Late on the train to 'Midst'

Hello all, and it's time once again for me to try to infect you all with my weird niche interests. In this case, it's a podcast that was recently(ish) picked up by Critical Role, which is how I heard about it. But I can say right now that those folks who still follow me from the Magnus Archives day are probably going to enjoy this one. Hell, I think a lot of my followers might, so let me pitch 'Midst' to you.

The Podcast

'Midst' is a narrative podcast with three narrators. So rather than a strict script, it's three people with great voices telling you a story, narrating actions, slipping into and out of different character voices, all set over a really well-engineered sound-and-musicscape. The episodes are loosely outlined, but the actual scripts are improvised between the narrators, weaving in and out of each other's narrations and 'yes and'ing their way into a greater whole. It may sound a little confusing, but I found it surprisingly easy to follow along with. And each episode ranges from 15 minutes to a half-hour, so it's an easy listen. The second season has just begun to release over at the CR YouTube channel (there were 2 seasons out before CR picked it up and is releasing remasters, so beware spoilers if you go to the tag here).

The Setting

Okay, unless you're a nerd like me, the technicalities of the podcast might not mean quite as much to you. But the setting is where things start to get really interesting. This is a space western. Classic, but definitely also not classic. While the vibe is pure space western, with a feel that's vaguely akin to 'Firefly' or 'Trigun' or 'Cowboy Bebop', the actual setting isn't so much space as it is the Un.

The Un is somewhat liminal, a vast sky filled with light from an undetermined source, filled with clouds and glittering mica shards which defy gravity and can slice through almost anything in their way (though they can be deflected). On the largest of these shards some people have set up homes. And elsewhere in the Un are islets, tiny planets that make up the habitable universe of 'Midst'.

There doesn't seem to be a proper central authority in the Un, but the closest thing they have is the Trust, a cult based around the worship of what seems to be a space western stock market, in which all of its members have their deeds (and themselves) weighed and judged. And those people in the Trust, the Trustees, wear their morality literally on their sleeve. Those deemed 'good' either from good deeds or (far more often) from inherited goodness or goodness based on their position in society, have white Valor beads adorning them. Those deemed immoral, or (again more often) in debt have Caenum, black beads denoting how much they owe the Trust. Those Trustees in debt seem to exist in something close to slavery, constantly having to do more and more work to try to break even. And the entire Trust society is built on their backs.

Below the Un is a velvet black fog so thick it lays like an ocean at the bottom of this universe, its surface an obsidian mirror. This is the Fold, a place where a dark mist can penetrate through anything and bring with it Tearrors, events in which the fabric of reality itself seems to tear itself apart. People and things die or go horribly (or sometimes not horribly) wrong thanks to the Tearrors. These Tearrors can be kept at bay with a weird sort of lightbulb, which is how folks can stay alive in the Fold without completely coming apart at the seams.

And there, at the Meridian, half in the Un and half in the Fold, rolling through both to create perhaps the only place in this universe with both a night and a day, weird as both are, is Midst. A small islet of red dust and weird plants and animals. A place where people live and work and die. A place that feels a lot like a western.

And with that, we have our setting. And within this setting are vast array of characters, but for this particular story, there are three protagonists. Each of them is solely narrated by one of the three narrators, and it is around them that the story and the world of Midst unfolds.

Lark

Lark is perhaps the protagonist we know the least about, but she's also the protagonist who feels the most classically western for this space western. She's a monster hunter living on the outskirts of society on Midst. She sells hides, and she has few friends and fewer words. She's gruff, dangerous, and has lived long enough that she's got a dark past and has seen some shit. She also has a red glove that apparently kills anything it touches, which is cool.

Lark is intelligent, grounded, but is also largely a mystery at this point. She's also got a hound dog named Landlord, who is the best, and is the only character who is apparently guaranteed not to die.

Phineas Thatch

Look at this wet cat of an armored man. Everything about him screams try-hard, wannabe, senpai-notice-me energy. If Lark is the western character, Phineas is the space character, hailing from the Trust. He is in debt, but also the Adsecla (second in command) of an elite group of cop-soldier-celebrities. The media follows them everywhere, which is something of a problem for a guy who is terrible with people and the media in particular. Phineas is a decent guy, fairly good at his job, but nothing he ever does is good enough, and all his best instincts are being systematically squashed by the cult he has fanatically devoted himself to. There is no one who believes in the Trust more than Phineas, even as it's griding him down to nothingness.

If you like a character who is pathetic even when he's doing cool things, who never wins, whose struggles all seem to come to nothing, and you can't quite figure out if the universe just hates him or if he's his own worst enemy (it's probably both), then Phineas is the character for you.

Moc Weepe

Look at him. Just look at this weird, alabaster, spidery guy. I know that I and many of my followers love a bastard man, and Mr. Weepe is a grade A bastard man. He is a co-owner of a cabaret on Midst, and he oozes his way through every scene he's in with some of the best lines and worst actions of the podcast. He has the power to be both alluring and repellant, he's got an absolutely delightfully bizarre voice and and even weirder laugh (and yet is also part of a really cool musical number), and he is both terrifying and pathetic all at the same time. This asshole contains multitudes. And a lot of those multitudes revolve around screwing someone over for his own gain.

He should be the least sympathetic of the protagonists. Lark is a cool and aloof badass. Phineas wants to be a good man. Weepe? He wants to be rich. He wants to be powerful. He is also constantly plagued by a mysterious medical condition that seems to have been brought on by exposure to an extremely severe and almost-lethal Tearror. He is somehow, weirdly, sympathetic, at least up to a point, and not nearly as clever as he thinks he is. What can I say? I am predictable, and Moc Weepe is definitely my favorite of the protagonists, even if he's demonstrably the worst.

I won't spoil the plot, as that's part of the fun. I can at least spoil the first scene, which is also the finale of the first season (they loop back to explain how they got to this event throughout the run of the first season): we are on Midst. All three protagonists are there.

And the moon has just exploded in the sky.

You Belong to Me

*Not my GIF

This is the first thing I’ve written in years but Shadow and Bone (and particularly Nikolai Lantsov!) is my new hyperfixation and I had the urge to write something, so here we are. Based on the prompt: “Mine.” “Say it again.” which I got from tumblr forever ago.

Summary: Reader is in an established relationship with Nikolai and they get jealous seeing someone else flirting with him so they decide to remind him who he belongs to. Turns out the King finds jealous/possessive reader a turn on, who would have guessed?

Word count: 2K

Warnings: NSFW - 18+ only. A tiny hint of a plot but really it’s just smut, hand job, jealousy/possessiveness, slight praise kink if you squint, reader can be any gender you like, I’ve left it deliberately vague for your reading pleasure :)

The grand ballroom was so full that you could barely move an inch without bumping into a visiting noble, courtier or ambassador of some sort. Musicians were playing at one end of the room and waiters flitted about with trays of champagne.

You scanned the crowd in an effort to locate the King. Your eyes found him finally near of the centre of the room, surrounded by young ladies and you sighed, because of course he was. You had only left Nikolai’s side for a few minutes, but that was all it took for the vultures to descend. You supposed you couldn’t really blame them, he was gorgeous. Intelligent and charming too. Wherever he went, people were drawn to him like moths to the proverbial flame. Your relationship with the King had started many years before, when he was just a wayward second son with little hope of ever inheriting the throne and though his circumstances had now changed, your love for each other remained stronger than ever. Nikolai could be a bit of a flirt, but you trusted him implicitly. You knew without a doubt that anyone trying to tempt him would fail. He would be going home with you, still that didn’t stop the surge of jealousy that burned uncomfortably in your stomach as you made your way across the room to join the group. Nikolai’s eyes lit up as he saw you approach and he reached for you immediately, wrapping his arm around your waist without even the slightest hint of hesitation. You watched with a perverse sense of satisfaction as obvious disappointment flitted over the faces of his companions and several of the ladies politely excused themselves, quickly losing interest now they knew for certain that the King was taken. The last young lady however, was not so easily deterred. She looked you up and down with barely concealed distaste as Nikolai made the formal introductions and then finally she offered you a saccharine smile - entirely for his benefit you assumed, since it was obvious that it pained her to do so. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you said, smiling brightly. You would be nice if it killed you. It would only cause problems for Nikolai if you went around being rude to his guests, regardless of wether they deserved it or not. The other woman made no response, already turning her attention back to the King as if you hadn’t even spoken. Apparently she didn’t share your concerns about rudeness. Nikolai cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence, “Miss Antonova was just telling me about her home in Kerch.” “Oh yes,” Miss Antonova exclaimed, twirling a lock of her dark hair around her finger, “As I was saying, you must come for a visit, your highness. I know my father would be honored to host you.” “What a generous offer,” Nikolai smiled, “perhaps we may take you up on it someday.” The young woman beamed at him, pleased with his response. “We could make it one of the stops on our honeymoon,” you suggested, just to watch her face fall. “Absolutely not. I should not consider our honeymoon a success if we are to be fit for company at any point,” Nikolai grinned impishly and you shook your head fondly, a blush spreading across your cheeks at the implication. You could feel Miss Antonova glaring daggers at you. “Well, perhaps you could make the trip to Kerch on your own instead, moi tsar,” she simpered, batting her eyelashes at him, “I would be happy to volunteer as your personal guide.” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. "I bet you would,” you muttered quietly under your breath, though not quietly enough if Nikolai’s sudden coughing fit was any indicator. Miss Antinova moved closer to him, her face creased in concern, “Goodness, are you alright?” She asked, laying a hand on his arm. You glared at her, touching the King was in no way appropriate. Nikolai gave you a look, shaking his head minutely - a gesture you knew to mean leave it alone. So you bit your tongue even though you wanted to tell her off. “Yes, I’m quite well,” Nikolai assured her once he had recovered, “My apologies.” Despite his reassurance, and the heat of your still disapproving glare, she did not move away or remove her hand. Instead, she moved further into his personal space, close enough to be considered indecent in your opinion. Her delicate hand curled around his clothed bicep. You struggled to fix a polite smile on your face when in your head you were fantasizing about breaking her fingers one by one. “Oh my, you have very strong arms,” she gushed and this time you did roll your eyes. For Saints sake. Nikolai met your gaze over the top of her head and you saw amusement dancing in his eyes. “I work out from time to time,” he told her with a wink, “It’s important to keep my army training up to date.” Miss Antonova giggled girlishly, as if he had said something ridiculously funny, and you decided that was quite enough. “I’m sorry but you’ll have to excuse us,” you stated bluntly, “the King has an urgent, private matter to attend to immediately.” Rather than wait for a response, you turned and firmly grasping Nikolai’s hand, pulled him away and across the crowded room towards the door. Although he could easily have escaped your hold if he had wanted to, Nikolai followed you without complaint, allowing you to lead him out of the ballroom and through the Palace hallways as though he were a boy rather than the King. Entering his chambers you made sure to lock the door behind you and then you stalked towards him, forcing him backwards until his back hit the wall behind him. “Something wrong, my love?” He asked, an amused little smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. “The audacity of that woman,” you grumbled, “Mooning and flirting, and touching you! As if I wasn’t standing right there.” “Oh, I don’t know,” he mused, eyes sparkling with affectionate humor, “I thought she was just being friendly.” “Friendly? She was all over you!” you objected. “Maybe a little bit,” he conceded with a slight tilt of his head, his smirk widening. “But you know that I would never accept her advances, or anyone’s for that matter,” he insisted earnestly as he reached out to tuck a loose lock of hair behind your ear, “So what does it matter?” “I didn’t like it, Kolya,” you muttered irritably, yanking at the knot of his cravat in an effort to remove it and almost choking him in the process. “Really?” he chuckled, “I hadn’t noticed.” He batted your hands away so he could loosen the offending item himself, pulling it free of his collar and unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt as he went. You narrowed your eyes at him. “It’s not funny.” He hummed in agreement as he dipped his head to kiss you, slow and sweet, just a soft brush of his lips over yours, but your were in no mood for romance. You nipped at his bottom lip impatiently, licking hot and demanding into his mouth when he opened up to you. His hands found your waist, pulling you closer as you threaded your fingers through his hair, kissing him hungrily and sucking on his tongue before you surfaced for air. You kissed an open-mouthed line across his jaw and down his throat, pausing to nip and suck at his pulse point. “Ah. Not above the collar,” he reminded you gently. You huffed, pressing yourself tighter against him and wedging a knee between both of his so that your thigh was pressed against his crotch. He was already hard and knowing it was because of you - not her - tempered your jealousy a little. Nosing down into the collar of his shirt to reach the juncture of his shoulder, you sucked a stinging bruise into his skin. His hips bucked in response. You couldn’t help but smile as you admired your handiwork, a surge of possessiveness rolling through you. “Mine,” you murmured as you laved your tongue over the offending mark. Nikolai groaned low in his throat, rutting against you more insistently. “Say it again,” he gasped. His voice was rough with arousal and you lifted your head to regard him, surprised by his reaction. You felt a heady rush of power as you looked him over. His eyes were dark, his pupils dilated with lust. His lips were shiny and kiss–swollen and his face was flushed, a deep blush spreading from the tips of his ears all the way down to his chest. You had barely started and he was already wrecked. “You belong to me,” you purred in his ear, nuzzling at his throat as you reached a hand between you to stroke him through his pants. He made an involuntary keening sound, his eyes slipping closed as he pushed himself into your palm. “No one else gets to touch you like this, do they?” He shook his head frantically, hips straining towards you, desperately seeking more friction. You sighed, feigning disappointment. “I can’t hear you,” you chastised, “Use your words Kolya." “No,” he breathed, “only you.” “That’s right,” you agreed, smiling against his skin.

