#this post encapsulates the vibes that i got from this chapter

[queenaeducan-writes]

2024 writing round up

i saw it on my dash and wanted to do it! tagging: @blackjackkent, @theshirallen, @dreadfutures, @theluckywizard, @ anyone else who would care to do this!

words posted: Not counting Tumblr RP or I'd be here forever, 76,581. 35,245 of those were Var Shiral'vhen.

additional words written: 21,585 on VS, plus some other WIPs means I have typed about 33,109 words. There are more in my notebook (but probably not a significant amount).

grand total of words: About 109,690 words! <3

fandoms: Dragon Age, HotD, BG3

highest kudos: 187 on The Queen's Pleasure, making it the first fic I ever posted to break 100 kudos.

highest hit oneshot: 2667 on The Queen's Pleasure.

new things I tried:

New fandoms! BG3 got me back into writing for fun before DA reassumed its throne, and I published HotD for the first time, too!

Smut! I published five smut fics on AO3, one on Tumblr, and another that will probably not make it out of the docs I'm gonna be real.

Long fic! Technically I've tried before, but writing Var Shiral'vhen with @theshirallen has been a pretty new experience as someone who mostly writes oneshots. It's been fun, though!

fic I spent the most time on: Var Shiral'vhen on the basis of it being a long fic. For one shots, probably The means by which art is made due it being my first attempt at Solian smut and that ship being very dear to me (and it was originally started back in like 2022).

fic I spent the least time on: I wrote Stronger Where it Breaks (Veilguard spoilers) after I beat DA4 in a short space of time. They will learn was also written similarly quickly.

favorite thing I wrote: I'm going to list multiple answers bc I deserve it.

I think it might be the unpublished Var Shiral'vhen chapter "Rift test take 2" just because I adore the Solas/Ian conversation in that chapter. It really encapsulates what I find fascinating about their dynamic, put them in a room together and they will start vibing even when I wasn't planning on it.

(Veilguard spoilers in the link) They will learn, a fic I mostly wrote for Joly but ended up getting more attention than I expected on Tumblr! I really enjoyed working with Elvhenan worldbuilding and I'm looking forward to doing more with the OCs I started crafting for the purposes of the fic.

(Veilguard spoilers in the link) The shape of you, a really abstract fic that's sex but also isn't sex. It was more a picture than words in my head so writing it down was difficult, but I enjoyed how it turned out esp since I didn't spend too long on it (it was like two sessions of writing).

favorite thing(s) I read:

(Veilguard spoilers in the link) keep my body from the fire (Solas x Felassan) by Almalexiasgf. I loved the depiction of Solas's [redacted] and Felassan's handling of it. It captured everything I love about the new lore surrounding the elves in DA4.

deus proditus (dame aylin & ketheric thorm) by @darethshirl. Such a neat exploration of these characters and their hostile relationship to each other, their love of Isobel, divinity/mortality. Highly recommended!

The History in our Skin (nb!lavellan & keeper deshanna) by @theshirallen. You were a fool if you thought I wouldn't include Joly in this. I love the pain and the peace in this, the impossible choice Deshanna saddles Ian (still a child but in choosing becomes grown) with. "There is no right answer" but only because the world is hostile to everything they are.

it ends, or it doesn't (felassan & an ensemble cast) by @dreadfutures I'm still making my way through this one (VG put a huge dent in my reading habit I carefully built over 2024 lmao) but I love Blue's Felassan POV and the worldbuilding they do for the Dalish/ancient elves. It's so inspiring, and the mystery is so good.

Mien'Harel (solas/felassan, solas & ensemble) by @bodysnatch3r Again, making my way through it, but Matty has such a great use of language and the worldbuilding is so good. I'm going to have my heart broken (more) when I continue I'm sure, but I'd highly recommend checking this one out.

these violent delights (Zevran x f!Tabris, Lucanis & Zev/Warden - Rated T) by @inquisimer. I love love love the Zev/Tabris pairing in this, and the playing off Lucanis is also excellent. I'd highly recommend it for its intrigue and character dynamics!!!

writing goals for 2025:

Continue Var Shiral'vhen

Not burn myself out on exchanges

Try to satisfy the need for engagement w/ more realistic means

Stop comparing myself/my headcanons/my divergences to others

new works: It was only after listing them that I realised I was supposed to just say how many, but I wrote it so it's here now. Anyway. 13!

Var Shiral'vhen (Solas x Nonbinary!Lavellan - Rated M) An adaptation of Solas and Ian's love story as well as Thora's journey as Inquisitor. About finding love in impossible places, undoing the damage the world has done to you, building trust from the ashes of other people's fires.

They will learn (Solas & Original Elvhen Character- Rated G) Veilguard spoilers. The world is new, and so are the people. Solas meets a new invention and sees the beauty and horror of creation.

The shape of you (Solas x Nonbinary!Lavellan- Rated E) Veilguard spoilers. Solas asks Ian a difficult question that Ian has no trouble answering.

Five, Seven, Five (Solas & F!Cadash - Rated G) Veilguard spoilers. Set in Inquisition. After a visit to Cadash thaig, Thora is inspired to write poetry after a lifetime of reading it. She shares it with Solas, as she shares everything with Solas.

Stronger Where it Breaks ( Solas x Nonbinary!Lavellan- Rated G) Veilguard spoilers. On Ian's suggestions, Solas takes up journaling to deal with some of his issues.

Pawn Takes King ( Solas x Nonbinary!Lavellan - Rated E) Technically Veilguard spoilers for the game's hub/home location. After a game of chess results in a rare victory, Ian claims his spoils.

The means by which art is made ( Solas x Nonbinary Lavellan! - Rated E) After Solas discloses his preference for bottoming, Ian tops him for the first time. It is not a night without its setbacks.

In Defense of Spirits (N/A - Rated G) A meta about the spirits of DA:O and how they can be read more sympathetically with the future game's lore taken into account.

The Art of Reading Aloud (Gale x F!Tav - Rated E) Ophelia (Tav) gives Gale a blowjob while he explains the history of the Moonshae Isles to her.

A Study of Hands (Gale x F!Tav - Rated T) An exploration of Gale's mental state throughout act I of BG3 as well as his developing feelings for Ophelia (Tav).

Chip Butty (Gale x F!Tav - Rated E) The morning after the party with her Tiefling kin, Ophelia wakes up with two headaches. One, from wine. Two, everyone expects she bedded Gale the night before.

The Queen's Pleasaure (Alicent x Rhaenyra - Rated E) When the King calls, Alicent does not linger longer than she is wanted. Her return is interrupted by a wayward princess, fresh from a foray into Flea Bottom, and hungry for companionship. Or: What if Rhaenyra had found Alicent before she found Ser Criston?

A Little Light (Jowan & Connor - Rated G) After years of young apprentices giving him a wide berth, lest they catch his talent for mediocrity, Jowan finds himself in the position of tutor to the young Connor.

[nothingeverchangeswoy]

Nothing Ever Changes Playlist

(from the fanfiction titled "Nothing Ever Changes" - a Wander x Reader story, post canon.)

🎶 Want to dive deeper into the chaos? 🎶

I’ve absolutely created a Spotify playlist that perfectly encapsulates the vibe of this story—because, let’s be real, writing chaos requires a chaotic soundtrack. Expect a blend of upbeat jams, heart-wrenching ballads, and—of course—random nonsense. There might be moments when you're questioning your life choices (thanks, Polish songs), but trust me, they fit. As someone who’s Polish, these tracks just hit different, and they’re somehow perfect for this whirlwind of a story. 🌀✨

If you're curious to know what fuels my creative madness between chapters, this playlist is your VIP pass into my chaotic brain. Whether you’re here for some intergalactic drama, random meme-worthy tracks, or a bit of weirdly emotional Polish music—this playlist’s got it all. (Just don’t expect anything too normal, okay? We’re living in a post-apocalyptic galaxy here.)Hit that play button, crank up the volume, and join me as I write this madness! You never know what musical curveball will come next. 🎧🚀

[wthicomic]

that's it for chapter 3 AND the end of the very first arc! wow!! unbelievable to have made it this far already :)

so, first, here's the plan for the forseeable future: there will be a 2-3 week break between this page and chapter 4 (leaning toward 2 weeks, but it depends on how comfortable i am with my page buffer). chapter 4 is going to be a lot more chill and more of an interlude into the next arc more than anything else. i'm also planning on it being shorter than previous chapters, but we'll see if i'm able to stick to that! after chapter 4 is done getting posted, there will be a longer hiatus as i chill out a little bit, get settled into grad school, and get the next arc set up. i'll know how all this is going to look more definitively once we're a bit closer to that time.

i'm unbelievably excited for the next arc. as i've said in a previous blog post, there is a bit of a departure from what's been going on in this first arc, but that's mainly because, well. the cult's dead. all that's left is lani, who has to contend with everything that's happened here. i also realize that chapter 3 was a bit on the more serious side, but generally speaking, wthi will not be that serious all the time. the first arc was structured in a way to encapsulate all (or most) of the vibes the comic will have throughout its runtime, so i assure you we're gonna get back to there being silly moments :) . anyway uhh i got off track! the next arc is (to me) where things start getting particularly fun because i get to introduce more characters(!!) and some major plot threads. people who've been following along with wthi since i first started working on it 7 years ago are gonna recognize a lot of characters that show up! i hope you're as excited for this as i am!

lastly, i just wanted to thank you all for all the support you've given me thus far. it really makes my day to read people's comments on this since it's such an important story to me :,) . i'm especially grateful to you if you've ever recommended wthi to someone else. word of mouth is quite literally my only form of advertisement, so i appreciate it more than i could ever express.

anyway! i hope you all have a great rest of your day and week! see you in a couple weeks!!

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Intertidal Chapter Release—Ch. 18✨

Lifting my phone up high in the air, I sucked in another breath. Great. Tapping the green answer icon I didn't realize it was a video call before it was too late.

"What?" I groaned, trying not to growl because it was too early for these calls and I wasn't at my mental fittest in that moment.

"Mornin'," Kent chuckled, seemingly humored by my post-dawn anguish. "Yer lookin' bright eyed and bushy tailed."

I glared at him.

"What's got ya' out of sorts, love?" he asked in a more concerned tone. "Ya' sick or hurt?"

"No..." I hesitated. Furrowed my brow and closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose to ward off the creeping headache I felt coming. "Just...I don't know. My head's fuzzy."

"Drunk fuzzy? Hungover? Or like existential dread goin' into numb kinda fuzzy?" When I groaned at the last one I could hear him breathe a sympathetic chuckle. "Yeah, I have those mornin's too."

"Maybe if I have a mimosa..."

Kent clicked his tongue. "That, love, is what we call an unhealthy dependence bordering on alcoholic behavior."

"You sound like my therapist."

"Well kudos ta' her for havin' the stones to say that."

Only Kent could make me roll my eyes with the urge to clock him while looking as good as he did while doing it.

"What're ya' doin' today?"

"Besides withering away beneath my blankets waiting for death to come and fight me for my life?" Kent smirked, humored by my answer rather than being put off the way Enid or my parents would have been. Both him and Ty shared the same flavor of dark humor which was also my flavor as chance would have it. "Nothing. Why?"

"We should do somethin'."

Wading the glowing crystalline waters of the pool hidden within the tropical paradise that surrounded us, I watched Kent swim toward me after diving in from the opposite end. Form shifting hypnotically like an abstract painting cast in bronze, topaz blue, aquamarine, and shimmering yellow, I held my breathe as he approached. Smiled more as if I had been bewitched when he emerged looking like a damn Grecian god with his hair clinging to his broad built shoulders and eyes sparkling. It didn't help that "Moonlight Serenade" was playing to match the vintage vibe of the entire area encapsulating Trader Sam's, Tangaroa Terrace, and the "grown up's" pool.

