#which Tumblr doesn't really like and the formatting SUCKS ASS

[amtrak12]

Fanfic Meta: First Draft vs Final Draft w/ Examples (1/2)

Does anybody remember those LiveJournal posts on fanfic meta? Like not actual fanfic, but meta on how to write/post a fanfic? There was a whole big table of links that I can no longer find, but I HAVE tracked down synedochic's posts on dreamwidth. These were hands down the most helpful things I've read on story structure until I discovered Helping Writers Become Authors years later. Just INCREDIBLE work.

Anyway, you still see meta on how to post fic on Tumblr, but you don’t really get writing meta much, unless someone is analyzing the text of a specific fandom. So now that I’m finally hitting the point where I can write to the level of my tastes (or near enough to enjoy reading my own work), I thought it might be fun to bring back that vibe and share some writing meta. Maybe some other fic writers or aspiring writers will find it helpful :)

My current WIP is a Lucifer story called “Can We Keep Her”, and it’s a full sci-fi/fantasy novel length fic. Like it’ll be 190k words long when all is said and done, easy. (And there’s still two sequels planned oops.) It’s my longest fic to date BY FAR, and I am utilizing every skill I’ve ever learned and still learning five more with every chapter. One of the biggest techniques I’ve been utilizing is using multiple drafts to take the story from concept to final draft. Now, I am not following the common writing advice that says to write the entire story first before editing. Maybe if I wasn’t writing fanfic that could work? Or maybe if this wasn’t my first story over 100k words? But right now, that common writing advice is firmly not for me. Instead, I’ve settled into a pattern of drafting several chapters (anywhere from 2-4 with several more outlined in detail) and then going back and editing them into a state that I’m happy with. Then, when they're edited to at least "readable", I go back to drafting. This pattern is working for me and, as a result, means I’ve gone through the outline -> first draft -> second draft -> final draft stages many times over the last few months. Which is why I figured it was a good place to start with fanfic meta :)

Some caveats on my writing system for this fic before I begin:

I did have a broad strokes outline (the major plot points) completed before I started the first draft, and certainly I had those before I started posting any chapters on AO3.

I might be an underwriter when drafting, but I’m an overthinker when outlining and editing so I don’t really struggle with plot holes. It’s more likely I’ll be able to fill in a plot hole later because of some detail I had already slipped into the story.

“Can We Keep Her” is by far my longest fic, but it isn’t my only novel-length fic or my only plot-heavy fic. I gained a decent understanding of what works for me when it comes to multi-chapter fics from my previous attempts.

All that is to say: your mileage may vary on editing chapters as you go vs writing an entire draft start to finish before editing. But the information I’m covering here should apply no matter when you prefer to edit.

It just so happened that Chapter 10 in “Can We Keep Her” provided a prime example of first draft vs final draft. I had a to rewrite the final scene in an entirely new POV, and as a result I still had the original first draft preserved in a separate document. (Typically, my first drafts get absorbed into final drafts through editing or else they get straight up deleted after I rewrite.) So I’m going to provide the first draft of the scene in this post below the cut, and then I’ll share the final version in a separate post (linked here and at the bottom of the post). Separate posts isn’t ideal, but Tumblr formatting doesn’t allow for better options. This way, though, you can open the posts in separate tabs (on desktop at least) if you prefer to view them that way.

At the end of each version, I’ll share my thoughts about them and cover things like why I chose the original POV, why I changed it, what my goals were for the scene, how the second version supports those goals better, and where I still think it could improve but ultimately ran out of time before it needed to be posted. I hope you find these thoughts helpful or at least interesting!

Original closing scene for Chapter 10 behind the cut:

Chloe was late for lunch. After waiting hours, watching time drag on, a family member of Joey Pillegi agreed at the last minute to speak with them over his lunch break. Chloe wore every professional mask in her arsenal to hide her impatience. Dan knew her too well to be fooled, but she didn’t think the grieving brother noticed. Unfortunately, the interview didn’t lead to another clue. The brother didn’t even know where Joey had been living the last six months, let alone that he’d joined a mob.