You rewarded him by freeing him from his pants and he moaned as you used the precum that had gathered at the head of his cock to slick your palm. He laid his forehead against yours, opening his eyes so that he could follow the movement of your hand as you jerked him in a firm, fast rhythm until he was panting. When you knew he was near his peak, you lifted your head to meet his eyes. “Mine,” you whispered possessively, a seductive smile on your lips. He shuddered, his head dropping to your shoulder and his hands tightening on your waist as he came with a soft cry, thick stands of cum covering your hand and the front of his shirt. He slumped against the wall, boneless in the aftermath of his orgasm. “Well,” he said breathlessly, “that was..,” “Intense? Incredible? Life changing?” you suggested helpfully, and he snorted a laugh. “I was going to say unexpected, but those work too.”

You brought your clean hand up to his throat, running your thumb over the dark bruises you had left just below the line of his collar. "I'm afraid I've made quite a mess," you said, "I'm sorry." And you were, now that the bitter sting of jealousy had faded and you had returned to your senses.

"Don't be. I don't know if you could tell but I rather liked it," Nikolai grinned, "and besides, I've made a mess of you too, so I'd say we're even."

"I suppose that's true," you agreed, bringing your hand up to your mouth. Your tongue snaked out to gently lap the remains of his release from your fingers and he groaned, scrubbing a shaky hand across his face. “You’re trying to kill me,” he accused and you laughed as you leaned in to kiss him. Nikolai pulled you in closer, deepening the kiss but keeping it sweet and unhurried.

"Give me a moment to recover and I'll repay the favour," he promised.

Oikawa x Reader: School Festival [a haikyuu one-shot]

Ok y'all, so my friends and I had an all-nighter where we write one-shots. The twist is, we each wrote down on different sticky notes a character, a plotline, and I think the third is a location. We did this a year ago and I forgot all about this, but I recently found it so I'm posting it here lol

I hope you enjoy.

1145 words

Story under the cut.

Being a foreign exchange student, experiencing life in Japan was a bit of a culture shock: different introductions, different eating customs, different school traditions. One school tradition you noted was that Japan had school festival days. For the past week, your class had been working on an idea and building the vision. Today was the final day where the booths would actually be open to people and you were kind of nervous. Why? Who knows. Maybe it was more excitement than nervousness.

Your class finished assembling the booth reasonably quickly, so you figured you’d find your friend Oikawa to see if his booth needed any help. It wasn’t long before you found his booth and he was waving you down. Oikawa was one of the first people to introduce himself to you. Of course, you now realize he was just trying to scope out the new girl considering his… following, but it ended up being a good friendship; mainly consisting of you helping Iwaizumi call him names and him being a weird flirt even though he’s pretty much a dork.

“Hi, Y/n! Couldn’t stay away for long, eh?” he asked, waving.

“No, actually I’m looking for your pretty friend. Hey, Iwa!” you responded jokingly, to which Oikawa feigned a sad pout. “How’s the booth coming along?”

“We're almost done. Just need to put up the last few banners,” Iwaizumi said.

“You may want to be careful, Y/n. As soon as we open, girls will swarm the area. You might get trampled and die,”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” you said, rolling your eyes. “What are you guys doing anyway?”

“Kissing booth,” Iwaizumi said boredly as the title banner was hung up. You turned your head to Oikawa,

“What?”

“It’s the perfect concept! There's no girl in the world that wouldn’t want to kiss me! Just think of the revenue,”

“I wouldn’t count on it if it’s gonna be you, Oikawa. How is this even allowed in a school setting?”

“It’s just on the cheek. He does have a big following of girls at this school. It’s not like we can use his brain to help our booth,”

“I guess that makes sense,”

“How mean! Everyone undermines my intelligence,”

“Oh yeah, how did your game go Saturday?”

“It was fine. We won, of course, but it just felt too easy. I need a challenge in my life. You should come to my next game! You can wear one of my jerseys,”

“Hmm, tempting, but I’ll pass. Volleyball isn’t really my thing. Well, if you’re pretty much done, I’m gonna head around to look at the other booths. See ya around!”

“Bye, Y/n~!”

*

Everything looked amazing and you were having a good amount of fun before someone grabbed your shoulders from behind, making you jump. “Ya ho~!”

“Gah! Oikawa you scared me! Why would you do that?” you exclaimed and punched him in the arm.

“Ow! I can take the abuse from Iwa, but from you, it’s just too much,”

“Sorry. I saw opportunity and couldn’t resist,”

“The abuse I endure for you. Do you wanna go do something together?”

“What about your booth?”

“I’m all kissed out and on break. Girls wear a lot of lip product,” he said while rubbing some gloss and balm off his cheek. “But anyways, let’s go get some food or something. I’m so hungry,”

“I saw a teriyaki booth somewhere. Wanna get some of that? You’re paying,”

“Don’t I always?” The two of you walked the booths, trying different foods and desserts. The games were pretty fun too! It was nice playing games that weren’t rigged. You were clowning on Oikawa a bit at how much he sucked at some of the games compared to you, though you're sure he’d thrown some of your matches together. As your escapade continued, you noticed some girls you passed had their hands pressed to their cheeks while pointing and gazing at Oikawa, undoubtedly gushing over how they kissed each other on the cheek.

“I don’t understand how you can manage all the female attention. I’d get too tired of having to interact that much,”

“It does get bothersome sometimes. I used to love it, but now I think I’d prefer to have only one girl's attention, you know?”

“Ah, the development of a teenage male. From boyhood to maturity. All ready to settle down,” suddenly you gasped dramatically, almost making Oikawa drop the snacks he had bought. “A Ferris wheel! How did they get a Ferris wheel here!?”

“Y/n, I don’t think I’d trust that. It looks a little old,”

“Old shmold! Let’s go on!” Without a moment to protest you were dragging Oikawa by the hand to the big ride. “Woah! I can see the field yard from here!”

“Y/n! Please don’t lean out the side like that. You’re gonna fall!”

“Oh, you mean like this?” you asked and leaned out,”

“Y/n!” he said, reaching for you.

“What? Are you scared” you asked, and started rocking the box. He grabbed you and forced you to sit still beside him, like a mother to her rambunctious child.

“You’ve lost your fun privileges. Sit still until the ride is over,” you couldn’t help but laugh at him. You wondered if rides were a fear of his or if it was just Ferris wheels. Either way, it was fun to be out like this. You guys only ever really interacted at school during classes or studying. “Hey, Y/n. I think you should rethink going to my next game. I think I’d play better if you were there,”

“Why would you need to play better? You already win don’t you?” by this time the wheel had stopped and it was time to get off. You left the ride with a ‘thank you’ to the person running it and continued on.

“It’s less about the winning and more about… Y/n, would you just listen for a sec?” he grabbed your hand and pulled you back nearer to him. You blinked twice, looking down at where his hand didn’t leave yours.

“Kawa?” he started running his thumb over your knuckles nervously, his eyebrows knitting together in conflict.

“I want to see you at my games. I don’t care if I win, I just want to see you wearing my jersey number at my games,”

“What do you…” this wasn’t… was it?

“Earlier, I was wondering if you were gonna show up to the kissing booth at some point today. But now I’m realizing I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Wh-why?”

“Because now it feels more genuine,” he looked up at you, into your eyes, it felt invasive, uncomfortable, but not altogether unwelcomed. “Y/n. Can I kiss you?”

“I…” but the decision was clear to you then. “Yes.”

Sure enough, you were at his next game, the number one displayed proudly on your back.

Weekly Recap | November 13th-19th 2023 (Part One)

For the first time ever, I have a podcast and podfic recommendations! 😃 The podcast is Dispatch: a 9-1-1 Podcast @dispatchpodcast and specifically the episode with @mistmarauder that inspired me to try podfics!

Complete

🔥 eddie diaz vs the pta agenda by mmtion/ @mmtions (Season 5, Jealous Eddie | 19K | Mature): Really, Eddie doesn’t care that the PTA aren’t his biggest fan. He knows he misses too many meetings, and it’s not like he’s best friends with any of the other parents. But then Buck picks Christopher up from a class trip and it all goes to hell. Like, of course Buck is everyone’s dream guy. He’s responsible with kids, and kind, and funny and interesting and hot to touch. That’s obvious. But now Eddie’s fighting to keep the PTA moms, teachers, and dads, all off an unsuspecting and tempting Buck. Because Eddie is a good friend. Right?

The 118's Secret Book Club by Asplenium, QuietLittleVoices/ @hawkeyefrommash (Post-Season 5 | 15K | Teen): Eddie dropped the book on the counter. “Taylor Kelly wrote a book. I haven’t started it yet. But I was thinking –” “Book club?” Karen asked. Eddie nodded eagerly. “I know I can’t complain about this to Buck, but –” “Say no more,” Hen said, flipping open the book to the introduction. “We’ll get some copies from the library.”

daylight (i can never look away) by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (S4, Quarantine | 3K | Teen): or; a single moment between two almost lovers who don't know where to go next (otherwise known as the buddie quarantine fic nobody asked for)

101 Ways to Say 'What the F#%&' by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Humor | 5K | Teen): The point is, Eddie knows Buck. Or at least he thought he did. Now, Eddie's starting to think the whole relationship has been built on LIES. Because somehow, in some way, it has completely escaped Eddie's vast amounts of knowledge, that Buck is a fucking polyglot.

wait for me to come home by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Season 5, Pining | 3K | Teen): Chris doesn’t take the lego. He keeps staring at Buck with those big, doleful eyes, and says, “Why can’t you be with my dad instead?” His voice is soft and sad, naive and hopeful all at the same time. It’s positively heartbreaking is what it is, especially compounded with the fact that Buck has been asking himself the same question for months now. Buck offers him another smile, softer and tinged with a little of his own sadness, and says, “It’s complicated, buddy.”

spilled milk by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Post-Coma | 4K | Teen): or; In the aftermath of Buck's coma, Eddie can't look at him. (Part 1 of longing tastes like grief and desire)

something familiar by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Post-S6E15 | 1K | Teen): or; Buck and Eddie get burgers after visiting Marie's grave, and Eddie feels too many things. (Part 2 of longing tastes like grief and desire)

standing on the edge (of great) by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Ediie/Ana Break-Up | 5K | Mature): or; eddie says buck's name during sex with ana. it goes about as well as you would expect. and then somehow, it gets a little better

🔥 Love in the Time of TikTok by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Post-S4 | 5K | Teen): It seems kind of dystopian to let millions of people know he’s in love with his best friend before telling said best friend first, doesn’t it? Whatever. Fuck it. It’s not like anyone he knows in real life watches his Tik Toks anyway, so he can be a little freer with the truth even if doesn’t tell his followers everything. He already keeps a tight cinch around his emotions when he’s at work, he can let his guard down a little on here, right?

this life that we've created (or: how silvia rodriguez learned to believe in fairytales again) by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Post-S4E5: Eddie Begins, Outsider POV | 2K | Teen): or; eddie makes buck christopher's legal guardian told from his lawyer's perspective. because why not

hear me now by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Post-S4E5: Eddie Begins | 5K | Teen): or; eddie finds the footage of buck trying to dig to him in Eddie Begins. conversations and feelings ensue

When My Eyes Are Closed (Til Right When They Open) by mintedwitcher (Season 5, Getting Together | 2K | Teen): When Chris has a tantrum, Eddie slips and refers to Buck as Chris's dad. A lot of feelings are revealed and Eddie has a few realisations at his kitchen table. Buck, as always, is right there. 

The First Place I Go (When I'm Trying to Hide) by mintedwitcher (Season 5, Getting Together | 2K | Teen): A companion piece to When My Eyes are Closed, wherein Buck realises he's in love with Eddie because Chris talks with his mouth full.

hungry for your love by evcndiaz/ @evcndiaz (Getting Together | 1,8K | General): prompt: "who’s gonna write a fanfic where chris is not cooperating with buck and eddie accidentally says “listen to your dad”?"

