So you said a while ago underfell was your favorite au before. Is that still true or?

Also who’s your favorite character from whatever au you like?

damn, you were around for that? :'D

yeah, underfell used to be my favorite! i think it was smth about being really edgy as a kid, or maybe it was because red was my favorite color. idk man, even now i gotta admit those designs slap really hard.

i'm not really sure if i have a favorite au now though. i do have some ideas for underfell that i like, but i think i see the appeal of most aus bc i just like making new scenarios.

i like the big three a lot (classic, fell, swap). sans is my favorite in classic (predictable i know) if you're not counting gaster, since he isn't technically a canon character. i like both fell paps and fell sans equally, and swap paps is cool. i'd be buddies with that guy.

(i also really like asgore in undertale. the tragedy of the grief-stricken ruler who kills even though it's against his nature for the freedom of his people but also because he's long past convinced he's in too deep is really compelling to me, and by proxy i'm interested in the theoretical stories of all the fallen humans including frisk. also the whole thing with their broken family and chara and—

—whoops the ask is about aus not canon lmao, sorry!)

FNAF SL REDUX

This whole Au is just self-indulgent for me, but you may like it, so still give this post a read if you're a fan of Fnaf sl, Fnaf aus, or both. Enjoy 😊.

This Au is dedicated to "rewriting" sister location to be more independent from the other fnaf games (*cough* *cough* FNAF 4) and to give a more unique perspective to SL'S story.

This Au is focused on the funtimes

I love these 4 sillies, I just love these 4 heck all the characters in sister location. I really wanted to have an Au that focuses on the funtimes and their struggles in the facility, focusing on that also allows me to delve into the very motivations that had them want to escape the facility in the first place.

The other animatronics in SL are also part of this Au, just not as prominent as the Skittle squad.

Elizabeth is also very prominent in this Au.

Elizabeth is another character in SL. I love a lot, so she's also very present. Since she experiences the same pain as Funtimes I through, I felt it really necessary.

There are lore changes.

Not really changes, more so add ons. These add ons are here to expand upon what Fnaf had built with Sister Location but never did anything with past SL. Some stuff in here are add ons just to indulge me.

William and Michael are here too.

While they're not as focused on as the characters previously mentioned, they do have their role and place in the story.

William is intentionally designed that way. While I do have a planned human design, I have a reason he looks like his 8-bit sprite. The reason is to show the rift he would unintentionally build with Liz after her death, and this rift would become so wide that she would no longer see him as her father let alone a person.

While Michael's look would specifically be keeped hidden through most of the story to show how the Funtimes and Elizabeth perceive him.

Oh yeah, Mrs. Afton is here too for some extra plot.

I don't have a complete design for her yet, so all I have are concepts of her design. I'm still working on her character (That's the fun of Mrs. Afton not being canon yet, I get to write her how ever I like.) But I want her to be someone who's kind and sweet but doesn't take shit and has the will to beat the shit out of those who deserve it.

A major plot point she is a part of is going down into the rental facility to find clues on what could have happened to Liz.

She would find answers, but at a price

Yeah, she would, um be killed by william. I'll go into further detail on this event at a later date.

Extra changes

Redesigned the facility's map

Changed some game events because I didn't like them or I felt they could have been better

Some new faces to really bring life to this Au

Unique character designs

More a focus on events prior to Sister Location (the game) events

Spooky stuff if I feel up to it.

Mult ending ideas

This Au may also touch upon and make content in association with other games and books in heavy relation to Sister Location (ex. FNAF 6 and fazbear fright story "Room for one more")

That's all the info I got so far, I hope to post more about this Au soon.

Bye-bye

-Jester 🤡

Levi's characterization at the Valentine's Event and why I live for it (Spoilers)

Am I here to overthink about Levi's writing again? Hell yes I am. I guess I'm analyzing this event and his role in particular because not only I enjoyed it, but also it had so many interesting aspects to notice I needed to point them out. Now that the event is almost over, I hope I'm not spoiling anyone!

I was a little bit taken aback when I played the event and noticed how Levi centric it was. I still have no idea why they made the decision of basically make him the protagonist but you won't ever find me complaining, I love that demon.

(is this the character oriented event for him? Like we had with Satan and Barbatos? It wasn't stated as such, so I'm curious)

So, recapping a bit, a curse triggered by Beel made all the chocolates of the Devildom disappear, threatening Valentine's day. The brothers need to fix it since they're all simps and want to give us chocolate. In fact, Levi is highly motivated to fix it since he wants a special Ruri-chan chocolate (and we later find out there's more to it).

So, Levi's role starts with the Abstinence Brigade (lmao it sounds so funny), where he makes sure everyone is following the plan of not doing the things they love the most.

I won't lie, I was laughing the entire time because he was just SO ridiculous. Exactly as I love him to be. He was loud and annoying, but above that, I was actually nodding at the screen with how consistent he was.

See, if anyone ever had any doubt this guy is a military genius since his role during events is mostly having weird ideas and fanboying over any otaku stuff (*ahem*... Comic relief), I assure you it's not that much of a strange concept.

It's a simple role he had in here, but that didn't make him any less bossy and strict. For someone who's quite sensitive and self deprecating, Levi certainly has a way with how he can give himself the right to command his own brothers, and I assure you this is not the first event I remember him doing it (it's kinda old at this point, but for example the Manga event was all him ordering his brothers around to make a good manga and scolding them for doing it wrong).

He can be really insecure, but when he knows he's right he's very stubborn and you won't convince him otherwise unless you can prove there's a better way or someone more competent to do it.

Now, moving on.

We find ourselves with the two routes. The normal one has this interesting dialogue, with Barbatos pointing out Leviathan had this piece of knowledge that could work out. I shit you not, I laughed at how Levi was once again relevant because there were at least 6 other characters that could've taken that role.

When did he even mention that? Lmao. Who cares, the guy has already been carrying the entire event on his back.

So ok, we all got to see he was particularly invested in fixing this situation, looking for solutions and having an active role. But that doesn't stop here.

The neutral route is saved thanks to Diavolo, Barbatos and Simeon and, yay!, everyone gets their little chocolate gifting scene if that's what you chose.

But still, the goddamn route still has an ending scene with him particularly. WHY. That was a surprise, but not as much as...

The unlockable route 🔑

So the story has moved and nothing worked from the original plan. Mc and Beel head to the cafeteria at night after hearing a rumor about an evil spirit appearing there at 3am. Turns out it was... Levi. Levi trying to cook chocolate because he needs to fix everything and restore chocolate in the Devildom.

