Tyler saw his much smaller channel and was a fan of Boone’s work and said he could use someone like him for a team he had in the works.

Boone told him, “I appreciate that man, really I do but I’m a package deal.”

And that’s when the two of them snuck up on you at the parking lot of a 7/11.

You’re scowling at not having any luck on the lotto tickets that’s placed on the console when they catch you off guard.

You’re the skeptic of the two, wondering what the guy with the wide grins that resembles folds of batter motive was.

“Nah, I don’t buy it. You could be a undercover creep of a serial killer for all we know.”

Tyler laughs while Boone is rolling his eyes up to the clouds, “you’ll have to excuse my friend here…first they’re sour, then they’re sweet.”

“I’m not offended by any means, you do have to be careful out here…especially if you’re all each other’s got.” It didn’t take Tyler long to analyze the situation: old joints in a liter bottle, duffle bags tossed in the backseats, ash on the dashboard, minute man and Wendy’s leftover bags that decorated the front floor thanks to you having the passenger side door open to the 2007 Silverado.

In summary, Tyler assumed that the both of you were either on a lengthy road trip thanks to the NC plates or you were living in this car.

He would be right.

You held on for the longest being Boone’s road partner but there were times where this journey became a lot and arguments were had. Even storming off to catch a ride with a trucker back to the nearest rest stop to hitch more rides back to NC.

It took time but Boone searched for you, after you left. Almost had a panic attack once he realized the outcome of this disagreement—you no longer being by his side.

Boone’s voice is shaking once he locates you, “What? you don’t believe in my dreams anymore or somethin’? You don’t think I can do this?”

“I never not once ever believed you couldn’t. I’m your biggest fan, no matter what you do but I’ve got dreams too and this isn’t what I pictured.”

“Well i can’t fully say ditto to that cupcake, you’ve always been part of mine.”

And that got you back into the Silverado, things tossed right back into the backseat and arms wrapped tightly across his shoulders. “I love you booney, I don’t know how many times I’ve got to tell you and I can never picture a world without you in it. Life is just so damn hard sometimes and I don’t know what to do.”

“Yeah, I get it but we’ll be fine.” He mumbles against your shoulder, “I’m sorry for raising my voice…I just need you to never leave me, alright? You have no idea what that does to my heart.”

You kiss his cheek and apologize too.

That all happened a couple of days before Tyler found you two and ofc you didn’t want to be looked at like a charity case (especially since your gran-gran always told you to come on back home) but Tyler proved that wasn’t his mission in creating the wranglers.

You were more leery towards Tyler whereas Boone was more open.

Tyler even opened up his home in the natural state but you chose to continue sleeping in the Silverado for the first night or so until your back and neck told you to let your guard down some.

He gave you two the tour of his spacious storage unit where he sometimes did his sit down streaming on where he kept track of storms all over America and talked about them. If he wasn’t out there getting in on the action, he was sharing his knowledge on how this storm was working and providing links to support family and businesses that needed help.

Tyler Owens journey was lengthy too, you two learn. He vaguely talked about it on his channel but he felt like he could be open with you two in private and saw the determination in both of your eyes.

Boone with all things film and you with illustrating. You picked up that interest more than ever after being trapped in the car and grabbing a sketch pad from the dollar store you two always made a routine of going to on Sundays nights.

It was long a time coming, seeing this kind of success. With boone being the head videographer and editor, finding more family members along the way, settling into Arkansas (which you never would have guessed for the two of you), finding your own path in this world writing for some tv series and selling illustrations as a small business online.

There were talks of a certain network that reached out to Tyler, wondering if he wanted to have his own show—which was different than running a YouTube channel—and everyone turned to you that night in your shared townhouse at dinner, which you were oblivious to as you chewed into your food happily before being elbowed by Lily who almost made you drop your fork.

“Ow?”

The woman with locs looks unapologetic, “So whaddaya think about that?”

“About?” You question, now reaching for your beverage.

Lily groans with a hand slapped to her face, Dani laughs with a shake of her head, and Boone is seated across from you, leaning on his own elbows to peek at the screen Dexter is on to see if he’s listening, since (you weren’t) he’s visiting family back in Detroit.

Javi speaks, “told y’all not to bring this up while they’re not all the way fed yet.”

“Shut up, Javi.” Kate says while he raises his hands in surrender.

You turn your eyes into slits as you wave the fork at each and everyone of them, “Wait…have you guys been talking about me behind my back? And what for?”

Tyler clears his throat, “well if you had your listening ears on—

“Hey,” Boone warns, “not too much, T.”

“My bad,” Tyler sends a knowing grin before continuing, “You would have heard that I have a proposal for you—

“Ew, this finger is kindly reserved and not for you.” You peek down at the tatted diamond on that exact finger.

Tyler frowns, “now wait a minute, what do you mean by ‘ew?’”

Javi and Dani snicker leaning into each other, trying to stifle their laughter at Tyler’s offense.

You keep your eyes on the cowboy while feeling familar eyes burning into the side of your face, “get on with it rodeo grinch, I’ve got an early morning.”

That makes the table go silent, which was odd. Everyone was used to having their own separate conversations but the focus was on you this evening.

“Right,” Tyler clears his throat glancing at Boone who dips his head and gives him the okay sign which makes you furrow your brows and ready to question what that was but he quickly carries on, “I have a feelin’ I’m going to be part of that early morning since the executives that you work for invited me…well Kate, Javi, and myself to meet with your writing team for a show that approached me and wrote to me about.”

You take in this information, “okay…that’s huge if you’re all open to it? You’re be able to reach even bigger audiences than you already have. Are they including everyone?”

Kate speaks now, “we told them we wouldn’t be involved if everyone isn’t. They just want to meet with us three first and then if we agree to whatever contract they have for us, then they’re bring in everyone else to do the same.”

Two seperate signing contract sessions…you hoped they had a lawyer they trusted.

You’re actually shocked that Kate was interested since she was sorta like you, not wanting to be the face of the wranglers and cared more about the work than the show. She’s introverted but seemed to get along with everyone once she got a better understanding of what this team was about.

“Wow! That’s great guys, I’m happy for you.” You smile at everyone, which lingered longer on Boone who winked at you.

“Which also means that it doesn’t work without you,” Tyler adds, “I told them if they’re going to have some sort of layout of how these episodes are going to go they have to give me the best when it comes to these things and that’s you.”

You pointed to yourself which everyone nodded to, “that’s sweet and all Ty but… none of you give scripted tv. It wouldn’t be authentic to any of your characters.”

“Hear, hear!” Lily raises her black plastic up, “thank you for knowing us so well! But we definitely need you just as much as they need us. You’ll have our backs on the inside, is what Tyler is taking too long to get at.”

Tyler sarcastically replies, “thank you, lily. Yeah…we already told them what we wanted and they said they would talk to you about it?”

“I guess that’s what Jason was blowing my phone up about all weekend but he knows not to bother me on the weekends and he did it anyway.” You mentioned, “I’m thankful that you all think so highly about me—

“Are you kidding?! Course we do! Each of us makes up the perfect puzzle to this little gang.” Dani announces while Dexter nods.

“What Dani said!” Dexter calls out.

“Don’t forget that other part though, Tyler. About you wanting them to also be your manager.” Javi tells, making you blink rapidly.

“Seriously, Dude!?” What was it with everyone speaking for Tyler tonight?

Javi shrugs, “Just had to rip the band aid off, man.”

“…you’re asking for a whole lot here…when did this even all come about?” You sit back in your chair, feeling your crossed foot shake a little.

Dani answers, “well there were talks about it before we touched down in Oklahoma but Ty’s been giving them the runaround. It wasn’t until he and Kate made it to New York to pitch the barrels that the producers actually popped up to Tyler’s house to talk more about the show in works.”

If looks can kill, if looks can kill!

“But Tyler’s been thinkin’ about making you his manager for the longest if that helps?” Kate also cuts in, her tone attempted to be comforting although she can tell you’re dissociating.

She’s been there.

“It doesn’t.” You’re monotone but Boone can see the pressure weighing in on you. He thought having you part of the wranglers in this way would be the best but he knew Tyler asking you to also be his manager would be more than a lot, considering you didn’t like him chasing after storms anyway but you would never get in between that.

It’s his passion and who were you to crap on it? You saw Boone in his element, watching the videos whenever he wasn’t around and when he was, witnessing just how much went into all of it and you were more than proud. So you always said a silent prayer, every time he ran off to Tyler’s red suv doing some wild flip that should have broken his neck and was always excited to clock in for the day with his other best bud.

“I told you we should have buttered them up with a root beer float or a possum pie.” Lily muttered to Dani and Javi, while you went quiet.

The rest of the dinner was a little awkward but you all pushed through it since there was the weighing question of what you ultimately chose to do. You were more behind the scenes if the wranglers ever asked for your help on anything, preferring it that way and sure it would still be the same but not really if you became Tyler’s manager.

It wasn’t about the money or not wanting to put in the work, it was about the big responsibility of having his career in his hands. You only liked having your small business and writing rights in your hands but this? Felt like holding the beloved Tyler Owens life in your hands and that was a weight you weren’t sure you wanted to sign up for.

Worrying about Boone was enough for anyone to handle!

Tyler never did anything in hopes of getting anything in return, this you knew while you got to know him and consider him a big brother over the years but you thought it over while you lay outside underneath Arkansas’ warm September air out in the inclosed patio.

Thought so hard about it that when Boone came out to check on you, he draped a jean jacket gently over your sleeping form.

He sighed beside you on the lounge chair, getting ready to smoke when you spoke with your eyes still closed, “that better not be a cig cricket.”

You were cupcake and he was cricket.

“Why no, it’s my number one girl MJ.” Boone informed, “and I wish you’d stop doing the whole pretending to be sleep, sleeping beauty.”

“Who said I was pretending? My eyes are closed.”

“Are you sleep talkin’ or prayin’ then?”

“…maybe.”

“Aye look baby doll, you don’t gotta do anything you don’t want to do. The tv part I thought you might be down for but I told Tyler that managing kind of pressure? might not be the best choice for you and not because I don’t think you won’t do a phenomenal job or nothin’…it’s just you overthink and you’ll constantly overthink that you’re gonna let him down.”

“You know me too well Boone Veluz.” You stretch raising your arms above your head, “but…there might be a good angel on my shoulder this time.”

Boone raises his brows while placing MJ behind his ear along with his hair, “don’t tell me I’m that angel?” He jokes while you scoff at him.

“I’m picturing more of a zendaya to be honest.”

“Hopefully not rue zendaya.” Boone mutters while you lightly kick his chair, which makes him chuckle a little.

You groan as you push yourself up into a sitting position, rubbing at your eyes before saying, “since we got to Arkansas…things have been looking up. It brought us to Tyler, you were able to further achieve your filming dreams, I was able to study and establish a career, we created a home together, found more family and happiness and I say that’s a huge blessing considering all that we’ve been through on this road.”

“Yeah you got that right, you’re a jelly roll hater.” Boone teases as he points an accusatory finger at you.

You glare, “if that’s true then you hate Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac.”