I wanna spend my forever like that by wikiangela/ @wikiangela (Sick Eddie, Getting Together | 8K | General): Eddie catches a cold and stubbornly denies he's sick, while a fondly exasperated Buck is trying to take care of him.

nicknames, supernova similes and the family we make by thewolvesof1998/ @thewolvesof1998 (Established Buddie | <1K | General): Bobby and Athena meet Buck and Eddie's new baby girl.

Nobody Can Do Everything by browney3dgirl6/ @hoodie-buck (Canon Divergence, Teacher Buck | 4K | General): It's parent/teacher night, Eddie having brought Carla along to help him navigate through the vast school. Most of the teachers are unmemorable, save for the pretty English teacher, though she isn't the one that keeps his attention. No, that would be the one with blue eyes, the one his son is always talking about.

if I could see you (once more, to see you) by colonoscopys/ @colonoscopys (Canon Divergent, Coma | 21K | Teen): Or, in the aftermath of a building collapse, Eddie mourns. Buck dreams.

Kiss Me Drunk When You're Sober by giselleslash/ @gigi-gigi (Getting Together | 5K | General): Buck makes a drunken confession and Eddie makes a decision.

Podfics

🔥 [Podfic] Curl Up in My Heart and Let Me Keep You by liketherestofla, MistMarauder / @mistmarauder (Animal Transformation | 1-1.5h | Teen): When an orange tabby cat starts hanging around the Diaz house, Eddie doesn't think anything of it. The little guy's cute and cuddly, and seems to always know when Eddie's having a bad time. Weird how the cat's never around when Buck is, though.

🔥 [Podfic] Love in the Time of TikTok by MistMarauder/ @mistmarauder (Post-S4 | 30-45 min | Teen): It seems kind of dystopian to let millions of people know he’s in love with his best friend before telling said best friend first, doesn’t it? Whatever. Fuck it. It’s not like anyone he knows in real life watches his Tik Toks anyway, so he can be a little freer with the truth even if doesn’t tell his followers everything. He already keeps a tight cinch around his emotions when he’s at work, he can let his guard down a little on here, right?

WIP

🔥 Things We're All Too Young to Know by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon, S1 through S6 | 99/? | 261K | Mature): This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

🔥 Both Blade and Branch by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Post-S6 | 4/13 | 16K | Mature): The chances of being struck by lightning twice are incredibly minute, but Buck still manages to pull it off. During a double date with Marisol and Natalia, nonetheless. Eddie manages to resuscitate him, but as Buck recovers from yet another trauma, Eddie can’t help but notice there’s something very different about him. He’s not quite sure what version of Buck he got back.

🔥 and here, too, am i by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Future fic, Married Buddie | 3/4 | 31K | Teen): Six months into their marriage, Eddie is still struggling to decide whether or not he wants more kids, when he knows Buck does. The universe may not scream, but it certainly talks.

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know by JJK/ @trenchcoatsandtimetravel (Demon Buck, Canon Divergent | 7/? | 12K | Teen): Buck is a demon with the power to help with pregnancy, childbirth, and infant health. When the Buckleys make a deal asking for someone to help 'save their baby', Buck leaps at the chance as it will give him what he's always wanted: a life on earth. But demon deals are tricky and neither of them gets quite what they're after. This is Buck's journey as he navigates growing up on earth and remembering how to help those in need.

Fractals from the Lightning Bolt by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (One Shots Collection | 38/54 | 73K | Not Rated)

I Haven't Found A Better Title For This Than "Read This In The Six Months Before I Made This Blog And It Somehow Made Its Way To My History Now So I'm Reccing It Post-Facto"

🔥 tomorrow will always and forever now be today (tomorrow is our always and forever) by withmeornotatall (Post-S6, Time Loop | 43K | Mature): eddie gets trapped in a time loop on the day buck marries natalia

Since The First Shadow has folks talking about Henry’s queerness (or lack thereof), I wanted to share my take on it as someone who tends to interpret him as gay.

I’m not going to be talking about his relationship with Patty, though -- I can’t afford to see the play and don’t want to rely on secondary sources for this, so I simply can’t comment on it. (I’m sure they’re lovely together, though.)

To me, Henry’s queer-coding isn’t a question of whether he’s literally gay -- it’s a question of what role his villainy plays in the story.

The biggest non-Patty-related criticism against queer interpretations of Henry is that it would carry an uncomfortably homophobic implication: that queers are dangerous predators.

This was a common belief in the 80s, and the show references it by having Troy chuckle at the idea of Will getting "killed by some other queer" -- a prediction that comes symbolically and unpleasantly true when Joyce finds him with one of Vecna’s vines literally shoved down his throat.

It's tempting to try and solve this problem by interpreting Henry as straight -- the homophobic implications of his child-assaulting villainy will disappear if he's not queer, right?

Well... in my opinion, no.

A key aspect of Henry's character is that he's different. Whether you interpret that difference as queerness, neurodivergence, or simply that he has powers -- the fact remains that he is fundamentally the sort of person whom society looks down upon with fear and suspicion.

If he’s not a predatory queer, then he's a remorseless psychopath. If he's not a remorseless psychopath, then he's a vessel for an evil alien. There's no way to escape the implication that he’s dangerous because he’s different.

Eddie’s character resonates with this principle too. Indeed, our introduction to him is a monologue in which he complains about being treated with suspicion just because he’s different.

Given their similarities in this regard, I think it’s interesting that the show endears us to Eddie in the same breath it makes us fear Vecna. It almost feels like a test--

We know you’ll sympathize with a weirdo who sells drugs to troubled minors when you get to see things from his perspective, but can you sympathize with a weirdo who hurts troubled minors when you don’t get to see things from his perspective? Will you jump to unfair conclusions about Henry in the same way the town jumps to unfair conclusions about Eddie?

My point here isn’t that Henry did nothing wrong or that his villainy is justified -- I’m pretty sure he did commit the murders Eddie was scapegoated for and I’m pretty sure that’s a bad thing -- but he’s always held at arm’s length from the audience. The show plays the role of Jason, encouraging us to blindly hate him on gut instinct instead of giving him a fair trial.

It’s an easy test to fail, because it does seem like we get to see Henry’s perspective -- he has a whole villain speech, after all.

But the trouble is, this speech takes place within NINA. What we’re watching is footage that has been curated by his abuser and shown through the eyes of a traumatized girl who barely understands what happened -- secondary sources who are invested in viewing him as a threat.

Consider that Henry’s hairstyle mysteriously changes during the massacre. It’s one of those subtle costuming choices that isn’t meant to be consciously picked up on, but which registers at the back of our minds and leaves us feeling unsettled -- this Henry isn’t like the Henry we were looking at before.

The obvious way of interpreting this is that the mask has finally slipped -- the “nice” Henry was fake, and now we see him for who he “really” is. But I’m not inclined to interpret it that way, because of all the hairstyles they could have chosen... they just so happened to opt for one that resembles Brenner. (Pun intended.)

This isn’t Henry with his mask off -- this is Henry as Brenner wants him to be.

Fear-mongering over the existence of queer people has long been a useful tool for those in power -- in the 80s, fear of AIDS did the job nicely -- and so too has Brenner forged Henry into a tool to further his own goals, no regard given to the harm he causes in the process.

Like the “predatory queer”, Henry is defined on his oppressor’s terms, and like Eddie, it makes him a useful scapegoat. He only became what he did because of an unethical institution, and treating him as the problem is just as short-sighted as blaming gay men for the AIDS crisis.

That isn’t to say Vecna hasn’t become a genuine threat, though. Will makes a prediction as to how S5 is going to end--

--and while I’m not expecting things to end as violently as Will implies here -- that’s not Will’s thing -- I do believe that Vecna is going to be defeated by his hand. As tragic as Vecna’s origin was, he still made his own choices once he was free from Brenner, and he’s likely too far gone at this point to be capable of earning his happy ending.

But that’s what makes it so important that Will gets his happy ending.

Queer characters have been exclusively cast as villains or tragic sadbois for so long that I can completely sympathize with people’s hesitance to embrace Henry as a tragic queer villain.

But villains only exist within the context of the heroes who challenge them... and in a show about a queer-coded villain who personifies the anger and despair of being abused for what you are, a loving gay boy who breaks the cycle of abuse by learning that he has the right to be the hero of his own story is the perfect foil for him.

what kind of sick freak bakes cakes

(page 82-87)

THINGS ARE HAPPENING! THINGS ARE KICKING INTO HIGH GEAR! I'm so blown away by this update, it's definitely the one that's left me the most excited of any so far, for two main reasons.

First, THE TITLE CARD. This is it. The introduction is over, we're done messing around in the tutorial level, we've seen the title screen come into view and now we're ready for John's big boy birthday gamer adventure. I like how simple the animation is, with the slow zoom out as John gazes at the sky as though it's the first time he's realized how big it is, and the rushing wind and tinkling chimes behind it; it captures the banality of John's neighborhood. I just have one question - is the word Homestuck actually in the sky far above the house?

The streets are empty. Wind skims the voids keeping neighbors apart, as if grazing the hollow of a cut reed, or say, a plundered mailbox. A familiar note is produced. It's the one Desolation plays to keep its instrument in tune.

The narration beneath the panel is so different from the irreverent jokes of most of the comic; it's got a sincerity that I think we have seen glimpses of before but never really leaned into. I'd like to, because I'm interested in John's inner life, and I'm interested in knowing who this narrative entity is who knows John's inner life.

According to the adventure map (/map/6) this is Act 1, titled 'The Note Desolation Plays', which means this is a title card for both the act and the comic. I really want to dig into this being the act title - it really suggests that this is the page to pay attention to, and that John running around his house playing pranks on himself is a distraction from a much larger feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction. This is a great starting point for a character, especially the 'something feels missing from your life', and I'm bookmarking this page for future thoughts.

Second, we've tripled our number of fetch quests and confirmed that the Sburb Beta is here, in John's house. We also now have the red and green packages, and enough attention is drawn to them that I desperately want to see what's inside. John's dad left one birthday present in John's room and one in the living room, so I'd believe he's doing a treasure hunt (or prank setup) by also putting one in the kitchen and one in the car, except 1. there wasn't one in the study, and 2. those presents were white; these packages are colored.

So of course, I took inventory of all the other green and red things in the comic so far.

Green: John's shirt, Sburb logo, check mark, flashing available captchalogue cards in interface, leaves on tree, 'Typheus', ^CAKE, grass, CD rack interface, strife specibus card, GREEN PACKAGE

Red: 'TRY AGAIN, SMARTASS" error text, GameBro logo, calendar doodles, blood capsules, captchalogue card error, RANCOROUS, TG's instant messages, mailbox lever, car harlequin, RED PACKAGE

Obviously a lot of these are typical associations of red as stop/error and green as go/success, but some are interesting. My best guess is that the green package has something to do with Sburb, because green has been linked to both Sburb and John himself since page 1. There's an outside chance that it's to do with the strife specibus - that's a more similar shade of green to the package, and I love the idea that when you allocate a hammer to your strife specibus, you immediately get a hammer delivered to your house.

The red package could be a cease and desist from GameBro Magazine for slander, but I think it's something to do with TG, as he's our most prominent use of red. If I'm right, I bet it's some sort of gag gift, since he doesn't seem the type to send a sensitive and thoughtful birthday gift.

Big things are coming. I can feel it in the air when John takes off his disguise for a moment to gaze into the sky over his house. Even if we get immediate tonal whiplash when he's tempted to leave a surprise for the mailman - it can't hide the real sense of anticipation to these pages.

Sebastian Sallow Discovers ASMR {Sebastian Sallow x GN!Reader}

Introduction: Sebastian finds that he really enjoys watching you do your makeup, he’d go as far as saying it relaxes him. But when you two make a deal for you to practice the school play’s makeup on him, he couldn’t be more on edge. But then you treat him so delicately, and he’s never felt more safe. (Bending the rules so students can go in each other’s common rooms and dorms)

Word Count: ~ 2,100

Warnings: Kissing, Fluff

Author’s Note: Did I headcannon at 2am watching Starling ASMR - Makeup and Beauty trying to fall asleep? Yes, I did. And I’m tired of pretending I didn’t. Lmfao, this is definitely one of the more different things I’ve written but I had a lot of fun. God, I love ASMR. I wonder what people thought of it in a time like the 1890s when it didn’t have a name to it.