"Yer doin' that thing again," Kent teased as he floated over to where I was lurking, my arms slung up on the lip of the pool deck. Tilting his head just a bit with a playful flicker in his eyes as he grabbed hold of the handrail of the sidesteps next to me, Kent closed the space separating us. Hung there looking like a siren pulled straight out of fiction. "You'll cook me 'live with that kind of starin'."

I couldn't respond. My brain had gone dead. Or on strike because it was tired of this bullshit. Either way, the bitch had peaced out on me and my thought process was left on buffering.

Eyes constantly drawn back to his eyes, his lips, his chest, it was irrational Wynn's turn to take control of the helm. And what do you know, she steered us all into the shallows. Ran us ashore marooning me in the destructive cycle of reconsidering my stance on relationships versus fuck buddies. And it was her fault that my brain was coming up with more pro's to locking down Kent than it was coming up with con's. This would have been an easy decision weeks ago. Wouldn't have been something I would have even considered at the start of the year. Granted, I had always wanted to take a ride or two on him. But date him? That was a sure sign I had suffered traumatic brain injury. Or at least so I thought. But now?

"Winnie...?" He said quietly, as if he were about to share a secret. From the look in his eyes, he may very well be doing that. Gaze flicking from my lips to my eyes as he got in a little closer, Kent nearly whispered, "What if..." he began--the tension mounting between us pure indescribable torture. "What if I were to tell ya' that you've been on my mind for the last year?"

.

.

.

Catch the fever here using the link below. 🔥🔥🔥

[jundsthoughts]

Hi, hello, I have more songs for Burning of the Library by @wixenforever so go read it, it's amazing.

And, this one features of lots of stuff for Tom/Voldemort, which was fun to find.

Don't Forget Me - Jacob Lee Who wants another song of RuneSeeker being all "Love me and let me love you!" while also being completely "If you get too close it'll make you run for the hills, so maybe don't do that, okay?"

Those Eyes - New West If this is not RuneSeeker then I will riot. Like, this is them, this is my boys, and they're adorably heart-wrenching with how cute they are lmfao. Tongues & Teeth - The Crane Wives So, what if I said this is Harry and Tom/Voldemort? You've mentioned that Tom is going to get to tell his story in this, and I can't help but think this would fit him. Because from Slughorn, to Merrythought, to even Dumbledore (yes, even Dumbles) I can see everyone looking at Tom when he's at school and knowing/hoping that he will be this massive force in the world for good; whatever 'good' means for them. Dumbledore, of course, had his stupid bigotry that ruined him (and likely pushed Tom down his path) but even him I could easily read as hoping Tom would be good and knowing that Tom has/had the ability to do wildly impressive things if he wished to. Now for Harry, it's another of those "Fuck everyone who only sees me as the Boy-Who-Lived stuff, I'm gonna be myself".

Abandon all your stupid dreams/ About the girl I could have been, my dead/ 'Cause, in the night, I know you burn with feelings/ I cannot return, my dear/ Oh, my dear/ You gotta know that this won't last

Like, this just screams people going against expectations that are thrust upon them. Every Time You Leave - I Prevail, Delaney Jane More of Ron&Harry or Theo&Blaise/Draco?

All I ever wanted was to find someone/ But finishing the puzzle is the hardest part/ Everyday wishin' you could stay/ Cause our minds may change, but our hearts remain

Like, tell me that isn't the boys going through friendship angst hahaha. Especially for Ron and Harry right now with the last line of that quote, with the bigotry/learned hate from Ron and Harry just not giving a fuck about any of that when it comes to Theo [but also to a lesser extent Draco and Blaise I feel cause he sees (especially after Chapter 22 and 23) how far they're willing to go for him that he's giving them a chance to not fuck it up lmfao]. And the chorus just hits so hard for what I envision for them haha. Who I Am - Citizen Soldier Angst for Harry (but also Theo) aho! You mentioned you were writing Harry angst so here ya go, maybe some extra fuel if you needed it lmfao.

In this mold that they have made me/ Tried so hard to fit in tight/ Every day's a punishment/ For being human but the wrong kind

Like, that's just Harry and Theo dealing with all the things haha. Hell's Comin' with Me - Poor Man's Poison I feel like this could be Tom given the vibes it has. Just that "You shunned my, treat an 11 year old child, a teenager after, like satin's spawn. I will show you what real evil is." kinda thing. Like, it just fits the resentful vibes I constantly get from him. Product of My Own Design - Artio This, again, gives me Tom vibes. Especially with the whole

Get on your knees and pray to me/ the problem child becomes the only God you'll ever see

That imo just encapsulated the whole superiority complex Tom has in general and fosters/grows to ridiculous heights after being "The mudblood of Slytherin".

As a side note, it'd work really well for a Dark!Harry too. Like really really good haha.

Y'know, I was really trying to find a song for Hermione, but when running through shuffle I couldn't before I got to my arbitrary cap of songs per post lol. Well, off to look for more I guess

[squidkidnerd]

Operation Atlantis Notes - "An Inkling of the Past" (chapter 9)

Oh boy, this was a chapter. What can I say, this is basically like the semifinale of part 1. I've been pretty excited to get to this chapter, because it's the first time the darker elements I've been teasing since the beginning really come into focus. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. And hey, I'm really on a roll now! I only posted last chapter a little over a month ago!

Now, I say I enjoyed this chapter, but really all the scenes got a major rewrite except for the turfing scene. That's okay, though, because I think my first draft was kinda just me writing to get it all out and hey. You can't edit a blank page. It's just interesting, because I usually finish my draft and send it right off to my betas, but this time I did some rewriting first. But, hey, it's here now.

The Title: Woohoo, the first time I'm actually talking about the titles! Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I really like chapter titles. They add such flavor and character to a fic that I adore. For Operation Atlantis, it's hard to pin down what they actually represent as a whole, but it's a... certain vibe, for sure. This one is one of my favorites because of the double meaning ("inkling" as a hint but also "inkling" as in a literal inkling). Splatoon loves it puns and double meanings, so I'm glad I got to honor the series and put one here.

Opening poem: So... if you read this and were like "Hey, this seems familiar..." that's because it is. It is literally a mem cake poem from OE copy and pasted straight from the wiki. The reason for this is, well, I simply couldn't write anything better. It so perfectly encapsulates the themes of this chapter and I LOVE the line "But is our fate to spray this hate?" It so perfectly encapsulates Three and Eight and why their ship is so compelling to me. Because, well, is it? Are the destined to be like Cuttlefish, Octavio, and countless other octolings and inklings and repeat the cycle of the past? Or, can they break free from it? Only time will tell...

The Nightmare™: This scene was fun to write. I really enjoyed referencing Inner Agent 3, and timing the beats of the fight to Calamari Inkantation worked really well. I think it's interesting, because the Inkantation has become a very clear ongoing symbol by now. In most cases it represents freedom and hope, but here, it's almost menacing. Up until this point, Eight has remained very separated from the Octarians vs. Inklings conflict that drove her down to Atlantis in the first place—she's read about it, but reading about something is nowhere near the same from directly experiencing it herself. She learns that brutally well in this chapter.

Flawed mentor figures: This is something I've quite enjoyed exploring in Operation Atlantis as a whole. Oftentimes in media, mentors seem infallible to their mentees, being infinitely wiser and more experienced. However, in both these scenes with Eight and Iso Padre as well as Three and Cuttlefish (well, more so the Three and Cuttlefish scene later on, but), we see that neither of them are perfect at all. Both, actually, make a similar mistake—they ignore Three and Eight's feelings. For Iso Padre, it's definitely less intentional, but still. Just something interesting I wanted to point out.

Three and Viktor: Oh look, it's Viktor! I gotta admit, this scene is here purely for future plot reasons and not much else. At least I got to introduce Three to Brellas? Idk. Also, more exploration of Three using turf as a coping mechanism! It makes sense, you know, because it's familiar to her in a place where everything else is unfamiliar. So, yeah.

The Incident™: Oh boy. This scene is something we've been building up to for a while, starting all the way back in chapter 6... maybe even earlier. And I've gotta be honest, it perfectly encapsulates Three and Eight's relationship at this point at the story. They're friends, but both of them are ignoring and even refusing to acknowledge the dirty laundry between them... but the thing about dirty laundry is you have to wash it or else it'll start to stink. And that's exactly what happens here. Eight might not realize it, but deep down there's a part of her that's scared of Three. And Three well... she's a scary person to Eight. Both of them are forced to realize this. I also really enjoyed calling back to the first scene with the ink colors and also with Eight's hands—in the first scene, she hallucinates that there's blood and orange ink on them, and here, there actually is. Cool.

"She's not my enemy": This was a satisfying scene to write. Three's done a lot of growing in the past 9 chapters, from assuming all octolings are her enemies to realizing there's a bigger threat and then... now, this. She already told Eight this in chapter 8, but what makes so special here is that she's telling it to Cuttlefish, the man who instilled that idea in her in the first place. It's the first time she's telling him "No, you're wrong." So, for that reason, I like this scene. Three is finally calling him out on his bullshit! Somewhat! As soon as Cuttlefish (basically) threatens her, she backs down because well, she's scared that he might end up being right. But still, I'm proud of you, bestie. One step at a time.

"Do you know what it feels like to forget?": Another banger of a scene, this time from Eight. And well... what is there to say about this? We've been building up to it since the beginning. So far, Eight's arc has all been about finding her identity and asserting herself as a person, and well... here's the ultimate form of that. She's making a choice not for anyone else but herself. How will it go? We'll just have to see next chapter!

So yeah. To close out, I just want to mention something briefly about Side Order and its lore about sanitization and Eight's amnesia: I'm ignoring it. It's not canon to this AU. I've thought up something different a long time ago, and this already isn't canon compliant so I'm not changing it. Just wanted to clear that up officially.

Anyways... chapter 9! I can't believe we're here, honestly. Working on this fic over the past year or two has been rough, but I'm trucking along slowly but surely. Speaking of slowly but surely... after chapter 10, this fic will be going on hiatus. This is for several reason, the most major of which is that I'm burnt out and need to regain my motivation by working on other things. Those other "things" include Side Order fics! Yay! But rest assured, I will return to Operation Atlantis eventually. I really want to finish this story, and that's exactly why I'm going to take this hiatus. The last thing I want is to become so burnt out that I don't even want to continue anymore. So yeah. The hiatus doesn't have a set length yet, but probably to the end of the summer, if not longer. Not sure yet. But rest assured, neither me nor this fic is going anywhere!

And that's all. Happy Springfest!

[libroseitm]

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title]

For reference, my name on A03 is Elithorn and I predominantly wrote Drarry :)

I feel like this is cheating but all I can think of is "All the Young Dudes" and it's song namesake by David Bowie

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

Yes! Sometimes it makes me feel nostalgic and sometimes to help me improve.

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

My first one I think, "Summoned"

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

Two!

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

I haven't had one I've never written yet. Since I wrote my first fic last year I've been writing all of them. I've only dome 7 though :)

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

YES. I have some Harry x Charlie fics I go back to, and my favourite two Drarry fics "Coruptela Vox" by Constant Vigilance and "Interpersonal Relationships Year 7, Unit 3: How to Have Sex Like a Responsible Adult" by InnerLilith.

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

That I'm not writing? None. Usually I can't think about other fics whilst I'm already writing one.

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

Both Drarry fics as usual,

One is called "Cordis spissamentum" (that title is  a WIP), it's inspired by Heart Stopper.

The other is untitled currently and is inspired by a post I saw on facebook of Draco writing a letter to home. I decided to expand on it.

9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written!

I don't, I write in big-ish chunks with big breaks in between.

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

My first fic absolutley exploded and I was NOT expecring that right out the gate!

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

I typically listen to Mike Oldfield's album "Voyager" when writing.

12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it!

Nope!

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

Not much, I like to add smut at some point in all my fics so I usually note down the vibe, or a particular kink for that. Then I usually let the fic take the direction it wants to go :)

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

I would LOVE someone to illustrate one, that would be awesome! Hmmmm... Perhaps my newest one "Teach me, Professor". It isn't my favourite that I've written but I envision Harry and Draco as being around 30-40 years old in that fic  and it's rare to see art of them over 30 years old.