I'm not gonna delve into Levi's growing as a character, romantically speaking, because I believe it's pretty noticable to anyone. He's not as much as a hater as he was before, and since he's in love, he actually appreciates Valentine's day now. That was really cute and made my heart go doki doki, of course. But c'mon, let me talk about his bossy attitude and sassy remarks cuz I live for them.

His way of speaking is always direct and blunt, even sounding mean. But what I love about it is the fact he never intends it as a passive-aggresive personal attack. It's more like an objective take of the truth and him feeling entitled to it (man that's some extraverted thinking if you're into MBTI). It might not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly is mine lol

Moving on, not only he feels responsible, but since the plan with all the brothers failed he's actually trying to solve it himself. Since MC and Beel are helping, now he's leading and guiding what to do next.

So it kinda fails as well and Beel gets horny weird all of the sudden. So here I absolutely adored this dialogue.

Hell no, he's not going to get moody and self deprecating, he's kinda confident now you two are a thing now.

Also, Beel can kick his ass and he'll still stand strong. Man, I love a "loser" (cuz we all know he isn't) who's willing to fight for me.

But the last thing I wanna remark from this scene is how, when he needs you to prepare the antidote while he distracts Beel, if you pick the choice where you're insecure about it, he does it himself. Like, I thought he was gonna be like "you can do it!" But no, he takes the time to prepare the stuff himself. And without any bickering, he thinks fast and does it quickly.

Man, how can I not be a simp when this guy's character is so multidimensional and consistent? Yes, he's weird, loud, has crazy ideas all the time, and is always described as annoying and disgusting for being a hardcore otaku.

But damn, he's also dependable, strong and intelligent. As much as he's in his own head and his own world all the time, he's quite practical, detail oriented and good at problem solving. And as I mentioned before, this is not the first time we see him like this.

(also, have you all seen the lyrics from the song "Trigger"? The guy does a 34 seconds rap on how he's smarter than others might think, he actually sees everything, but somehow he's still insecure. fuck, his character is so coherent it's even flexing at this point)

A long time ago I made a post about my own expectations regarding Grand Admiral Leviathan, and this event is feeding me even more to believe there's so much interesting material to work with Leviathan's character. It's so funny how it starts all comic relief, but turned out to be so good he's third at the popularity contest. OM Nightbringer, I surely hope you can deliver and do justice to all this potential.

Did I write too much? Yeah, but I needed to make this analysis and appreciation post.

As always, I'm open for discussing it further or fangirling together.

Oh, and I hope you all enjoyed the valentine's event (and the real life valentine's day) 💖✌️

Linked Universe: Why is it so popular?

What makes Linked Universe so appealing? I’ve been thinking about this lately, as I’ve been finding other Zelda AU comics here on tumblr, and while they’ve all been fun in different ways, none of them are quite as appealing as LU. So what does it do that draws so many people to it?

Well, I think it’s because it’s very close to canon. With all the other AUs, they change a lot about the Links. And that’s great! I love seeing all the different ideas! Buuuut, it does make it harder to get into. I was very confused with some of them until I dug more into the asks and what not to figure out what I was missing. While reading a comic I’d had the very clear feeling of missing something and went ‘Ah that’s why it’s like that’ once I found the missing info and from there was able to enjoy it much more.

But with LU, you don’t get that feeling. Even if you didn’t read the character stuff in the archive before starting the comic, you don’t feel like any context is missing. At least, not from what Jojo’s added; you only feel like you’re missing info that you would have known from the game and that makes it feel like you just need to get to know that particular Link/game rather than search for info Jojo provided but you just missed. It makes it feel far more open to outsiders; even those that don’t know Zelda! (Apparently. Didn’t find this out until recently and it’s really cool!)

For LU, all you need to know is canon info from the games to understand why she designed the characters the way she did. To know why they do what they do. To understand their motivations and their interactions with others. It’s so simple, and yet  so good. It’s just the normal Links meeting up under mysterious circumstances. And it’s because it’s so simple that all the little things she helps bring out or that we see in their games, we magnify and expand on with what info we have. It makes us delve a lot deeper into her comic and their games and just gives us a creative outlet to show our love for the ones we like most.

Idk if I’m saying it in a way that makes sense, I hope I am, but it just is so simple that it helps us expand on all the little things and make them feel even more alive. It’s beautiful and wonderful and I’m so glad to be part of the fandom. We have so many good people, so many talented people, and I’m so happy to have stumbled across this. Jojo cast a magic spell on us with all her wonderful work and we’ve been happy to follow and I can’t thank her enough for it. Everyone that has no idea what Linked Universe is, highly recommend you check it out! Fluff and angst, art and fics, and all the in-between. You’ll not be disappointed. And for those who do? Go check out some other Zelda AUs! They’re very fun and it’s nice to see their ideas/perspectives on the characters. I’m sure you’ll have fun with them too!

Hello, friend! I just stepped into Hellsing this past weekend and through my scrolling for blogs to follow, I came across yours. I found you through your posts about your OC. Based on what I've already read from you, you seem like a highly thoughtful, kind and knowledgeable person, and I've got every intention of reading your stories and commenting on them!

If it pleases you, I'd like to ask you some questions about Hellsing and your relationship to it.

1. What first drew you to the series? And is it best to follow the manga, anime, or OVA in terms of interpreting the story?

2. If it was up to you, what would you change about the story?

3. What's your take on the overall dynamic between Alucard, Integra and Seras?

4. I see the story takes quite a few artistic liberties with the lore from Dracula by Bram Stoker. Why do you suppose Alucard tried to turn Mina? Do you suppose it was for similar reasons as those for why he turned Seras?

5. I've been doing my share of research into vampire lore as of late and have come to learn that the lore Bram Stoker borrowed from for and added to through his novel contains antisemitic undertones. As a Jewish individual and a fan of the Hellsing series, how do you navigate this? (Disclaimer: I am not Jewish, which is why I did not recognize this myself until recently.)

Thanks so much for your time and attention. Happy Holidays!

First of all, oh my gosh thank you so much for the kind words! This ask made my whole day - I hope you enjoy my works, I feel like you can physically see my sense of writing develop over time but I put a shitload of heart and soul into them so I hope it shows. <3 As for your questions, I'm going to get into some major spoilers, so reader be warned beneath the Read More.

I think the general aesthetic was what drew me to the series at first. The dark, edgy and mysterious elements blended with pulpy action hero shit and campy horror form a really unique beast in terms of art, storytelling, everything. I saw someone refer to Hellsing's approach as "aesthetic maximalism" and tbh that is everything I love about it - all this, plus the surprisingly heartfelt messages about war, trauma and being human kept me coming back for more. As for which version is best to follow, I personally lean towards the manga as the main reference point, but Hirano was plenty involved (to my knowledge) with Ultimate's development since it's the adaptation that's faithful to the manga. The Gonzo 2001 anime has some fun ideas and cool moments but it's basically fanfic, including some major changes to the characters from their original versions (Integra is outright cruel at times in 2001 and way more dogmatic, Alucard is more brooding and mysterious, and Seras has more to do and feels more mature but her personality got flattened). Oh, that and BDSM as a narrative device. Love that shit.