He exclaims, “Lies!”

“Anyway, I’ll have to see what tomorrow brings but I’m gonna sleep some more on it.” You start to get up, fixing Boone’s jacket to now drape over your shoulders, as a piece of chocolate slides out from one of the pockets.

“My advice if you do say yes twice: Just look at it all as a silver lining right?”

You hum as you toss the mini pack of chocolate into his lap before getting to your feet, “well…you’ve always been mine since the day we met.”

Boone felt like melting just then as you grab his hand, which he squeezes against yours as you kiss the back of his hand, “i love you, cupcake.”

“I know and that feelings mutual, Booney cricket.”

“You headin’ to bed?”

“Yes, I’m gonna need it for that abrupt meeting.”

“You’re gonna crush it, no doubt.”

You shake your intertwined hands up in the air before letting go, “God’s willing. Night.”

“Night.” He echoes and watches you go into the wood siding home, still being hopeful that one day he’ll plant one on you.

As always Boone just goes with the wind and where he’s needed, letting out a sigh as he checks the group chat where they’re looking for answers hoping that he finally did something about you.

“I’m not going to persuade them by kissing them, I told y’all that already. That’s not me. They got their own mind and know how to use it, so leave it be.” Boone quietly speaks into his phone before sending the message.

Lily: You must be a shitty kisser then.

Which is HAHA’d by Javi.

Dexter: not nice, Lilith.

Tyler: Patience little lambs 🙏🏼

Dani: uh…our patience ran out with you and Kate ijs🥤

Which receives two thumbs up from Dexter and Lily, an exclamation from Javi, and a thumbs down from Tyler.

Kate: gn 👋🏻!

Boone: goodnight lady! & guys…everything always works out the way it should 🤘🏽

Javi: hope that’s true my guy because my faith lays more with them than some monkeys in a suit.

Lily: whats storm par’s number again?

Dani: ohh!

Dexter: well…

Boone: damn ur on one tonight lil!

Javi: 🖕🏼

And then all chaos breaks loose in the group chat, which leaves Boone to rip into the candy with his teeth before he moves to head into the house and up to his room to get comfy as he watches this family dynamic carry on into the night.

Yet he can’t help but to let his own overthinking erupt in his brain—he’s always been a night owl—noticing that you didn’t leave his jacket on his bed this time and just hoped that you had nothing but good dreams and maybe even one about him!

Boone’s just counting on many more good years with you in it, is all 👉🏽🙂‍↕️👈🏽

౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు⊹₊ ˚౨ు

more September prompts can be found here.

[lostbrazilian]

Ok so, i've finished SotE a few days ago and i fucking LOVED IT and i need to talk about it, particularly about Miquella. Because the thing is, i really like what From has done with his character but also i've seen a lot of discourse about it and i need to get my 2 cents in before i explode

So uh, long ass essay and spoilers below

First things first:

Character assassination my ASS

Fromsoft actually did fucking character necromancy the way they added depth to otherwise one-note characters. Even if unexpected, what we learn in the dlc makes a disturbing amount of sense and ultimately elevates the game's lore in my "humble but objectively correct" opinion. That being said, while Miquella is undoubtedly a irredemable villain by the time we fight him, his character is also much more than just the "gay evil twink" ppl make him out to be

Elden Ring's demigods, while powerful and often monstrous, are also very clearly people: they have feelings, ambitions, ideals and tragic elements about them, which is why many of them are very likeable or at least compelling characters. And Miquella is a prime example of this, because the driving force behind his character, and ultimately the reason of his downfall, is his compassion

Miquella saw the flaws of the Golden Order from a young age, mainly how it oppressed others and was powerless to help his sister. And everything he has done since has been in an attempt to bring about a better, more compassionate world for all. And while the way he manipulates others and removes their free weill is a clearly nefarious aspect of his plans, that doesn't mean his kindness wasn't genuine, for two main reasons:

First, many of Miquella's followers go on to stand with him even after their charm has been broken, which makes clear that many are koyal to Miquella not just because of brainwashing, but also because they genuinely believe in his end goals. And while we'll never have confirmation of this, i don't think the denizens of the Haligtree, or Malenia for that matter, are all under Miquella's spell. At the very least the majority of them must've willingly chosen to remain loyal to him (plus, his charming powers must have a limit of some kind, otherwise he wouldn't need to become a god to rule the lands between)

Secondly, St Trina's very existence proves that Miquella's love and compassion is not only genuine, it's strong enough to manifest as a whole ass second being, which in turn makes her abandonment all the more tragic. It's possible that Miquella himself was always driven by ambition, and that he saw his other half as a "weakness" to be expunged; Or perhaps casting Trina away was a necessary evil, a selfless sacrifice in the name of a greater good. Regardless of the reason (i tend towards the latter), the end result is clear: It was grave mistake

For without love, there can be no Compassion. Miquella's Age of Compassion would be doomed to become an era of subjugation and endless war, where those who resist Miquella's charm would not be allowed to exist. It's an end result that Miquella himself would definitely NOT want, but it's the one he uwittingly locks himself into after he casts away his humanity. Hence why St Trina begs us to kill Miquella, as she understands his ascension would essentially result in a fate worse than death for him

So, TL;DR: I think Miquella genuinely wanted to create a better world, but in his quest to do so not only did he forcefully take away the free will of others, he also wound up becoming a heartless monster that, if unchecked, would bring about great suffering to the world and himself. It's classic "good intentions, bad outcome" tragic writing and ultimately it makes Miquella a very memorable and compelling character, even if he is ultimately a villain

[terrence-silver]

We know that TIG can sing, and so can some of his characters. If pressed to sing, which songs would TIG characters choose?

---

― Twig, growing up as a rich boy with, if we read between the lines, draconic parentage with possibly high standards and rather perfectionistic attitudes in education, the only things a young Terry would sing is some kind of classic tune instructed by an onslaught of private tutors hired by his parents for the explicit purpose of training their son's voice or the Zemirot sang around the table during Shabbat, Jewish kid that he was. That's it for you. The first vestige of actual freedom and individual expression, came, perhaps, ironically, in the military, in the early 1960's, surrounded by soldiers from all classes and walks of life, everyone with their own flavor of music, songs and tunes of the decade and my god, if the high of that didn't hit a young Terry quick and hard to the degree it re-wired his brain chemistry, I don't know what else to tell you. Self-control and liberty gained, Twig, would, given the chance, sing or hum anything just because and he was pretty damn good at it too. Suppose when it was just him, John Kreese and Ponytail in the bunk all by themselves, a young Twig might merrily sing something while they conducted their chores together; moments of calm before the storm.

― Terry Silver in the 80's gives a mocking and taunting edge to everything he does because he's tough, he's powerful and he's at the top of his game and he's fairly shameless and despicable when he wants to be which means, around this era in his life man could do anything from busting into an operetta with expert proficiency, because if he does something it will be done perfectly or sing into a mic like he was born to sing into a mic, but will do neither seriously because there's veiled cynicism and an ulterior motive behind it. He's always laughing behind the eyes and yes, you're the joke. Imagine him singing We are The World during the height of a famine in Africa (Ethiopia 1983-85) he might've contributed to by having a major factor in the continent's pollution through Dynatox and trying very hard to seem very heartfelt and genuinely empathetic as he does it for a non-profit organization meant to help the poor (Look! He's helping!) or in equal measure, being at a black tie event fundraiser and singing some tune for (reads smear on hand) ah, yes, children in need. Either ways, the audience esthetically clapped and Mr. Silver gleefully ate up the praise being the center of attention like the big, smug snake he is.

― Old man Terry, if prompted to sing, simply wouldn't. He's past the point of singing, regardless of the fact he's a fierce, deep voice that's more than educated for it. Sure, there must've been a garden party or two where some rumbunctious guest must've prompted Mr. Silver charm all those gathered with a song or a tune on the piano but Terry might've responded with an equally charmed smile and had the obnoxious guest singing for him instead (as a very concealed punishment and veiled hazing ritual hidden beneath layers and layers of relaxed politeness) --- yes, who's to tell Emile, for example, didn't end up entertaining the whole party because Terry turned the tables around on him? Or god knows what sort of various humiliations he put Stingray through purely because he could and because it's awfully easy to imagine him saying 'Sing, Raymond.' as he pours himself a glass of Cognac, eases himself into the nearest armchair and has the buffoon shakily sing, for quite literally, his life. Nothing's for free, right? But, see, that's the point: Terry's convinced he's the earned the right sit back and be the overlord. Not that he ever doubted it. He's Grandmaster. He's Sensei. He's Sir. He's Mr. Silver. He's the Dragon. The dragon doesn't sing. The dragon rules. If he sings and plays it's because he wants to, mostly for himself.

---

― Terry McCain undoubtedly sings something Irish, to nobody's colossal surprise because everyone who even vaguely knows the man knows for a fact that this is his go-to choice of music each and every time; some folk tune from the old country passed down through many generations, until the person it originated from is long since forgotten in his family and all that remains is a memory of a memory and Terry's rendition of it, that is, for all intents and purposes, spectacularly good and catchy, especially when he follows up his own song with a tune he plays on a piano --- a thing culturally near and dear to him, and it's surprising with what gusto, passion and emotional charge he does it with, the same way, Catholic boy, born and raised that he is, it is not entirely shocking to find him being very apt and capable of delivering a church melody that could bring a parish choir member to absolute shame and in times like these it is abundantly clear that The Detective is awesomely multi-talented, and that if it wasn't for his career in law enforcement, one in music would've suited him just as well, if not better.

― Cash cannot be persuaded to sing because he doesn't care about the pursuit, finds it a waste of his time and quite frankly, he'd be most likely to glare if it's ever suggested to him --- the most he's willing to do is absent mindedly and very quietly hum some real or imaginary tune while he's waiting in ambush, tapping his gloved finger on the steering wheel, car parked a couple of blocks down as he carefully scopes out a target and patiently lays in wait for his cue, sipping on a cup of black instant coffee --- and even that only if his wait proves to be very, very long. His life is one of excess tension and it's quite literally no song (pun intended) nor is there any time for it and when there is, there's little place for yearning left. In fact, the man undoubtedly doesn't remember when was the last time he genuinely had time or the desire to switch on the radio and deliberately sit down and just listen to music for its own sake. But, if this man ever stalked someone? He's never likely to forget the music he's heard them listening to when they thought they're all alone. Undoubtedly, they're the very tunes he later absentmindedly hums.

― Gus Travis likes his sea shanties because his dream was quite simply put to buy a boat one day and sail out there, live off of the great, wide blue, but it's an ambition that never really came into fruition in the fullest sense, bogged down by the career criminal in's and out's of his dalliances on the wrong side of the law. It is what it is. Nevertheless, he enjoys the notion of a life at sea and everything involved in it, including the associated tunes, songs and music, not that he sings with any positive notion behind it, a full heart and joy either, more like, if Gus ever sang, he'd sing it almost mockingly, yo ho ho, while dangling a live victim upside down over a shark tank, mocking both the poor, unfortunate soul he's about to feed to the fishes down below and mocking himself, in a way, perhaps without even realizing it or wanting to admit that that's precisely what he's doing, because this is what his life has come to and everything he's ever wanted has been slipping further and further away from his fingers with each passing year or has, for the lack of a better word, gone to shit.