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

I prefer to keep my titles short because I feel like it's more memorable. I also usually try to pick a title that encapsulates the vibe of the fic.

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles?

Usually at the very end, so I can some up the whole fic with the title.

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

I've mainly learned about how gay sex works a little better 😂 and also good words to use in smut scenes

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

"Just as Harry thought he’d convinced himself, a screaming Draco whizzed through the doorway, back facing all of them, and crashed straight into Harry sending them both careening into a wall." from "Summoned" I've mentioned it a lot but it is my best one, I had a whole bunch of fun with it :D

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

I don't have access to quote it, do I'll fo a kind of teaser trailer: Draco is convinced that Harry is a dark Lord... Until he's not.

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

My first "Summoned".

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

All. The. Time. To quote drawfee "delete your art". It's good for your fics and it's food for your soul.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

Usually, yes. I find this helpful when writing the rest of the fic.

23. How do you choose where to end a chapter (if you have multi-chapter works)?

The two I'm working on right now are chapter fics. One is a series of letters, so that's straight forward. For the other, I just stop when it feels right. Some chapters end up super long, other end up super short. But if there's a natural break, it's meant to be :)

24. Share a moodboard for (one of) your current WIP(s).

I can't make a mood board right now D: I never have for a fic, actually.

25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing?

Nope. I don't need sympathy, but I feel sadness/negative emotions very easily. So I only write happy fics apart from one fic that was completely random, not happy but not upsetting :)

26. Is there something you’ve written that you would never want your family to see?

Yes. I write gay smut about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. My parents are devout Mormons. Need I say more? :'D

27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why?

All of them, really. It's like sharing a part of yourself. It feels extra personal with smut too.

28. Have you ever tagged a fic “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat”?

Nope!

29.  Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut  from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a  random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Argh, I don't keep stuff like that! And I don't have any ideas I won't get to at the mo ToT

30. Ask anything!

What's the most self indulgent fic you've written?

I’m Bored and Anxious So I Slapped Together a List of Fan Fic Writer Asks

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title] 2. Do you read/reread your own fics? 3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? 4. How many WIPs do you have right now? 5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? 6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time? 7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now? 8. What project(s) are you currently working on? 9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written! 10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? 11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics? 12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it! 13. How much planning do you do before writing? 14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick? 15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters? 16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles? 17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic? 18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic? 19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs. 20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written? 21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why? 22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing? 23. How do you choose where to end a chapter (if you have multi-chapter works)? 24. Share a moodboard for (one of) your current WIP(s). 25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing? 26. Is there something you’ve written that you would never want your family to see? 27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why? 28. Have you ever tagged a fic “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat”? 29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.) 30. Ask anything!

[halflingkima]

Try a Chapter Test

idk what to read next so i'm gonna read the first bits from my TBR. How do i read a first chapter of the graphic novels? idk but we're gonna find out!

Cleat Cute: professional women's soccer rivals to lovers romcom

Writing style not promising. Not bad, just feels a little forced, often reminds me of the process of reading. Not too much character yet, but there is inciting action. It does seem like it's a one has the other's poster on her wall situation so i've got all my fingers crossed for a gender-bend roy/jamie au style thing. (though unfortunately neither is like the 'veteran' player, i think) Predicted: ⭐️⭐️ Finished: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Dark Tides: the sequel to a fight for a pirate throne

This author always does start out strong. Writing style compelling, just mysterious enough to keep you reading. I'm wondering if this strange new character is the boy from Lorelei's village that joined the navy, and if this is gonna involve some kinda love triangle. which would be so tedious. Predicted: ⭐️⭐️ Finished: ⭐️⭐️ (<- generous)

3. A Taste of Gold and Iron: Indian-inspired fantasy (bodyguard?) romance

First chapter is a solid 30 pages and I am not reading all that; also no map or any kind of context before jumping in, which I don't trust but do appreciate. Mostly just a limited narrative of where we enter the story, but it was interesting and a lotta world-building and set dressing was done very quickly. looking forward to this one. Predicted: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finished: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4. Land of Sons: post-apocalyptic father and two sons trying to survive

This was darker than i, for some reason, expected. the art style is a little hard for my eyes to parse, and the relationship between the three characters is.. bad. i had hoped for a little love-in-dark-times vibe. interested to see where it goes though Predicted: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finished: ⭐️

5. Seek You: an exploration of loneliness in sequential art

i just read the author's note, but turns out this one does have chapters. i love the art style, and the tone of the writing is immediately evocative. rly looking forward to this one, but still afraid it'll stomp all over me Predicted: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finished: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

6. Rusty Brown: an attempt to encapsulate the entire scope of human experience into a single graphic novel

i am a little entertained by the dual narrative – a main narrative runs through the majority of the page while a secondary narrative is in tiny frames at the bottom – and I expect it'll get more complex as i go. so far, though, the actual content sorta sucks. general 'average family 80s family' struggles (unhappy marriages, bullied fat kid, moving in with grandparents) and while there's nothing wrong with the stories, i do think it's gonna be a bit of a depressing read for a while if not the whole (chonkin') thing Predicted: ⭐️⭐️ Finished: ⭐️

[tequiilasunriise]

Wenclair is great as goth x pastels, sunshine x storm cloud, black cat x golden retriever, sun and moon life and death yin and yang etc etc etc-

BUT!

Have y’all considered how perfectly their vibes encapsulate:

✨ao3 gf x wattpad gf✨

Headcanons below! This got super long sorry not sorry!

Enid is SO a trashy unapologetic wattpad writer who uses text to speech to throw together her surprisingly popular fanfics

Wednesday is a sophisticated ao3 user who secretly enjoys getting constructive criticism of her novels and other short stories that she posts there

Enid is the typa author to reply to EVERY comment with heartfelt messages and plenty of emojis

Wednesday is the typa author to never reply to comments but deep down enjoys the kudos and compliments

Enid is a oneshot funshot queen, meanwhile Wednesday has several multi-chapter works going on at the same time

Enid has a super spontaneous updating schedule where she’ll post when she posts

Wednesday updates her works every Wednesday (on the nose I know) and follows a STRICT schedule, she has never missed an update day not fer anything ever

Enid prolly has a cutesy username like ‘kittygotclaws’ or smth idk I dont go on wattpad

Wednesday goes by ‘DaysEnd’ on ao3 and REALLY it's quite on the nose

Everyone knows of Enid's wattpad acc bc she openly talks about it even on her blog, everytime a fic hits some sorta milestone she flexes it to the whole friend group like some sorta proud soccer mom

Wednesday is SUPER SECRETIVE about her ao3 acc, Thing is the only soul who knows of it bc he helps beta read

DaysEnd being a rising ao3 fan favorite amongst the Nevermore student body omg so true so slay of you Miss Addams (she tells Thing she does not care for such popularity but deep down revels in people actually appreciating her work, unlike some publishers out there)

They really like her strong imagery, plot twists, and her stories are pretty gore-heavy but the narration is quite compelling (seriously, she goes so in depth on random macabre shit like different types of murders, ways to cover up said murders, poisons and upkeep on daggers and all this dark shit etc etc that a popular comment she’ll get is ‘hey not to be rude but whats your search history like because how do you KNOW all this??’)

Meanwhile Enid mainly writes fanfics of her fav kpop bands and other OTPs that are often AUs or canon divergent heavy, sometimes she’ll pop off with the most hilarious fanfic that is pure CRACK

That being said, Enid’s works have some pretty damn good dialogue I just know it in my bones that she’s a character driven type of writer

Her emotional introspection is also? Surprisingly good?? Like damn when the feels hit they HIT, Enid is definitely the type to write the fluffest fluff, the angstiest angst, and the most cathartic hurt/comfort you’ll ever read if you make the conscious decision to look past her occasional grammatical errors and other typos

Wednesday’s original works, on the other hand, definitely aren't as much of a heartthrob, they’re probably more plot driven with less space for overly descriptive emotional scenes (both writing styles are valid as hell, mind you)

One day Enid discovers Wednesday’s secret ao3 and lives to tell the tale because deep down Miss Addams is a GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY

In exchange for keeping hush hush, Wednesday has to become Enid’s full-time beta reader for every. Single. Fic.

Wednesday HATES such drivel but agrees to such terms in order to keep her secret safe, much to Thing’s teasing delight over how soft she is for her fellow writer (“For producing such literary muck, she does not even deserve the privilege to tarnish such a title.” “I know what you are, Wednesday.” “What kind of threat is that?”)

I mean that being said, Wednesday gets low key invested in the sapphic otp fanfics Enid seems to have a penchant for writing when the fic isn’t kpop centered, her interest stems from uh nooooo reassooonnn noshutupThingthisdoesntmeananything-

When Enid brings up branching out to writing about OCs like Wednesday does-

Wednesday hates fandom terms like ‘OCs’ btw

-Wednesday encourages Enid to branch out in a very… Wednesdayish way

Like, she’s supportive but you gotta unpeel at least three layers of deflection and deadpanning to get to the real meaning

So yeah!! Enid branches out and starts writing silly little oneshots about various OCs, and if Wednesday notes that all of the stories revolve around gay characters, and if Thing notices how invested Wednesday gets in these silly little sapphics to point where he keeps commenting on it….

Andddd that’s the story of how Enid came back to the dorm with Thing being locked up in the drawer while Wednesday is burying her face in her pillow in what looks like a half-hearted attempt of suffocating herself

Anyways Wednesday’s repressed ass starts to ‘vent’ in her fanfics, if people start noticing DaysEnd incorporating more romance into their works no they don't stfu

It gets to the point where she ‘confesses’ to Enid by having Viper confesses to this new bubbly character that was recently introduced (“These feelings you have plagued me with, you make me sick,” said Viper, “And for my sake, I hope there is no cure.”)

Enid, with a lot I mean a metric fuckton of persuasion from Thing, eventually picks up on this and confesses back

Cue Wednesday beta reading Enid’s latest wattpad work and noticing how it’s about two polar opposite roomates who somehow make it work, and when the cheery one says to the gloomy one, “I also hope there’s no cure for the way I feel about you” it suddenly all clicks for Wednesday

Anyways fanfic gfs who slay together stay together <333

[saintobio]

saint!!!! hello!!! hope you are taking care of yourself ❤️ how's work in the new department!! are you still struggling? :(

im honestly very very excited for sos!! im more excited for it than the ending of sy tbh rn💀🤩 as someone who loves space-related stories (interstellar/ star trek hehe) and angst, i have a feeling this series will be my most favourite series from you. you're really a gift that keeps on giving, from wastelands to sn/sy and now sos?! phew 😮‍💨

2WEI (they're a band that makes trailer music/ film scores) recently released an epic cover called "mad world" and i can really imagine it being the perfect music to encapsulate sos vibes 😭😭

i have a few qns about the series!! if it's too early for you to answer them, you don't have to do so now 😅

1. from the synopsis and your answers for some asks, im assuming that og!gojo and some other crew members died somehow before the ship got sucked into the blackhole? pain 🙃 hopefully he is still miraculously alive to save yn 🙏🏽

3. is there any elements of magic in it? something like wanda's powers etc.

4. how many chapters of sos are you planning to write?

5. how futuristic is the earth-like planet multiverse!gojo lives in? is it like meet the robinsons kind of (very) futuristic or marvel kind of (a little) futuristic?