At least, Lucifer had finally texted after his therapy session had ended. ‘Apparently pink was the missing feature of the infant’s car seat’ wasn’t the most descriptive message, but it offered a few insights. Lucifer had bought a new car seat for Rory, and Rory liked it. Now hopefully, the rest of their morning had gone as well.

The penthouse elevator opened to the sounds of Rory’s happy chatter against the backdrop of the television. Lucifer spotted her immediately, but Rory remained out of sight, presumably tucked inside the largest blanket fort Chloe had ever seen.

“You two have been busy this morning,” she said.

“Hm? Oh, yes the fort.” Lucifer frowned. “The infant has this frustrating tendency to scoot herself underneath the couch. She’s bound to get herself stuck if she keeps that up!”

“So you made a blanket fort instead?” Chloe’s mouth quirked up into a smile. He’d done this before: complain about something and then do something incredibly thoughtful and sweet under the guise of removing an annoyance. She shouldn’t be surprised at this point, and yet it still managed to impress her every time.

Rory finally noticed her arrival and came crawling out of the blanket fort. “Mommy!” She sprinted over and Chloe dropped to her knees to catch her in a hug.

“Hi, baby!” Chloe grinned. Relief crashed over her as she got to hold Rory in her arms again. The morning had lasted way too long, and she was so glad she could check on Rory again. “Did you have fun with Daddy?”

“Lucifer,” said Devil corrected her. “Get her to use my name.”

“Right, sorry.” Though, internally, Chloe rolled her eyes over his continued denial.

Rory bounced excitedly on her toes. “I saw Aunt Linda!”

“I know you did. Were you good while you were visiting Linda?” Chloe stood up and asked Lucifer, “Did she give you any problems?”

“Yes,” Lucifer said. “She accused me of not listening.”

Given the context of therapy, Chloe wasn’t entirely sure who he meant. “Who did, Linda?”

“No, the infant!”

Chloe bit back a smile.

“She also accused me of arguing with her which I wasn’t doing,” Lucifer gave Rory a pointed glare, “until she said I wasn’t listening.”

Chloe leaned down to talk to Rory. “Was Lucifer not listening to you?”

Rory gave her a conspiratorial smile. “No, he didn’t listen at all.”

“At all?” Chloe gasped. When Rory giggled, she grinned.

Lucifer was far less amused. “Okay if the little demons-in-training are going to team-up together then you’re not allowed to gang up on me too.”

“I’m not making promises,” Chloe said, crossing her arms. She smirked at Lucifer’s annoyance.

“Mommy, Mommy!” Rory tugged on her jacket.

“What is it?”

“All of Charlie’s toys were gone!”

“They were? Oh, no!” Chloe had no idea what toys Rory was talking about. They might be toys back at her mother’s house or at a friend’s house or even a daycare her mother had taken her too. But playing along with the girl might get her more answers than asking direct questions.

“Yeah, they were all gone because Charlie’s mad at me.”

“You think someone’s mad at you?” Chloe asked.

Rory nodded. “Charlie is.”

“Why would Charlie be mad at you?”

“Because I flew without him.” Rory pouted either in a mimicry of how she imagined this Charlie must feel or because she didn’t like the idea of someone being mad at her.

“I see,” Chloe said, though Rory’s responses had only generated more questions. “Well, maybe we should just keep our feet on the ground and not fly for awhile. What do you think?”

“Maybe,” Rory said, stretching out the word in a very unconvincing agreement. Chloe hoped Lucifer was right and that Rory couldn’t truly fly with her wings. She seemed to grasp hiding her wings when they were in public, but if she could fly, Chloe feared the temptation would be too much for the little girl to resist.

She turned to Lucifer and in a quieter voice asked, “Who’s Charlie?”

He threw up his hands. “I have absolutely no idea. I thought she was trying to say Charlotte at first, but either that’s wrong or the girl has a poor grasp on gendered pronouns.”

“No, she seems to have pronouns down,” Chloe said, remembering Rory’s firm correction that Roger Bear used ‘she’.