Songs (if interested): 

The Chairman’s Waltz - John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma

Chef’s Special - Nicholas Britell

You are My Baby Miss -  조영욱과 THE SOUNDTRACKINGS

Sebastian lounged on your bed with his arms folded behind his head. He eyed you as you did your makeup, pressing the fluffy brushes over your eyelids. It had always been relaxing watching you, he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Maybe it was how delicate your hand movements were, the powder flicking off your brush and turning into little speckles that slowly fell through the air, or even the soft noises you made while you focused.

You asked him once why he’d got so quiet. He wasn’t ashamed to admit you doing yourself up was fascinating to witness. You only hummed in amusement then, thinking he was being cheeky and not genuine.

Every time the two of you would go somewhere that wasn’t going to be a physically demanding outing, you liked to get dolled up. It was therapeutic to you, and ever since Sebastian got a glimpse of the process, it had been therapeutic to him too. He used to keep his glances at you subtle and sneaky, but seeing how fixated you were and realizing you wouldn’t notice, he began to blatantly stare.

Tonight was a student dinner with Professor Hecat’s top duelists, and Sebastian was keen on getting to your dorm in time. “When will you be ready?” He had asked. 

“I’d say half an hour before the dinner, I think.” You replied. 

“I’ll be ready and at your dorm before then.” 

“You’re always welcome.” You told him absentmindedly, not thinking anything of it.

“I’m sorry, I’m taking so long with this.” You mused as you leaned back from the mirror to look over your work so far. “I can meet up with you at the dinner so you don’t have to sit through this.”

He gave a little shrug, keeping his gaze on you. “I’m fine here.”

“Maybe after, I can do yours.” You jested.

“Absolutely not.” He said without missing a beat, yet still transfixed. Although, he was curious if those brushes felt as nice on the skin as they looked.

You leaned into the mirror again, a smirk gracing your lips. “But I could make you look oh so pretty, Sebastian.”

He only shook his head, he would roll his eyes but he didn’t want to stop observing you.

“That reminds me. I volunteered to do makeup for the school play coming up. I know how to do my own, but I’ve never done someone else’s face. Could I practice on you?”

“No.” 

You laughed at his quick rejection. “Please, Seb? You can ask me for whatever you want in return.”

“Tempting.” Of anyone he could have in his debt, you were always his top choice.

“I’ll only do the boys’ style, I swear. It’ll be natural, just a bit touched up for the stage. I’ll have a rag so you can wipe it off as soon as I’m done.”

He continued eyeing you as he thought on it. “I can ask for whatever I want?”

You glanced back at him then, nodding your head.

“Before or after you're done?”

You pursed your lips. It was risky, but you knew he’d only agree to it if you agreed blindly. “After.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Now how can I say ‘no’ to an offer that enticing?”

You turned to him fully, eyes wide. “Really?!”

“Don’t get too excited, you don’t know what I’m going to ask of you. I’d rather we both be on edge about this, not just me.”

You bit back your giddiness and nodded in agreement. “Alright.” You turned back to the mirror. 

This was always Sebastian’s favorite part. You took out a little container, dipped your finger in it, then dabbed the glistening substance on your lips, making them shine. Every time you got to this step, it took everything in him not to stride up and kiss you senseless.

-

Sebastian met you in the undercroft the following night. You had conjured up a couch and enlarged it a bit so that it could fit the both of you while he laid back and you sat next to him. 

“Now just relax, I promise this won’t be as dreadful as you imagine.” You pushed gently on his chest to coax him down.

He eyed you and your makeup kit cautiously as he was pushed back. “Why did I agree to this again?” Despite his overall uneasiness, he loosened up a bit when your eyes started looking over his features, giving him this sense that you would treat him with care.

“Anything you want once I’m done, that’s the deal.” You reminded him for what felt like the hundredth time. You looked away from him and down to your kit to start picking out some brushes before he could back out. 

“What if Ominis comes down here?”

“Ominis is blind. Haven’t you heard?”

“You’re hysterical.” Sebastian exhaled. He tried to relax as he layed back on the couch, folding his arms behind his head like he did in your dorm room. Maybe he could fall asleep and this would all be over before he knew it. 

Placing the brushes on your lap, you turned your attention back to him. You brought your hands up and combed his hair back with your fingers, moving any stray strands out of the way. He went still, not wanting you to stop this first step. He’d admit, it was a nice start to all of this. 

You pulled away all too soon and reached down to grab a bottle of clear liquid, he hadn’t the slightest clue of what. You emptied some of it onto your palm, then set it aside. Turning back to him, he watched as you warmed the substance between your hands. You then patted it onto his face, a pleasurable, cooling sensation hitting his skin. Not so bad yet, I suppose.

Once you were done, you waved a hand over his face to get the liquid to dry faster and the cooling sensation intensified. Not so bad. Keeping your hand going, you looked for something in your kit to even out his color. 

“I’d hate to cover your freckles. I’ll do something light.” You were so deep in thought, your voice came out soft and nearly in a whisper. It had done something tingly to the back of his neck.

“Hmm.” Was all he could manage as he kept his gaze on you.

You took out a container with what looked like a tinted paste in it. You dabbed some of it onto the back of your hand, then brought a brush up and coated the bristles with it. Looking back at him, you expected to see more panic now that you were dealing with color. But he couldn’t seem more at ease as he looked back at you.

You cupped his jaw lightly, tilting his chin up a bit as you started to glide the brush along his face. Have your hands always been this soft? The wetness of the foundation coating his skin mixed with the fluffiness of the bristles felt better than he imagined.

He had initially wanted to fall asleep to get this over with, but now he was fighting to stay awake. He’d never admit it, but he hoped this would last hours. He had always felt safe being with you, but this was on a whole other level. Even if this did all end with him looking like a clown, he couldn’t work himself up enough to care at the moment. He’d daresay he was feeling a little seduced as well.

Keeping a tender hold on him, you finished with the brush and looked over your work so far. “Looks like a light layer works fine.” You said, your voice still unintentionally quiet just as it had been a few moments ago.

That shivering sensation returned and coursed down his spine, it was intoxicating. He didn’t care what you put on him next. Just keep touching him and talking as you were and he’d be compliant.

Releasing him, you went to take out a blush powder and picked up a clean brush. Sebastian watched, mesmerized as you dipped then tapped the brush on the compact to get rid of any excess. The light tapping sound and the slow fall of the powdery cloud had his insides turning into putty. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t be too harsh with this.” 

“I trust you.” He found himself saying.

You smiled, meeting his eyes then. You scooted closer to him and he welcomed it, shifting so you could have more room. “I just want to… make you look… sunkissed.” You drawled your hushed words as you concentrated on his face, brushing lightly at his cheeks, then his nose, then his forehead.

His eyes glazed over. If he wasn’t spellbound before, he was now. “How much longer am I at your disposal?” He tried to keep up his annoyed act, but it was long gone. The overwhelming calm he felt came out clear as day in his voice. Please say forever.

“Don’t worry, I’m almost done.” 

No.

You returned to your kit and dug around. “Now this is where you might hate me.”

“Doubt it.” Paint me up as a king’s jester, I don’t care anymore. Whatever it was you were putting on him next, he noticed it was sparkly. He sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “In for a penny.”

“That’s the spirit.” You dipped your middle finger in, then smeared a touch of the substance onto his cheek bones. It was the finishing touch and you studied his features. He knew you were only looking over your work rather than him, but he still felt a great sense of warmth being under your gaze like this.

Putting everything away, you rubbed your hands together, wiping off any lingering makeup. You took out your wand then. “I want to check one thing. Lumos.” You recited with a flick of your wand. You held the light on one side, seeing how the highlight you added on his cheek bones would reflect, then you checked the other side.

What in Merlin’s name was this sensation you were invoking in him? It was bewitching really, giving him all these goosebumps as you were. You had managed to get his skin to prickle with only your gaze.

You nodded your head in approval. “I think I can go a bit heavier for the play, but this is a good start.” Swishing your wand, you put out your light. You conjured a hand mirror and handed it to him. “Look at you, handsome.” 

He grunted taking the mirror from you, then he looked himself over. Oh, I really did have nothing to worry about. He looked as he normally did, just a bit more awake and as if he had been in the sun all afternoon. He tilted his face in the light so he could see what effect that sparkly stuff had on him. He wasn’t crazy about glittering in such a way, but he wasn’t as horrified as he expected he would be.

“Aguamenti.” He heard you recite, wetting a rag for him. You took the mirror from him and set it aside, then moved towards him even closer. “Here.” With the slightest amount of pressure, you began scrubbing his face. You thought for sure he’d scowl and swat you away like a child, wanting to do it himself. But he remained yielding.

His eyes were closed as you wiped everything off of his face. He looked so peaceful. Temptation taking over, your scrubbing slowed to a halt, and you brushed your lips over his. You were only there long enough for a peck, but you could feel him lean into it. His eyes fluttered open to look at you. 

“Sorry.” You said lightly. Sebastian didn’t think you sounded sorry.

“Anything I ask, right?” His hand reached up and cupped your neck.

This time, it was you who was compliant. “Anything.”

He pushed you back on to the couch and positioned himself on top of you. Though he was in control now, he was still heavily under your spell. He kissed you deep and slow. Then brought his mouth down to your neck and started sucking sweetly. 

“Seb, you’re gonna leave a mark.” You protested weakly, reveling too much in the feel of it to push him away.

“Anything I want.” He reminded you, and continued his work.

How to create “complex” characters

– Introduction

I wanted to make a post about creating complex and multifaceted characters, since character creation is something I'm very passionate about from both a craft and storytelling perspective. Specifically, I remember I had this tendency to apply flaws as an afterthought to my characters in hopes of making them balanced and seem more complex, and this could often make the characters feel a bit artificial to me. I'm obviously not any sort of authority figure on the subject, but I do have one tip that really simplified the process of making characters more intricate, and I wanted to share it! This is probably more helpful for people who might still be at the very beginning of their writing journey, but hopefully others can get something out of this as well! It's a bit lengthy, but I hope it's somewhat enjoyable to read ^^; Enjoy!

For a bit of background, back in the early internet days, there was this trend of judging various OCs on youtube, deviant art, etc. where people would essentially evaluate your character and determine whether or not a character was well written. During this time, the term "Mary Sue" would get thrown around a lot (which is a whole can of worms I won't be touching on here). For simplicity though, Mary Sue generally means a character who's "perfect" (again, heavy oversimplification here). To counter this, people began creating these lists of character traits where they'd list off a character's good and bad traits, and people who didn't have equal amounts in each category would often be scrutinised for it.

And I see this advice all the time. If you want complex characters, people will usually tell you to just throw on a bunch of flaws, but I think this can be a bit misleading, because most traits exist on a spectrum, and aren't a perfect dichotomy of good and bad.

Thinking of character traits as neutral

My biggest advice is honestly to just think of all character traits as neutral. Because what really is a character flaw? A flaw is a very ambiguous and subjective term after all. What might be considered a flaw in one character could be considered another character's greatest attribute, and vice versa. Functionally, a character flaw should be a trait that creates conflict within the context of the story. Any trait a person has could be good or bad, it just depends on how it shows up in practice and how it's applied in daily life. It might be tempting to think that certain traits are inherently good or bad, but again, flaws aren't really about good or bad. They're about conflict and tension, and just about any trait can work to a character's detriment or in their favour.

I'm going to list off two examples of hypothetical characters below; one who most would consider to have a lot of "good" character traits, and one that would be considered to have "bad" character traits. Then I'll show you how you can easily flip those traits to create nuance. (And again, I really don't think good or bad are relevant terms here, but it's just to exemplify what I mean more easily!)

The "Good" Character

This character is empathetic, creative and incredibly supportive of others. They always do the right thing, and are a very responsible individual. They're approachable and friendly, funny, and generally enjoyable to be around.

The "Bad" Character

This character is cunning, manipulative, and don't care if their words hurt other people's feelings. They're largely apathetic and unreceptive, don't care about rules, and don't go out of their way to get to know people.

Their flaws & how it can affect the story

For the "good" character, you can look at what the downsides of empathy can be; very reactive emotionally, perhaps even a bit emotionally impulsive. Maybe they have a difficult time recognising their own needs, especially since supportive is also a trait listed above. Maybe they even use this empathy to figure out other people's needs and use it to their own benefit. Someone who's creative can often have a difficult time committing to their passions and ideas because there's always something new. Maybe they feel out of place or easily stifled by rules, but because they always want to do the right thing, they're hesitant in outright breaking rules and social norms. If they use their empathy and approachability to manipulate, perhaps this is their way of subtly regaining a sense of control because they're too afraid to explicitly go after what they want in life. Maybe they care a lot about how they're perceived, etc. Or maybe they really are a compassionate and kind person, but they're often a doormat to others because they don't know how to set boundaries or even how to recognise what they want. Maybe they don't trust their own judgment because they're so used to doing the right thing "just because it's the right thing to do", and don't actually reflect on their actions beyond that. There's a lot you can do with these traits!