6. is sos the next series you gonna write after sy? or are you planning to write another one before sos? (im not rushing you! just curious when you are planning to writing it)

7. since it's a multiverse, are we going to see a glimpse of sn/sy!gojoyn in another universe 👀 maybe you can write this in if they don't get together/ a happy ending in the current series 😂 HAHA

ps. will be waiting patiently for sos playlist 🤤 thank you and i hope you have a great weekend ahead 🛰🛸

my official transition will begin this monday!! 😭 and wowow thank you very much!! it honestly makes my heart flutter whenever i get asks about s.o.s. even tho i’ve only posted the synopsis :’) i wanna pour my heart and soul into it like i did with wastelands. i also just rewatched interstellar a few days ago and will take same inspos from it !! :) and thank u for the song rec. listening to it right now hehe

1. cannot answer that :p you won’t see og!gojo for a while until like when we get to the part where multiverse!gojo watches yn’s old memories through the screen. it’s one of the heartbreaking scenes for me i think :’)

2. no magic or even actual aliens :(

3. maybe around 10-15? no sequel

4. it’s like hunger games capitol type of futuristic (minus the fashion) and they don’t identify as earth. they have four moons, pink skies, auburn soil.

5. s.o.s. is next in line!! probably at the same time when sn started. around early may?

6. funny thing is i actually just thought it’d be fun to bring in a cameo of sn/sy gojo 😆 writing a multiverse fic holds a lot of power!!

[eves-library]

How to Lose a Man in Ten Days AU//Bucky Barnes x Mexican!Reader Latina!Reader

Chapter One: The task

Summary: In the hopes of saving her friend’s love life from being publicly exposed Y/N takes on the task of writing about her love life while leaving her out of her article. 

Word Count: 1668

Warnings: Mention of breakup and some stereotyped characters (?)

PSA: PLEASE READ First I want to thank @allaboardthereadingrailroad for the opportunity of participating in her Diversity Challenge. I gotta admit I haven’t read a lot of latina!reader or mexican!reader. This was not only a challenge for me to write but I took it as a chance to read stories with that certain type of reader too. The reason I haven’t read too much of these reader inserts is that I don’t always feel identified with the way latina!readers and mexican!readers are portrayed. This is my version of a reader I feel identified with being a Mexican girl. I still left the reader mostly uncharacterized, but there are certain hints here and there that are a telltale for the reader’s background and culture. It will be more evident as the series progress. Finally I just want to say that I took the decision of writing the reader this way because I believe we cannot encapsulate a certain type of girl just by mexican or latina, we share a nationality and culture, yet just by changing states (here in Mexico) traditions change and sometimes the difference is a lot. 

A/N: I’ll be posting a chapter every 3 days. Enjoy

Y/N finish tipping on her computer as Natasha read over her shoulder, “With not only families being torn apart but human beings being treated like animals, the question of immigrant laws being changed should not be a question but a pressing matter.” Y/N turned to look to Natasha as she finished reading, “What do you think Nat?” Natasha gave her a smile and a shoulder squeeze, “I believe it is one hell of an article and I would print it in a heartbeat, but I am not Lana and she will never print it.” With a defeated sigh and her face falling, Y/N saved the document and closed the tab, “I can’t believe I busted my ass to get a master’s in journalism at college just so I could be ‘Y/N How’? Maybe mom was right and I should have not left home.”

Y/N turned her chair completely so she could look at Natasha face to face as Natasha leaned on the bearly there wall that separated their cubicles, “I think you should send some of your work to a big new’s paper, I’ve told you hundred times,” Natasha said to Y/N and before the girl could say anything in her defense, Mandy or “Mantis” as she liked people to call her popped her head next to Natasha on the division of the cubicles “Ladies, don’t forget we have a staff meeting in thirty minutes!” she said softly and as suddenly as she had appeared she disappeared, Natasha was the first to speak up in a low tone so not to be heard by anyone but Y/N “How does she always manage to sneak up on us!” and once again before Y/N could speak up Mantis appeared, “Don’t forget to bring all your good vibes and ideas!” she pipped in before she left for good, prompting both Y/N and Natasha to laugh. 

As their laughter died Y/N stood up looking around the office of cubicles “Have you seen Wanda today?” Natasha turned her gaze directly to Wanda’s cubicle and found it empty of her things, “No, I don’t think she has arrived yet,” Y/N looked at her wristwatch and sighed, “Okay, it is my turn, you go get us a coffee.” Y/N went to grab her coat and purse and as she was making her way out of the office Natasha called for her, giving her a bag with samples, and Y/N grabbed a dark red jacket from a passing cart of clothes used for photoshoots. 

Y/N arrived at Wanda’s apartment in less than 10 minutes, she knocked on the door two times before Wanda finally opened up, a small fake smile on her face which lasted for two seconds before tears started streaming down her cheeks once again, “Oh sweetie, come here, what happened?” Y/N questioned as she stepped in and hugged her friend, Wanda sniffled and cleaned her tears before speaking as she let Y/N walk inside her apartment. “Vision, he broke up with me last night!” Wanda said as her eyes filled with tears once again. 

Y/N walked in to check the state of the apartment, and just like Wanda, it was a little disheveled, especially the area where the couch was and where Wanda had been watching rom-coms and eating icecream. Wanda then walked past her and directly onto the couch but before she could lay back down again, Y/N grabbed her arm pulling her in the direction of her room, which Wanda did, only protesting a little before Y/N finally asked, “Oh, honey, I’m sorry but you can’t let a guy get you fired at work! Come on, I promise after we are done at the office we’ll come back and watch all the rom-coms you want I’ll even get you my grandma’s special hot chocolate you like so much!” Wanda’s eyes glinted at the prospect of Y/N’s offer. 

Y/N went through Wanda’s closet getting a pair of tight black dress pants and a loose black blouse that will look great with the dark red jacket she had brought from the office, and as Y/N was looking for the perfect heels to go with the outfit Wanda plopped down on the bed, “What is wrong with me Y/N? Why doesn’t anyone wants me?” Y/N turned around and took a seat next to Wanda on the bed letting Wanda rest her head on her shoulder, “Listen to me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are a beautiful, talented, successful woman, that when she falls in love she does it fast and deep. Sometimes that scares men, which makes it their loss because you, my dear, are a great catch, and you’ll find a catch too.” 

Wanda smiled softly up at her and Y/N gave her a squeeze before getting up, “Now get dressed! we have fifteen minutes before the staff meeting starts, and I’ve brought samples!” Wanda chuckled and in less than five minutes the two of them were on their way back to the office, Wanda finishing her light makeup on the taxi cab. 

The two of them arrived at their building with three minutes to spare, time enough for the elevator ride up. They met up with Natasha at the doors and each took a cup of coffee. As they were making their way into the building Natasha asked what happened and Wanda told her Vision had broken up with her, “Did he gave you any explanation?” Natasha asked and Wanda let out a long sigh, “Just the same, it was not me, it was him, but I really thought he was the one you know?” Natasha turned to look at her with skepticism “Wanda, you dated the guy for a little over a week!”

Wanda blushed a little over Natasha’s comment, “Maybe… but I just had a feeling you know?” Both Y/N and Natasha chuckled at Wanda’s expense and Wanda blushed harder. Y/N shrugged and send a wink her way, “It’s okay Wanda, it’s only that your heart loves easily and lightheartedly if guys don’t know how to realize that it is on them.” Wanda smiled at her and they soon arrived at Lana’s office, everyone taking their place around in the couches and seats.

Lana entered the room at last and her authority voice boomed around the place, “Good morning family! Shoes out everyone!” Y/N turned to her right to see Wanda and Natasha sitting down and taking their shoes off as Y/N did the same. Once everyone in the office was settled, either on a couch or the floor, Lana spoke again. “How are we doing for this month’s number?” Mandy was the first to raise her hand, going on about an article on plastic surgery and how it ruins people’s life “it is kind of gory but surprisingly… optimistic.” Mandy ended with a smile on her face, Lana went on asking everyone in the room and suddenly it was Wanda’s turn, who had an off look on her face, probably still thinking of last night’s events with Vision. 

Natasha nudged Wanda lightly just to bring her attention back to the meeting at hand and Lana kept on looking at her expectantly “I’m sorry Lana I had a bad night,” she started and Natasha explained shortly, “She got dumped.” Wanda turned to glare at her and Natasha mumbled a silent “Sorry” Wanda turned her look back at Lana with an embarrassed and sad smile on her face. Lana smiled at her with a surprisingly empathetic look before she spoke “I’m so sorry, isn’t it sad everyone?” She asked and everyone in the room started nodding and mumbling soft “sorrys.” Lana then looked down at the notebook on her lap before she spoke again “Write about it, and get it off your chest” Wanda turned to look at her and started protesting “Lana I’m sorry but I can’t do that, it is my personal life!” Lana looked up and smiled again “Of course, you’re right,” and she looked around the room “Who wants to write about Wanda’s love life?” 

Wanda was so shocked by the lack of empathy her boss was showing that she just opened and closed her mouth trying to figure out a way to protest and then a hand was raised, Mandy enthusiastically asked for the opportunity “Great, you’ll do it, Mandy, what’s next?” Lana said and Wanda finally spoke up, “I’m sorry Lana but I can’t let Mandy write about my personal life!” Natasha and Y/N had been watching everything unfold before them and suddenly Y/N had an idea, “I’ll do it” she said and Wanda turned to look at her as if she had stabbed her in the back and Y/N continued “I won’t write exactly about Wanda, but she’ll be… my inspiration.” Y/N said and Lana was intrigued, she made a sign with her hand motioning for Y/N to continue, “Look at Wanda, she is a beautiful and strong woman, yet she has trouble keeping a relationship,” Wanda looked confused and a little bit hurt, Y/N mumbled a silent “Sorry” her way before she continued “So… I’ll write about the common mistakes girls like Wanda make when they first start dating,” Lana considered it for a moment before she spoke, “I like it, yeah, you’ll date a guy and then lose him.” Y/N nodded trying to work for a title “Yeah! I’ll call it ‘The Common Mistakes of Dating…?’”

Lana stayed silent for a couple more seconds “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days!” Lana noted it down on her notebook and was about to move on when Y/N asked “Sorry Lana but why in ten days?” Lana turned to look back at her “Well five days is too little of time and we print in eleven days, so it has to be done in ten days.” Y/N nodded and the meeting went on.

[timeforelfnonsense]

Apprentice April 2

(sprite by Jilljoycearts )

LONG POST

1. What does your character feel when they see their LI for the first time each day?

Fable has such a tender adoration for Julian. She’s been very guarded and private about her authentic feelings for most of her life so having someone she can be soft with means a lot to her.  She loves waking up and knowing he’ll still be there no matter what.

2. What things does your character love about their LI?

She loves how thoughtful and selfless he his. Fable is a little self centered at times and she admires how willing to care for others and put their needs before his own.

She loves how emotionally intelligent he is.

She loves his wit and sense of humor .

She loves his kindred sense of adventure and wanderlust

She loves his sharp features, lushes hair, his absurd tallness, his shoulders and hands.

3. What things about their LI annoy them?

When he crosses the line from selfless to babying. Fable is very independent and sometimes Julian can smother her a bit. Sometimes his devotion to her can make her feel a little claustrophobic due to her childhood trauma but she’s working on it.  

Julian has a habit of talking about his work with a bit too much enthusiasm and it grosses her out.

Julian: “You should have seen this guy’s leg today Fable! The bone was all the wa-”

Fable: “JULIIIIANNN”

4. Who does what chores?

They are both a little messy but share chores around the shop. They both grew up on ships so they have plenty of experience swabbing the deck lol

5. Do they prefer to stay at home, or do they like to go out?

The both love to go out! Drinking and dancing are always favorites. They go and see plays pretty often as well!  

6. What are some little things they do for each other throughout the day?

Fable is a pretty good cook actually so she often brings Julian lunch and coffee when he’s at the clinic.

Julian leaves her little lovey-dovey notes around the shop. 

7. What are some private jokes they share?

If you’ve read the first few chapter’s of For Lovers and Fools, you’ll know that they met when Fable asked Julian to walk her home while pretending to be her betrothed. They joked about being engaged all the time before the plunge/when they weren’t really dating and would sometimes put on the act for strangers.

Julian lost his v card to Fable like 7 years before the events of the route and their is some occasional teasing over how Julian was “cuntstruck” by her for almost a decade. 