― Jan Valek is a medieval Bohemian clergyman, so, utilizing some form of logic, if he ever sang, it could be some old lullaby in Czech that lingers on the very edge of memory, sang to him by who knows who and who knows when, perhaps a mother, a kindly family member, someone from where he used to live when he was human and very young at that, long before he took his vows, or he'd sing some religious hymn in Latin in a voice that could freeze over the full moon with it's haunting beauty; a remnant of a bygone time when he was mortal and dedicated to the service of God, all association with music intricately tied to a more vulnerable time when he wasn't accursed and condemned, now, his song resembling a howl in the dead of night, a phantom's call slashing through the darkness, something chilling and gorgeous that is hard to explain, but certainly not entirely human. The type of thing you hear and you no longer belong entirely to yourself, falling under a vampire's spell, rather, you go out there, looking for the source of whatever it is you heard, mesmerized.

― Jack Blaylock, or rather, Timothy Calloway is All-American; irregardless of the fact that he lives in Japan, made his life in Japan, is embedded in the culture (and its Underworld) of Japan, operates out of Japan undercover with the facade of an Expat like any other, and hey, for all we know, he was born there too, which might make his attachment to all things American profoundly fascinating, no less the fact that if he sang, he'd not only sing something American, but something profoundly anachronistic and belonging to a bygone and nearly idealistic era he never even experienced himself, the same way he either never experienced his actual homeland or experienced it so little and so long ago, one can consider him remotely estranged from it (never say this to his face). So, knowing all of this, it is easy to envision Jack softly singing something by The Harptones, Bobby Darin or The Platters as he cleans his sword, produces his blades, checks his firearms with an immaculate attention to details, puts on a crisp, clean button up shirt, preparing for his next hitjob.

[ryukang1995]

My latest collage of possibly the most prominent ships within my works based on Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Double Dragon.

Ryu x Cammy (American Street Fighter AU)

This pairing largely came from the what-if artwork that Akiman did of Ryu and Cammy's son, but beyond that? I do feel the two have quite a lot in common, especially personality-wise. Plus, Cammy actually admires Ryu in canon.

Guile x Chun-Li (American Street Fighter AU)

The idea of this pairing did technically start with Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie where Guile and Chun-Li teamed up to take down Bison and Shadaloo, but because Guile is more or less the main hero of the American SF AU, it just made sense to pair him with Chun-Li.

Even so, they do have great chemistry together in pretty much the entire franchise.

Liu Kang x Kitana (Main Mortal Kombat timeline)

The pairing that John Tobias intended as far back as the development stages of the first MK game where Kitana was planned to appear as a background character named Kitsune. It eventually was integrated into the canon starting with the 1995 MK movie, and to this day, fans wonder when will they have an offspring.

To me, this is like a mix between a classic fairy tale romance and the traditional tale of star-crossed lovers who may or may not be together in the end. Ultimately, I do want to see them settle together.

Johnny Cage x Sonya Blade (Main Mortal Kombat timeline)

This pairing was technically first hinted at in the MK comics by Malibu, but it first got major focus when it was featured in the 1995 MK movie. Since then, it was hinted at in the 3D games, and it eventually became integrated into canon with the NRS timeline where they ended up giving birth to Cassie Cage.

Despite my ups and downs with the relationship as well as how Johnny was often portrayed in later incarnations (mainly the NRS timeline and the Legends animated films), I do feel it can be done well when given to the right people. It's definitely an "opposites attract" dynamic, for sure.

Ryu x Chun-Li (Japanese Street Fighter AU)

Possibly the most popular SF ship, regardless of it not truly being canon. Many fans, myself included, have always wondered if Ryu and Chun-Li would ever hook up.

Even the SF2 manga from 1993 had it to where Chun-Li had romantic feelings for Ryu, so that might have been one of the seeds that planted the idea of them being a thing in our minds. Since then, Capcom have been teasing fans hard over whether or not they will get together.

Both characters greatly admire each other, and they definitely look cute together. I definitely wouldn't mind it being official either.

Liu Kang x Sonya Blade (Alternate Mortal Kombat timeline)

I would say this is my most prominent ship I have done fan work of, despite it not being the most popular out of these, especially when compared to Liutana and CageBlade.

The pairing was first hinted at in the MK novel by Jeff Rovin, but they never attempted to make it canon, or even drop hints of it in later incarnations. Regardless, I do feel it has great fan art and fanfic potential since the two actually have a lot more in common than you would think.

It genuinely helps that both characters respect and admire each other in canon too. I would also say both this pairing and Ryu x Chun-Li just make sense, considering it's the main heroes and the first ladies of both SF and MK.

Billy Lee x Marian Kelly (Console Double Dragon AU)

While Billy is indeed "player 1" of pretty much every DD game, several of the games also had it to where Billy and Jimmy had to fight for Marian (they were also a trio in the River City Girls games, but I digress).

However, it was the DD games for consoles such as NES that established Billy being Marian's true boyfriend, and so, that is ultimately why it's the case in the "Console" DD AU.

Jimmy Lee x Marian Kelly (Arcade Double Dragon AU)

The official artwork for Double Dragon II: The Revenge has it to where Marian is holding on to Jimmy as he and Billy battle the Shadow Warriors, which did sort of imply that Jimmy was Marian's boyfriend.

Since the arcade games never truly explored lore details, I decided to fill in the blanks as well as take some liberties by making Jimmy x Marian a thing. It also helps that Jimmy is the more mature and stoic Lee brother in this AU while Billy fills such a role in the "Console" AU.

There are some other pairings I left out, such as Ken x Cammy, Kung Lao x Li Mei, and Kitana with both Johnny Cage and Kuai Liang (again, as both Scorpion and Sub-Zero), but I would say these are the most prominent ones.

[bella-rose29]

Not Your Lover - Chapter 2

I'm not gonna lie there's not much plot in this other than building up more hate between them but oh well :)

Also apparently I have a thing of writing fake kisses now?

Word count: 3.7k

Warnings: swearing

Tag list: @a-candle-maker, @bubybubsters, @el-de-phi, @hauntedenthusiasttragedy, @iambored24601, @itsyoboo-jassy, @karensirkobabes, @kentucky-criedfricken, @little8sun, @mrsklockwood, @mvidaaaa, @nalie-98, @naushtheaspiringauthor, @notoakay, @pietromaximoffsbabe, @simbaaas-stuff

As always, let me know here if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list! <3

Y/n was fuming.

What made Dominik think that he could just waltz into her life like that, making her mother think that the two of them were together?!

She was slumped in a chair in the waiting area of the town hall, leg bouncing and arms crossed as she tried to contain her anger. Surely he was getting something else out of it, right? A man like him wouldn't say no to female attention, Y/n was sure of it. He was a classic fuckboy, all smiles and nice words until he ruined a girl's life for the fun of it. So why did he want to stop that? It was infuriating, not being able to figure out what he really wanted, and Y/n didn't like it one bit. Annoyingly, he was right. Her mother had hinted this morning that Y/n would be getting the grant now that she had a boyfriend, and his offer to work on the building with her was useful (and had been begrudgingly accepted), considering nobody else wanted to. It would be difficult getting the place in a good enough position, but she was sure it would be a piece of cake compared to pretending she actually liked Dominik Opus.

"Y/n? They're ready for you," Sofia said from reception, smiling widely. Offering a smile back (that probably looked more like a grimace), Y/n stood, clutching her papers to her chest.

"Thanks, Sofia."