For the "bad" character, which might seem a bit more tricky at first, the easiest way to figure out what the nuance of "bad" traits can be is to break down the why. Maybe this character became cunning because they've had to think long term a lot. They're good at waging the odds, they're good at reading the room, they're good at putting things together and seeing how the dominos will fall. Maybe they're even the person responsible for setting up the dominos, because they don't trust anyone else to make sure that there's a desirable outcome. If they're manipulative then it likely means that they're good at reading people, and they must know how to appeal to other people to some degree, otherwise they wouldn't really be able to manipulate anyone. They're likely used to having to look out for themselves, and they might even be good at spotting their own kind and knowing just when to avoid them. They don't care much for rules so they might not be as harsh in judging others, maybe they even have an easier time getting along with people who dare to defy social norms. Maybe they're even supportive of other people breaking the rules, because why the hell not?

Creating nuance

If you look at the two characters above, you'll quickly realise that they could hypothetical be the same character, because... They are. The "good" character is the "bad" character when they were younger. The "bad" character is the "good" character's future. An empathetic character can easily turn that empathy and their social skills into cunning manipulation. A character who previously felt stifled by the rules might choose to defy them. A character who got sick of caring how others perceive and judge them might choose to stop caring about what others think, and might even go out of their way to seem off-putting and un-approachable, because they refuse to ever allow themselves to care about others and be treated like a doormat again.

Or you can treat them as two separate characters that function as foils to one another. They both overlap in a lot of traits despite it not seeming so at first glance. My point is, I find that if you treat all traits as neutral, you don't really have to manually "add" flaws. Most traits have both upsides and downsides, and which side of those traits create conflict in the story is often what determines whether something is a flaw or not.

– Outro

Sorry for the lengthy and possibly rambly post, I just thought it might be advice worth sharing as it's something that really helped me flesh out my own characters more when I was still very new! Plus, as mentioned before, character creation and analysis is one of my favourite aspects of storytelling, and I'm also very passionate about psychology and philosophy and such. And again, this is all in good fun and 100% not a rule on how to write characters! There's exceptions to everything and everyone's process is different, and while this advice might be helpful to some, it might not be helpful whatsoever to others, and that's completely fine!

I'd love to make more posts on topics like this in the future if people enjoy it, or if anyone has any specific requests on anything! :,)

PRETTY BOY!

plot: niki swears he met the girl of his dreams at the convenience store late one night- however, his discovery proves to be misguided. the "girl" he likes is actually just a really pretty boy, and he's the main vocalist of the new and wildly popular boy group of four, X_CAPE.

<- prev. masterlist. next. ->

written: 1.6k words

chapter ten: in front of eunchae's salad

"stop making tiktoks, chae, you're blasting that damn audio. aren't you supposed to be helping?"

"oh my god can you literally shut the fuck up for two seconds yn, i'm in the middle of something here!"

yn snickers at chaeri's agitated response (because if there's one thing he can be serious for, it's tiktoking.) the group and their staff are arranging the set for yn's newest vlog, but in reality only staff's being productive. kuli's absent-mindedly fiddling with a camera and its tripod by the side, ivory is sitting criss-cross by the door patiently waiting for the contestants to arrive, chaeri is putting his entire soul into passionately dancing to queencard, and yn's perched atop a wooden stool... blindfolded.

"you know, i still don't understand the point of this damn blindfold- i always have to sit for at least twenty minutes with nothing to do and i get BORED. can i take the stupid thing off now?"

"no you can't, because your guests get here soon and you don't get to see them yet." kuli subtly raises his voice a little louder than normal, so to cover the slight creak of the door's hinges as ivory shuts it as quietly as possible. said guests have just entered the massive filming studio, both whispering a silent greeting to the white-blonde male before tip-toeing to where chae's excitedly waving them over. "suck it up, it's only a little longer."

"fine, but i swear if my eyeliner gets fucked-"

"language!" one of the cameramen shouts lightheartedly.

"...you're kidding. so it's fine when chaeri swears but suddenly when i do it it's a federal crime-"

"you're so melodramatic." ivory shoves yn's shoulder lightly, the latter flailing about in an attempt to hit him back while the contestants (namely riki) have to smother a laugh at the sight.

"don't interrupt me!-"

"you can take the blindfold off now."

"fuck off."

"language!"

yn hurls the eyemask at kuli with a vengeance before raising a brow at the set's arrangement. a wide assortment of mats are scattered around the large three-wall space, a single panel missing to keep the area open and- is that a fucking dance dance revolution machine? a trio of differently shaded doors are to his right as usual, the last forest green, middle ruby red and the foremost pitch black. there's also an impressive television placed in the corner with "just dance" on the screen (today's focus is certainly on dancing), but the main attraction seems to be the oversized pad with several rows of multi-colored dots spread in the center of the floor.

"twister? seriously? i killed my back the last time we played this!" yn groans loudly, much to chaeri's delight. he's not left much time to mourn his poor bones, however, as a quick "quiet on set" is callex and the other X_CAPE members scramble to... well, escape the camera shot.

"we'll have fun, yn!" chae hollers as he scurries behind a wall. what the hell are you talking about? he's tempted to ask, but before he can manage a word-

"aaaaand action!"

shit. "we're live, and, uh, back. again. welcome to another episode of cyren says, i'm your host cyren as always-"

an unseen ivory collapses into a fit of laughter. "you are still so bad at this, my god. is this dateline or something..."

"y'know what would be funny? if you go and suck my-"

"cut! yn what the hell."

"can i go one minute without being interrupted?!"

five "cut!"s and multiple scoldings later, they've finally managed to settle down, get through the introduction and brief summary of the series ("you pick your favorites, they do some random activities chosen by my groupmates and i get to throw a wrench into whatever they're doing.") now, they're ready to announce the contestants, starting from third place.

"so this month's choices are all maknaes? well, coming in third will be the youngest of us today. his representative animal is a snake... and he's looking forward to 'beating me in twi'- nope. no, absolutely not." this time yn's the one cutting himself off, upper lip curling to form a judgmental look of absolute disgust. "due to undisclosed reasons we WON'T be having this person here today-"

"give it up for X_CAPE's viper!" the green door bursts open with a shit ton of zest to reveal the boy in question, who's infinitely pleased with himself. yn shoots him a withering glare.

"right. X_CAPE's, ew, maknae viper."

"hey!-"

"anyways. next up..." viper wrinkles his nose playfully as he makes his way to his designated seat, yn pretending not to notice as he peels the next envelope. a grin comes to his face as he reads off the card. "she's your favorite cat-chick, and one of our lovely mcs for music bank, please welcome le sserafim's eunchae!"

"EUNCHAE OH MY GOD." chaeri gasps as she opens her red door with a bright smile, the two exchanging a high five as she sits.

"thanks for having me again cyren," she greets politely, but the two are well acquainted with her to know that she'll loosen up soon enough.

"last episode doesn't count, you only made an appearance!"

"we had fun on your star diary by the way!" kuli yells from elsewhere.

"hey, you're not supposed to be talking." yn rolls his eyes. "all the way in first place now..." he carefully unfolds the paper, not-so-secretly hoping it's the person he thinks it is. the name pops out to him in large letters, and he has to hide his beam behind his hand.

"i'm sure we all know who it is already." viper deadpans at the camera, and eunchae snorts.

"shut it twig. voted in first is the ever-so-talented chick- i mean cheetah, our very own mini michael jackson, here's ni-ki of enhypen!"

"does this count as an official award?" riki steps in with a crooked smirk, and instantly they make eye contact.

throughout all the (many) occasions they've hung out, they kept it casual. at most, yn might have a light touch of blush brushed under his lower lids, but never any super noticable makeup. so, for riki to see him with eyeliner sharp enough to cut diamonds and contour rubbed upon his cheekbones, dressed more casually with white jeans and a cute sweater in his signature dark blue, it's a surprise- a good one at that, because he looks gorgeous.

yn could say the same for him. he has to bite his lip to hold in the compliment that immediately comes to mind after glancing at riki's light turtleneck and dark jacket, pants to match. he invites him to sit down next to him, though neither of them are unaware of the knowing side-eyes they're getting from their juniors.

"i told you i wasn't exaggerating!" viper whispers to eunchae.

"i feel like i'm intruding on something," she mumbles.

"cyren says quit the secrets."

ni-ki laughs. "you're just going to abuse your host power, aren't you?"

"only on viper."

"it's because i'm a better dancer, isn't it?"

"...that may be a stretch."

"eunchae?! i thought you'd have my back!"

with the chaes jokingly bickering in the background, ni-ki takes the opportunity to look longer at yn. he swallows hard, taking in the glitter that litters his upper eyelids to fit with his golden jewelry, to the tint that turns his lips slightly rouge. just say whatever- sunghoon's advice repeats in his head as he discreetly turns off his mic, if only for a brief moment, gaze still fixated on the other boy.

yn takes note of this stare, silently switching off his microphone to return it. "what?" the corners of his mouth twitch with his teasing tone, and riki has to rack his brain for what to say.

you look-

well, great is way too half-assed, amazing is too vague, and nice is boring. so he ends up blurting the first word that he actually thought of.

"you look really pretty."

he curses internally, hoping he hasn't said the complete wrong thing- but according to the way yn's using his cards to hide the lower half of his face, he's done well.

the host turns to pay attention to the conversing younger duo for a minute to process the bold compliment, before returning his attention to riki. "are you insinuating that i don't look pretty all the time?"

"you know that's not what i meant."

"i'm kidding, i'm kidding, thank you." yn nudges him gently. "you look pretty too."

"thank you?"

filming wraps up in a few hours, each of the teens having had a blast. they're all a bit worn, though, after literally running around the entire time. riki shares a sideways smile with yn when it's time to exchange farewells, despite both knowing they're likely to see each other within the next two days at least.

"i had fun," he admits as he slides into his jacket, yn ready to see him out.

"of course you did, i'm wonderful to be with." he leers lopsidedly at the taller from beneath his lashes.

"yeah, okay," ni-ki laughs softly. "we still on for saturday?"

"when are we not?" yn rolls his eyes. "i'll text you."

"no, you'll call instead."

"you know me so well." he pushes riki's shoulder gently. "now go, stop stalling! i know you're getting picked up."

"so eager to get rid of me..." he pouts fakely as he finally exits, yn waving him all the way down. once he's out of sight, the boy turns to say goodbye to eunchae, only to find her giving him an unimpressed stare with her arms crossed.

"really? right in front of my salad?"

"so chaeri's recruited you to his cause, huh."

"would it kill you guys to keep your flirting PRIVATE?!"

"you want the honest answer to that or...?"

"i hate you."

notes: god tumblr pisses me off so bad it took me 30 MINUTES to add 3 images holy shit. anyways happy 4th of july to anyone the celebrates AMERICA RAHHH or wtv,,, i had no reason to add eunchae btw i js love her so much. also i know i know cyki hasnt made any REAL progress but i have plans believe me

taglist: @silkentides @nikikids @totoroblop @winter-world @phantom-butterfly @simsoobean @byu @noredplz @sh0uj0-r3i @onementally-unstabel-kid @thepeachyhub @enhypen-reblog @ao5riki @bearseulgs @le0-0nidas @gothhyucks @to-toad @ddeonubaby @nootnootpinguuu @sunseeking-cryptid @priochebun

bold can't be tagged!

Dying Light 2: Game Story Rewrite

I have been tempted (and have since given in to this temptation) to write out one of the alternate Dying Light 2 story campaigns that'd been knocking around in my head ever since I started playing the game.

It sticks to the characters we already know, but aims to- I dunno. Add Taff flavour, I guess.

Enjoy!

Dying Light 2, an alternate main campaign story, by Taff.

While this is not Latchkey Hero, a lot of the main plot rewrites in this does draw from what I cooked up for Monsters, We. So, if you don’t want spoilers for the MW endgame, skip this.

The player character is either Aiden or Mia Caldwell. Because who hasn’t wanted a little more versatility? We start by choosing which one we’d like to play.

The Caldwell siblings are Pilgrims (I love the Pilgrims, okay? The world needs more Dying Light Pilgrims, please send me your Pilgrim OCs so I can give them platonic smooches) and they’re currently doing what they do best: helping people move across the territories. Specifically, you’re escorting a troupe (actors and musicians) from New Paris, who’re headed to Villedor to perform.

You get to know the siblings in the introduction, and see how they interact with not only each other, but the people around them, too. My aim here would’ve been to establish a relationship between Aiden and Mia, giving what’ll happen later more meaning. We learn about the Pilgrims, how they hold a fearful sort of respect from others, and just how good they are at this.