8. What are some embarrassing couple stories?

oooo as previously mentioned Julian lost his virginity to Fable when h e was 21 and she was 19. She said something a little too dirty for him and he ended up being kind of a two pump chump. Fable is a sex positive icon though and made sure he knew she still had fun but oh boy he was embarrassed about it for a long time.

Fable likes to get Julian riled up and flustered around other people. Countless awkward erections...  

They both like to drink a little too much and have gotten in hot water with the guard for rowdy behavior. 

9. Is their relationship open or exclusive?

Ok. This is a really big and hard question. Fable has a lot of commitment issues and is really afraid of letting people close enough to hurt her because of some abandonment issues. She is also very independent and values freedom. She has a lot of fears about being “owned”. She is really up front about this with her partners. The majority of her relationships have been friends with benefits or one nightstands. She’s only ever been in love with one person other than Julian and they were very on again off again. 

 Moreover, her father is a wood elf and for the most part they are non-monogamous and her mother’s people don’t have a persuasion for it either (monogamy is common but just as much as non monogamy). So She has never been in an exclusive relationship. She just didn’t grow up worrying about finding someone to be with long term.

I’ve added a little passage from a WIP that encapsulates her feelings. 

“So,” Julian’s voice was pitched a bit higher than normal. His brows knit together, thinking of the right thing to say, “We should probably talk about what happened in the library… ” 

“It was a bit of debauchery, not a big deal, Julian. Fun is fun, no strings attached.” 

He put his hand on her slender shoulders, “ When I told you I wanted you that night on the docks, I meant it.” 

She turned away from him her arms tight across her chest, “Look Julian, I really like you. But, I don’t really do commitment.”

Julian looked at her blinking, “So, you don’t want to be with me?” 

She looked back at him over her shoulder rolling her eyes, “Never said that.” 

“You said-” 

“I said I didn’t do commitment, not that I didn’t want you. Not the same thing at all.” Fable shrugged, “I’m just not the kind of woman who wants to belong to someone else. And besides you hardly know me. How do you know that I’m the kind of person you want to be attached to.” 

“Fable I don’t want to own you. That, that isn’t what relationships are. Not that I’m proposing a relationship. That is, we did just meet and-” 

She cocked her head curls tumbling over her shoulder. Her cherry lips curled into a blithe smile that could stop a man’s heart. She let out an amused laugh, strengthening the lapel of his jacket. 

“Oh, you are a sweet one doctor. That’s exactly what relationships are.” She took his hands into her own drawing them to her lips, “ I will give you my affection, my body, my company, but my independence is something I will surrender to no one.” 

He followed a few paces behind her  the rest of the way. Remaining silent whilst mulling over their conversation. He’d only known her for a short time. He had no reason to feel so disappointed in her disdain towards commitment. Yet, her words had put a pit in his stomach, Still, he’d take as much of herself as she was willing to share without complaint. There was something strangely familiar about her words. A bittersweet deja vu that caused his temples to ache. 

That being said she and Julian are exclusive. He is the first person to want to be exclusive with her. Post game she and Julian are in a really good place and they have a really long and good talk about what they are. He would have been willing to keep things open but she could tell he was only offering for her sake. Julian gives her a sense of security and genuine love she has only had with one other person and she hasn’t wanted to be with anyone else sense they got together. 

10. How often do they need to be intimate?

They hump like rabbits. They both have pretty high sex drives and physical touch is a shared love language. 

11. Have they ever fought?

 They don’t fight too much. Julian is emotionally intelligent enough to tell when she’s upset and Fable is pretty diplomatic so things normally work out before an argument happens. They have a bit of a Fenris/Isabella vibe and normally settle things with a bit of hummor:  

Fable: (Sighs) This is silly. I don't want to argue.

Julian: Do you want to guess what color my underclothes are again?

Fable: Oh, yes, that's much more fun.

I think their biggest argument is a lot like the argument from eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, both pre and post respawn.

Pre respawn: "Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours."

Post respawn:

https://youtu.be/_q0ZZKbzITI

It is much of the same argument but this time around Julian is able to understand and acknowledge her fears much better than the first time around. He was young and still had a lot of his own growth to do when he first met her her but they’ve both grown up a lot in the time between their first kinda relationship and now.

12. Describe their perfect date

A night at the Raven or a little trip on the harbor with the slope!

13. Do they have an evening routine?

They take a bath together.

Julian Brushes her hair 

She rubs his back.

14. Describe a “paid scene” with your character and their LI

It would be fable just teasing and flirting with Julian at the Raven!

“I can feel my cheeks blushing from just thinking about what I could say to you”

15. Would they go on a double date?

Totally! They are both extroverts and people-people! They would be that couple that is a little too all over each other during a double date though! 

16. Who pops the question?

Fable is a known  Gamophobia.

This is a major charter trait for her in both my arcana and dnd cannons. It has a lot to do with her parents and how she was treated by the elf side of her family. That being said I think Julian is about the only person who could get her to settle down. They are well suited for each other being similar in a lot of ways but really different in others. Julian is quick to fall and very open with his feeling and that offers her a security she isn’t used to.

Julian is the one to propose.

He does it on a trip to Nevivon.

He takes her out to the dock at sunset.

There is a big gushy speech

The ring is a ruby from a temple of Sune:  associated with love, especially faithful passionate commitment and closeness. As well as being on of Fable’s favorite colors and a call back to the “wedding” ring she gave him when they first met. 

She PANICS. But does say yes.

17. Describe the wedding

They get married at sea as its a shared passion

It’s a big mish mash of their cultures.

Fable is half wood elf and her mother is fantasy Celtic and Julian is fantasy Russian Jewish.

A hand fasting & blood oath

“ Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone, I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One. I give ye my Spirit, 'til our Life shall be Done.” (I like outlander sue me)

A pebble toss

Couples in ancient times were often married near some sort of water source such as a lake, river or holy well, believed to be favored by the Celtic gods. Wedding guests were each given small stones to cast into the water while making a wish for the couple's future happiness.

A chuppah

A glass breaking

Lots of dancing and rowdy partying

Her family sails out for the wedding as well as all of their friends and family from Nevivon and Vesuvia.

Fables dress:

I’ve included a cute little mood board.

A big Celtic gown made mostly by her aunt and mother but also worked on by herself and Portia. It’s an important custom in her culture that all the women of the clan make the wedding dress.

She wears Julian’s mother’s pearls given to her at the masquerade

A  kokoshnik that belonged to Lilinka

18. Any babies?

I’m not sure I want to make this 100% cannon but, eventually they have at least daughter named Keava! She has Fable’s eyes and Julian’s hair. She was very much unplanned but it all worked out! I kind of like the idea of them being like fergus and marsali from outlander though and keeping the population up.

19. Do they stay in Vesuvia, or eventually move somewhere else?

They travel a lot! Right after they go back to piracy for a bit  but keep the shop and clinic as a home base.

20. Talk about that family life.  What’s it’ like?

Julian is the best dad ever.

They are both open door policy parents 

They both have strong family ties and have a  multi-culti home for their kid(s).

[rowdyactivist]

Lux by Scott Wells: A (heartfelt) review

I'm on page 1.

I've followed Scott's tumblr for awhile (see link at the bottom of the post). I've read his drabbles and the prequel, which I absolutely adored but should be addressed in another post.

I'm on page one, and I'm frightened.

Scott does an amazing job of throwing you into the cellar, disorganizing your thoughts and leaving you scrambling to collect them. Before you as a reader can do that, you're introduced to The Hunter. And oh, what a villian.

Is there anything more horrific than a bad guy who likes pain, who enjoys pain, and knows how to wield comfort as a weapon? No sir.

-

I'm on page 98.

First, can I say how much I adore Lux? The world feels so organic, the characters so real that I'm drawn into it from page one. It feels like the world could be really, truly a place I could go, it feels like a place I KNOW. I can touch it, I feel like, and that isn't something that usually happens. The quarrel between "normal" people and magic users mirrors the sort of struggles that I find myself facing a lot, it almost satirizes it while still managing to be completely serious, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching. It really feels like I could walk down those streets.

And the characters. OH. BOY.

I know I mentioned the characters feel organic but I can't begin to describe it. PTSD is something I deal with daily and to see characters with such realistic and ugly symptoms is so refreshing I might actually cry.

No really, I might.

Characters with trauma and PTSD are rarely represented, and when they are it's damn near romanticized. This book doesn't do that in the slightest. As a reader you get to expierence the disorientation that trauma symptoms can bring about, and it's done in such a fluid way I can't help but be in a bit of awe. Scott doesn't shy away from the confusion, the disassociation, the anger and mood swings. I've never felt so wholly represented.

Lux, the main character, isn't the sort of main character you come across very often. He's queer for one thing, and that's already rare (THANK you, Scott). Lux is sweet, scared, well mannered and terrified, but he's also brave in his own right. It's a nice diversion from the usual hardass, good-at-everything MC.

The supporting characters are just my favorite. Kiara? A GEM, I'm in love with her. Anders? While it takes a chapter or two to really become invested in his character, it's easy to become attached.

-

108.

Something I love in stories are the little things, everyday activities. They're the most interesting to me. They show a characters true nature. I love that this book has it, it makes you feel like you're there and in the moment, like these characters are personal friends that you know.

-

114.

Oh this was always my favorite drabble. I LOVE watching whumpees break, finally, and the whumper stopping and thinking.... fuck. I went too far. No matter how old I get it will be my favorite thing.

_

208.

A big arc in the main character's journey is the story of Cole. The ten year old is brought down to the cellar while Lux is in captivity, and it awakens a dormant protective streak in him. I never quite understood Cole's arc just from snippets on Scott's tumblr, but reading it now in order from start to finish... I can say it is probably my favorite.

Lux battles with two main issues in this arc, the want to give into his conditioning, and the want to keep this little boy safe. And miraculously, the Hunter's training is never what he picks. He never chooses to forego some of the pain if it means Cole will be hurt.

Something I really love is the utter confusion you come across in this part of the book.

Lux's issue with telling the difference between real life and fantasy has been addressed, but not like this. Scott has a way of writing that puts you in Lux's shoes, that makes you just as unsure as he is as to what is really happening.

It's fucking captivating.

_

214.

Emory and Luz are perhaps the cutest couple I have read about, and the chemistry between them is captivating. Even I was blushing. There's one part that feels... rather emotional to me, though maybe it isn't meant to. Emory is speaking to Lux about hesitation, about saying no, and a particular piece of dialogue comes up.

"If you don't want to have sex, Lux, you don't have to. No matter what. If you don't even like it ever, that's okay, it doesn't make me like you any less."

It's a very profound moment to me at the very least because... that's not a message I often see in books, television... I've only heard it from other people talking to me directly. It's comforting somehow. As an asexual guy who isn't interested in sex, I rarely hear this message, and I am so, so glad it was included.

Lux as a character gives off an... asexual sort of vibe.

And yes, maybe it's caused by trauma, maybe it's not, or maybe I'm wrong entirely. But asexuality as a reaction to trauma doesn't make it any less valid, that's what mine is based off of.

I could actually cry seeing a character like this.

_

And then we reach the ending, what do I say about that?

Years have passed since I have been truly engrossed and encapsulated into the world of a book. Years have passed since I got to the last page, the last line, and felt a bittersweet sadness overtake me. It's that need to go back, the want to have more and the knowledge that you can't have it.

Lux by Scott Wells is an amazing book that manages to put the heart and excitement back into reading. It draws you in, enthralls you and terrifies you. The way the story is told - through little snippets, through personal and up close moments - is ingenious and makes you think of storytelling in a way you never have before. It reminds you that at it's core, writing a book and crafting a world is innately personal. Throughout the course of the book you'll come to love Lux, you'll come to fear the Hunter... and then you'll learn to pity him.

Brilliant plotline, unforgettable characters, and a story to remember.

[Find the author at @friendlylocalwhumper ]

[pain-somnia]

Mirepoix [4/?]