Pushing open the door, Y/n braced herself for the onslaught.

~~~

Nikolai was quite happy at the moment.

His plan had worked, and while a good number of women were still hanging around, trying to figure out if he was actually taken or not, the majority of them had heard that he wasn't single anymore and had gone home. He'd finally had time to work with Gregor on the carriage that had come in a few days ago, and it was now ready to go back to the wealthy noble that had sent it in. Nikolai had hidden in the back when he came to collect it, the man surprisingly coming in person and not sending somebody to pick it up in his place.

"Well, it looks alright. How do I know you haven't done some Grisha magic on it?"

"I use my hard-earned talents on pretty much everything, sir. I only use my natural ones if I really have to. Besides, I had an assistant who is otkazat'sya and very good at what he does helping me on your carriage." Nikolai's chest swelled with pride at his employer's praise. As a child, he'd been told many times to not pursue his love of machinery, or making things, since it wasn't very princely. Perhaps that was why he'd dedicated so much time to inventions as king; he was the top voice, and technically nobody could tell him what was and wasn't very royal. Being here, in Taya, he could be completely himself (minus the name and some of the backstory), indulging his desire to make things and build, and it was amazing.

"Where is he? I'd like to take a look at him and decide whether he's trustworthy or not for myself."

Nikolai held his breath from his position behind the door, hoping Gregor would come up with an excuse as to why his coworker couldn't be there.

"He's in the back room, I'll just go get him for you."

Fuck. So much for that, then.

Nikolai sprung back just as Gregor opened the door, hoping it didn't look too much like he'd been listening in.

"Wants to meet you. Something about making sure you haven't fucked it up or anything." Gregor's tone left no room for argument. Nikolai nodded, swallowing. Since he'd found out that Nikolai apparently had a girlfriend, he hadn't been too happy, but Nikolai had been working all morning to make sure that Gregor knew that he wasn't going anywhere. He understood where Gregor was coming from, having told him only a couple of days ago that he wasn't interested in girls at all at this point in time, but surely the man could have some leniency?

Pushing through into the main room, Nikolai thanked the Saints and any other deities that he had no idea who this noble was, because he knew everyone that he had had an interaction with as Nikolai Lantsov, and this man in front of him was not one of them.

"Who are you then?"

"Dominik Opus, sir." It felt weird calling someone sir, given only a few months ago Nikolai had been king.

"Right. How long have you been in the business?"

"Pretty much my whole life, sir. Started about 20 years ago."

"How old were you? You barely look 20 years old anyway."

"I was always making things, but I first got into machinery at the age of around 8 years old." He left out the part about how he'd rearranged a priceless heirloom of a clock, resulting in his family grounding him in his room for a month.

"And you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well I'll take your word for it, Dmitri. If anything goes wrong, it's on your head, boy."

Nikolai bristled at the wrong name, and at the attitude this noble had, and was instantly glad that this man had never been in his court. He did wonder what kind of people Zoya was letting in, though.

"Of course, sir."

The rest of the meeting went without fault, Nikolai stood off to the side while Gregor secured the transaction, and he felt himself relaxing. That feeling left just as quickly as the noble when Gregor turned to him, unreadable expression on his face.

"I think we should talk." He moved in the direction of his office, and Nikolai felt unease creep up his spine. When the door was shut, Gregor sat in his chair on one side of the desk, motioning for Nikolai to sit opposite him.

"Is everything alright? I know what I said about how having a girlfriend was the last thing on my mind, but I really didn't expect-"

"Who are you? Really?"

Nikolai blinked.

"Sorry?"

"I think I know who you are, but I'm giving you a chance to come forward on your own, Dominik."

"Well who do you think I am?"

"I think you're the previous king of Ravka Nikolai Lantsov."

Nikolai blinked again.

"I take it I'm right?"

"Yes." There was no point denying it now, given Gregor had figured it out.

"Do I need to use a title?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Right." He paused for a moment, unreadable expression still on his face as he observed Nikolai. "Why are you here? And why the fake name?"

Nikolai shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I wanted to be somewhere where it wouldn't matter who I was, where I could hide. I didn't want to stay in the capital, or anywhere like that, but I'm still a valuable target for assassins wherever I go, hence the fake name. Taya? It's small enough that people wouldn't ever think to look for me here, but big enough for me to make a life for myself."

"Why would you ever want that? I mean, you've spent your life in a palace, and now you're in a shitty little port town with zero tourism."

"I like it here," he said, smile on his face. "And I didn't spend my whole life in a palace; I was in the army for years, and then on the sea for years after that. This life is what I want, where I feel most like myself. And machinery has always been a better friend to me than people, so it made sense, I guess."

Gregor sat back now, blowing out a breath. "I suppose that all makes sense. Where'd you come up with the name?"

"Dominik is- was, my best friend," he swallowed at the past tense of the sentence. "Opus is a sort of take on my father's last name, Opjer."

"So you are a bastard?" His eyes went wide immediately afterwards, going to rectify the question at once.

"Yes. Surprising that nobody noticed the lack of inbreeding in my features sooner, really. And if anybody had actually seen him, there would be no doubt that my mother had had an affair." Gregor seemed somewhat embarrassed at Nikolai's nonchalance towards his mother's infidelity, eyes still just as comically wide as they had been before. The man went to speak, but was interrupted by a shout from the main room of the mechanic.

"DOMINIK?" Nikolai winced, recognising the voice.

"I think you'd better answer," Gregor said, smirk on his face. "I'll keep quiet, too. You're too good at your job for me to lose you."

"Thank you, Gregor. That means a lot," Nikolai smiled, pulling open the door. "Hopefully I'm not sacrificed in the next five minutes and I can keep working here." Gregor laughed, the sound echoing in the room as Nikolai let the door swing shut, leaving him and Y/n alone in the main garage together.

"There you are!" she huffed, looking out of breath. "I just came from the council meeting and they've given me the grant, but only for a month, because apparently my project won't be worth any more than that, so I have to get three rooms done by then, and-"

"Woah! Woah, calm down! You lost me past 'council meeting' because you were talking too fast! Slowly, what happened? And why did you sound like you wanted to murder me just now?"

"One: they gave me the grant," she held up a finger with each point she made. "Two: I only have a month. Three: I have to get three rooms ready by that time or four: they're revoking the grant. Oh and five: mother wants you to come to dinner tonight and she made it clear we couldn't say no."

"Well the first bits are positive, right?"

"How can you do that? Smile about only having a month to do this? You've seen that place! One month for three rooms is ridiculous!"

Nikolai came closer, placing his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place and calm her down. "One month starting today, right?" She nodded. "Well then you go and make a start. Did they specify which rooms?"

"No, just said I needed three."

"Okay. You decide which of the three rooms to do, although if I can make a suggestion, I'd say go for the front three for easy access, and when I finish work later I'll come and help. Did your mother say what time for dinner?"

"8 bells. Which makes me think she's cooking enough food for the entire town because we normally eat earlier."

"Well I have a large appetite, so don't worry about that. I finish at five bells, so I'll come over to help afterwards, okay?"

"Okay. How are you so calm about this? It's one month!"

"I'm calm because you're not. If we were both running around like headless chickens, nothing would happen. I'm assuming that if you can get the three rooms done they'll extend the grant?"

"Yeah. They just need some way of generating income while we carry on."

"Right. Well, I think we can do it. If you need anything fixing urgently, just bring it here and I'll work on it in the shop, alright?" She was much calmer now, and Nikolai's hands were still on her shoulders, rubbing soothing circles into her skin with his thumbs.

"Thank you," she sighed, then pointed an accusatory finger at him. "I still don't like you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Now go on, get your house ready," he smiled, receiving a glare in return as she stalked out the room. Apparently the moment of softness was gone, and Y/n was back to hating him.

~~~

It was nearly eight bells, and Y/n was close to gauging her eyeballs out.

Her mother hadn't stopped talking about Dominik the entire afternoon, so Y/n had had to hide upstairs to prevent unnecessary injuries from happening.

She'd been surprised at how level-headed Dominik had been that morning, and had been considering rethinking her original perception of the man, but when he then never turned up after five bells, as he said he would, she berated herself for ever thinking that he would be different. He obviously had no desire to be near her, which was why he had never showed, but he'd seemed so sincere that morning it made her heart hurt a little at having fallen for the nice guy act again. He was probably annoyed that she'd invaded his personal space, but then if he didn't want that, why pretend to be her partner? She'd let out her frustration on the weeds in the front garden of the mansion, ripping them up from the ground as she muttered expletives under her breath.

Since getting home half an hour ago, her mother hadn't stopped talking, again, about how happy she was that Y/n had finally found somebody. Seeking an escape, Y/n had run a bath, hoping to have some peace and quiet while she washed off the dirt and sweat from her day. She had stayed in there until her fingers wrinkled, and reluctantly put on the dress her mother had laid out for her. She'd made it clear that Y/n would be wearing it or starving, and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Hearing a knock on the front door, Y/n jumped, then sprinted down the stairs to reach it before her mother. Flinging open the door, she came face to face with Dominik, looking annoyingly put together in contrast to her own wild hair (made that way by her rush downstairs). She glared at him, hoping he'd understand where he went wrong and would apologise profusely, but his smile never wavered as he leaned in for a hug. Immediately, Y/n flinched, going still as his arms wrapped around her.

"What. The fuck. Are you doing?" she hissed directly into his ear.

"Your mother is at the end of the hall and is watching everything, so maybe look a little less like a brick wall and more like you're actually happy to see me?" he whispered back, breath tickling her neck. Begrudgingly she brought her arms up around his torso, pushing herself up on her toes a little so her face wasn't uncomfortably jammed into his shoulder.

"Can I let go now?" she grumbled.

"Sure." He pulled back before her, but kept one arm wrapped around her shoulders to prevent her from running away.

"Oh, don't you two look wonderful!" her mother clapped from where she stood, painfully oblivious to how they kept pinching and poking the other in the side. "Well, come on through! Dinner's on the table already!" She disappeared through the doorway, leaving Y/n and Dominik on their own.

"I'm going to bruise from your torture," he whispered, yanking off his jacket. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"Where were you earlier? You said you'd come by after five bells and you never showed!"

"I never said that," he frowned, hanging the coat up on the wall. Y/n could only stare in disbelief at his blatant lie.

"Yes you did. You said that when you'd finished work, you'd come and help me. Or is your memory so shit you can't remember making a promise to your fucking girlfriend?"

"You are not my girlfriend," his expression hardened. "I am not your boyfriend, we are not anything. I can remember that just fine. I don't owe you anything, and you don't owe me anything. We're just using each other to get what we really want, alright?" He left then, following the footsteps of her mother, and when Y/n heard him cheerily greet her as though he hadn't just been an ass, she wanted to cry. Sure, she hadn't been the nicest to him, and sure, he'd given her no reason to think that he wasn't the fuckboy she'd decided he was, but he was the one that had come up with this ridiculous charade in the first place, so he could at least fucking try.