We even get a bit of combat! Defend against a bunch of biters. Fend off a banshee before nightfall. And, hey, we might even get to know some of the troupe a bit better! We’re having a great time.

Once we reach Villedor, we find out that there’s a bit of trouble brewing right now and that the troupe won’t be able to get to its actual destination (The Fish Eye), since there’s a blockade up. We don’t much care, we are getting paid already and we don’t plan on staying. So we stash them at the second best place, the Bazaar.

After that, our plan is to pick up some more work and then be on our way. Explore time! We find out that there are two different types of safe zones/holds in Villedor: Some which require a biomarker to get into, some which do not. The Bazaar, for example, has a no biomarker zone and a main only biomarker zone. We also find out that a lot of people here are infected. In our initial exploration, we get to go anywhere in Old Villedor except into holds that require biomarkers and places which have been sealed by the GRE.

We can do a few side quests! If we pay attention, we’ll also pick up on how there’s trouble brewing in Central Villedor, and also how, oof, be careful, newcomers, lotsa new people who come to Villedor just straight up vanish. Until one quest pops up for another escort. A man who’d like someone to help him get to New Paris. Fair. We’ve just been there, we can do the trip again, no sweat. Aiden and Mia agree and take the man (Dylan) back the same way they’d originally come in.

Things don’t go well.

We’re attacked by masked men (Renegades), who are trying to get something back from Dylan, who is wounded gravely at the start of the ambush. Aiden and Mia fight them off, but the noise attracts attention they don’t need (Volatiles!). It is clear they can’t do much, but before they run off, Dylan gives them something and tells them to take it and go and not let Waltz have it (whoever that may be, our two Pilgrims are not clued in).

As we try to escape, we’re eventually overwhelmed and both of our Pilgrims are (drum rolls) bitten. But before the GAME OVER screen can roll in, a set of Renegades and Waltz show up, ultimately saving their lives. Which may sound neat at first, not so much when we get punched out and dragged off. When our player character comes to again, it’s a vague affair at first. A bit of swimming in and out of it, really, where we realise we are in a lab (spooky) and have been injected with something (cue the OOOOOOOooOOO!). But never you fret! After overhearing a conversation that they’d be taken back to Central Villedor since they haven’t died and something something they have potential, our player character frees themselves. They get their sibling too and try to escape. During this escape, we see hints that some of those “vanished newcomers” may have met their end here, wherever here may be.

We also get our stuff. Which includes the GRE key (no one bothered checking our backpack, wee!).

But, once again, things do not go well. Waltz’s goons chase us, and while our player character manages to escape, our sibling sacrifices themselves and, for all we know, has just died. We want to do something about this, but we have our first full blown seizure, which leads to us falling to what everyone assumes is our death.

All of this is followed with an Oh no, am I turning? sequence, which ends similarly to the original intro of the game, where we are about to get lynched by a mob. Hakon to the rescue! Except this time the rescue is somewhat motivated by how we’ve already made some friends previously: the troupe! They recognized us and they are what we find after Hakon jabs us with our first inhibitor.

Afterwards, this version of the story follows the Bazaar VS PK story line, somewhat, with our player character motivated to reach Central Villedor to get revenge. Why revenge and why not have our sibling recaptured? ‘cause revenge can wait a little and it won’t feel so weird when we get side tracked by side quests.

To get to Central Villedor we must help Aitor solve his murder mystery of their slain commander and to do that we have to get a biomarker (which we can do since we have a GRE key). As we solve the mystery, we find out that the conflict with the bandits and whatnot and the PK’s hand being forced to suspect or even attack the Bazaar was being orchestrated by someone else.

Who, we aren’t sure.

There’s choices to be made of course! Some siding with the PK, or with the Bazaar, and all the while we also have our troupe friends to report back to and help with little side quests. Hey, we may even have a little devil and an angle in our troupe who try and sway us towards specific decision. Plus, Hakon, of course (who, by the way, is telling us he has an idea of where to go once we are in Central Villedor so we can get our sweet SWEET revenge). We also meet the usual suspects of the Bazaar, including Sophie, Alberto, and Co.

And in-between our chores, we are on the hunt for those inhibitors and like to jab ourselves with them like the dumdum we are. SURELY nothing bad can come out of this?!

Anyway.

Now that we have a biomarker, we can access other regions in Old Villedor. More exploring! And, eventually, we get the choice to help the PK see the Bazaar was innocent (and give the Bazaar their water tower back), or we claim the water tower for the PK cause we have a crush on Aitor (why else would you do this?!), OR we can cause absolute mayhem and botch the whole deal, leading to a war between the Bazaar the PK, which the PK narrowly win.

Then off we go into Central Villedor. Escorting our troupe, of course. Gee, maybe we get an LI in there?! I’m thinking too much about the troupe now. Down, Taff. But, seriously, there is someone in the troupe who is defo trying to win us over to “troupe life” maybe and sway us away from all the revenge talk. We aren’t having it though. We loved our sibling.

(No one blows up the windmill, btw. That thing is too damn pretty to die. Taff has spoken. Oh and we probably had another turning scare at some point and are figuring out that something may not be entirely right with us.)

Once we’ve survived some tense escort mission shenanigans (HEY those can be fun if done right, I promise), and as we are nearing the Fish Eye, we get into an argument about our desire to Do Revenge, which leads to use pointing the troupe to the Fish Eye and the fucking off with Hakon.

Cause we trust Hakon.

Hakon who has become a bit quiet now that we are alone with him.

Hakon who is getting a bit weird.

HAKON WHO LED US INTO AN AMBUSH TO GET THE DAMN KEY FROM US.

We are not happy. Especially since we are facing what seems to be a trio of WAY TOO strong people who remind us far too much of volatiles. Gee. Anyway, we manage to get away! Mostly thanks to the timely intervention of a crossbow woman (Lawan).

Fast forward, we end up at the Fish Eye, with Lawan giving us a bit of exposition about Hakon (who she was tracking when she spotted him near the Fish Eye), about Waltz and how he does some really creepy science stuff with young people.

We reunite with the troupe and get to know the Fish Eye. We meet Frank.

The Renegades attack.

Our valiant defense of it goes down just like in the game, which introduces us to the PK and properly begins ACT 2. ACT 3? Look, I am not counting. Also, I need a snack, be right back.

[one snack later; beware, Monsters, We. spoilers ahead cause all of this is ripped right out of my fic]

This act is all about Bringing back some light! The right (or wrong) people have noticed that we have a GRE key and are floating the idea by us that we should take our shapely ass over to the solar farm (ex “Tesla competitor” car factory) and do Villedor a solid. This is a big one, because we get to pick our team to do that. Do we go back to the Bazaar and bring Alberto and Co (if we didn’t botch Old Villedor), or do we go with the PK, organized by Aitor, and bring Tolga and Fatim? I mean Mitaf and Aglot, sorry.

Either way, Lawan comes with us.

As we gear up for this venture (which will not be an easy venture) we begin to also unravel some of the mystery around Waltz. The name X 13 is being floated by us at this point, too, which we begin to ask around about and are told to go get friendly with the Carriers (can I PLEASE rename them to Couriers?) since they hoarded a lot of communications and maps.

Anyway. POWER PLANT. Depending on how we left Old Villedor, our efforts at the power plant are challenged by either: The Renegades (if we prevented a war between the PK and the Bazaar) or the Bazaar (if we botched Old Villedor and the PK beat down the Bazaar).

This is when the “Renegade Mini Bosses” start showing up: Daylight proof volayouths. 20-somethings turned into weapons by Waltz.

During that particular fight, we experience another turning scare, but we’re good. Heheehehe. Yeah. We’re good. :sweating:

Then, after we’ve made it, cause, of course we made it: LET THERE BE LIGHT! This time, racing up to the top of a skyscraper is payoff and Lawan’s joy something we can relate to. We’ve seen Villedor dipped in darkness. Now we see it come alive with way more lights than our Pilgrim has ever seen in their life. It’s an emotional moment, ya’all.

We get a little hear to heart with Lawan, where she reveals some more about Hakon. This is driven by the VNC tower light coming on and her briefly recounting how Hakon betrayed the Nightrunners, the very people who took in Lawan when she was a child. She was a kid back then, but she will never forget the loss Frank (and therefore her family) suffered and she will always blame Hakon for it. Hakon was, in effect, outcast after this, and eventually fell in with Waltz. A lot of people do these days, mostly out of desperation.

After that:

The Courier quest line is turned into a bit of a main quest line this time around, at which end we find out what X 13 is: a massive GRE vault. And Waltz and his Renegades are looking for it. If they are able to crack it open, Villedor is in for a BAD time. Not only will he have all the supplies he needs to keep his operation running when it comes to turning people into whatever it is he is doing, but also because: guns. There is absolutely going to be a stockpile of them in there. Even working together, the PK and the survivors wouldn’t stand a chance against the Renegades.

And thus, the race is on!

To get there first, we need intel. And intel needs communication.

VNC tower time!

Frank and Lawan think its a terrible idea, but the PK are happy to help us; this one goes down pretty much identical to the original climb. I loved that mission, and hanging out with Rowe and his group was absolutely necessary to give the PK some much needed depth which they kinda lost after you lose track of Aitor.

The difference is though that Lawan doesn’t come after us. I felt her easily catching up with Aiden cheapened not only the player’s accomplishment, but the death of Rowe’s squad and the death of the Nightrunners. We do get help from Frank though, which is a big deal, since at that moment, Frank is facing his demons. He is going back to that day when his men died – and in doing so, he saves our life.

We celebrate.

We’re almost feeling at home, really. Our troupe performs at the Fish Eye. We get to see it all, and yeah, we still want revenge, but maybe we’re home?Maybe this is better than revenge? Maybe we don’t have to go back out onto the road (and how can we, we are infected, we are screwed anyway, we can’t go back to our old life, can we?).

Maybe this is good.

If you like romance, maybe there’s a bit of romance there (someone from the troupe? Lawan? BIG SHRUG! You choose!).

The next day the hunt begins: For X 13 and Waltz. This leads to us crossing paths with Hakon again (and a fight not unlike the one in the church in the game). Though this time, the fight ends in a revelation: Hakon tells us that (DRUM ROLL PLEASE) our sibling is alive! Yeah, I know you all saw this one coming.

We then get to choose to kill him or to let him live, but not before he tells us where they are.

And we see red.

Heeding no warnings, we head into what could easily be a trap (as Lawan tells us, cause Hakon is a bleeding liar, don’t trust him), but we don’t care. We go. We HAVE to go. Lawan, since we’ve grown on her, comes with us.

THIS IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN, FINISH ALL YOUR SIDE QUESTS

Surprisingly – it is not a trap. Not really. Not intentionally. We find our sibling, but they aren’t altogether themselves anymore, much as any of the other volayouths we find. They also aren’t leaving with us – and as we try and break them out anyway, Waltz gets in the way.

Forced to abandon our sibling, Lawan manages to get us to flee and come back later, with Waltz and one of his other volayouths chasing us. We manage to kill the volayouth, but Waltz is too much – but thankfully, Lawan is crafty, and she manages to get us out.

Except now its night. And we are kinda in the middle of nowhere with no UV light and– oh no, you know exactly where this is going.

We (as in you, the player, not Lawan) turn.

Look, Veronika was sweet, but I had absolutely 0 emotional connection to her. Let this moment matter.

We kill her.

:RECORD SCRATCH:

Unless! We allowed Hakon to live, in which case he realized just how harebrained we were and shadowed us, swooping in at the last second to jab us with an inhibitor, saving Lawan’s life.

The happiness we were so close to his absolutely shattered now. Regardless of whether Hakon helped save Lawan or not. What happened, happened. There is no coming back from that.

If Lawan is dead, we do not go back to the Fish Eye. We crawl into a hole after we come to and hope to die.

If Lawan is alive, we also do not go back to the Fish Eye. We refuse, even though both Hakon and Lawan insist.

It’s not until Waltz contacts us and says he will trade our sibling for the key and the location of X 13 that we spring (or crawl) back into action.

It is decision time.

We can now choose to either: (a) give up, betray all our friends, and leave Villedor with a half-feral sibling, or (b) return to the Fish Eye and go to claim X 13 for Frank or (c) go to Missy and claim X 13 for the PK.

(a) If we betray our friends, the game ends here and the credits are us returning years later to find Villedor in the worst shape it can possibly be in.