“My only other guess would be an imaginary friend,” Lucifer said. “Apparently young children can have those.”

“Yeah, an imaginary friend is possible… or,” Chloe braced herself as she suggested, “it’s someone she knows back home with her mother.”

Predictably, Lucifer’s face twisted in disagreement.

“You think she was still made by your parents,” Chloe said.

“It’d have to be my father if she was,” Lucifer said. “Mum doesn’t have a way back to our universe. But I still don’t know why my father would try making a baby angel.”

Or why that angel would think you were her father and not her brother, Chloe thought as Lucifer walked off towards the bar. She could almost understand why he was having such a hard time accepting the obvious. If an angel child being born was so impossible (and for Rory to be Lucifer’s only child over the course of humanity’s entire history, it certainly seemed like angel children were pretty damn impossible), then why couldn’t something equally preposterous like God creating a toddler angel on his own be a valid explanation for Rory’s existence? The problem was, they weren’t trying to determine which explanation was more or less likely to have happened. They were looking for the explanation that best fit the evidence, impossible or not.

Rory desperately wanted to give her a tour of the blanket fort. Chloe assured the girl, she could show it off soon and they could even eat lunch under it, but first Chloe needed to talk to Lucifer. After pulling a pinky promise out of her, Rory toddled off to continue her Fringe episode, and Chloe walked over to join Lucifer at the bar.

A large stack of paper rested on the countertop, but Lucifer leaned on his elbows beside it, staring off into nothing.

“Celestial craziness or not,” Chloe began, “maybe you should start looking at this like one of our cases. Keep your mind open to all of the possibilities and follow the leads until you can rule something out.”

“Not everything is possible,” Lucifer said.

Chloe replied, “In Rory’s case, it sounds like none of it is possible. But she’s here, so there has to be some explanation for her.”

Lucifer sighed. “I know.” He turned his gaze down towards the stack of papers, but he didn’t touch them.

“What is that?”

“Just some names I need to look into.”

That was purposefully vague. Chloe reached across him and pulled the stack towards her to read.

“They’re just some names, Detective,” Lucifer repeated.

He sounded concerned, but he didn’t stop her from taking the papers or try to pull them back. Chloe really hoped he hadn’t backtracked to hunting down the mysterious Sinnerman he was so obsessed with. He had a daughter to worry about now.

The stack was indeed a list of names printed out on computer paper, but each name had a date recorded beside it.

“What are the dates for?” she asked.

“It’s when I last saw them,” Lucifer explained. “It’s probably a fruitless endeavor.”

All of the dates were from 2014. Three years ago and some change. Now, Chloe understood what this list was.

“You’re looking for Rory’s mother.”

Lucifer pulled away the stack of papers. “Like I said, it’s probably a waste of time. She might not even have a mother.”

The denial wasn’t as strong as he wanted it to be. He did realize Rory being his daughter was the only explanation that fit. He just wasn’t ready to accept it yet.

“It’s a pretty big list,” Chloe said.

“My printer can’t print on both sides,” Lucifer replied.

Chloe wasn’t commenting on the length of the list specifically. She remembered all too well just how many people he managed to sleep with in [a week? Two weeks?]. Multiply that out to an entire year since they didn’t know Rory’s birthday, and Chloe almost expected the list to be longer. Then again, not all of his sexual partners could’ve given birth, so that would’ve narrowed down the list.

“Give me half.”

“What?”

“That’s a long list to go through on your own,” Chloe said. “I can help, so give me half.”

Lucifer shook his head. “You have a murder to solve. At least one of us should get to investigate something fun.”

“That murder investigation is stalled until we can either analyze those hairs we found or someone comes forward with information. There’s nothing ‘fun’ to do on the case right now.” Chloe held out her hand for the list. “I bet I can get through my half first.”

“Really?” Lucifer said. “You think turning this into a competition will get me to hand the list over?”

Chloe shrugged. “I mean, it’s not really a competition when I have every California and federal database to work from and you’re just crawling through social media.”

“I am very adept at finding information on social media,” Lucifer argued.