I would make a couple of changes, personally. First and foremost, I would make it a little clearer why Alucard decided to shoot Seras before then turning her. It's never explained if he did this out of selfish desire to have a companion, or if there's some other reason - from our perspective it seems like he really did just murder Seras to make her his pet. It seems totally plausible for him to have shot the vampire holding her hostage without hurting Seras. Right now, it basically looks like a glorified abduction. However, this kind of clashes with how their dynamic develops over time, and that's clearly not the kind of relationship that's meant to be portrayed between them, as they do have a certain sort of genuine affection for one another, but it isn't delved into as much as I would like. I think making it clear one way or another would dispel the uncertainty. I would also expand on Millennium's origins and personal motivations more, and at least make the references to their crimes against Jews more overt. Beyond that, there is little I would change.

BDSM polycule. No. Literally. I don't even mean this to say that they are canonically a throuple - that misses the mark. BDSM is often sexual, but it does not need to be (plenty of dynamics exist where a dominant and submissive engage in a power exchange without ever touching one another for mutual benefit). The characters call those who direct their actions 'Master' for a reason, and it's because Hellsing is rife with themes of dominance versus submission, and how the act of bending to someone else's will is not necessarily a bad, damning thing that makes you weak. Alucard knows he is not a moral person, so he gladly allows Integra to give him orders on who to kill, who to destroy, and so on. Seras is a fearful person who has long struggled to feel a sense of agency in her life, and lacked authority figures to guide her growth. Alucard and Integra both provide her that push - and it's scary, and it hurts, and she puts up a fight all the while because she's frightened and uncertain of herself. Everyone likes to act as though Alucard hated her for this, but that seriously misses the mark. Especially in the manga, Alucard is surprisingly patient with her refusal to grow, telling her to take her time as she adapts to being a vampire. But at no point do either parties let Seras forget - growth is not optional. Eventually, she will have to accept what she is. And she ends up finding solace, belonging, and fulfillment in her service to others in this way.

I doubt it was for these reasons. Personally, I think Alucard’s affiliation with and interest in Mina Harker is often overstated by the fandom - of Dracula the novel, and of Hellsing. I view what he did to Mina as a cruel, strategic crime of opportunity, a means of striking at the heart of the team of vampire hunters that were pursuing him. That, and a means of keeping an eye on them. Nothing more, nothing less.

Aaahh that's a spicy meatball. So first and foremost I think it is important to note that a great deal of tropes in literature from the Eurosphere have some level of antisemitism baked into them. As one of the oldest forms of bigotry, it's just a fact of life. If you're Jewish and engaging with media whatsoever, you run into it. It just happens. Now, having said that, I would say two things. One, Alucard is far tamer in appearance than Dracula is in the novel. No small beady eyes, no retracted hairline of messy-fluffy hair, and while he does have an aquiline nose, it isn't this grotesque-looking oversized Zeppelin of a thing as most antisemitic caricatures would portray. That, and his negative personality traits are more than of a general brute, rather than this small-minded, vindictive, greedy miser. Having said that, he does still use seduction as a weapon, he does drink blood (blood libel), and so on. That in mind, I think where I fall is that you cannot divorce the vampire from its origins as an antisemitic trope, but you can point to the elements of the trope that aren't necessarily anti-Jewish in nature as well as say that Alucard is departed enough from these roots to be largely divorced from them. Largely, keyword.The other part to this is that antisemites in Hellsing are consistently portrayed as the villains. Indeed, it is perhaps the only usage of the Nazi Vampire trope that I think does it justice. By having the bigots that would normally insist that Jews are blood-drinking monsters be the actual monstrous enemies who kill and plunder just because it's fun for them (and that they did this as humans long before they turned to boot), it gives the impression of commentary on how Jews are often scapegoated for the crimes of actual bad actors, in the same way that Jews get blamed for the economy being bad instead of the rich corporate oil barons who sit in their ivory tower ruining shit for everyone else. That, and general commentary on warfare. Warmongers gorging themselves on the blood of innocent people that their conflicts spill is a classic allegory of the vampire - hell, for that matter, think of how many Confederate vampires there are in fiction. It isn't a coincidence (and come on, we've all seen the thumbnail for that one YouTube video essay on this, LOL). Beyond this, I also want to draw attention to two things: Tubalcain Alhambra's name, and the Captain's death. First off, the fact that Hirano named the Brazilian collaborator with the Nazis after the Alhambra Decree, a watershed moment in European antisemitism which expelled, forcibly converted or murdered all of Iberia's Jews (Sephardim), boggles my mind and to this day I think it's the coolest fucking detail about Hellsing. It links the bad guys both with religious persecution and with violent antisemitism in an unmistakable way. That, and his name, Tubalcain, being named after the son of Cain. It's all very pointed.

Second, the fact that the Captain gives Seras the tools needed to kill him and it's a silver tooth? That Pip specifies comes from a death camp victim and makes it crystal clear for narrative purposes that it represents the crimes of the Nazis coming back to bite them? That's powerful, to me, IMO. It, too, links Millennium with their antisemitic crimes against humanity in a way that you really cannot make excuses for. I've spoken about this with fellow Jewish Hellsing fans, mind you, and my take is more charitable than most. If you want to be specific with it, the widely agreed-on way to properly discuss Nazism is to show point blank that their victims were primarily Jews, first and foremost - and in that, Hellsing falls short, as there isn't a single Jewish character in the series, named or otherwise (which is a gap I wanted to fill through my fanfiction). Having said that, I personally think that as far as depictions of Nazis in anime goes, it's one of the better ones out there - but it isn't perfect, and the style Hellsing is written in (it's basically opera, after all, Bertolt Brecht forgive me) kind of made that a forgone conclusion. Make of that what you will.