(b) If we go to the Fish Eye, and Lawan and Hakon are alive, Frank will put the Nightrunners back together and they come with us to X 13. If not, we go alone and it will be a lot harder than (c). In this case, Matt leads a squad (which includes Aitor) after us and what happens in that confrontation depends on how we handled Aitor and his situation in Old Villedor. Either Aitor sides with us and turns on Matt, or the Nightrunners stay behind to hold off the PK. If the Nightrunners have not reunited (Lawan is dead), we have to fight the PK alone.

(c) If we go to to Missy, Aitor and one of his squads will come with us. No one challenges us.

Assuming (b) and (c), we manage to claim X 13 in what I would hope is an epic battle. One where we fight through Renegades, volayouths, and, eventually Waltz, who has brought our sibling along and pits us against them. We fight both Waltz and our sister or brother, kill him, and are left to choose to subdue or kill what’s left of our family.

Credits!

If we claimed X 13 for the survivors, Frank has taken a reluctant leadership position and oversees things from the Fish Eye. If Lawan is alive, the Nightrunners have been reestablished for good. They control Villedor’s firearms and the supplies coming out of X 13..

If we claimed it for the PK, the PK control Villedor’s firearms and the supplies coming out of X 13, though the outcome itself depends once again on how we handled Aitor’s situation. If we have Aitor on our side, Matt is overthrown after being overzealous and Aitor takes charge and the survivors and the PK enter a reasonable time of peace. If not, Matt brings Villedor under a militant rule (before he dies).

If we have killed our sibling and/or Lawan, we leave Villedor, unable to cope with what we’ve done.

If, however, Lawan is alive and we subdued our sibling, our own credit is us looking for a way to help not only our sibling, but all the other volayouths still out there. Including ourselves.

EDIT! I forgot to mention that NG+ has you have guns.

TADC analysis

If the Caine and Abel theory is true, I wonder if 'Abel'would be a character we've already met, or someone we've yet to see

Possible candidates:

Pomni:

newest member of the cast, she can't remember her real name (and neither can anyone else but I'm thinking they'll put special emphasis on her trying to remember it specifically since she's the main character) as the main character it'd make sense to have her be out in a important role like this

and while you could say Cane and Abel are both brothers while Pomni is a girl, the original Cane from the bible wasn't a digital ringmaster with only teeth and two eyes for a head sooo the 'Abel' being a girl in this story isn't that farfetched

Kinger:

First person to come here a parallel to Abel being the first person in the bible to die and the first two people other than Adam and Eve

Kinger as a 'King' raises some questions as to why he's that specifically, Cain is a ringmaster so you'd think they'd have something to connect them somehow as brothers, maybe their eyes are similar?

Kinger would make a lot of sense, though maybe if this story is going to be taking a lot out of the bible he'll be a parallel to Adam with that Queen piece we saw with a crossed out door being the parallel to Eve?

In the bible Eve was the first tempted into eating the forbidden fruit, maybe something like that happened with her being abstracted first

Bubble:

As Cain's assistant, Bubble is the one in the cast that's closest to Cain, which is fitting of the whole 'brother' thing, Bubble is one of if not the only character to actually bother Cain, which could be just because Bubble is a little weirdo, but it could be deeper.

Maybe Bubble 's presence as Cain's brother or at least a representation of Abel is unsettling, Cain's reaction of popping Bubble once or twice out of annoyance could just be a gag, but maybe is representative of Cane disliking Abel (and ultimately killing him)

Kaufmo:

Maybe we won't hear about Kaufmo outside of the pilot, maybe Kaufmo was just an introduction to Abstraction and what happens when you lose control, but it could be possible we'll hear more about what Kaufmo was up to after this, maybe Pomni will get/steal the key from Jax to enter Kaufmo's room again and find out more

Tell me if there's any other people who could fit as 'Abel', I was thinking Jax or Gangle but couldn't think of how they fit very well, I'm very excited to hear people's theories for this

Must See T.V. Moments - Invincible 2024

*****SPOILERS for SEASON 2: EPISODE 6*****

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I'm in my T.V. Phase now...

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*******I MEAN IT. SPOILERS AHEAD******

The 'parasitic alien' remains a classic Super Hero villain. My personal first introduction to this villain came from watching Batman Beyond. In a two-episode Saga, Terry gets the opportunity to fight alongside The Justice League of his era. Naturally, he finds discord only to discover... well you get the idea.

This concept plays on one of our fears as people: being controlled. As gamers, we're so used to being puppetiers. Yet imagine Being the puppet. Imagine further maintaining a small hint of consciousness; an out of body experience where you watch your every action taking place. We might wonder if we'd still feel pain? Would we feel anything at all? The parasite would probably have a total lack of self-preservation, and that scares us.

This show still reigns as one of the best-written shows on television. Robert Kirkman handles tension so well. I'm avoiding reading the comics, but when I see an episode as good as this one it's very tempting. The series integrates so many layers, adding a density to the storytelling. Amazing story craft like this, in my opinion, is the cause of fiction withdrawal. I know the feeling well.

Sometimes, a series feels like it's speaking to you personally. It becomes a drug that taps directly into your veins. I keep a list of shows on my phone that give me this feeling. Maybe one day I'll share them. Really, I keep them to remind myself which shows give me the true feeling I'm searching for. I do this in the hopes of limiting my sometimes lengthy searches for new entertainment.

Let's start with the obvious.

Do you Ship 'Mark X Amber' or 'Invincible X Atom Eve'?

Fans of the series remain vocal about their preferences. And I get it. They prefer for Mark to spend the majority of his time as Invincible, the superhero. They want to see him at his most powerful, going on adventures, fighting alongside a crew, and receiving the admiration of beautiful potential partners. Seeing Mark in a more ordinary human life could feel less fun. And Amber is, in a way, a representation of that. Her groundedness reminds Mark, and the audience, that he's still just a guy. This can cause conflict between the audience and certain characters. Protagonists often serve a cathartic outlets for viewers. Fans of Twilight want to see the quiet, studious, normal young lady swept up into an extraordinary series of events. Seeing someone like themselves, allows them to live vicariously through the plot.

Likewise, superheroes serve as one of our culture's best self-insert fantasies...

This is good. This is healthy, I'd argue. Being able to explore yourself in an idealized fashion can help people create fragments of identity which can sometimes become the sparks of our moral centers. All that said, writers like Kirkman, understand that stitching these fantasies to universal human experiences are what make them memorable. It's the filtering of the wild through the boring that make our stories sing.

In real life, we have relationship problems. We screw up. We do poorly in school. We fail at our obligations time and time again, while the world forces us to push onward because our obligations are always with us. As Mark continues to try and do the right thing, his humanity outshines his Viltrumite heritage.

*****SPOILERS for SEASON 2: EPISODE 6*****

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Rexsplosion reads Home Decor Magazines - Invincible 2024

"I actually thought Rex died..."

This series plays with tension brilliantly. It also avoids having too many moments of relief. When the immediate danger fades, the characters still live in a state of worry. They're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We learn something quirky about Rex, but only because he almost died. This semi-sweet moment humanizes him, yet emphasizes the ominous nature of the series. Our heroes have to take their happy moments when they can get them. The Team, now scattered, became a question mark. This world cannot afford uncertainty surrounding its heroes. We saw their near demise in Mark's absence.

And with a few quick scenes of Mark's loved ones, we're of where he's most vulnerable.

This brings me to my favorite aspect of the episode:

- The Fiction inside the fiction -

This will always be one of my favorite methods of storytelling. Seeing characters in fiction read or watch their own fiction lets us see how they relate to their world. Sometimes it's done through myths and legends. Sometimes in other clever ways...

When Mark receives a box of science fiction stories (stories written by his father) we are able to more directly relate to the character.

This look of wonder and skepticism on his face. This is all of us...

My father introduced me to Star Wars. He had the original trilogy on VHS tapes. He recorded the movies when one of the major networks aired them without commercials. I wore those tapes out, watching until my imagination expanded to the vastness of any epic tale; spilling over into my daily life sunshine I could carry in my pockets.

At this moment in the show, I am Mark. I'm sitting on my bed, hearing my father's voice as the story plays out on the pages and in my mind. And I'd wager, I'm not the only one.

In dramatic fashion, we now get to go on the journey inside this new universe. This fiction within a fiction is crucial as it becomes the notion of creation from the perspective of beings we know to be created. How funny is that. Funnier still, to Mark this tale plays as cinema. Whereas to us, it's still animated; which is a wild concept when thinking of sentience.

Even the title 'The Man with the Invincible Gun' ...feels like foreshadowing to me.

*****SPOILERS for SEASON 2: EPISODE 6*****

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I'm sure most of you caught on quick, realizing that these stories are based on Mark's Father's real adventures. I think it's funny seeing a character like Mark, superhero, space traveler, one of the strongest beings in the Universe, forget all that, and lose himself in the story. Again, this character trait displays Mark's humanity. Of course, he eventually realizes that these stories are far from lore.

Knowing his father, it's probably safe to assume these were not heroic journeys of an idealistic space explorer. More than likely they were unsuccessful Viltrumite invasions of unsuspecting alien inhabitants. I also think we'll at some point get to meet some of these aliens and learn the truth of these encounters. But still, it's fun to dream.

This episode makes me want to read a good book...

It also makes me want to write. It's been a while since I've done that either.

A few more things. Seeing the Seth Rogan alien makes me wonder when I'm going to be able to hear him as his own character because every time he talks, all I hear is Seth Rogan. His is the only character that does that to me. I'm hoping my brain eventually adjusts.

Also, let's readdress the title screen.

What does it mean this season? In Season 1, the answer felt obvious. The blood splattered across the title showed the surprising violence of the heroes world, which slowly dragged Mark deeper into its depths. In this season, the classic 'Invincible' logo cracks away to reveal a red one.

What's the meaning, I wonder. Mark might be one bad event away from turning into Omniman, a true Viltrumite warrior, like the Mark of the other Universe. And speaking of other Universes...

Our friend Giant-Brain-Outside-My-Body-Man returns to get a bespoke suit from a tailor with four arms.

This tells me that no matter the universe, timeline, or year, nothing feels better than wearing a fresh new suit. We also get to see him do a little multi-dimensional hopping.

I wonder which Universe this could be...

Cryston

ok it's not actually as epic✨ as i thought it would be but here is my episode-title prediction but it's very rough and in note form and no doubt is all over the place and pls feel free to discuss in the replies and ill amend accordingly,,, PLUS i need to go through it again in more detail cross referencing my sideburn theory bc some things might actually belong in other episodes and yeah im exhausted from the sheer speed at which i pulled this together fucking enJOY

(note: now contains mention of the leak, proceed w caution)

1. THE ARRIVAL

main storyline summary:

OKAY SO LETS START with this article on mr g's blog - scroll to the last two paragraphs - potentially see pre-fall heaven or the immediate moments before/after the fall which when you consider the opening credits begin with crowley climbing out of the pit/aziraphale descending from heaven, AND the BEAUTIFUL (this isn't being discussed enough imo) fall sequence in the hillywood parody, im tentatively suggesting that we might have a cold open of the fall

✨✨MURIEL PERSPECTIVE ON THE FALL?????✨✨

sosososo in the trailer obvs crowley and muriel are jn heaven and muriel says "you're a demon!!! // im going to get into so much trouble!!!" so WHAT IF DURING THE FALL THEY SMUGGLED CROWLEY OUT OF HEAVEN TO AVOID THE CONFLICT???? and crowley took like the back staircase down so he didn't fall so violently and got to keep his wings and *GUNSHOT* ok so im only like maybe 5% certain it's a flashback after ive rewatched that bit of the trailer oooh maybe 26 times but sTILL imaGINE yeah don't think this anymore, send me an ask if you want to know why bc i cba to write a post explaining

and then presumably a segue? into the first few events ive listed in this post about the start of the second coming idk it might actually be a flashback in another episode hmm yeah actually that seems more likely but anyway

then - present day, gabriel arrives on earth, lost memory/human, "something terrible" in the box that he was meant to deliver to aziraphale (?) that going by that second coming (SC) post i think literally contains jesus

ok update after the gumshoe az pics: so if gabriel is connected to the pub, and by the extension the jukebox, it must be the record that arrives in the box with the address attached, and aziraphale starts looking into it from there????? idk see ep 2

crowley gets evicted, then crowley and shax interaction in the park

presumably an introduction to maggie and nina, plus the "naked man friend" clip

discovery of gabriel at the bookshop, and ensuing argument leading to crowley summoning lightning, and the boys going no contact sob

2. THE CLUE

main storyline summary:

*edit because my draft didn't save properly and ive only just noticed - believe that this ep has the job minisode

SO following the newest pic release of crowley and aziraphale and the record, which ive gone off about here, i think that the skip doesn't quite happen yet BUT aziraphale obvs has the record which i think god has sent him as a clue and then goes to find crowley to talk about it ✨A cLuE✨ but crowley tells him to fuck off

also crowley is a bartender

THEN we have a present-day time skip, gabriel being a very good assistant in the shop

again after the SC theory i think that gabriel lost the box and instead god somehow sends aziraphale the record and address as a clue

aziraphale (unsure of the genesis here) starts researching the jukebox and the everyday song, presumably buys the record from maggie

aziraphale in the bookshop, looking at the jukebox articles, crowley storms in, "im back" see below!!!