Hearing the laughter coming from the other room, she brushed away the few tears that had fallen, then went and splashed some cold water on her face. She refused to let any more tears fall for that man, and putting on a brave face and a fake smile, Y/n entered the lion's den.

~~~

"So how did you to meet?" Y/m/n asked, and Nikolai swallowed his mouthful to answer. Before he could, Y/n had done it for him.

"Just in town," she waved her hand in a way that was just as vague as her words.

"Oh, come on, darling, you can tell her the whole thing," Nikolai spoke up, smirking at her glare. She did that a lot, and he had to wonder if she was going to end up not being able to make any other facial expressions.

"I don't think mother wants to hear-"

"YES! Yes I do! Tell me everything!"

"Why don't you tell the story, sweetheart? Since you seemed so keen for my mum to know?"

Now it was his turn to glare, hiding it behind a sickly sweet smile.

"Of course. I should have known you wouldn't want to tell it, given how embarrassing it was for you." Her mouth opened in indignant shock, and she jabbed him in the side.

"It was not embarrassing for me, if anything you were the one who was embarrassed!"

"JUST TELL ME!" her mother shouted, glee written all over her face.

"Well. I had just come in to town, been settled in for a few days, started my job. It wasn't long before we met, actually," he gestured to Y/m/n. "Darling Y/n here needed something fixing, I couldn't tell you what it was, I was too busy looking at the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life," he glanced over at Y/n, forcing a loving expression into his eyes while she looked like she was trying not to gag. "I thought she was flawless."

"Thought? Do you not still?"

"Well she tripped and fell flat on her face after she saw me, obviously shocked by how handsome I am. Y/n is still gorgeous, of course, but nobody is perfect."

Y/n scoffed. "Yeah, sure, I tripped over because of how attractive I find you," she deadpanned. "You'd left a cable lying on the floor, and I fell over because of that, you shit. Besides, that doesn't even begin to compare to how you couldn't utter a single word in my presence, you were stuttering all over the place, flustered by my beauty." She smirked up at him, shoving a mouthful of food in. Nikolai was seething. He never allowed himself to be unable to speak; he prided himself on his public speaking abilities, and Y/n knew it.

"Sure. Think what you like, darling. That doesn't stop the fact you were totally checking me out while I fixed that thing for you."

"You mean the light? Sweetheart, I think you were the one checking me out given you can't even remember what it was I brought in for you."

"So how did you end up together then?" Y/m/n was leaning forward in her seat, plate of food long forgotten.

"She said no the first time I asked her on a date, but when I bribed her with the promise of paying for everything she accepted."

"As if I would go for that," she mumbled under her breath. Speaking up, she said "He did, as well. He's surprisingly well paid for a mechanic. We went to Marie's place, down by the sea."

"Oh, Saints, that's expensive!"

"What can I say? There's not much I won't do for my love," he looked down at Y/n again, sending yet another fake smile her way. Her mother sighed in happiness, resting her chin on her hands.

"Why don't you two have a kiss?" Nikolai froze, an he felt Y/n do the same from where his arm was over the back of her chair.

"Do we really need to, mum? Can't we just-"

"Why don't you two have a kiss?" Her tone was much harsher this time, although her smile was just as sweet as before, and suddenly Nikolai understood where Y/n got it from.

"Darling?"

"Sweetheart?"

"I think your mother wants us to kiss."

"Touch me and die," she whispered as he leaned in. Rolling his eyes slightly, he brought his spare hand up to the side of her face, covering their lips. He came close enough to feel her breath on his face, and when he whispered into her he felt the ghost of her lips against his own.

"Close your eyes, and try and make it look believable." He closed his own eyes, tilting his head slightly as her hand came up around his neck.

"What are you doing?"

"If you don't want to kiss, then you don't want to kiss. I value my life and I fully believe that you would kill me if given the chance." He pulled back, opening his eyes as he felt his face warm from how close they had been, but when he was immediately confronted by Y/n's glare, the warmth disappeared, and he was filled with cold-blooded hate. What had he done now? He'd done what she'd asked, hadn't he? If this was still about that afternoon, then she needed to get over it. He couldn't tell her the truth, obviously, since it involved admitting he occasionally became possessed by a demon and probably telling her who he really was, and while he definitely shouldn't have lied in the way he did, he hadn't been able to come up with a feasible excuse. He knew that she was close with Gregor, and since the man lived above the shop Nikolai knew he couldn't say that he was working late. Besides, he'd told Gregor that he was headed over to the mansion, and had fully intended on going over and helping when the demon forced its way out and made Nikolai change his plans.

"Wonderful, just wonderful!" Y/m/n exclaimed, and Nikolai couldn't help but disagree.

Chapter 3

[natequarter]

I was reading your posts about how badly most/all historical fiction and period dramas are when it comes to faithful portrayals and was wondering about your thoughts on Wolf Hall, whether you read it, watched it, or both. And also, are there examples that you feel do it well? Or are there examples where they get it wrong but you still enjoy them? (Can you tell I’ve been on a historical fiction kick lately?) I know that’s a lot of questions, so please don’t feel obligated to answer them.

oh boy, this is... complicated. i'll start off with wolf hall, because that will probably be easier: necessary disclaimer that i have not watched or read all of wolf hall, but i have read a significant chunk of the first book.

firstly, i actually enjoyed reading wolf hall a lot. there are a couple of bits that grated me when i read it (iirc it suggests that henry viii was to become archbishop of canterbury before the death of his brother, which is emphatically not true; nitpicky, i know, but it's one of the misleading "fun facts" you often hear about henry viii), but for the most part i found it rather refreshing. i have to praise hilary mantel's writing style, of course; it's beautiful prose, and a relieving change from first person present tense narratives, which are bad. (disclaimer: this is a personal opinion. i happen to think that 99% of all first person narratives are utter shit.) in terms of plot events, i think my favourite parts of wolf hall are cromwell with his wife and children, and him grieving his wife and children; the quiet reminders of their absence are heartbreaking.

now, onto the things i didn't like. i didn't love the tv show; nothing wrong with it, necessarily, it just didn't click with me - and it probably didn't help that when i watched it the screen light to room light balance was very off. and as for mantel herself... quite a few people have pointed out that her treatment of the women (notably anne boleyn and jane parker, her sister-in-law) in her series comes off as misogynistic, and i personally find the treatment of thomas more grating. essentially, she buys into a lot of the old narratives of jane parker being 'scheming' and betraying anne boleyn and her brother george; and her depiction of anne can similarly come off as that of a scheming woman and nothing more. there is an argument to be made that we're seeing this through cromwell's eyes, so naturally he's going to be biased against certain people - but mantel is the writer and she chose what she wrote. she seeks to balance out the classic depictions of cromwell as scheming and more as a literal saint, but it tips over into just making more look like a villain - things such as him choosing to educate his wife are warped into more being... evil? somehow? there's a double standard with cromwell vs the other characters: when cromwell is pious, it's devotion; when more is pious, it's fanaticism, and the same with cromwell vs the women in the books. finally, hilary mantel was transphobic. i'm not here to argue about that one.

granted, i don't think these things make wolf hall unforgivably bad, by any stretch of the imagination. i think it's a complex, flawed book and the same applies to the show. i think this youtube review summarises it well overall - and of course these things are always nuanced and complicated and so on and so forth.

there are shows which do historical fiction absolutely horribly, like the spanish princess. i have no interest in defending that, because, as far as i'm concerned, it's a mess not worth attacking; that's been done to death. i would also consider the vast majority of books by philippa gregory and alison weir to be a major waste of time. weir is also a non-fiction writer, and her non-fiction is exactly as bad, so for the love of good, please don't pick those up either. both authors like to draft in rape, magic (dear god, don't talk to me about the fucking magic), not-like-other-girls female characters, incest (???) and a bucket load of misogyny in lieu of actual plot. neither of them are good writers, either.

onto works which do an alright or complicated job. i think wolf hall belongs here - it does some things very well, some things... not so well. i'd also put becoming elizabeth here - as you've said, this is one where they get things wrong but i can still enjoy it. the show covers the reign of edward vi (1547-1553) and the teenage years of elizabeth i (about 13-19, so literally her teenage years). the good parts? it's a fantastic depiction of edward vi and mary - both are brilliantly cast and the acting from them is amazing. it incorporates black characters into authentic period roles, the clothing is really well done, and it shows most of the important parts of edward's reign. the bad parts? well, elizabeth is played by a woman in her late twenties. this lets the whole thing down, frankly. it's supposed to be a show about elizabeth, and yet edward or mary could easily replace her as protagonists - i don't think the actor playing her is great, personally. and then there's the fact that this show portrays the grooming of elizabeth by thomas seymour. the show actually makes their relationship out to be genuine and the two sleep together, a deviation from history and a particularly troubling one given that the real elizabeth was uncomfortable with seymour's advances and actively tried to avoid him. it also spends six of its eight episodes on seymour when seymour was beheaded a third of the way through edward's reign. thus, it has its upsides and its major downsides - oh, and the characters say fuck a lot, which is mildly annoying. but i can enjoy it, as long as elizabeth's not talking and they're not focusing too much on seymour... a bit of a letdown from a show supposedly about her.

there's also the tudors, which is a bit of a mixed bag - it makes some inexplicable changes from history, but it often uses quotations from tudor sources in its dialogue. the casting can be a bit... wonky, but it does have its moments, and offers a somewhat more balanced version of more vs cromwell. i don't particularly like it because it often modernises the characters a bit - and i don't want that! making characters act like modern people seriously misses the point: this is historical fiction, not a modern thriller or whatever. the girlbossification of historical women who were often seriously held back by the men around them and wielded influence in rather different ways to what we think of as strong women is exhausting.

and there is historical fiction which i really enjoy. dissolution (and its sequels) is a murder mystery series by c. j. sansom, narrated by the fictional matthew shardlake, a disabled king's commissioner working for cromwell. he ends up investigating the murder of another commissioner at a monastery in scarnsea. it deals with the issues of religion, gender, and disability in very interesting ways; matthew is not infallible and clearly holds some very tudor views of the world. it's a richly-written world and it really does feel like you're in 1530s england, and i really recommend it. i also like becket (1964) and the lion in winter, neither of which are particularly striving for accuracy - but they're good dramas and brilliantly acted, and, you know, maybe henry ii was secretly in love with thomas becket. (both are heartwrenching films and i will never be over: 'You give the lions of England back to me like a little boy who doesn't want to play anymore. I would have gone to war with all England's might behind me, and even against England's interests, to defend you, Thomas. I would have given away my life laughingly for you. Only I loved you and you didn't love me. That's the difference.') my feelings on bill (2015) are more or less the same - it's an intentionally ahistorical film, and it works because it's well-written and not trying to accurately represent the past. the '70s series like the six wives of henry viii and the shadow of the tower are really enjoyable, too - because they actually cared about making decent series about the tudors relying on the actual events which transpired during the era!

i'll leave the question of costuming out in the open; i think this youtube video has some good points on whether period-accurate costuming is essential. i like it, personally, but i'm not going to be furious at a missed french hood; the only thing that will truly make me furious is a french hood with no veil. either bother, or don't bother! don't... don't do neither, jesus christ! as for historical accuracy in general - i think that's a question which will never have one true answer. personally, i do value a rough adherence to the historical timeline, at least for fairly well-know facts like, i don't know, henry viii having two sisters? why does the tudors merge them into one person? what? anyway. i think these posts offer some valuable insight into how vague and murky a concept historical accuracy really is and how it can be wielded as a weapon against people rather than in the interests of a good story (read at your own peril - they are quite long). there is also the problem of hindsight - as readers, we know that edward vi will die at only fifteen. the average person at the time did not! well, not until 1553. the point is, books where the narrator has seemingly prophetic powers or knowledge of future events are unrealistic. what i think is most important is writing stories that more or less accord to the timeline of history in the general details and capturing the attitudes of people who lived in the past decently. this is what really brings historical fiction to life, in my opinion. these also offer up good opportunities for parody and satire - a film which intentionally gets history wrong Because Incest is frustrating, but a film which intentionally gets history wrong to parody it, like blackadder, can be incredibly entertaining. inaccuracy is not always bad. that said, if you don't make henry viii ginger, i will hate you forever. soz. as for language - it's ridiculous to expect dialogue to be written 100% in middle english or what-have-you, but the occasional 'god's bones!' instead of 'oh my god' would be nice, and an avoidance of just putting a load of fucks in there...