Thanks for the questions!!!

hello! i read your klauthgrass fic last week and i’m still thinking about your truly excellent pacing making an idea that easily could have been a brief overview of a torture scene that delves into astarion’s mind (and rounded out at maybe 4k words) into an extremely engaging thesis on astarion’s character & really giving every single moment pause and consideration!! do you have any insights on your writing process and how you approach what you write to do this?

ahh?? thanks?? I'm glad you enjoy??

and absolutely! my writing process is a little wack insofar that I tend to henpeck oneshots, where I come up with a rough outline of the overall story and then just jump around to whatever section I'm feeling inspired for. this definitely won't work for everyone, since it can lead to inconsistency and backtracking, but for me I really appreciate it as a way to let each section of the story breathe and expand rather than having to get through the opening before I can work on it, if that makes sense? so I'll jump ahead and write Astarion's confession scene, then I jump even further to Karlach and come up with a line where Wyll knows Cazador's name, so then I jump back to the confession and put in a scene where Astarion says his name, and so on and so forth! it's definitely a pretty fun to do it, since you get to write all the fun lines before you have to connect them, and helps guide the story as you write! I'm a big fan of it :)

and for length, one major aid is that I'm a verbose little bastard who loves to talk, but I'm also a fan of the idea that no colour is one colour, if you've heard that metaphor. no scene is ever one scene - no idea is ever one idea. every line ties into something else, and rather than seemingly condensing the work down because it's juggling two concepts, I find that it often gives you so much room to build outward off a stronger foundation. don't write a scene with the idea that "oh, this is just the character confronting his thoughts" it's also him burying the darker ones and thinking that's okay, him trying to convince his team members he's useful, him unwillingly revealing how scared he is, him trying to distract the guy who drugged him, him wondering if they're going to be saved, etc. fill every scene with as much possible thoughts and motivations as you can - that word count will explode outward!

I hope this was helpful!! thank you so much for your kind words :)

For the writing asks, how about any of these?

17 - Do you have a writing routine?

56 - Are there any fics that you would change or rewrite if given the chance?

77 - Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

Ty!

Thanks for the questions!

17. Ugh, not really. I tend to just write when I have downtime, but, honestly, there are absolutely times when it's been less downtime and more like...I'm having to choose between writing and the giant pile of clean laundry sitting in my living room and the laundry is simply being neglected (this is definitely just an example and definitely not reflective of the giant pile of clean laundry currently sitting in my living room. Of course not.). I do probably need to have more of a life routine in general because I know I do better with one, and writing will be a regular part of that, but right now, it's just sort of a whenever I can sort of thing.

56. Oh, for sure. There are some themes in Purpose of Heritage that I wish I'd either introduced earlier or made a bit tighter. I generally like Collateral and I think it ties into The Empire Strikes Back quite well, but there is some minor inconsistency in character interactions in early chapters that I don't feel made sense even just a couple of chapters later, so I could do with rewriting that one (I'm not going to, to be clear). And I feel like the pacing of Spiral Together could use some work. But I made a rule for myself when I first started posting that I wasn't going to do retroactive edits because otherwise...I would probably still be rewriting Collateral. Once it's posted, the only edits that are made are if there is a typo egregious enough for me to go to the trouble of updating the story on FFN. Because updating stories on FFN is a pain in the butt, so if the typo isn't egregious enough to warrant that, I don't edit retroactively. (There is technically one exception to this: I changed a line in Reconstitution, but I changed it so soon after posting, I would be shocked if anyone read the original version.)

77. I enjoy writing fanfiction for a number of reason. I like the community aspect of it -- there are a bunch of people who have strong feelings about characters and worlds and stories, so much so that they want to create things themselves. I like the ability to take a franchise that's understandably pretty surface-level given its target audience and delve deeper into possible character motivations and realistic depictions of what a character might be going through emotionally. I like being able to drop right into the fun stuff without having to do a bunch of worldbuilding if I don't feel like it. And I like that tropes are a thing, and that we could all look at them as lame cliches, but instead, we kind of just embrace the fact that we each like certain tropes, and sometimes it's not about the originality of the idea, but the artistry in executing a well-worn concept. That's fun to me.

Thanks again for the questions!

ask me stuff!

I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE OUR TWO LITTLE BOYS. IT'S ABOUT TIME WE SEE WHAT WENT WRONG (☆^O^☆)

I'm calming down, I'm calming down... but not my brain. I can't wait. I'm seriously like this °˖ ✧◝(○ ヮ ○)◜✧˖ °

(๑>◡<๑)♡

(more asks by you guys are here! ☆)

I was so surprised to receive this ask of yours before the premiere cause the things you said are SO close to what I tried to implement in the animation itself... (*⁰▿⁰*) How did you read my mind?? My respect to you ★

And you correctly noticed the fact about Killer's clothes remaining the same =) He has his motives to stay and keep "the game" on, and that's what Nightmare can't accept when Killer appears in their "new" reality from time to time, even despite his own changing to the better side.

Nightmare does want to live a new life and forget about the past he did so many mistakes in, and perhaps he would like Killer to be in this new reality too, but Killer stays and unwittingly keeps reminding him of his dark times.

They both are really needlessly complex about themselves and with each other, and that's what makes easy things so hard. Again, thank you so much for delving into their characters, it's gonna be an interesting work on them... ♪

And thank you so much! (〃ω〃) I'm really flattered to hear that you enjoyed it <3

Everyone at these two: Just. Do it!! XD

Привет! <3 Это до сих пор остаётся загадкой личным между ними двумя, так что ты ничего не пропустил ☆

P. S. Приятно слышать, благодарю! (〃ω〃)

(༶ૢ˃̵̑◡˂̵̑༶ૢ) I'm really happy to know that this effect worked right, thank you sooo much!! <3

Awww it's so nice to hear it!! Thank you a looot, AC (〃ω〃) Maybe, maybe... ♪

Дя~ (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)♪

It's my pleasure╰(*´︶`*)╯Thank you guys a lot! ♡

Such a great analysis, I wouldn't expect anything less by you (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)

You're absolutely right about Nightmare uncovering himself on his way to Killer; about getting remind about his past self by Killer and Cross as well; about struggling with meeting Ccino ★

This part of the song is just what made me think about them, and I love these ideas of yours about the reasons behind (๑>◡<๑)

Coincidence? Who knows. (˶ ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ ˶)♪

The first El WooWoo of the year! And as the banner says, I’m still reading instead of writing. So here we go. Buckle up, Klainers and ... Snovians (???? is there a name for Snowbaz shippers? This is just Simon. Snowbazzians?) (What would you call Baz fans? Bazzies?).

I am really enjoying these fic rec posts, more than I thought. It also motivates me to read more, which is a win-win. I do have some ideas for Ljubim te again, so I think I’ll start writing them soon. But maybe I will make a separate post for fics, aside from Wip Wednesday and Six Sentence Sunday? Fic Rec Friday?

ANYWAY, buckle up, it’s a long post, so the entire rec + tags will be under cut today!

Some non-fic recs first. Some? One, actually. I am rereading my Kickstarter books for Check, Please! in preparation for the delivery of the Year 4 Kickstarter. I... uh... asked the shipping costs for that campaign as a Christmas gift. But God yeah, I love this webcomic so much. Time to get back to the SMH (Samwell Meme’s Hockey Team).