Rating: M Disclaimer Day’s Notes: I was supposed to post this fic for “Rice Wine” but the chapter ended up morphing and even though rice wine shows up it’s no longer the focus. AO3 | FF

Chapter Four: Only When I’m Homesick

The clothing carousel couldn’t possibly move any slower. Sakura had to resist sighing as the worker waited for the clothes that matched her ticket to appear.

She was glad it was a day off because it meant that she could go home and relax after being in class all day and after running errands. It was to be her last day off for the next two weeks and she wasn’t looking forward to going back to work.

The past couple of days were awkward—no other word could encapsulate the vibe of her last two shifts at Wisteria Place.

It was difficult to try and avoid someone you had to see face to face every thirty minutes for five to six hours. And that was the minimum amount of interaction she could possibly have with Chef Uchiha.

Of all days for anyone to see her in her underwear it had to be when she was wearing the ones she reserved for laundry day. And Not only did it have a o be one of her supervisors, but the attractive one that saw her in her teeny bikini panties with the string ties.

He probably thinks I wear that kind of thing everyday, she had whined inwardly, banging her head against one of the poles on the train car. The embarrassment had made her want to cry the entire metro ride home.

Ino knew something had happened. Nothing could escape her keen eyes and she promised to get to the bottom of the awkward tension between her and Sasuke. Sakura just didn’t want her to know that it was her bottom that was the root of the problem.

She couldn’t tell her, “The weird way we avoid eye contact as much as possible and try not to say more than three words max to each other? Oh, that’s just ‘cause I flashed our boss.”

Sakura had no idea how she was going to survive going to work anymore. It wasn’t as if she could apologize to him because he got a good eye full of her ass and there was no way she was going to demand one from him.

Who needs an apology? A voice wheedled its way to the forefront of her mind. He can just touch you again.

It had been so gentle and Sakura hadn’t had that in a long time. There were hugs from her mother and father, full on glomps from Ino who didn’t quite understand physics and what her weight being thrown at such speeds could do to the receiver, but nothing like that.

He only touched my arm, how backed up am I? Sakura tossed the bag of dry clean over her shoulder and sighed as she waited for the light at the crosswalk. It was only a touch on my arm.

And yet at the same time it wasn’t only a touch to the arm. He was so close and heat radiated from his clothed figure in a way that made her lower stomach get all airy.

“NothappeningNothappeningNothappening.” Sakura muttered the chant under her breath as she crossed the street, the words running together as she repeated them. The sooner she stopped thirsting over the restaurant’s tyrant the better.

Keep Reading

[kimabutch]

JLCR: kimabutch edition

To celebrate somehow reaching 1000 songs on Jam Like Critical Role, the giant fan-created playlist that I’ve been curating since February, I’ve decided to put together a mini-playlist of own, featuring two of my favourite songs for each member of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein! Each song has a YouTube link, but you can find the whole mini-playlist on Spotify here.

By mini-playlist I meant that there are “only” 36 songs, and also that I’ve pulled out my favourite lines and explained why I associate the song with them, so that this whole thing is approximately 5400 words long. I tried to restrain myself, but, well, Jam Like Critical Role is a testament to my lack of self-restraint. If it helps, I’ve tried to incorporate a diversity of artists, eras, and genres, from folk-punk to techno, country, dream-pop, classical, and beyond. I hope you find something you enjoy.

Grog

We’re Going To Be Friends, Jack Johnson (cover of White Stripes), for Grog and Pike’s incredibly wholesome childhood friendship. While many of the lyrics describe friends at school, which is not totally accurate for them, I can just imagine the two weirdos playing among the bugs:

“Walk with me, Suzy Lee/ Through the park and by the tree/ We can rest upon the ground/ And look at all the bugs we’ve found”

Not to mention Pike teaching Grog his ABCs:

“Tonight I’ll dream while in my bed/ While silly thoughts run through my head/ Of the bugs and alphabet”

I just love these two silly monstahs.

Giant, Juno Reactor: to balance out that last song, have some techno that makes me want to yell “Vox Machina, Fuck. Shit. UP!” and split Kevdak in half with a nat 20 from the sky. Appropriately named for our goliath friend, this song always temporarily convinces me that I, too, am a seven foot tall barbarian (which is not recommended while you are trying to do anything that requires brainpower.)

Keyleth

I Lost Myself, Lauren Mann and The Fairly Odd Folk, for Keyleth’s self-doubt about whether she can do her Aramente (or whether she even wants to) and fear that she’s hurting everyone:

“I’ve got voices in my head Making me think that this is where I end Hey, what do you see, if anything What do you see in me”

This specifically reminds me of her Aramente, and how it taught her so much more than she was expecting:

“You and me we made a plan To travel from here to there and back again Somewhere on that weathered road I found the dreams that I’d been looking for”

And “Hey, we’ve got the world to see/ So let’s forget our anxieties and get on our way” makes me think of Keyleth and Percy’s friendship, and how both of their stories are about trying to figure out what to do once you’ve achieved your goals. I want to think that after the story ended, they were still occasionally able to leave behind their responsibilities and travel the world together.

Take Us Back, Alela Diane, for a post-canon Keyleth, reminiscing on the old days and eventually outliving the rest of Vox Machina. I get a strong image of Kiki coming down from Zephra to see her friends:

“Atop the crags and cliffs the air is thin/ So we’ll find a mountain path on down the hill/ Meet me where the snowmelt flows/ It is there, my dear, where we’ll begin again”

And of her listening to Scanlan’s music, centuries later; they’d be the last two alive: “I’ve a friend who lives out by the river’s mouth/ He knows the fiddle’s cry is an old sound”

And then Keyleth, alone, listening to a river’s gurgle or the wind’s howling, and almost thinking she hears her friends: “Muted voices, just beyond/ The silent surface of what has gone.”

Percival

The Devil Spoke Here, Chicken Little, which I think is actually about the aftermath of a protest, but which I feel works eerily well for Percy’s development following the Briarwood arc. The beginning reminds me of his guilt, feelings of brokenness, and anger issues after he’s cast out Orthax — right down to his guilt about guns:

“There’s bullets in the streets/ and broken dishes on the floor/   enough anger in my heart/   to take the blame for it all/   I could take every bullet back/   if I could never feel like that”

It also covers Percy’s realization, after his conversation with the Raven Queen, that he’s free from the judgment of the gods, and acceptance that he’s the one who has bad thoughts for the greater good:

“I have no god for guidance/ still I’m praying all the same/ may everything I do/ be done for everybody’s gain”

And then this, for a reason that I can’t quite explain, feels so much like Percy’s forgiveness of Ripley at Glintshore, and his death at her hand:

“May we always fail/ with the best of intentions/   with our hearts always pure/   and our souls only human”

Wandering Star, Portishead: the weird trip hop vibe to this song somehow feels appropriate to Percy, and in particular to his darkest thoughts. The song addresses the possible punishments for these thoughts: “Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved/ The blackness, the darkness, forever.” It helps that this is an allusion to a Bible passage about atheists.

The second verse makes me think both of Percy’s relationship to the concept of eternity (because of the “needle’s eye” — a parable about the entrance of heaven for the rich) and his raven mask:

“Those who have seen the needle’s eye, now tread Like a husk, from which all that was, now has fled And the masks that the monsters wear To feed, upon their prey”

Additionally, “Doubled up inside/ Take a while to shed my grief” is reminiscent of Percy’s revelation, in the last episode, that he just really fucking misses his family. This whole time, something inside of him has been curled up into a little ball like the teenager he was five years ago, grieving his family.

Pike

Holy, Jamily Woods: a song about self-love and self-assurance, underscored by Christian imagery:

“Though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no love/ Oh my smile my mind reassure me I don’t need no one […] Woke up this morning with my mind set on loving me”

Many of the lyrics can be interpreted either as the singer being self-sufficient because her god is there — or being sufficient even beyond her god: “I’m not lonely, I’m alone/ And I’m holy by my own.”

I think both interpretations work for Pike: that she has found (or is attempting to find) peace when she’s not with her friends, or that although she worships Sarenrae, the Everlight doesn’t necessarily interfere in her day-to-day life and she makes her own happiness. Either way, the song makes me feel at peace in the same way that Pike does.

The Otherside, Ohbijou, for Pike’s feelings about Scanlan during the year gap. Particularly, I’m reminded of Pike’s attempts to talk to Scanlan on the earring: “With things left unsaid so unsatisfied/ And a burning to hear your voice just one more time.”

And in these lyrics:

“And it’s so silly for me to worry/ About situations that don’t exist/ We create these problems and try to solve them/ Why waste each passing moment?”

I hear Pike trying to figure out her feelings for Scanlan, but shooting herself down because he’s gone, why even try?

Scanlan

The Pilgrim - Chapter 33, Willie Nelson (cover of Kris Kristofferson), which really encapsulates, for me, Scanlan’s complex relationship with religion: the fact that a guy who regularly produces lightning from his dick, messes with people’s memories, and actively attempts to cultivate a drug habit finds himself praying to the Everlight at night and eventually becomes Ioun’s chosen:

“He’s a poet, he’s a picker/ He’s a prophet, he’s a pusher/ He’s a pilgrim and a preacher/ And a problem when he’s stoned”

The lines “He’s a walking contradiction/ Partly truth and partly fiction” reminds me of all the identities he’s taken on, both for fun and to shield his emotions from his friends, whereas “Taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home” makes me think of Scanlan’s long road back to Vox Machina after leaving them.

Handle With Care, Traveling Wilburys: almost every single song on this album works for Scanlan, so choosing just one was a real challenge. But this song is so good for all the shit that Scanlan’s been through (and all the shit that he’s been), and his relationship with Pike through all of that:

“Been beat up and battered around/ Been sent up, and I’ve been shot down/ You’re the best thing that I’ve ever found/ Handle me with care […]”

“Everybody’s got somebody to lean on” reminds me of Scanlan’s feeling, in episode 85, that he’s the odd one out in Vox Machina.

The last verse encapsulates Scanlan acknowledging his own fuck ups, working to make them right, and eventually, having a healthy relationship with Pike:

“I’ve been uptight and made a mess/ But I’ll clean it up myself, I guess/ Oh, the sweet smell of success”

Taryon

Father and Son, Cat Stevens, for Tary’s relationship with his father and his decision to leave home; the song is a duet of sorts. I think the father’s part of the song is a little generous for Howaardt Darrington, but retains the message of (somewhat condescendingly) trying to keep his son at home and have him reconsider his far-reaching plans: “I know that it’s not easy to be calm/ When you’ve found something going on.”

The son’s part, though, captures Tary’s frustration with his father’s strictness and inability to actually understand his passions:

“How can I try to explain?/ ‘Cause when I do he turns away again/ It’s always been the same, same old story/ From the moment I could talk/ I was ordered to listen/ Now there’s a way and I know/ That I have to go away”

And the last verse is some real closeted gay feelings that always make me tear up:

“All the times that I cried/ Keeping all the things I knew inside/ It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it”

What’s It Gonna Be, Shura, not so much for the song’s lyrics, but for its music video, which is all about falling for a different gender than you expected, and which is incredibly sweet and beautiful.

That being said, you could definitely take the lyrics to be about his crush on Percy and his obliviousness about who in Vox Machina is sleeping with whom:

“Do I tell you I love you or not?/ 'Cause I can’t really guess what you want/ If you let me down, let me down slow”

Vax’ildan

Glorious, Muse, for Vax’s early relationship with faith. He can’t help but feel drawn towards Sarenrae’s light, even as he has doubts and perhaps even anger towards the gods:

Faith: It drives me away/ But it turns me on/ Like a stranger’s love It rockets through the universe It fuels the lies and feeds the curse And we, too, could be glorious”

He wants that glory that he sees in Pike, but he doesn’t know how to approach it or reconcile it with his life experiences. And then he finds his whole world shattered as he’s chosen by the Raven Queen, and he once again has to find faith, though in a way that he never expected:

“I need to believe But I still want more With the cuts and the bruises”

Fields of Gold, Sting: a song from Vax to Keyleth. I can imagine them so perfectly in this scene, perhaps during their year of downtime, with the winds of Zephra blowing through the fields and their hope beyond hope that they’ll be able to stay together:

“Will you stay with me? Will you be my love?/ Upon the fields of barley/ We’ll forget the sun in his jealous sky/ As we lie in fields of gold”

“See the west wind move like a lover so/ Upon the fields of barley/ Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth/ Among the fields of gold”

Years later, Vax knows that Keyleth will see those fields again and think of him: “You’ll remember me when the west wind moves/ Upon the fields of barley.”