Chloe smirked, already knowing she’d won. She leaned in again to split the stack of papers up. “Here, I will take the bottom half so you can continue where you left off in the beginning of the list.”

“You don’t know that I’ve already started investigating,” Lucifer said, but it was nothing more than his game night protests as he searched for a loophole in the rules that allowed him to not actually lose. He was an extremely sore loser.

“Uh oh!” Rory left her castle-sized blanket fort to run over. “Fringe stopped, Daddy. Look.” She pointed back to the TV where the current episode had ended and the question of whether they wanted to continue watching had interrupted the end credits.

“That’s because the episode’s over,” Lucifer said.

“Fix it.”

Chloe answered, “Hey monkey, how about we get lunch first? Are you hungry?”

“I want more Fringe,” Rory said, glancing back to the paused TV.

“We can watch more Fringe, but let’s get food first, okay?”

It took a little more coaxing and challenging her to a race to the kitchen before Rory pulled her attention away from the television. But then she grinned and ran off down the hallway with Chloe while Lucifer yelled after them about falling. His list of names hovered in the back of Chloe’s mind all through lunch. She didn’t know which of them would ultimately find Rory’s mother, but if she found them first, that mother was getting such an ass chewing for giving the girl up. Chloe didn’t understand how anyone could look at Rory and decide she wasn’t worth fighting for. She’d been away from the girl for just a few hours and had still missed her desperately. How could Rory’s mother not be frantic after days apart? It was infuriating.

---------------

My Thoughts:

Yes, I do use the square brackets for notes to myself. :P I told y'all this was the first draft version!

So I went with Chloe’s POV originally for several reasons. First, I just kind of default to her POV? I tend to default to women characters in general in my fandoms (maybe because I’m a woman, maybe because I’m queer, maybe both). But also Chloe’s POV is a little more clear-headed and therefore easier to show the reader what’s going on. I do step out of her POV when she becomes super emotional like in Chapter 3 when she learned Lucifer is the Devil. (If a character is too emotional, it can be hard to portray their POV so I like to swing outside of them in those scenes.) But if Chloe’s present in a scene, she tends to be my default POV.

But there’s also a downside with being more clear-headed and not as emotionally invested in the plot (yet): sometimes it means you have less interesting things to say. Which is exactly the problem here. Chloe has nothing real to add in this scene.

Well, she has exactly one thing to add and that thing is the other reason I chose her POV initially: she missed Rory while she was at work and I desperately wanted to show her relief at getting to see her again. I’m more than a little obsessed with all the parental feelings in this story, and Chloe definitely has the stronger parental feelings in this moment since Lucifer is still in conflict over Rory being his daughter.

Except Lucifer’s conflict is exactly what we need to see at this point.

In addition to showing Chloe had missed Rory as if she was the girl’s mother (the dramatic irony, of course, being that she is the girl’s mother), I also wanted this scene to end with the decision to search for Rory’s birth mother. Which it does! Technically. But it doesn’t do it very well, and I always knew I’d have to smooth that out during editing. And while it wasn’t the primary focus here, I always want more Rory cuteness (the family domestics is kind of the whole point of this fic) and I wanted some glimpses into how Lucifer and Rory’s morning alone together went. This version of the scene covers both of those things, but again, not very well. And if I want to show how Lucifer and Rory’s morning went, then why wouldn’t I use Lucifer’s POV to show that more directly?

I realized pretty quickly when I went to edit this scene, that I should switch POVs. So go check out my second post over here to see what changed when I used Lucifer’s POV. Or if you’ve already read it because you’re reading “Can We Keep Her”, then just scroll down to the bottom and check out my thoughts on the changes.