Up to the fics!

@martsonmars wrote a fic about “consensual biting” between 6 years old: Love Bite. It’s adorable. I love how silly kids can be. And I am a bitch for fics where Lucy lives 😭!

I am catching up on The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by @confused-bi-queer. I last read chapter 5, and [Jason Mendoza voice] oh Simon and Baz, we’re really in it now. I am upsetti spaghetti.

I am still riding the angst train right into Is It Over Yet? by @jayne89. God I really wish Carmen was actually this good, instead of a plot device for Rachel’s.... uhm... questionable storylines. Really excited for more of this verse.

God, I am really going through it, huh? @thnxforknowingme wrote a 2022 fic in review where she mentioned True Colors, a character study of Quinn between season 2 and 3, and I like the premise. I really enjoyed it. Damn, skank!Quinn had so much potential, but RIB just had to do the wack baby storyline.

This isn’t Jenna’s only fic that I have read. I finally, finally read Miles To Go, and I know a fic this wonderful should have a long and coherent comment, but I am just speechless. So utterly speechless. I started it when it was originally posted, but I had just lost my grandmother and yeah it was the wrong time. Now, we got the message that it’s time for my uncle to collect her ashes. Weird way to go back to a fic, but that’s what happened, and this fic tugged at my heartstrings. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

Also, more Jenna stuff, but insert the Chris Fleming meme here. Was no one ever going to tell me that Jenna has written Hades fic, or was I just supposed to find out by browsing through her AO3 by myself? Aíma.... YOOOO. The relation between Zaggie and blood? Jenna, your mind!

More sad shit? More sad shit! @wellbelesbian really made me say FUCK THE MAGE with the latest chapter of blow on the tinder. Guys, this is such a good fic. Alex, I am so glad you’re continuing it!

Okay, okay, whooo, time out with the angst. @redheadgleek‘s Pierce My Soul is a fluffy gem and I am a bitch for costume crew!Kurt. Although he got promoted here and he designed the costumes, including Blaine’s. There are so many great gems in this fic, but I lost it at Brad Ellis being the piano man. And when the fic mirrored dialogue from the show.... my heart!

I definitely boarded the fluff train now. I saw @letraspal‘s art for @skeedelvee‘s Drunken Kisses. I am all 🥺🥺🥺🥺 about this fic. Simon “He Is Plotting” Snow is amazing. Mix it with Baz “Gay Yearning” Pitch and voila!

@facewithoutheart delves into Simon’s sad childhood, but in a fluffy way, in What I Wouldn’t Give. Simon gets his first plushie and we all cry. I am such a bitch for this concept and Christina helpfully linked to another one, namely to @lifewithoutmotivation​‘s Flamey. I am just overwhelmed on Simon’s behalf! This guy deserves all the gifts and birthday parties! (Also, congrats on the new URL!)

And we’re going to end this rec post with more holiday cheers from the holiday queers (really, did anyone watch The New Normal?) with @1908jmd​‘s Klaine Advent 2022 - With their favourite people. Jen did a true drabble challenge and all the snippets are about the people in Kurt and Blaine’s lives and look I just got very emo over it.

If you’ve already been tagged in a rec, consider that a tag for WIP Wednesday (or Six Sentence Sunday). Also tagging @quizasvivamos @crissmastrees-and-candyklaines @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @ionlydrinkhotwater @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​ @cutestkilla​ @artsyunderstudy​  

SGE movie review

I have so many opinions here

***Spoiler alert for both the book and movie***

So when I was younger I LOVED the School for Good and Evil books, because they were complicated and strange, they had interesting characters, and amazing story elements, plot, and worldbuilding.

I don’t know how to feel about the movie. On the one hand, some of the scenes, especially the earlier ones, were so picture-perfect I screamed, for example, the scene where they arrive at the school. Gorgeous!!

On the other, as we delved further into the film there were more and more sections where I just couldn’t enjoy. A few details that eventually became larger.

One that’s fairly small is Clarissa Dovey’s character. She appears almost immediately after Agatha arrives at school, and from there is in almost every information-revealing scene. This is totally different from the books, where she’s only there when it’s vital, and usually offers not-very-understandable good-natured advice. In the movie, her personality is almost gaudy, which is demonstrated in her attire, a golden, full-skirt, long-sleeved ballgown. I always imagined her in blue, because she’s usually a calming presence, which was really not how she was portrayed. The main reason this bothered me is because her authority-figure energy keeps Agatha grounded at troubled moments, but in those scenes she ended up being even more wound up. The other reason this bugs me is because it doesn’t complement as well with Lady Lesso, her opposite. In the books they are actually fairly close, even friends, and in the movie they are anything but, until the very end.

Lady Lesso’s character, on the other hand, was done almost exactly as it was in the books, and it worked so well. She was perhaps a bit too unhinged, but she wore it well and pulled it off, considering she was a villain. The only thing I didn’t like was that they showed her as being less powerful than Sophie, and because of that the School Master abandoned the idea of making her his queen. First of all, Sophie’s character has great potential for evil, but that doesn’t mean she was more powerful than Lady Lesso. She didn’t have as much training or finesse as Lesso, and I’m pretty sure they would reach a tie if they ever dueled. The other thing is that this motivation doesn’t make sense to me. Why relate Lesso to Rafal at all? It didn’t do anything for the plot, that I could see, except increase her dislike for Sophie. (Also, I just can’t believe that you would show me a woman who wears suits and eyeliner the entire movie and then tell me she fell for a man? She had so much queer energy it was almost electric)

One thing I was grateful for was aging the characters up. Supposedly in the book they’re twelve, I believe, because that’s when they can “no longer hide under the guise of childhood,” but that’s still far too early to tell Sophie to get true love’s kiss by seducing a prince. No, thank you.

Another issue I had was the Trial by Tale. In the books, it’s an annual event, and it’s a trifecta. First the Trial, then the Ever’s Snow Ball, and finally the Circus of Talents. Whoever wins the Circus gets to host it in their school the next year. The Trial by tale was also not a two-person thing. The fifteen top students from each school would enter, with a fifteen minute margin in between, and whoever hadn’t surrendered by dawn won. I really enjoyed reading about it, because we got to see a lot about the characters. Hester and Anadil participated, as did Beatrix, Reena, and Kiko, Sophie, Agatha, Tedros, and Hort, and a bunch of others. Anything was legal inside the Trial, and it didn’t take place outside the school, but in a simulation of the Woods, the Blue Forest. It was an opportunity to duel others, practice talents, and get real-world experience, not just a Ever-and-Never-falling-in-love thing.