Vex’ahlia

Half Jack, The Dresden Dolls: a truly haunting song about the pain and unavoidability of being her father’s daughter — she’s always half Jill (her mother) and half Jack (her father.) The whole song is incredibly painful for Vex, and the lines:

“It might destroy me But I’d sacrifice my body If it meant I’d get the Jack part out”

always makes me think of “If I could pull the blood of you from my veins and give it back, I would.” Also,

“But if you listen/ You’ll learn to hear the difference/ Between the halfs and the half nots”

reminds me of her asking Percy if she looks like she comes from money — or a younger Vex, in Syngorn, gradually realizing why everyone looked down on her and Vax. Lastly, isn’t “I see my mother in my face/ But only when I travel” absolutely heartbreaking for her?

Fall Down or Fly, Lindi Ortega, only partly because Lindi Ortega strongly resembles my headcanon for Vex. The other part is because of my abiding love for how Vex learned to fly, and how that worked with her character arc: from the first time, in the Briarwoods arc, that she discovered her love for flying, to her flaunting convention and stealing the broom, to Percy modifying it for her, to her friends cheering her on with chicken target practice, and finally to her soaring through the skies with confidence. And the song captures that so well for me, as well as her decision to keep going even when her father, Saundor’s words, and her own self-doubt bring her down:

“This is your life/ You can fall down or fly/ You can burn out a shot if you want/ This is your life/ You can live it or die/ You can quit now or try if you want/ But don’t you give up, don’t you give up”

This also reminds me of how much all of Vox Machina adores and supports Vex (and I will join them in crying about how awesome she is):

“You said what is there to lose?/ Do it if you choose/ I got faith in you/ Everything you do/ I know you are gonna make it to the top”

(I also maintain that a modern Vex would be really into country music, particularly the genre of country song in which women tell people to fuck off.)

Vox Machina

Call Them Brothers, Regina Spektor feat. Only Son, for Scanlan’s departure from Vox Machina and the whole team’s attempts to deal with it. I first heard this song in an absolutely heartbreaking TAZ animatic, and my pain increased exponentially when I realized how much it also worked for Critical Role. It’s perfect, in my opinion, for the sense that their family, which has seen them through so much, is irreparably broken — “That’s it, it’s split, it won’t recover/ Just frame the halves and call them brothers.”

But then you also get “Over and over, they call us their friends/ Can’t we find something else to pretend?” for Scanlan’s insistence that Vox Machina doesn’t really care about him, and “Find your fathers and your mothers/ If you remember who they are” for “what’s my mother’s name?”

Maybe this should go on Scanlan’s playlist, but I think “The hunt is on, everyone’s chasing a shot” also works for the way that the rest of Vox Machina independently searched for Scanlan during their year of downtime… and the feelings of defeat in the song just feel appropriate to the whole group.

(I actually have a playlist full of songs for episode 85, because I enjoy making myself sad; it took a lot of effort not to put them all here.)

Freaks, The Hawk in Paris: I can never decide whether this is a Mighty Nein or Vox Machina song, but I’m putting it here mostly because “If you come along with us, the doors are never ending” is absolutely hilarious in for Vox Machina’s single greatest enemy.

That, and there are a lot of lines that work for individual members of the group: “We have a flair for the shade and the inbetween” (Vax); “We like to run with the wolves from the darker scene” (Keyleth); “When we turn the safety off, the shots are automatic” (Percy); “All our friends tell their friends we’re so dramatic” (Scanlan); and “We’ll make you swoon, make it hurt just a little” (Vex).

Additionally, “We have a plan, we’ve got the means for your liberation/ You’ll only have to blur the lines on a few occasions” makes me think of the Briarwood arc, and I makes me think of Percy dramatically revealing his identity to the priest — and cut to Grog pulling out a guy’s tongue.

Anyways, if I learn to make AMVs by the time that the animated series is released, this will be the first that I’ll make.

Beauregard

Saint Simon, The Shins, for Beau’s escape from the Cobalt Soul. The song expresses frustration at weighty intellectualism and how much it doesn’t teach you — which i think is something Beau felt strongly with her monk teachers:

“After all these implements and texts designed by intellects/ So vexed to find, evidently there’s still so much that hides […] Since I don’t have time nor mind to figure out the nursery rhymes/ That helped us out in making sense of our lives”

So she tries not to care about anything because it’s safer that way (“The cruel, uneventful state of apathy releases me”), and she runs away:

“I’ll try hard not to give in, batten down to fare the wind/ Rid my head of this pretence, allow myself no mock defence/ Step into the night”

I think the last part of the song could also work for her meeting the Mighty Nein and starts understanding friendship and love: “Mercy’s eyes are blue when she places them in front of you/ Nothing really holds a candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside you.”

Jonas and Ezekiel, Indigo Girls, because what kind of lesbian would I be if I didn’t put at least one gay-written song on Beau’s playlist? This one is about road trips, wandering, and looking for a purpose:

“I left my anger in a river running Highway 5 New Hampshire, Vermont, bordered by College farms, hubcaps, and falling rocks Voices in the woods and the mountaintops”

But also contains one verse that I think fits her strict family, her new family in the Mighty Nein, and the “devils” — or tieflings — of which her family would certainly not approve:

“Now when I was young my people taught me well/ Give back what you take or you’ll go to hell/ It’s not the devil’s land, you know it’s not that kind/ Every devil I meet becomes a friend of mine/ Every devil I meet is an angel in disguise”

And something about this reminds me of her journey into Xhorhas and attempts to uncover conspiracies and work out the truth: “In the war over land where the world began/ Prophecies say it’s where the world will end.”

Caduceus

Born at the Right Time, Paul Simon, for Caduceus’s belief in destiny and his place therein. The chorus describes his occasional naïveté, and the happiness of his life in the Blooming Grove, with his family:

“Never been lonely Never been lied to Never had to scuffle in fear Nothing denied to”

And then gets into his conviction that his goddess and the world itself put him where he is:

“Born at the instant/ The church bells chime/ And the whole world whispering/ Born at the right time”

The very chill vibe of the song is also very Clay, to me.

Happy All the Time, Danny Schmidt: the singer himself has said that he doesn’t know whether or not this song is ironic and/or melancholic, so I’m going to go with a sincere and cheerful interpretation for Caduceus, with maybe a hint of nostalgia for more peaceful days among his family. It’s got some incredibly lush and occasionally strange nature imagery that I think is perfect for him:

“I took the time to breathe cause I was happy all the time/ Among the rootbuds and the weeds cause I was happy all the time/ But the peat moss and the leaves took turns with both my feet/ Until my toes took root and I was happy, I was happy all the time”

I think Caduceus is still happy, but he was definitely at peace as a hermit.

Caleb

I Miss That Feeling, Tennis: a song about panic attacks and how the physical effects, when described, almost seem like falling in love. It works not only for Caleb’s panic attacks, but also, relatedly, his relationship with fire, which scares him, even as he likes the way it feels — “Something like pleasure, you’d never believe it.”

The fiery way that the singer describes panic attacks is also very Caleb:

“I miss that feeling/ Flicker hot and hovering/ Like my own discovering/ Eagerly, tenderly/ I miss that feeling/ Flicker spread into an itch/ Into a burn, into a twitch/ Slow and even”

It brings me back to the first time we saw it, in the gnoll mines. Also, “Every little thing starts trembling/ Recorded by the needle of an EKG” feels very reminiscent of his hospitalization, though from a modern perspective.

Putting the Dog to Sleep, The Antlers, for Caleb’s very tentative trust in the Mighty Nein, and in particular his friendship with Beau. I think this song really encapsulates Caleb’s pain and skittishness, especially near the beginning of their campaign, as well as his desperation (unknown even to himself) to love again:

“Well, prove to me I’m not gonna die alone/ Unstitch that shit I’ve sewn/ To close up the hole that tore through my skin/ Well my trust in you is a dog with a broken leg/ Tendons too torn to beg for you to let me back in”

And this feels like something that Beau would say to Caleb — upfront and caring all at the same time, reminding him that his actions affect everyone else and asking him not to run:

“You said, ‘I can’t prove to you you’re not gonna die alone/ But trust me to take you home/ To clean up that blood all over your paws/ You can’t keep running out […] Kicking yourself in the head/ Because you’re kicking me too.’”

By the end of the song, Caleb is starting to believe her, and even asking her to trust him: “Put your trust in me/ I’m not gonna die alone… I don’t think so…”

Fjord

Release the Kraken, The Daysleepers: I added this to Fjord’s playlist back when everyone was speculating that his patron was something kraken-like, and even now that this is clearly not the case, I think it still works for Uk’otoa (Uk’otoa) and his attempts at freedom: “It pulled the ships down/ It’s rising from the deep below.”

But also for Fjord’s relationship with Avantika — for his attempts to get close to her in order to save himself and his friends:  

“Turn the lights down Careful as a serpent’s tongue Move without a sound Gentle as the cold wind moans”

I think “When you sold love/ Your heart becomes a monster” is some of what Fjord felt after those encounters: like he gave part of himself away.

21st Century Child, Daggy Man, for Fjord’s self-hatred and the masks he puts on. Many of the lyrics could fit several characters (particularly Beau, Caleb, and Scanlan), but

“I hate the sound of myself/ When I’m being honest/ Sounds like somebody else/ And I don’t wanna listen/ To the whinings of a 21st century child”

just perfectly captures his feelings about his voice and his past self — weak and whiny, and not who he wants to be. And then we get these lines, which feel like a good summary of his issues with identity and deception:

“And I’ve struggled with how/ Others perceive me/ And I can’t tell if I’m better/ Or just better at deceiving And I’ll keep going until I’m called out”

Jester

The Sweetest Sounds, Ella Fitzgerald (cover of Richard Rodgers), for pre-stream Jester barely waiting for her exciting life to begin. I first heard this song in Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and while there is something fairy-tale-like about Jester, I think this upbeat, jazzy cover fits her well:

“The most entrancing sight of all Is yet for me to see And the dearest love in all the world Is waiting somewhere for me”

I can just imagine a 10-year-old Jester listening to the band at the Lavish Chateau play this song, dressing up in Marion’s clothes, and pretending she’s in a storybook romance.

One Hand in my Pocket, Alanis Morissette, which really captures her beautiful complexity:

“I’m free, but I’m focused/ I’m green, but I’m wise/ I’m hard, but I’m friendly/ I’m sad, but I’m laughing”

because Jester is so many things all at once, and none of them negate each other. It’s so hopeful (“What it all comes down to/ Is that everything’s gonna be quite alright”) and comforting (“What it all boils down to/ Is that no one’s really got it figured out just yet”) in a way that really reminds me of my favourite blue cleric.

The whole song has such a fun, free, summer vibe that always makes me smile — just like Jester.

Mollymauk

Carnival Overture, Antonín Dvořák (Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic Orchestra): one of my favourite pieces of classical music ever — when I hear it, an entire music video about a carnival plays in my head. The exuberant theme that bowls you over from the start reminds me of Molly’s effervescent, ostentatious personality.

The slower and quieter part in the middle with the violin and woodwind solos gives me a picture of Molly and Yasha sitting alone in the evenings just outside the carnival encampment, cuddled together — Yasha talking about her wife, Molly telling jokes, and the both of them making up names for constellations and flowers. Then the quick-paced minor section makes me think of the bloodhunter tiefling in combat, deadly with his swords and vicious mockery — before the return to the joyful, triumphant original theme.