and finally, for the elephant in the room... misogyny. there are certainly other -isms which permeate historical fiction as they do everything else, but this is the big one. so many depictions of women in historical fiction uncritically buy into the narratives of misogynistic medieval commentators which we have inherited from centuries of men recycling them. like calling women sluts, or witches, or writing them as genuinely sleeping with a male relative - taking the slander against them literally. like boxing women into a few stereotypes - docile and submissive; scheming bitch; old hag; and whore. like sexing up rapists and groomers. like forgiving historical men for things we condemn historical women for.

i hope this helped! i have many thoughts, none of which are easily summarised. i don't know if there's a right answer to this. but i do know one thing: the white princess is bad. thank you for the ask!

[typingwithmyhandstied]

a love letter to the Realm Breaker trilogy

I am losing my mind over the Realm Breaker trilogy again, and I can't wait for Fate Breaker next week. To my knowledge, only one of my mutuals has read it (@crowgenius <333), but I will probably not be shutting up about it. Here is my little love letter to Realm Breaker because it may not be my absolute favorite, but it does mean a lot to me. (I did not mean for this to get this long sorry)

I first read Realm Breaker around the time it first came out in paperback. It was one of the last (if not the last) fantasy books that I found in the bookstore by chance and picked up. I had never heard of it before. It wasn't one I'd seen recommended somewhere or something. I did vaguely know who Victoria Aveyard was (I owned Red Queen but had never read it). It was facing out on the bookshelf, and I could see the cover. I think that's what caught my eye first, and then I noticed how the back listed characters (i.e. "a squire forced to choose between home and honor, an immortal. . .). It reminded me of Six of Crows which I had loved, so I bought it.

I looked it up on Goodreads that night (which I had just recently joined). I remember cursing when I saw that it was an incomplete series. I didn't do those. I had never done those except a select few (the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita which I'd been obsessed with and KOTLC). I am surprised I even read it after that to be honest. I did not want to be left on a cliffhanger, but I did. I read it. I wasn't even thrown off by the length, only excited.

It was more intense and LOTR-esque than anything I'd ever read. It was also probably the first book that I couldn't just memorize the worldbuilding for (I had learned the Grishaverse backwards and forwards as well as everything that came before it). It was the first book that I mostly had to go with the flow and be immersed in it and learn as I went along. There was no info dump at the beginning. I loved it. It is also to this day one of the most descriptive books I have ever read but not suffocating. I also really loved how Corayne was handled as if not the classic chosen one character then something adjacent (I love her with my whole heart).

I feel slightly ashamed saying it, but I was a lot like every other person I knew in the sense that I really liked romance. I remember specifically not reading things because they didn't have a romantic focus. I am not saying that Realm Breaker did not have hints of romantic potential and building (my favorite), but it is in no way portrayed to be a main, driving factor of the story. It is there, but it is not the reason to read it as much as even some less romantic heavy books (Six of Crows, etc). (To give credit where credit is due, ADSOM was also something I read before that and doesn't have romance as the main reason to read it, etc, but I do not think that I realized how it was done before.) I was new to that. It challenged me to return to the mindset of romance not being the most important factor that I had had before with other books like Percy Jackson, etc. It was good for me. It helped push me on my journey to understanding that romance was not the most important thing in books to me, and that really that was just the characters and their dynamics in general. I had just been presented with many books where the majority of the notable characters and relationships were displayed in a romantic sense. (A quick caveat---I still absolutely adore a good romance with my whole heart. I love my romance novels. I also do enjoy many fantasies where romance IS the driving factor.)

Upon finishing Realm Breaker, I instantly wanted more. It was a masterpiece in my mind even if it never had that feeling I got with many other books that meant it would be one that stuck with me forever. (Realm Breaker had been 4/5 stars for me the first time. Upon rereading, I realized that it was even better than I remembered and actually was a favorite and a 5 star read. Was I just too stupid to appreciate it fully the first time? Jury is still out on that one.) It was only a few months until Blade Breaker came out. I was resolute. I could wait, and I would be able to wait until the third book came out as well.

"I cannot wait" had to have been among the first thoughts I thought upon finishing Blade Breaker. I had looked forward to books in the past (the aforementioned prior incomplete series), but those books had been ones I'd patiently waited to have the mail carrier bring them. I could not wait that long for Blade Breaker. I had to have it. So on a hot summer day, Blade Breaker became the first book that I went to the bookstore on the release day to purchase. I went with my mother. I ran into my friend in the parking lot. Life was good, at least until I finished.

I had brought Blade Breaker with me on my family's annual camping trip. I usually spend the whole time sitting in a hammock and reading. I had already finished Geekerella by Ashley Poston on the trip. (I needed light reading for the car.) I read Blade Breaker sitting in a hammock looking out onto the lake. When I looked up, I could see tall pine trees and a bright blue sky. I could have been in some of the forests the Companions traveled through. I read for as long as there was light. I read in the tent with a flashlight. I read as bugs bit me. I finished it days before the trip was done.

I remember that I finished it just as it got dark one night. My parents were making a fire. I walked over, and I sat down on the big rock in the dimming light. I was flabbergasted. I was awestruck. I was heartbroken. I was so close to tears. I remember telling my mother that all of my favorite characters might be dead, and I remember it hitting me that I'd probably have to wait over a year to see if they were alive. Little did I know that it would be even longer than that. So long that I managed to completely block out the ending for my own emotional survival probably.

I waited and waited. I understood why I had to wait of course. I in no way expected instant gratification. I knew it probably wasn't even written. I knew writing and publishing took pressure time, so I persisted. Then, in December of 2023, I decided that I would have to reread. I needed to remember the worldbuilding to be able to appreciate the intricacy and nuance of Fate Breaker, but also because I happened to read a horrible book (which I will not name) that did everything Realm Breaker had done so well so badly. I needed to remind myself that good books existed.

I accidentally opened Blade Breaker to the last page first. It is then that I realized I'd completely blocked out the last few pages and what happened on them. I knew that I thought many of my favorites could be dead, but I did not remember that. I did not remember the specifics. I did not remember the last paragraph. I was crushed, but I kept rereading. I listened to the audiobooks while I did everything when February hit to finish on time. I looked at the map. I got my bearings back in this fantasy world I loved so dearly, and the best part was that I loved it even more the second time.

Then, yesterday exactly a week before Fate Breaker releases, I read the ending of Blade Breaker a second time. This time, I was not just close to tears, but they did fall. This time I was terrified not just for the characters in that moment but for all they were yet to encounter. All of the possible foreshadowing of their imminent deaths. I am still terrified today, but I am mostly excited because I know that Victoria Aveyard will at least write it well no matter how cruel.

Next week, I will be buying Fate Breaker on Tuesday, February 27th 2024 when it comes out in a bookstore just like I did for Blade Breaker. I will most likely scream and cry and be my overdramatic self. One thing is new though. I will be spending every moment up until then scheming up what I think the plot will be to that book. I have developed new habits (thank you secret shanghai fandom).

I am excited. I am terrified. I am ready to have my heart broken. Thank you, @vaveyard, for writing such a beautiful book series. It has been something I never knew I needed until I had it. Please don't kill my favorite characters. Please. If Andry Trelland dies, it will be my villain origin story. 

[trashboatprince]

SO!

The Star Beast!

Let's talk about it!

(Major spoilers under the cut)

-First off, I fucking love Fourteen, absolutely a delight, I wanna hug them (Okay, technically I HAVE hugged them when I got to hug David at the con this year, but still!). Also, 'male-presenting Time Lord', bah! Still gonna use they/them when I refer to them because please just let me have this, I don't care, the Doctor canonically doesn't give two shits about gender and even refers to going by the article Doctor over a pronoun in this special anyway.

-Second, DONNA! OH DONNA! I love her, I love her so much, just- oh, she hasn't changed a damn bit! Including missing the fucking alien spacecraft because that was exactly what I expected from her. <3

-Also, most supportive mom, love that.

-Rose~! Oh, oh Rose, how I love you! No notes, she's amazing! It did hurt to hear her dead name being used, but considering that it was done by a bunch of dickheaded kids, it makes sense. But we will never use that name for her here, nope, she's just Rose. <3

-Shaun is a delight, Donna got herself the most excellent of malewives ever

-Sylvia, ah, exactly as I expected, though she is trying to be better for her daughter and granddaughter, so points to her.

-Meep! So much to say on the meep but I'll keep it brief: transphobic little shit.

-UNIT is always fun to see, but how well known are they nowadays because the BBC report actually referred to them. I dunno, I've still working my way through the Third Doctor's era where UNIT was a major plot point and I haven't... finished watching Thirteen's era yet (only because I want to watch it with my gf the next time we see each other).

-Fourteen interacting with the Noble family was great, especially with them trying to see the Meep and Sylvia panicking and wow, this face cannot escape being slapped I wonder if Donna will get to do one herself.

-The action stuff is so much fun, exactly what I expect from this series.

-Being on the Meep's ship, the fact that Donna went to help the Doctor and just... oh, oh, them freaking out and crying because they were scared she'd die when she remembered. I started sobbing.

-Hell, I was crying when they held her in their arms and said he didn't care if the grunts shot them... uuuuhhhhhggggg... Fourteen cares about her so much! That's his best friend!

-Rose! Rose and Donna, Time Ladies! Lord, Lady, and neither! Don't care what anyone says, I loved this. I didn't voice it, but I had a very strong feeling that Rose would inherit the DoctorDonna.

-Was a little confused about them 'letting go' but... yeah, alright, okay. Still, I wonder if there is still a bit of Time Lord left in them.

-Is there any chance that they can sell Rose's plushies. I really want the Ood one.

-THE TARDIS!

-Oooooh, she's beautiful and big and very classic and yet so very nuwho at the same time, a perfect blend, and just so gorgeous! And Fourteen freaking out in excitement, running around like a child, being so happy about a coffee maker in the TARDIS! <3<3<3

-And Donna's reaction! She was so happy too!

-But then the 'killed me' scene... oh, oh honey, you've been holding onto that for centuries, those memories and the guilt. It's honestly heartbreaking to know that the Doctor, through all their new faces, still held onto those feelings about what happened to Donna.

-I'm excited, don't know what the fuck is gonna happen in the next episode since we didn't get a preview and I think it's the least known of the episodes so far.

-I saved this for last, but I wanna talk about the sonic screwdriver cause I know some people are gonna be all 'oh, it's too OP!'

First off, the sonic has always been, it always will be, it's a fucking sci-fi tool, sci-fi series always have some sort of tool that does everything.

Second, whatever the hell it did to make the shields was awesome, that's such a cool trick and I love it. I bet it's done using sound and light waves, which makes for a very interesting concept and something I'd love to explore in one of my sci-fi aus. Not sure how it made that cool schematics things, but whatever.

Also, leave me alone! I love the new sonic! I need to get my hands on one, but they're always sold out or too expensive!

(Okay, not really last, just a bonus, but damn, no offense to Ten, but Fourteen is a bit more attractive to me. I dunno, I mean, I was crushing hard on the DT at 15, but at 31, it's like, oh. Oh no. He's aged so well, he's so pretty. This is probably Crowley's fault.)

[nkatr84]

Scrooge: Old Vs New

There’s a few posts I wanted to make. The new Guardians Of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Disenchanted. Slumberland. Wednesday. That one Moon Knight fan fic sitting in my drafts. But I’ve got to talk about this.

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol on Netflix came out this year in 2022. While Critics haven’t been too kind to it (I’ll get to my theory why in a second) y’all on Tik Tok and Tumblr have been losing your minds. You’re falling in love with the music (particularly Later Never Comes). But mostly…many of you have this reaction.