Obviously, they couldn’t include everything, because the movie can’t be six hours long, so a lot of characters wouldn’t get the type of exposure they had in the book. But I still wished we’d got to see more of the classes; or even just the scenes where, after getting two failing scores, both Sophie and Agatha get the best mark in the class. Reading about it was immensely satisfying, and it just wasn’t done justice.

My last complaint is Sophie and Agatha’s relationship. It’s almost impossible to pin down in the books, because it seems to constantly fluctuate between can’t-stand-each-other, can’t-live-without-each-other, platonic-familial-love, and romance, and sometimes even Agatha and Sophie themselves couldn’t tell what kind of love they had for each other. But it still made me sad to see it reduced to “love of friends” after they kiss at the climax. Not because there’s anything wrong with friendship, and love of friends is an extremely important thing, but because the way they acted around each other hinted romance a lot more than it did in the books. They had a lot of inside jokes, were very touchy, smiled and giggled a lot when they were together, and ended up going home again just to be together. Even each of their chemistry with Tedros wasn’t quite the same as the chemistry they had together. (They also had opposing color palettes, which makes it shippable.) I suppose, at the end of the day, I just didn’t want it to be labeled, because it was complicated and confusing and not all relationships need titles.

Okay, I do have a few things that the movie did SO well that I had to add.

1) the outfits. Although in the books both schools have specific uniforms, and I missed seeing Agatha uncomfortable as heck in her pink pinafore, Sophie’s alterations were done really well. She killed it, just the right amount of way-too-dramatic and flashy without being outright sexy. The princess ballgowns were really pretty, and some of the ball scenes worked really well because of that.

2) The schools themselves. PEAK design, opposing dark and light fantasy aesthetics, beautiful colors. I was a little worried about the School for Evil because in the books it’s described as filthy and haunted and decrepit, but it was amazing, just the right from both worlds.

3) Beatrix and Hester. Their characters were very clearly opposites, and they didn’t interact much but it was enough to see the differences. Mainly, they’re both terrible people, but at least Hester is up front about it.

4) Diversity. Most of the characters in the books were implied to be white, and I really appreciated seeing them branch off from that. Agatha’s actress especially was legitimately perfect for the role because she had both a resting bitch face and a lovely smile, and hair that could either be gorgeous or a disaster, depending on how she needed to be portrayed. Seriously, she was awesome. My only issue with them making the good and evil brothers black was that I sort of wanted Rafal to have white hair, because that is peak character design. The way they did Dot and Anadil was awesome too, just the right amounts of cute and menacing. 

I also liked that even though the Evil students were supposed to be “ugly”, they just weren’t conventionally attractive like the princesses. They had odd features maybe, but they still looked good without just being a goth version of Good. (And that one person with no hair and white eyeliner was so hot…)

So… yeah. I liked the movie. It wasn’t my absolute favorite, but I would rewatch it with friends, and it had some elements I really enjoyed. If nothing else, watch it for the lovely cinematography.

🍓🍉🥭🫐 for the ask tag thing :3

Thank you so much hun!! <33

🍓 What’s a fic you’ve written you feel is underrated?

Ooh, I would have to say "You Know You're Right." A Daryl Dixon x Reader fic that I wrote that I was terrified was going to be bad, but I actually spent a lot of time brainstorming for it so it wouldn't be horrible! It's about a reader who's transmasc and a stoner. He doesn't really have a lot of survival instincts and mostly jumps from house to house looking for stashes of weed, nicotine, or CDs. Daryl finds him outside Alexandria when walkers are trying to get to him and he ultimately saves him and they become smoke buddies which leads to a teeny bit more :) I like the fic, and the requester REALLY liked it! So I guess that's all that matters! I'm not too upset about it being less popular than my others tbh.

🍉 Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why?

I have a mix of preferences for short or long fics. It truly depends on if I have a lot of motivation or a lot of planning for the idea! It just takes me a while to write longer ones because I start to ramble and I also have to proofread and read it all later haha. I do prefer single ones over multi-chapter though. I can never keep the motivation going for multi-chapter fics and then I feel HORRIBLE when I abandon them! Single ones are just so much easier for my small attention-spanned brain lmao. Plus, I habit of jumping from fandom to fandom. *Side eyes all my slasher and borderlands wips that got abandoned due to my TWD brain rot*

🥭 Rank from most enjoyable/fun to write to least: Fluff, Smut, Angst, Crack.

Angst - I am a sucker for writing angst! I love it when I feel something when I write a fic. When I look over a sentence or a paragraph and I just know it's going to make someone sad. IDK, it's just super fun to write for and I like that I can bleed some of my emotions into some of my angstier fics! Fluff - I also love fluff because I am fairly good at conveying emotion into Fluffy fics, at least I like to think so. Plus then it gives me more room to delve into a plot and add background information and stuff. Smut - I write this the most (I'm a whore, I know 💀) but it's not really my favorite to write for if I don't have one of the two categories above to join it. Smut itself can get a little boring for me or I have days where I remember I'm ace and I'm all "Oh gross..." LMAO I do enjoy writing peoples requests so dwdw Crack - I don't think I have ever written a crack fic?? It seems like it would be fun though! Putting it last though because I've never done one!

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

Hmm, I would have to say Aaron from TWD. There's not enough Aaron content for the gays 🗣️ 🗣️ I also think not enough people in TWD fandom write for mlm or transmasc readers, but that's all right, because I will write for them hehe

I can't really think of anything else? I don't really think about this stuff too much 😭

Too five writing tips?? (Also, I’m asking this one to a lot of writers, trying to get as much help as possible lol)

LINDSEY i am so sorry your ask has been stuck in askbox purgatory for soooo long, i am just so bad at answering stuff

this feels appropriate to answer now though, with the current blog discourse. also i needed time to kind of marinate and think about this but i'm ready to answer now :))))

do not give a fuck about what others say or think about your writing

in the end, if you're writing casually, it's up to you whether or not you want to take other people's advice. i think that in the end if YOU like what you write, then other people's opinions don't matter. writing is subjective and people will like what they like and hate what they hate. as long as you're content with everything you've written and everything you're gonna continue to write, it's up to you if you want to improve. you always can, but you don't need to feel obligated to based on even constructive criticism

2. you don't have to write in a specific consecutive order!

i feel like for me, it really works when i use a specific timeline for a fic but i don't always write like that! if a scene really calls to you in a fic or in a fic idea, just write it :))) don't wait with bated breath to write a scene you really want to (yes even if you have a million wips). writing is all about having fun, and writing little scenes can be fun. they can grow into larger fics or be absorbed into larger fics or even just be posted if you want. it's all about your experience and cobbling scenes together can often take time