Wonderful Everyday, Chance the Rapper & The Social Experiment**: this is sort of a cover of the Arthur theme song, but in the absolute best way possible. The meandering, loose, and extraordinarily happy vocals always remind me of Molly’s way of living.

Although some of the lyrics are more optimistic than Molly (I think he’d laugh at “Everybody that you meet/ Has an original point of view” and say that their points of view are usually bullshit), the message of appreciating every single day is just wonderful for him.

And the last bit hits me like a ton of bricks:

“And when I go down/ I'ma go down swinging/ My eyes still smiling/ And my heart still singing”

“Eyes never shut,” indeed.

**not on Spotify, sorry!

Nott

The Sore Feet Song, Ally Kerr: at first it appears to be a simple song about traveling long distances to find your love, which certainly describes Nott’s search for Yeza: “I walked ten thousand miles, ten thousand miles to see you/ And every gasp of breath I grabbed at just to find you.”

But the second verse is where it really gets into Nott’s thieving, rat-eating, badass ways:

“I stole ten thousand pounds, ten thousand pounds to see you I robbed convenient stores cause I thought they’d make it easier I lived off rats and toads, and I starved for you I fought off giants bears and I killed them too”

I love this strange little goblin.

Fox in the Snow, Belle & Sebastian: this song has always been a bit of a mystery to me, but the lyrics remind me of Nott’s intense vulnerability after she was transformed into a goblin — and in particular her self-image as something animalistic:

“Fox in the snow, where do you go/ To find something you could eat?/ Because the word out on the street is you are starving/ Don’t let yourself grow hungry now/ Don’t let yourself grow cold”

The second verse, which switches to describing a human girl, reminds me of pre-transformation Veth, more acceptable in body but no less socially ostracized than Nott:

“Girl in the snow, where do you go/ To find someone that will do?/ To tell someone all the truth before it kills you/ Listen to your crazy laugh/ Before you hang a right/ And disappear from sight/ What do they know anyway?”

I can just see that exact scene play out with a young Veth, right down to the “crazy laugh.” I’m glad she found Yeza, but she must still have been pretty lonely without any other friends.

Yasha

Into the Barrens, Grizfolk, for Yasha’s years of blank wandering after Zuala’s death. This song fits Yasha so well that for months, I somehow tricked myself into believing that Ashley had put it on her playlist. But I feel like this encapsulates her hopeless feelings, away from all society, not living for anything or anyone:

“Cast me away, my shadow’s cold/ Into the barrens where I will grow old/ Well, I’m not looking for answers/ And I’m not looking for gold”

And I can see this verse for the beginning of her relationship with the Stormlord, following voices she can’t understand as she wanders, barely alive:

“The voices in my head/ They echo in the wind and I begin to sway/ I follow what they say/ I can’t see their eyes, but I hear howling through the haze”

Dreams, Fleetwood Mac: technically a break-up song, but I can’t help but think of Yasha’s ever-present guilt and her memories of Zuala when I hear:

“Listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness/ Like a heartbeat drives you mad/ In the stillness of remembering what you had/ And what you lost”

The storm imagery also works for Yasha — “When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know” makes me think of her fight with the Stormlord on the boat, which allowed her to open up to her friends. And it touches on Yasha’s opaque dreams (“Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions/ I keep my visions to myself”).

(Ally and Stevie also have a lesbian mash-up of Dreams and Rhiannon, two of the gayest Fleetwood Mac songs, that I associate strongly with Beauyasha.)

Mighty Nein

Old Black Train, The Blasting Company (from Over the Garden Wall): trains don’t exist in Exandria (yet! — Percy or Taryon should get on that) but this is more of a metaphor for life. It reminds me of the Mighty Nein setting out from Alfield, not knowing the twists and turns they were going to face, the places they’d go, nor the family they’d become:

“This journey is a long one/ It will take you all around/ Life rushing by your window/ Before it lays you down”

Then there’s this verse:

“Oh come on now young stranger/ Weren’t you someone’s son? How’d you find this depot 'Cause it ain’t where you belong”

which feels very appropriate for many members of the Mighty Nein, separated as they are from their families and wandering in lands that aren’t welcoming to them. There’s also a verse that’s reminiscent of the graveyard they passed on the way to Zadash, which more and more feels like a portent of things to come:

“You will pass a graveyard/ Stones worn by the years/ The train’ll stop a minute but don’t let it leave you here”

Sailing, Leisure Cruise: another song about transportation, although this one is a little less metaphorical. As you can probably guess, I associate it with their adventures on the Mystake and the Ball Eater, which begun by total accident but which, in my opinion, was a turning point for the group, and ultimately helped them grow closer together:

“And to our surprise we’re sailing The high seas in the middle of the ocean […] We’re sailing the wildest mystery And to our surprise we’re happy and free”

Okay, so maybe “happy and free” is a bit of an exaggeration for that arc (particularly for poor Nott) but I think there were a lot of moments in which the Mighty Nein learned unexpected lessons about themselves.

And I think this is a good summary of the Mighty Nein’s modus operandi: seize every passing opportunity, because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring:

“Maybe it’s today Maybe it’s tomorrow But we have to make a play Or the chance will fade away”

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening and reading. Love you all <3

[aroacepanorientedopentoexplore]

I posted 1,119 times in 2022

That's 1,119 more posts than 2021!

30 posts created (3%)

1,089 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 94 of my posts in 2022

#aromantic - 62 posts

#aro - 57 posts

#aroace - 55 posts

#asexual - 54 posts

#ace - 47 posts

#aromanticism - 40 posts

#lgbt - 39 posts

#arospec - 37 posts

#ace culture - 36 posts

#aro ace - 34 posts

Longest Tag: 126 characters

#how are these people just walking around never thinking about who and what they are and what role they fulfill in what society

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Every new friend group should include

The veteran whose seen all the stuff

The straight friend who wants to help but doesn’t know how and is anxious

The problem generator

The straight friend (affectionate)

The secretly smart one that everyone complains about (affectionate)

The straight friend that’s on thin ice

Baby Ace

The I support you but not your choices religious friend

The token political bisexual

The clone of the straight friend who wants to help but doesn’t know how but GAY

58 notes - Posted August 19, 2022

#4

So I just read loveless for the first time and just WOW ! I’ve never related to a main character more!!!! It’s true that Georgia is more of an introvert but just everything in this book kinda encapsulates the feels of being aro ace!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO LITERALLY EVERYONE!! Stories and first hand accounts are a great way to learn and to experience emotions and thoughts that may help you understand others emotions! (If you can’t buy the book I suggest either you local library to pick up a hard copy or looking up loveless free pdf on a search engine!!!)

In honor of fully reading the books below are quotes that I very much vibe with or are just general feelings/experiences that I have felt or my friends have felt. Warning there is explicit language. A lot of the quotes can be triggering to some people especially if you have been forced or felt pressured to be in a romantic relationship when you didn’t want to, or if you are uncomfortable with sex, mentions of sex, fan fiction or relationship failures, so just be aware plz (sorted by chapter)

readmore: +

Last Chance

I had a theory that a lot of peoples ‘celebrity crushes’ were faked just to fit in.Tommy had been my crush ever since I was in Year 7 and a girl hadasked me, ‘Who d’you think is the hottest boy at Truham?’ She’d shown mea photo on her phone of a group of the most popular Year 7 boys at theboys’ grammar over the road, and there was Tommy right in the middle. Icould tell he was the most attractive one – I mean, he had hair like a boy-band star and was dressed pretty fashionably – so I’d pointed and said him. And I guess that was that.

Romance

I just loved love.

I probably got this from my family. The Warrs believed in forever love –my parents were just as in love now as they were back in 1991 when my mum was a ballet teacher and my dad was in a band. Both sets of my grandparents were still together. My brother married hisgirlfriend when he was twenty-two. None of my close relatives had beendivorced. Even most of my older cousins had at least partners, if not wholefamilies of their own.I hadn’t ever been in a relationship.I hadn’t even kissed anyone.

Pip, Jason and Me

I’d had times when I’d wondered whether I’d end up with Jason. I’d hadtimes when I’d wondered whether I’d end up with Pip too. If our lives werein a movie, at least two of us would have got together. But I’d never felt any romantic feelings for either of them, as far as I could tell.

There were never any romantic feelings between Pip, Jason and me. But what we did have – a friendship of many years – was just as strong as that, I think. Stronger, maybe, than a lot of couples I knew.

Truth or Dare

She tried to smile warmly at me. ‘You know you’ll find someone eventually, right? ’‘Yeah.’‘ You know you’ll find someone eventually. Everyone does. You’ll see.’ Jason was looking at me with a sad expression on his face. Pitying,maybe. Was he pitying me too?‘Am I wasting being a teenager?’ I asked them. And they told me no, like best friends would, but it was too late.

Tommy

School romance was on my list of favourite fanfiction tropes. I also loved soulmate AU, coffee shop AU, hurt/comfort and temporary amnesia.I figured school romance was the most likely one that would happen to me, but now that the possibility of it happening was more than zero, I was freaking out. Like, heart racing, sweating, hands shaking freaking out. This was what crushes felt like, so this was normal, right? Everything was totally normal

Kissing.

New at romance? I wanted to laugh. I’d been studying romance like an academic. Like an obsessive researcher. Romance would be my Mastermind topic.

On Fire

There’d been signs. I’d missed all of them because I was desperate to fall in love.

But I couldn’t do it, because I didn’t fancy him. My seven-year crush on him was entirely fabricated A random choice from when I was eleven, and a girl held up a photo and told me to choose a boy. I didn’t fancy Tommy. Apparently, I hadn’t ever fancied anyone.

Loveless

I never liked him,’ I said in the car as we pulled up outside Pip’s house andI cut the engine. Pip was next to me. Jason was in the back. ‘Seven  I just lied to myself the whole time.

It’s wild how long you can trick yourself, And everyone around you.

I’ve never had a crush on anyone in my entire life,’ I said. It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Or was I just doing life wrong? Was there something wrong with me? ‘Can you believe that?

I’d get a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend, even. A partner. I’d have my first kiss, and I’d have sex. I was just a late bloomer. I wasn’t going to diealone.I was going to try harder.I wanted forever love. I didn’t want to be loveless

Change

I was starting to feel a bit like I was going to be sick.But everyone probably felt this way about starting university

Rooney

In the photo was Rooney, maybe aged thirteen or fourteen, with a girl who had dyed red hair. Like, Ariel from The LittleMermaid hair.‘Is that your friend from home?’ I asked. This was a good conversationstarter, at least. Rooney whipped her head round to look at me, and for a moment Ithought I saw an odd expression cross her face. But then it was gone,replaced by her wide smile.‘Yeah!’ she said. ‘Beth. She’s – she’s not here, obviously, but ... yeah. She’s my friend.

See the full post

76 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#3

If you or a loved one have experienced romantic feelings, interest, enjoyment or satisfaction you may be entitled to financial compensation

Call the Aro-Ace-Hotline today !

Thank you for reading 💜💚

~skullkitten

98 notes - Posted May 18, 2022

#2

Random dude: How is your day beautiful ☺️

My friend: *Immediately texts me this asking how she should respond bc she doesn’t like this guy*

Me externally: just say your day was fine

Me internally: NO WRONG !! GET THAT TEXT AWAY FROM MY FRIEND! WHAT KIND OF AMATONORMATIVITY BS IS THIS!! WHAT KIND OF STRAIGHT GUY FRAT BOY BEHAVIOR???????? NOT ON MY WATCH!!

Thank you for reading

~skullkitten 💜💚

105 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Just a reminder that we should support everyone in learning and exploring other identities that do not relate to us and our own identities! Sometimes the best cure for hate is awareness and understanding

Thank you for reading

~skullkitten 💜💚

162 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

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