[iztea]

What social media platform is your favorite and why? (I personally really like your tumblr vibes hehe)

mmm i'd say pinterest but that doesn't really count as social media i want to say tumblr too but i haven't curated my dashboard well enough to actually enjoy scrolling through it so i just post and dip. same for Instagram and tiktok, i want to stay away from doom scrolling reels for 10 hours yk that leaves me with twitter and listen.,, /My/ own twt timeline is the least stimulating app out of all of them cause it's mostly just art and funny stuff. i'm not saying it's a common experience or that twitter is better than all the other apps because it definitely is not it sucks ass buuuut mine is pretty tame cause i have cool moots Art-wise, twitter is my main platform (as in, it's where all my art is and where most of my "'audience'" comes from) but lately I've been enjoying posting on tumblr more. you simply don't get reblogs of people shamelessly screaming and key smashing in the tags anywhere else, it's a tumblr-exclusive experience. I'm also a big fan of the yap-friendly format as there is no strict word limit. the Tumblr People are also surprisingly active and interactive here as well which i also like (case-and-point: the #ask iztea tag that i never even knew i needed to make)

[greatprotector-if]

Just popping in to say that I really like your writing style. I really really like how it not only makes you feel things, but also LETS you feel things — if that makes sense. (it doesn't, but anyway.). I like how the narration is just a tiny bit unhinged and WILL make you laugh. I like how despite that, it doesn't sugarcoat or downplay the very real flaws and fears that follow every character.

Like, yeah, the world is tiring and people are tiring and you kind of just want to lie prone facedown on the ground Forever, but also. The narration (or, well, the MC) WILL snark literally Everything in sight to hell and back. You will have a heart to heart with someone deadset on getting that "MC's #1 Pain in the Ass" t-shirt and they WILL, quite literally, fly away when the conversation gets a little too honest; you are allowed to take your ire out on a pile of twigs. Presumably. You stare into a chicken's Not a Single Thought Is At Home eyes and someone WILL vehemently come to its defense if you slander it. Pillows will fwoomp pathetically to the floor. Everyone's sort of got their own wet cat thing going on. But also everyone is lovely. (And some people just suck, but they can wait their turn this isn't about them). You're allowed to feel angry. You're allowed to feel sad. You're allowed to feel a strange mix of everything and nothing. You're allowed to feel spite. You're allowed to be kind. You're allowed to be complicated and frustrating and flat out vexed with yourself. You are a person; you are a person. Those who surround you are also people — strange or vexing or supernatural they may be. The world is alive. You are alive.

Anyways. Yeah. :D I gotta clarify that this isn't about choices or variables and all that IF stuff. This is about your writing. It's just how it makes me feel. It's how your worlds and characters and everything make me feel. They are very dear to me. Thank you so much for sharing them. I love reading everything you show us, and I'm so glad you're writing.

Sorry for terrorizing your inbox with this Very Long Thing (I'll probably do it again). Once again, thank you, and good luck with everything!! 🤺🤺🤺✨✨✨✨

[P.S. Also, I typed a Very Long Thing in my tags for a certain post of yours but tumblr cut the whole thing in half when I posted it 🗿 I was like, "THE AUDACITY" and took off to your inbox so I could tell you what I meant to say in the tags (most of it is in the first paragraph of this ask) but now I'm kind of glad that tumblr offed my tags like that. It's allowed me to convey Everything to you in a.... somewhat more coherent manner, at least 🐓✨]

THJFN D. FHJFJGKGKVJVNFNVNGMV. dude WHTA THE HELL you are too too kind thank you so much?!?!!???!!??!!!!?! , , ,,, thank you for takingthe time to write this...... and even coming to my inbox when your tags cut off DJFJSKF SERIOUSLY i appreciate this so. immensely i'm ):

i won't lie i am struggling a lot with trying to convey this in a way that's satisfying with the IF format but the characters are what i consider to be among if not The Most Important thing in my writing and that includes the mc, so injecting little quips/opinions/human things into narration is my jam. if they don't feel real then what's the point!!!!!! it's hard with player choice and variables and it's definitely been a steep learning curve for me (which is part of why it's taking so long to write lol oops) but. i just. people are complex. and i want to make room for all sorts of people if i can. & i'm so glad that my writing makes u feel things. wven kust in general because THAT'S ALL WE WANT AS AUTHORS. LIKE. THANK YOU

ok i have no idea what i'm saying at this point this is so stream of consciousness no clue if it makes sense but THANK UOU AGAIN. WAGGJHH. I SEIFOFK. i am going to think about this ask every fuckign day for the rest of my life. this ask is my NEVER BACK DOWN NEVER WHAT?