The surprising hottie in question being this rendition of Ebenezer Scrooge.

And I get it. As is tradition in animated takes of Dickens immortal classic, the animators clearly took inspiration from their voice actor Mr. Luke Evans. And Mr. Evans is a very handsome man. So I’m right there with you guys simping over an old man with a sexy voice.

But! I would be remiss if I failed to educate my fellow fangirls, fanboys and all between that this movie…is technically a remake.

Directed in 1970 by Ronald Neame, Scrooge was nominated for Four Academy Awards and won a Golden Globe. Quite an achievement in a time when movie musicals were fading in popularity. And it’s composer Leslie Bricusse (who also helped bring Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to life) was an executive producer and helped write the screenplay for this new version. And since he passed away last year, the animated film is dedicated to him.

Of the original eleven songs, five were carried over to the new movie. Happiness. I Like Life (with updated lyrics). Beautiful Day, Thank you Very Much and I Will Begin Again. Yet while the original movie received generally positive reviews from critics, the new movie only holds a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s the difference? I mean the animation is very nice. Sometimes downright gorgeous. Obviously the music works. I’ve heard people praising both the new songs as well as the older ones. And they actually add depth to the original story.

Well if I had to guess, the new version is very much catering to kids versus families. The Ghost of Christmas Present has cute little Minion like critters. They cut the line of Scrooge saying, “If They (the poor) would rather die then they better do it. And decrease the surplus population!” I guess because it’s too mean? Speaking of, they give Scrooge a dog named Prudence. I guess to show the kids that he’s not all bad. He has a cute doggy! He’s kinda indifferent to the dog but hey! Don’t look at the scary imagery of Scrooge watching his own ghost rise from his grave! Look at the puppy! Look at the puppy! I mean Mr. Magoo kept the mean lines in as did the Muppet’s. Plus they trusted kids with the scary stuff.

Yeah as cute as those reindeer antlers on her looked at the end, Prudence was definitely a studio note and serves no purpose. She could be cut and you wouldn’t miss anything. Plus I’m not a fan of the opening number. Too peppy and modern. I wished they had done an update of the song that opens the 1970 movie, “A Christmas Carol “

Plus I love this song from Cratchit. It’s so Christmas… I wish this one made the cut.

But I do like the new version. Later Never Comes goes way harder than “You” and Luke Evans really balances out Scrooge being an old curmudgeon and a man who knows and regrets his choices. Plus the whole thing is animated like a dream. I love Luke Evans singing “I will Begin Again.” It’s a song of hope, passion and joy. And when Albert Finney’s Scrooge sings it …well… he tried…I can’t post it here but trust me. Luke Evans is a major upgrade. They make up for it with the finale in the 1970’s version where they almost reprise every song in the movie. Plus my parents always like how they made Albert Finney up to really look like a miser than doesn’t cut his hair or even clean his nails or his house. And technically Albert Finney was a sex symbol back in the day. Where he played both the old and young versions of Scrooge. So having a sexy Scrooge is technically precedent…

So give the original movie a watch if you like this one. It can be it’s own kind of goofy at times, but it’s definitely worth a yearly viewing. As is the new version on Netflix.

[moved-2-coyotejone-s]

junji ito frankenstein review came out to be a page and a half long, it’s under the cut, go fuck yourself (spoilers for both the original and the adaptation, both are really good, read them.)

If you've ever read the original Frankenstein and wanted more, you know how much of a nightmare it is to find adaptations that are faithful to the source material. The vast majority of movies turn Victor - a college dropout who's never burned out and can't handle the slightest failure - into a brilliant scientist with an assumed doctorate, a remote castle, an assistant or two, and most importantly, good parenting skills. The man's like 24 when he meets Walton at the beginning of the book. I've seen a single movie that even halfway faithfully adapted the book, and Victor had two assistants. I've never been able to find that movie again.

First, I'll start with the grievances I have with so many adaptations of Frankenstein. Naturally, every time I see that someone has adapted my favorite piece of classic literature, I get a little nervous. I think, "Oh god, what have they done this time? How have they screwed it up now? How have they attempted to make Victor likable?" Spoilers, you can't make Victor likable or else he's no longer Victor Frankenstein. That's the whole point of his character, and partially why most adaptations are almost as infuriating as Victor himself. I despise Victor if you couldn't tell. I could go on a 10 page long rant about how much I hate him, but I'll try not to for the sake of this review, which at the time of finishing is over a page and a half long.

Another reason most adaptations are infuriating is because they make the monster stupid. I kind of get where they're coming from, I mean he's basically an 8 foot tall baby in terms of how long he's been alive. But it's simply inaccurate. He has an adult brain. In the book, he taught himself how to read and speak, and he does so with eloquence. He demonstrated knowledge of the scientific method. He's cunning and kinda charismatic. He was handsome too, barring the fact that he was stitched together from grave-robbed corpses and certainly looked like it. I'll admit, Shelley's characterization of the monster feels more realistic than "He's a big baby! He's a newborn!"

Now I must preface, the monster is not handsome in this adaptation. He's pretty decayed and wrinkly, which would be accurate to reality. I think if he was made of fresher parts, though, he'd be like a 7 or 8, so no points docked there. Not that I'm doing a points system anyway.

And now onto an actual review. WOW. Just WOW. Junji Ito, as he does with all of his work, so clearly put his heart and soul into this. There are small details from the source material included that so many adaptations have cast aside as unimportant and unnecessary.

Now of course, there's plenty of differences, which is unsurprising I think considering that's just how it is with adaptations of any kind, but especially visual adaptations. Let's get into those. Spoilers abound, you have been warned.

1: I appreciate that Ito wrote Victor and Elizabeth to see each other as adoptive cousins rather than adoptive siblings. Of course in this day and age, it's still gross, but it certainly lessens the discomfort significantly.

2: In the original book, Clerval doesn't do much. He's Victor's best friend (for some reason, Clerval honey you can do better), but he's woefully ignorant of his friend's horrifying creation. In this adaptation, however, Clerval actually finds out what's going on as Victor is creating a lover for his monster. And Clerval offers to help. To be honest, I ADORE this little change. Clerval really felt like the type to do something like this, to support his garbage friend unconditionally, and it also makes him a more important character (which he deserves).

3: The monster's bride is actually finished. She's successfully brought to life, but almost immediately lashes out and is killed by the original monster. She hated him just like everyone else. I like this. It rekindles his hatred for humanity, and it honestly makes him more of a sympathetic character. I think it's a suitable replacement for Victor overthinking and forgetting he can just not give her a uterus and destroying her. It also confirms his fears that they won't get along after all. It gives him more to fear; he failed to satisfy his creation's wishes, and now he'll continue to suffer. Honestly, good. I hate him. RIP to his innocent family members, but that's what you get when you can't take responsibility for your actions!

All of these differences were made for various reasons, but they all feel natural. They fit well in the story - you could rewrite the original book with these changes and it would still feel right.

My only real grievance is that Junji Ito didn't include the monster reading Paradise Lost. I certainly understand why it wasn't included, it wasn't touched upon very much in the original and on the surface it didn't really change anything. But it was somewhat important thematically, as the monster sympathized with Satan and thus found some comfort.

Overall? WORTH IT. This goes on my minuscule list of good Frankenstein adaptations.

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy WBW!! Could you tell me a bit more about the level of technology in your saga? From everything I've read it sounds like a super interesting mix. Any fun details or sciency facts you're particularly proud of for thinking of?

Hi kat!!! thanks for dropping by with this ask, i didn't mean to leave it in the inbox for two weeks but i'm glad i did so i have something super fun to start off with in this catch-up!!!

SO

in the Ehlverse, there's a few different levels of technology going on at once (which is 100% most prevalent in Millennium Saga because they actually interact with multiple different tech levels for plot reasons throughout the books) - and the reasons for these differing levels basically comes down to how prevalent certain magics are in the culture/area we're talking about, because certain Elements, all Sorcery, and most Alchemy manifest in ways that break the physical laws of universe, which breaks things like computers that rely on, say, electricity always flowing in a certain way through the crystals in the motherboard.

(and this got Very Long, as my wbw answers tend to, so it's behind the cut if you want more detail!! thank you again!!! i'll try to remember to hit you up with a double-wbw ask the next time i'm here for it :D)

For instance, let's take Ehlven societies (e.g. the kind we spend the majority of TMS neck-deep in) - every Ehlf is an innate font of Elementalism, and only 2 of the 9 total Elements are guaranteed not to mess with circuitboards, 3 more can be safe if they're used carefully, and the rest are catastrophic and unavoidable in their influence. A metal mage walking too close to a fantasy!iPad would wipe the memory completely with their inherent magnetism, a fire mage touching a keyboard overheats the whole machine, etc. etc.

HOWEVER, this does not apply quite the same to less delicate instruments, like steam engines. In fact, even without the help of Dwarven magic metals, Ehlven societies can get away with running steam trains and other motors without using any fuel, so long as there's either a water mage present to convert liquid to gas or a fire mage to facilitate combustion!

(That's probably one of my favorite science-y things I've done with this system!!)

On the flip side, we have the Lellan crater and the Goblins that call it home. Goblins are a people completely devoid of magic - some would say they're even magic-repellant to a certain extent. And they've been the only people without magic for a very long time.

Long enough for them to be at about the level of your classic hard cyberpunk setting, to compensate for their broader disadvantage in this magical world. And while that doesn't net them any respect when it comes to global politics (which are super magic-centric to the point of even pushing out formerly-magical peoples like the Fair Folk), it certainly makes it easier for them to make advances in science that end up benefiting the whole world. If it weren't for them, the Ehlves probably wouldn't know about, like, evolution, or germ theory, or electricity.

And I talk about it here like they're super separate societies with no overlap, but that's not quite true!! It's just the simple way to talk about it - there's lots of "Little Wasi" districts in Ehlven cities with local power generation and more robust machines and electronics, and there's a not insignificant amount of non-magically-volatile Ehlves in Wasi, Gyr, and the smaller satellite cities of the Lell. And many of the trains that cross the Maelands are of Dwarven make, with self-perpetuating clockwork at their cores.

The only truly isolated people technology-wise are the Fair Folk, whose society functions more like those of wasps, bees, and ants than humans or humanoids. They're nomadic and tend to nest solely in the Godwoods, where they hollow out one tree at a time into a hive, and don't have a huge interest in technology of any kind (or humanoid society at large, honestly). But there's still a few here and there who have stepped away from that society to mingle with humanoid friends!!

[lucid-stories]

The World from the Stories

A Twisted Wonderland Fanfiction

⚠WARNING⚠

- Female reader

- Reader here will also be Yuu

- Reader will be able to conjure magic unlike the game

- This is a new creator's work so please bear with me or atleast I am trying to shift from being used to a chat fanfiction creator to the more classic type

- Actually on second thought, I want to name the person Aisha Eleni Lenore "Y/N" L/N so y/n is considered a nickname

-Reader gets transported into Twisted Wonderland

-Not proofread yet

_________________________________________

I watched in horror as my heroes fell. One of the greatest losses in the past decade was broadcasted for the world to see.

===============================

"The crown princess, her royal highness <insert mother's name> and the prince consort, his royal highness < insert father's name> has fulfilled their duties until the end, both as royals and as nobles. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten but this raises the question what is will be the future of our country? For the past thousand years there has not been an unnatural death in the family, could this mean-"

===============================

Irritated, I shut the broadcast down and threw the remote. "I get that they're worried because of the prophesy but can't they just grief for a moment for their fallen royals and just think about everything else after the mourning period" Unable to control her emotions with anger, sadness, betrayal, grief and fear, A hurricane accompanied by heavy snow and thunderstorms begins to brew.

*hik* "-What will I do now" She manages to choke out "Grandma, they're already gone"

"..."

"Is this really the price we have to pay after everything we've done for the sake of the majority? I don't want to be alone"

"..."