3. even if you don't write it down, always try to have a direction when writing

you don't always have to outline. i for one hate outlining because then i look at my outline and i'm like damn what an outline and never write the fic lmao. but always know where you're going when you're writing. it can be what themes you want to convey or how you want specific scenes to go. know where you want to start and end and what scenes should go in the middle. this obviously is done best in 5+1 style fics but it can be done in everything else too! just try and know where you're headed inn a fic or else it might be easy to lose motivation (this is what happened with my abo fic lmao)

4. yes it can always be shorter...but does it need to be?

sometimes adding extra description isn't necessary but it's nice to have. writing shouldn't be just a back and forth conversation all the time, because realistically, if you're delving in the mind of a character, they don't talk the whole time. they're people. you have to think before you talk and so do you. words have weight and meaning. and sometimes a scene can just be a character reflecting on their actions and just doing something. it can be that boring. it just needs to progress the story forward. make sure that there's a point to everything you're saying but don't force yourself to condense scenes and moments if they're important

5. have fun with it, but don't forget to do your research

yes go with what you've got and what you enjoy, but make sure you keep in mind that sometimes research is necessary! it can be really annoying when a writer mischaracterizes someone or gets a detail wrong. especially when the information is easily available to find. of course, you don't have to take it too far, you don't have to deeply investigate like the tea distribution in the 1800s or something. but it’s good to familiarize yourself with some things about a character or a person in order to build your characterization of them. for example, it takes like one google search to learn that adam fantilli played against the don mills flyers in bantam and that SO MUCH of his reasoning to go through the ncaa stems from them losing in the OHL cup final and losing exceptional status. it’s that simple. you can take that and make so many narratives from it! you can have fun with this too…just remember that research makes your writing believable and real to the reader.

anyways those are my tips bestie!!! i hope these helped, and again i’m so sorry for not answering you for so long. the most important tip i think though is to be confident in your writing and continue to practice no matter what. life is too short to not start a work even if you have a million already and writing IS a form of art!! i promise that at least someone out there will appreciate your contribution.

hi im hoping for a romantic matchup!! im a lesbian, my myer briggs personality is an isfj, a defender, and overall my hobbies include mostly playing video games, drawing and reading, but i also have a passion for 2d animation (i havent gotten to it yet but one day!)

im someone who falls in love hard with someone when they’re passionate about something, some of my favorite characters became my favorite due to an overwhelming love for their interests whether thats art, mechanics, an ideal they seek to make reality, etc etc and nothing makes me happier than wholeheartedly supporting their interests

i hope u have a good day !

I hope you have a good day too! I am rooting for you in your interests in 2D animation!

I match you with Brigitte!

She is the sort of partner who would whole-heartedly support you and your interests just like you would for her. The fact that the two of your are so dedicated in each others goals really is a wonderful motivation. Brigitte is the type who would delve into your hobbies like gaming and drawing. She enjoys getting competetive and she always laughs when you pout. Brigitte would spoil you and care for you and any needs or concerns you have, she just loves to help you. Dates with her are simple but so sweet. Expect a delivery of beautiful flowers, your favourite snacks and perhaps a book on subjects you are most interested in, such as 2D animation. With you by her side, Brigitte feels she can do anything because your warm presence, and strong ideas does wonders to ease her mind.

serafim! ofc i gotta do it 👀

Send me your URL and... [ACCEPTING]

Thoughts on the character: When I first played FFVII, I did find Sephiroth to be a tragic villain, but a villain none the less. His past was interesting, even if his whole motivation to retake the planet was a bit wacky? I sorta didn’t get that part beyond “okay, his mind snapped”.

The fandom actually started to make me actively dislike Sephiroth, though... I didn’t think he was “the coolest villain” and neither was I attracted to him or ships involving him.

Crisis Core made me change my mind a LITTLE BIT, but I will be honest, your portrayal of Sephiroth made me begin to really appreciate him more as a character.

Have you interacted before: Yes, and I am looking forward to more interactions across our muses!

Favorite part of portrayal: You’re not afraid to realistically explore insecurities of his, like his awareness of his ‘otherness’ or his tendency to feel like the odd one out even when engaging with Angeal and Genesis, who are supposed to be his best friends. And you don’t Woobie-fy him in the process.

I also just like the range you have with his portrayal. He can be more human and relatable, but he can also be terrifying and intimidating- Or he can be awkward and hesitant. It just depends on the muse he’s interacting with and the environment, he feels like he realistically fits into the scenes we plot out or the AUs and verses you write for him.

And especially with Genesis and our insights on their relationship, I like that we can actually delve into more uncomfortable and not exactly healthy aspects of their dynamic. Muses don’t always have to get along 100% or be necessarily GOOD for one another, sometimes bonds are messy and complicated and there’s a lot more middle-ground/gray areas to social interaction than “we like/dislike each other”.

One piece of advice: Oh God, I don’t even know... Uh. Fuck. 

You could let loose a bit more in fight scenes? I know there’s always the “well I don’t want to God Mod, but also my muse is a Force of Nature so how do I show that without dominating the pace?” aspect, but I also feel like.. you could have MORE FUN with his skills? Get crazy, do something totally wild and unexpected since he has the capacity to take an opponent by complete surprise.

A verse (mine or theirs) I want a thread in: FFXIV VERSE, GIVE ME GREAT WYRM!SEPHIROTH.

It could also be interesting since Ravus is also Elezen and DRKs USED to be in place to monitor corruption within the Holy See and Noble Houses (their existence initially stemmed from the Church), so there could be obvious Bad Blood associated with Ravus’ role, even if he may or may not share the same “we hate dragons” opinion that Ishgardians usually do.

Thoughts on the mun: You’re such a joy to talk to, whether it’s about our muses or just shooting the shit about Adult Problems(tm). I really had a great time when we all got to have dinner together, so I hope we can hang out again and share experiences in your interests and activities- like biking.

And it was also super neat that we sort of just. Organically managed to pick up where we left off when I was done with school, having a rapport comfortable and casual enough to manage that is really nice. You’re a top notch wordsmith and I greatly enjoy bouncing ideas and sharing little insights and inspiration tidbits with you. 

I hope we remain friends for many more years to come!

Lovely, wonderful Ari,

I had the pleasure of reading your wonderful story yesterday. It was delightful; I had a particularly tough week this week, and so the thought that I would be ending my week by reading your story motivated me to get through it.

I have to say that I'm really fond of your imagery. There were several examples in your prose that I found to be absolutely delightful, and they really made me smile because I just thought that they were so beautifully constructed, and often they were, in a way, obscure but familiar enough to make them absolutely compelling. I really like, for instance, the way you introduce the appearance of knight Suguru in the story. I thought it was such a fantastic way of commencing the narrative and introducing such a key character in the narrative, and it's just set up the whole storyline in such a fantastic way.