[sansloii]

How has Tumblr RP changed since you started? | would u like salt with ur fries?

this is less salt and more an observation but it's really interesting to see more dash-only blogs now ( especially now that the dashboard blog layout tumblr gives doesn't suck ass ). i remember when there was like... a stigma against dash only blogs ( and i will admit that ol' marshy was a little dumb and didn't like dash only blogs either for a while ) but i don't see much now. which is nice.

and the ways icon formatting has changed ( that's not deep frying ) to like.... fill the space you're given in a post is also kinda neat. i like that. it does feel like... in a way, we're going back to larger icons but it's not the icon itself that's large all the time, but the graphic.

i don't see as many big promos anymore. i'm neither here nor there about it because i am lazy and i don't have the bandwidth to do that anymore. to those that do, kudos to you.

the beta editor is not that bad. it has it's problems and i will shit on it accordingly but at this point, it's just adapt or struggle and i'm not looking to struggle. i loved the legacy editor and i will miss it, but tumblr will keep moving forward whether i like it or not.

oh--and affiliates! i honestly thought that this was more a group rp thing and like... i'm indifferent to it. it's okay, i guess. not something i'm interested in putting on my blog at the present moment but more power to you if you do.

@nezumivc103221

[takes1]

e. kirishima hcs

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warnings: nsfw, kink shit, minors stay off my lawn!!

details: aged up eij, gender-neutral reader.

a/n: requests are open! lmk what other characters ya'll want next for the hc series. uploads daily at 9 p.m!! new to tumblr, still learning format + tricks :,)

hc series: k. bakugo hcs / d. kaminari hcs

____________________

- soft dom: he's most comfortable taking charge in the bedroom. gets really awkward/cute on the rare occasion you try to switch things up. it's a matter of convenience and ease for him to lead.

- gentlemanly: you always cum first. he's gotta uphold his chivalry no matter what he's doing, which means he can wait no matter how bad he needs you. and trust, it doesn't take long with his skills.

- body worship/praise: after putting so much effort into his appearance in order to like himself, compliments resonate deep with him. so please let him know how good his chiseled body looks on top of you, he'll eat that (and you) up.

- size kink: strong believer that eij will grow to be of ridiculous proportions, over 6'7 and strong-heavy. it makes him remarkably larger than most people, so even if you aren't on the 'smaller side,' he'll still be able to cover your entire head with his hand and stretch you out with his fat--

- cock warming: doesn't always have the energy to fuck after a long day or work/training, but always want to be as close to you as possible. one of those people who says they wanna fuse into their partner. having you sit on his cock while he finishes up paperwork for the evening helps him unwind faster than any meditation/massage could.

- oral fixation: can't keep his mouth off of you. it starts off innocent enough, casually chewing on his hoodie strings, shirt hems, himself, and small miscellaneous objects-- until you let him sink his sharp teeth into your hand. he loves to suck on your fingers if he can't access your shoulders, neck, or face. frequently falls asleep sucking on your chest, drool all down his chin. giving you oral is practically a hobby of his.

- impact play: while his quirk isn't grounds for much pleasure normally, he does enjoy hardening his palm to leave impressive handprints on your ass.

- gym/working out fetish: warms his heart to train together, warms his cock to get freaky immediately after or even during a session if the gym is unoccupied, while you're both still panting and drenched in sweat. sparring has been interrupted on numerous occasions because of his hard-on.

[corvinearcher]

Howdy, I'm CorvineArcher, and this is my essay on why Equius is actually a great character, no matter what someone else thinks. Because hussie plays favorites like a MADMAN. (Sorry about the formatting, tumblr is weird as shit idk how to fix it.)