"Mom and dad are dead, my older twin brother is missing and I am only 10 years old SO PLEASE WAKE UP... I need you now more than ever... "

"..."

"... Something feels wrong, it's too... silent"

'smoke... Where is it coming from?'

I walked towards wherever it was coming from. I can't help but feel something eerie as if something is watching me. I turned to where I felt the gaze but there was nothing.

Everything felt off ever since I left my grandmother's chambers. I haven't seen a single maid or servant. Even the animals are quiet, a little too quiet for my liking. Not to mention the persitent gaze I feel behind my back every now and then.

Just when I turned back once again to check where the gaze was coming from, everything blacked out.

==================================

'I can't move but I don't think my limbs are binded together'

'How crude, it seems like they trapped me in a box'

I tried to banged on what seems to be a wooden cover from the inside hoping to attract someone however the lid opened before I got the chance to do so.

'I think that was a coffin... Is this the afterlife?'

"Please step forward and state thy name" The talking mirror said.

"Aisha Eleni Lenore L/N"

"As expected of the first female member of our prestigious school!"

The crowd's chatter is too loud to ignore but what caught your attention was what everyone was wearing and the talking mirror.

'Was this something like a sorting hat scene from Harry Potter? And did that mirror say first girl???'

"Child, your soul is compatible with all of the dorms, however, it seems that your blood has more connections to one dorm than the rest. As such, Diasomnia will be the best dorm for you as for now."

"We're done with orientation and dorm assignments? All right, new students—let me be clear. At Heartslabyul House, I am the law. Break the rules, and it's off with your head!" 'As much as I would like everyone to follow the rules, I think the off with your head thing is a bit too much. Probably a red flag, literally and figuratively'

*Yawn* "Well, that ceremony was as boring as ever. I'm going back to the dorm. If you're in Savanaclaw House, follow me."

"New students! Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your achievement.

As dorm leader of Octavinelle House, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience." 'He gives off salesman vibes, do not approach unless absolutely necessary'

"Hey, does anyone know where the headmage went? He disappeared midway through the ceremony..."

"Some headmage he is." A voice was projected from a floating tablet

"Maybe he had a tummyache?"

"I certainly did not, I was just making whatever caused the alarm to go off was a false one. After all, I am so kind to prioritize the safety of my students."

*ahem* "I hereby declare that orientation has concluded. Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms.

...Hm? Come to think of it, I don't see Housewarden Draconia of House Diasomnia anywhere."

"And that surprises you? Dude's a total recluse." A man with lion ears stated mockingly

"Wait a sec... Did anyone even invite him?"

A guy who looks like someone who stepped out from the screen suggested, "If you're that worried about him missing out, maybe you should have told him yourself."

'I agree if you want to make sure something is done then you have to do it yourself'

"Maybe, but I don't know him too well either..."

Student A:  Draconia... Like, Malleus Draconia? THAT Draconia?

Student B:  So it's true? He really does go to school here?

Student C:  Yikes.

"Ah. Just as I'd expected." A child looking person with red eyes sighed. "I figured I'd come down and see for myself whether Malleus had made an appearance.

But once again, he was evidently not informed that his presence was required at an official ceremony."

'This Malleus person must have either too small or too big of a presence if people keep on forgetting him' (why too big, because people assume they have already ben invited)

" You have my sincerest apologies. I assure you, this oversight was in no way intended as a snub."

"I mean, you must admit, he's not exactly the easiest person to strike up a conversation with."

"No matter. All who were assigned to House Diasomnia, follow me." The vice-housewarden motioned for the first years to follow him.

"I just hope he doesn't sulk about this." He sighed.

_________________________________________

Timeskip to after they were sorted into their dorm rooms

_________________________________________

"... " >w< I tried to process everything, from the fact my parents died, somehow I got to this place, got sorted into a dorm and finally the fact that it was a school filled with males. Not to mention that this place is nothing like any place I bave ever read in the history and the modern aged books with exceptions to works of fiction. It was too much for my brain to take so I went to a corner and bawled my eyes out.

Feeling my eyes sting and no water came out after who knows how long, I picked myself up and around the room. After all, grandma always said that you will only lose when you give up.

'I will learn everything I can from this place so it won't be a waste' "..."

'but for a place I will be living in for the next (few) year/s, it's a little bare but nothing a few magic spells can't fix.'

-After doing the bare minimum, cleaning spells, creation spells for the bare necessities like the bed, food, clothes-

"I will finish decorating my place tomorrow... I promise"

_________________________________________

"You called, lilia-sama?-" A loud man with green coloured hair that seemed to resemble a lightning bolt said enthusiastically.

"Father, here's the information you asked." A person who looks like a prince inserted before the person before him could continue.

"Good, both of you are here" The man appeared behind them upside down. It seems like the senior does this quite as the 2 young ones were barely even fazed.

"Why is he bringing all the information we gathered for this year's first years?" The loud one asked. "We already checked everyone a couple of times before the entrance ceremony"

"No, not everyone" Silver rebutted. "There was no female student in the list"

"As I thought, I was making sure that particular student just slipped off my mind however, it's impossible as a female wouldn't be common on campus" Lilia added to Silver's. "There is no information in the entirety of Twisted Wonderland on this student. Sebek, I trust that you'll find out everything you can on campus"

_________________________________________

TO BE CONTINUED

[tornrose24]

Tagged by @hey-hey-j  for the tag game. It’ll be interesting to see how I answer these.

Rules: if you get tagged in this, answer the questions that are written and make sure to swap out one question at the end of it for the next person to answer.

1. Are you named after anyone?  I’m sort of named after my aunt, who was named after a character of a TV show (that my grandfather liked) based of a book, and THAT character might of been named after someone. I admit it’s kind of amusing that it’s such a chain of ‘named after this person.’

2. Do you ever go window shopping on sites like Etsy, and if so, what kinds of things do you look at?   Not really.

3. What’s your choice of listening material when doing stuff? When I’m writing I prefer listing to music without lyrics (if it matches the tone of whatever I’m writing it helps) and it varies. Most often it’s video game music, Miyazaki, classical, etc. If I’m just doing art I’ll throw on YouTube videos.

4. Do you like a song for its sound or for its lyrics? Often both. I’m picky about what songs I like, but I like it when both work well together. (Though I hate it when the lyrics DON’T match the tone of the music, or aren’t sung in the right tone). Also, there’s some songs where I prefer the cover version over the original (I don’t care for Billie Eilish’s singing, and there’s a Motown version of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it off’ by PostModern Jukebox that is vastly superior to the original version.)

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Usually whatever they wear or else their physical appearance. It depends.

6. What’s your eye color? Green. (Though maybe they might be hazel since there’s a light brown ring around the pupils).

7. Scary movies or happy endings? I prefer happy endings. Some scary movies are actually quite enjoyable, but only if they are done right (Jordan Peele’s Nope is such an example). Otherwise I hate it when scary films get too violent, have a downer ending, or involve topics of abuse. Or have constant jumpscares, which is why I never really got into most horror games.

8. Any special talents? Singing. I’ve done choir, Opera, musical theater, etc. I’ve done some acting as well. Drawing and writing are pretty obvious ones for those who know my works. Painting is a major one too.

9. What trait in others draws you to them? Honesty is a huge one. I like it when people are open about themselves and what they like, as well as what they don’t like. Or if they tell you something you need to hear.

10. What are your hobbies? Writing and drawing. Painting is a big one too. I used to play video games but I don’t as much (partly because I feel like a new system is going to be coming soon anyway). I suppose singing could count.

11. Do you have any pets? I used to have cats. Fantasia was my last cat and I had her from middle school to some time after I was done with college/university. She always sat on the table whenever I got help with math and she’d watch me and my dad.

12. What sports do you play/Have played? Tennis is probably my favorite. Soccer is fun too. I used to do running when I was really little. However I was more of a theater kid.

13. How tall are you? 5 feet, 2 and a half inches.

14. Favorite subject in school? Literature/Language Arts. I was one of the few kids that would read whatever I was assigned more than once. When I was in middle school we had to read ‘The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe’ and ‘Roll of thunder hear my cry’ and I read the other books in those series. I also took pride in scoring the highest out of anyone on a test for Cyrano de Bergerac in my high school senior year. (However I ****ing hated reading Moby Dick over the summer) and was NOT happy when I found out that I didn’t really NEED to read the entire thing to do all the paperwork/answer all the questions.)

I don’t know if art and choir count since they were extra curricular classes, but I loved them as well and could share lots of stories. Plus one of my favorite teachers was my high school art teacher.

15. Dream job? I would love to be a writer and illustrate my own books. Alternatively it’d be awesome to do artwork for an animation studio.

I’m tagging @artistcaptainbendy  as the next person. Anyone else can do it too.

I’m changing #12 to: If you became a God/Deity, what would your domain be and how could you use your powers to make the world a better place?

[webbedphantom]

So something I've kinda been realizing is that I didn't fully understand Akechi. Now, that's not entirely my fault, because what made me realize this has been reading cut/easily missable dialogue that shows a better insight into him.

He's not as sadistic or cruel as he pretends to be, he doesn't like what he's doing, he's just too deep into it to turn back, and so he (probably) puts on the act so he can live with himself. A fake it till you make it sorta thing.

The reason I bring this up is that this does kinda mess with my plans regarding his role in the AU. Some of it still works, but there's a decent chunk of stuff that just doesn't fit him anymore. Now yes, he still does some pretty bad stuff, and there is the symbiote that helps excuse the more out there stuff, but I'm not sure if that'll work for everything I'd originally planned.

So, I've come up with a solution. A new character to help fill that void, and one I think has some major potential.

Hobgoblin

For those unaware, which is probably most of you considering he's only been in one cartoon and zero of the movies, Hobgoblin is an interesting character, a small time crook turned major league supervillain when he stumbled upon one of Norman Osborne's Green Goblin safehouses, using the gear to make a name for himself in the criminal underworld.

Now the interesting part about him is that in the original story, his identity was a major mystery for the book, similar to how Green Goblin was originally. He was always working behind the scenes, trying to tip the odds in his favor, yet even when he was out of costume we never saw his face.

... The ending to that mystery was fumbled incredibly hard due to petty writers, office politics, and a very strange game of telephone, but that's beside the point.

I really like this idea, and I wanna try to do something similar, but with a few twists.

This Hobgoblin would be working in the background starting after the first semester, seeming at first glance to be a follower of Yaldabaoth, working in to weaken the barrier between the real world and the Metaverse (Which if you're new here, is a big part of this AU that is best explained in another post) But his entire ideology seems to be at odds with the Grail's, as he enjoys inciting chaos rather than trying to create order.

He's also a bit of a mix between the Classic Hobgoblin and Demogoblin, though instead of demons, he gets his powers and equipment from shadows. Able to control and weaponize any that are nearby, similar to Akechi's insanity... thing. Though, when I say weaponize, I mean literally turn them into a weapon based on whatever that shadow is good at. Like turning Nue into a giant sledgehammer, or Seth into a dragon-themed Rocket Launcher, though they're not limited to just that one thing, but rather anything that takes advantage of their skills.

This idea is still kinda bare bones atm, but what I will say is that I'm going to try to make his identity an actual character from the Persona series. Because I don't think the mystery would be satisfying if the answer was just "Random OC character that was introduced purely for the sake of being Hobgoblin," especially in an RP setting, where its even harder to introduce those characters. I do have one in mind, but I'd need to do a bit more research to make sure they're a good fit.

Either way, I'm excited to develop this guy a bit more! It'll not only be a fun challenge to try to weave an interesting mystery, but his schemes will eventually lead to the event I've been wanting to write for ages. Kingdom Come, which is basically the symbiote invasion from Web of Shadows but with shadows, and the added threat of Palaces manifesting in the real world.

No idea if that would be done through threads (which I'd like to do, but it might be too ambitious for me to handle) or if through a drabble or two, but regardless it'll be fun to actually do it

Anyways, I still have no idea how to end posts like this so-

Bye