I know you mentioned that your story is not bound in a concrete way to a specific historical period, time zone, or geographical region, but honestly, that thought really got me going and got me thinking for a long while. As someone who has studied Anglo-Saxon England before, I just found myself thinking that, in a way, almost that cultural, socio-political specificity, in your case, almost wasn't needed because for me your story, in my head, evoked the whole feeling of storytellers and orators reciting stories in mead halls to a widespread audience and how those stories, over time, evolved and changed and sometimes new specificities were added to them depending on the audience present and how new geographic locations and names were slightly changed but regardless of those changes that were made to suit the audience to whom the story was being told, the key essence of the story remained and, for me, your story has that essence and by retaining that essence almost, in a way, your story is kind of, in a way, true to the time period that I suspect you're sort of circling around which, in my opinion, is kind of around the era of Beowulf.

I'm sorry if this is not really making any sense, and perhaps it is not, and it's been a while since I've really truly delved into the period of Anglo-Saxon England, but I guess that was just a way of me almost saying that I really, really enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the experience of reading the story. I enjoyed the experience of falling in love with the characters. I thought it was great overall. The characters were distinct and had distinct personalities, and I thought the interactions worked extremely well. I just enjoyed the overall plot that you constructed. I don't think the fact that it is not bound and pinpointed to a specific historical period is a weakness, but rather, in a way, it is a strength of this story, in my humble opinion.

All in all, I just think you're a gifted writer. I enjoy your work. I've read your work before I read your stories that have to do with Suguru, and I thought that you had a great handle on his character and personality. I am incredibly fond of his character, and I can tell that you are too, and I'm glad that we are bound by our fondness for him.

I think that it is extremely commendable that you spent and evidently edited this work and just spent so much time with the story to produce such a beautiful result, which I thought was fantastic and grossing and just very compelling, so I wanted to thank you for sharing it with us.

HELLOOOOO LOVELY WONDERFUL ANON this ask was such a treat u have no idea 🥺🥺🥺🥺

FIRST OF ALL i’m soooo so so insanely happy that this fic could make ur week a lil better !! TAT that means the world to me !!!! good job getting through it, i’m giving u a big big warm hug <3333 and i hope next week is kinder to u!!!! pls take care of urself!!! spring is almosttttt here now 💐💐💐

gosh i’m so glad that u enjoyed this fic……. ur comments are all so thoughtful!!! I’M SO RELIEVED U LIKED THE IMAGERY it’s what i love writing most tbh so knowing that it hits is such a great feeling :’33 i def enjoy my imagery more obscure and “mismatched” hehe, it’s a huge relief to know u enjoyed those bits as well!!

AND ANON THE TIME PERIOD THING…. this was so interesting to read bc i am (shamefully) very unknowledgeable abt history in general, it’s one of my weakest subjects :’33 i’m so so so amazed with ppl who study certain historical periods like that’s so insanely cool to me…. and the fact that u took the time to think of one that fits w this fic!!! 🥺🥺 aaaaa i’m just so grateful to be able to get this perspective from u……. the anglo-saxon period huh!!!! i really wish i knew more abt it pshdhdh but i 100% trust u anon !! that’s so interesting !!! knowing that the lack of historical accuracy didn’t stop u from being immersed in the fic is such a great relief too…..

all ur comments were truly so thoughtful and attentive, it brought me soooo much joy to read this!!!!! the characters and interactions of this fic are very precious to me so my heart is just bursting w warmth knowing u fell in love w them a little too!! :’3 WE’RE BOUND BY OUR FONDNESS FOR SUGURU SO TRUEEE approval from another sugu stan always makes me happier than anything else!!! it’s an honour to me that u think i have a good grasp on his very complex character…. calling me a gifted writer is so unbelievably kind too 💔💔💔 sniffle..

this was just the sweetest thing anon… it genuinely does mean so much to hear this kind of thing, thank YOU so much for reading my novella of a fic and for writing this out!!! for sharing ur own insight on the historical period, and ur thoughts on the characters!!! i’m hugging u very very tightly and hoping that the coming week treats u as kindly as u deserve 🥺🥺🥺

i've just caught up on the newest chapter of the ledan and i must say im so pumped to see where you'll take the plot next!! reading about a character from an original location, one with completely different customs to westerosi ones and seeing how they deal with the change in a land far away from home has been a lot of fun. the other characters' varying reactions (lord lannister feeling threatened, the noble ladies' fascination, aemond and cregan's curiosity and respect etc) when faced with someone who doesn't fit into what they consider to be the norm but what is just that for the main character were super entertaining as well and gave an opportunity to delve deeper into the characters in a context not really often discussed in the asoiaf setting. also i can't help but feel like i should be keeping an eye on aegon and lady corbray, they're scheming something hdhdh. im still rooting for aemond x oc but cregan is currently being such a charming and courteous guy (the moment before the white hart inn left me quite literally swooning) that im afraid my heart might become conflicted further down the line. can't wait for the next one 💌

ANOOON I love you for this ask!!!

I'm so so pleased someone is enjoying The Ledan and is enjoying reading about the same parts I'm enjoying writing about!! Especially in regards to having them be from a foreign place and the culture clash potential of Irrasser and Westeros (which I hope to explore more!)

A lot of characters' responses to Ledan Dail are based on my own experiences as someone who is openly transgender in a progressive area. (For anyone new here that hasn't read my about page, I'm nonbinary as fuck) People have an interesting range of reactions, and even when not motivated by more blatant transphobia and hate (which I have miraculously avoided being directed at me in my near five years of being out/transitioning), they're still not always good.

I won't say anything about Aegon or Lady Corbray here bc I wanna let those subplots play out on their own 😉😌

But I will talk about Cregan! He is SO fun to write. I wanted to give Ledan Dail someone else who was functionally an outsider to bond with and since their mother spent her emissary with the Starks, he got to hear all about Irrasser secondhand from his father when he was very young before Rickon died and all the shit happened with his uncle Bennard (I'm trying to keep his backstory as canon as possible). Lady Dail also gifted the Starks at Winterfell with books, including a copy of her own studies she did during her emissary (I haven't talked too much about the details of the Irrasser ruler emissary and its purpose and what they DO, but I can go more in depth about that in a separate post if enough folks are curious) as well as a smaller volume detailing her home as a gift of friendship to Rickon. So in my story Cregan has for sure read that and is familiar with the concept of a ledan, making him the ideal ally to welcome our Ledan Dail to King's Landing

Plus he's just such a gentleman it's wonderful 🥰 their dynamic practically writes itself!

Thank you so much for this ask!! You have no idea how validating this was as a writer and was so lovely to wake up to 💞