So starting off, I'm pissed: Okay I understand that all of the trolls we're just insulting real zodiacs, but some of them TRULY piss me off. He plays favorites like a madman, seeing as Vriska was more of a main character than John somehow, and nobody other than a small handful like Equius, Tavros, and Feferi. (Feferi is fair, I'll make an essay on her later.) anyway, these are just my observations from my first and currently only read of homestuck, an I'm gonna be honest, I DID NOT PAY ATTENTION lmao. I only just now found out that the Executioner, (Ancestor of my favorite troll line) HAS A NAME AND IT'S EXECUTER DARKLEER. DARKLEER. THAT'S FUCKING SICK.

Anyway, a big reason why people don't like Equius, is because Hussie doesn't: (If I'm spelling his name wrong, then he deserves it.) anyway, he seems to hate him. When he was first going to get his introduction, HE SKIPPED HIM. Because he made him a fucking weirdo because obviously, making fun of the symbol of Sagittarius is absolutely hilarious. So he made him super weird and obsessed with centaurs and kinky as shit and awkward because, HE DOESN'T LIKE HIM. Which is lame. Same thing with Horuss, too. And also he get like no screentime lmao. Then again his aspect IS void, but still, he could've gotten to do a lot more. And when he DID do super fucking useful shit WHICH HE DID ALRIGHT? He got almost nothing after it. But the second Vriska breathes she's on for eighty more pages. (Still love her tho) anyway, he definitely plays favorites and it sucks because OUR favorites get the fucking gutter.

Next part, which is me being an extreme Zahhak Apologist: Listen, of course equius is going to be obsessed with the hemospectrum because he is pure blue blood. Second in line for land dwellers (on the hemospectrum). Now it's not just him, gamzee went crazy with knowing he's above everyone and MURDERED people over it. The only reason he's chill is because he was high off bed slime, then chilled out by Karkat. And VRISKA, who is also a blue blood, third in line, is obsessed with her ancestor, and killed people as well to reach her goal as strongest. None of the others really did this (to my memory) so obviously equius is going to struggle with the hemospectrum, it literally in his blue ass blood. And, add on the whole thing about his hormones (will get into it in a sec) and also being a fucking teenager, he's confusing the hemospectrum and his emotions. He goes crazy for it in a completely different way due to all of his incredibly heightened hormones. So he is a weirdo, and kind of a freak, but he really can't help it. He has a mix of shit that should not be mixed and he has to just learn to deal with it and act normal and like it's fine. And he suffers as a social outcast because he can't socialize. He confuses everything to a point of not even being able to have more than one friend. And nepeta, I love her. Because she admits he's weird, but still sees that he's a person who's fucking going through it and they are THE best morails, and are the representation of morails universally known in the fandom. And she wasn't his friend out of pity because she DIED for him. So that just proves how good of a person he is apart from being joked on and casted out.

And now, here's why I think the Zahhak family is absolutely fucking bangarang: For starters, I mean cmon, I KNOW the hemospectrum is wrong and terrible BUT THEY'RE HIGH UP LIKE, SECOND DIRECTLY BELOW THE GRAND HIGHBLOOD. THAT'S KOOL AS SHIT. and their blood color is fucking rad, not to mention their individual color pallets, which I will make soon. Anyway, they're all about archery and horses, which make them already sound like knights which is also kool as shit. And they've got their important thing with strength. Which surpasses everyone else's. And and AND THEY'RE FUCKING CREATORS. THEY MAKE SHIT. THEY PROBABLY BEND HUGE PIECES OF METAL WITH JUST THEIR TWO HANDS AND CALL IT A NORMAL TUESDAY. I'm sure what they all create varies on the timeline. Horuss with robots, and Equius with robots too, but I think that if Darkleer got to make things, it would probably be armor and kool ass weapons. I mean LOOK AT HIS FUCKING ARMOR GOTTDAMN. And his fucking bow CMON. IMAGINE EQUIUS WITH THAT. anyway, I just think they're neat as shit. And I wish we could've had mor content on them. Especially Equius because he doesn't seem to get much, like ever. Even for aspect plot it's still aggravating. Either way either way, he's still my favorite, and I'm not gonna stop making cringe content on the Zahhak line.

(Also their last name is kool as shit I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE)

Me rn ^^^