THEN second time aziraphale approaches crowley, pub drink ft crowley in jeans and a nice top™ which i think is actually his work top™, then the clip ✨a cLuE✨

crowley and shax in the bentley having a heart to heart, and i worry that she essentially tempts him into luring goob out of the shop so hell can get to him and crowley can get back his precious 😭 peaceful 😭 existence with aziraphale EDIT FOLLOWING THIS!!! I think she definitely tells him to get chummy with aziraphale again

AND NOW we have the "im back" scene

possibly the beelzebub clip from them in hell? possibly an interaction between them and shax? beelzebub manifests as a fly and plays a game of tag in the bookshop with goob, trying to make up for their failure in losing track of jesus

at some point the other angels come to the bookshop to interrogate aziraphale for if he has seen gabriel, believes he's lying, and resolve to send in their ✨top agent✨

3. I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING

main storyline summary:

✨MURIEL MY BELOVED✨

whole "cup of tea" scene, plus crowley removing plants from the bentley "why don't you go by train? you love trains"

possibly muriel feeding back to heaven with her report about aziraphale, his grumpy friend, and his assistant 💓

aziraphale off up to edinburgh in the bentley, possibly crowley has stayed behind to babysit gabriel? (i feel like the 'are you a bookseller too? / not even at gunpoint' interaction was a bit foreshadow-y)

UPDATE: WHY IS GABRIEL CONNECTED TO THE JUKEBOX MYSTERY?? WAS THE RECORD IN FACT IN THE BOX??? AND ITS SOMEHOW LINKED TO HOW GABRIEL LOST HIS MEMORY??? IM SO CONFUSED

still confused but see above SC theory

was the resurrectionist address already taped to the record when it arrived in the box? NOBODY KNOWSSS

UPDATE 2 re: the meme template prime just gave us: so what IF AZIRAPHALE goes to the pub, asks if theyve seen goob, the pub owner (who is in the meme) says "shhhhh I have some intel meet me at the graveyard at 6", aziraphale goes and they show him a pic of gabriel in the pub like removing the everyday record from the jukebox? bc gabriel removed it and that's why the jukebox is now stuck on that song??? AGHHH now I'm wondering if the pub people got a video of the graveyard fight or a pic of the box or something and that gives aziraphale the indication that the whole thing is centred around the second coming

shax possibly knows that crowley is there, and calls the bookshop? or crowley calls heaven to narc on gabriel? OR aziraphale calls him from the phone crowley possibly lent him and idk but a conversation along the lines "hey crowley so i think a fight with demons caused goob to lose his memory and lmao but i think he also lost jesus!!!

either way crowley uses aziraphale's phone specifically and is obviously looking intently at something

and lastly again i think this has the resurrectionist minisode - fitting given that they decked out a pub in edinburgh with resurrectionist signs etc so that probably triggers a flashback for az when he goes there for the jukebox mystery

4. THE HITCHHIKER

no official press photos for this one as far as i know , but possibly????

main storyline summary:

first, *SLAMS HAND ON TABLE* 🚨40s MINISODE🚨

i think however that this is where muriel is back on earth, potentially rooting around greek street trying to be as nosy as possible

and crowley now loaded in with info hot off the press (lmao aziraphale) knows that the second coming is involved and realises he needs to get into heaven to find out more info which is so james bond of him what a legend

and then WELL WHADDAYA KNOW muriel turns up and therefore im wondering if the above is from crowley's pov - muriel spots him in the shop and gets a tad excited

then - bless their soul - muriel gets coerced into helping crowley infiltrate heaven, or he follows them back to the heaven entrance they're using, and jumps in the lift with them last minute (ie the hitchhiker)

god knows why he's going to heaven in disguise but he's living his best life bless*

ALTERNATIVELY see ep1 about the muriel/crowley scene

5. THE BALL

okay i admittedly have no idea on this wtf happens in this one

do they DANCE

is aziraphale checking off a GUESTLIST for their disco ball?????? WHAT IF ITS MAGGIES BIRTHDAY OR A FUNDRAISER AND THATS WHY THERES RECORD GARLANDS ON THE SHOP IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE????

rap battle

a lil SMOOCHY SMOOCH??? (NOT the leak one, a different one)

6. EVERY DAY

✨everything goes to shit lmao✨

i can't even be bothered write out everything that happens in this episode because i think we can guess the bare essentials - crowley is on the throne in hell, demons attack the bookshop, metatron appears and declares war, aziraphale sharts himself, DEMONS destroy said bookshop and aziraphale's FUCKING HOME

i do feel like EVERY is in here because i reckon aziraphale finds out crowley was betraying him to hell, even if for a good reason, and crowley desperately tries to make aziraphale see that it was "for us, for you aziraphale!!!!", SNOG, and aziraphale tells him to get fucked bc now he can never trust him, crowley said hed never lie to him "obviously, you're a demon" from s1, and the cliffhanger is them being on their OWN own sides @azirafuck back me up here

Update 19/07: and what if aziraphale can't forgive crowley and literally tells him he can't forgive him... and fallssssss?

like I'm SORRY but i need heartbreak like THIS

IF AZIRAPHALE FALLS THO IM GOING TO KILL EVERYONE ON EARTH AND THEN MYSELF💓✨

ACTUALLY MAYBE THIS???? IM GOING INSANE NOW

Piper McLean in Ceaseless Eve: Let's Discuss

⚠️ The following contains spoilers for any & all of Ceaseless Eve ⚠️

At first, I was not planning a whole lot for Piper.

Of course, I didn't want to do nothing with her, leaving her to be essentially a cardboard cutout carried around by the boys as a prop for 90k words. She was there, and she was cool—the girl that knew what to do around the pegasi, the girl that Leo crushed on but never had a chance with. But as I continued to write with her and discover more about how she fit into the story and the ceaseless-verse in general, I realized that she wasn't laid back at all. It was a facade, and she was terrified.

I hadn't planned her arc, it kind of formed on its own over the course of the story.

Piper is a character who spends this story recovering and reassessing her past. She's very similar to Leo in that way, as she had an uncertain grasp on her abilities and how they fit into her life and who she wanted to be. But unlike Leo, there comes to be a point when she reaches a certain age, where she is able to identify the implications of her abilities, and how she can control others...and yet she uses her abilities anyways to get what she wants.

Piper is a selfish character in her youth, a person whose development is altered as she is used to continuously getting what she wants. It isn't until her early teens that she begins to realize that by continuously using her Charmspeak, she is taking away the free will of others, especially people she cares about. She begins to realize that most of the people in her life don't actually love her or even like her. She realizes she's never actually had a real friend that she had not manipulated before.

"I have what I need now. I know my Charmspeak is a gift, and I should use it in emergencies. And, I mean...I made some real friends while I was here. I didn't have to ask you, or Leo, or Hazel to be my friend using Charmspeak. You guys really like me..."

—Piper McLean, Ceaseless Eve, Chapter 20.

(As I'm writing this I realize with a bit of bitter humor that fandom really doesn't like selfish female characters. In Piper's arc, even at the beginning of CE, she is opposed to using her abilities for malicious intent at her point of introduction. I'm very grateful that many of CE's readers understood her nuance and loved her in spite of her past and flaws. Not everyone did. I can't help but wonder how different the fandom would see her/her arc if she were a boy, but alas...)

The only person who remains there for her is her father. She stopped using Charmspeak on him altogether quite a while before she stopped for everyone else. Though she felt tempted to in darker moments, she also found he was easy-going, and some of the only honesty she had experienced—good or bad.

That is, until her dad became busy, and the paparazzi buzzed with a nervous, unsettling energy—and Hollywood was going to Hollywood.

So, Piper tried to pull him away in the only way she knew how—using her Charmspeak to get into trouble. It is at this point where her character arc aligns the closet with canon and the familiarity of other demigod arcs: she steals the BMW, gets sent to the Wilderness School, though she escapes after a monster attack and makes her way to CHB with the help of a dove from her mother.

It was then that she met Nico.

One of the most important aspects of Piper and Nico's stories is their relationship to each other. She comes to CHB in search of protection from monsters, an escape from her previous life, and a restart. Despite how hardened Nico can be, it wasn't hard for her to become friends with him due to a moment of vulnerability after a monster attack. They become an outlet to each other, even if it's not often that they delve into things that are too serious. In a way, their friendship is an opportunity for them to both be normal teenagers in a world that does not often provide that peace for demigods.

As the group started towards the camp's entrance, Piper grabbed Nico's arm. "That was the longest car ride I have ever been subjected to in my entire life." She whispered, and her eyes displayed the extent of her suffering. Nico, suppressing a laugh, allowed her to link her arm in his as they headed up the hill towards home.

—Ceaseless Eve, Chapter 18.

Piper's friendship with Leo is also particularly important to the ceaseless trio's dynamic. Although I wrote Leo as less of a, uh, ladies man from the start, I contributed his friendship with Piper as the thing that broke him out of his desperation for a girlfriend. They are able to be open with each other easily, vulnerable from the start in a way that most demigods are due to their environment. Piper is seen as easy to talk to, so if she is friends with Nico, how bad can Nico be?

Overall, her arc comes to a close with her decision to go back to her dad. Admittedly, this is partially done to follow Richard's "rotating cast" method, but also because I feel it is best for her character. By resolving to only use her Charmspeak in emergencies, and by making friends by simply being herself, she builds up the skills needed to get back out there and mend things with her father. There might be even more mortal-type adventures in store for her in Hollywood, though we will have to wait and check in on her in Ivory Rain.

Bonus: a small fashion tip from Piper: the color-changing eyeshadow ✨

I love Piper's color-changing eyeshadow ! I decided to alter the canon of her eyes changing color like a kaleidoscope; I've heard in the past that it was an element of HoO that did not age well or was problematic, though I don't think I am the right person to delve into why that is. I decided instead to have her eyes stay brown, and gave her color-changing eyeshadow. Where did she get it from? Her mom? Iris? That's up to you. ✨

Bonus character! Apollo: Let's Discuss

Apollo has always been one of my favorite gods—he's kind of the Barney Stinson of the bunch; you feel like you should hate him, but he satirizes the things you'd hate about him so well, you can't help but feel the opposite.

I knew from the initial plot points that I wanted something to happen with "kidnapping the sun" and a dark aesthetic, think Titan's Curse. Still, I will admit that the bit about him falling for a trap at a music festival came a bit later than I'd like to admit. It does sound like him though, lol.

From what I have seen of canon, Apollo seems slightly more caring than other godly parents of the series. That's one of several reasons why I had him be Sarah's godly parent. Also, I made a few comments throughout the story about how uncaring Apollo might seem about demigods that aren't his kids. In spite of this, I'd like to think he does care about all demigods at the end of the day, especially heroes that have helped him out. He's still a bit of an asshole, but hey, maybe he could return the favor and help out our friends in Ivory Rain.

Style: Prologue

Resume: After failing several auditions, you decide to give up and give your all in your part-time job and your studies. You didn't count on your best friend coming up with a slightly tempting proposal that would make you rethink your plans.

Words: 437 [Is short, I know, but is just the introduction lol]

"Come on, Y/N, put that cloth aside and pay attention to me, I'm telling you this is important."

You took a breath and tried to concentrate on that horrible chocolate stain that was preventing you from finishing the cleaning of table 8. "Jiwon, I really appreciate you caring about me, I really do, but it's time for me to get on with my life" you sighed as you saw your blurred reflection on the shiny table. At last that stain had come out. "I think it would be best if I finish paying for my studies and complete my degree; I can't live on part-time jobs forever."

You went behind the counter and started to sort some things out. Your shift was about to end, and you couldn't wait to throw yourself on your bed and sleep until tomorrow.

"I know, I know you can't stay like this forever, but this was your dream as a child. You're an excellent actress, the world needs to see your talent, and this is the best chance you'll ever get," Jiwon's bright eyes shone brightly as she saw the interest growing in you. You had already put the glasses aside and your gaze was fixed on her. "JTBC company is planning to make a romantic comedy dorama, the director, Kim HyunJung, published and demanded that the main characters should be little known actors or actors who want to get into acting promptly with the excuse that she wants to capture new essences."

"I don't know" you mumbled with your head down. You were tired of going to auditions, of always being looked down upon or looked at as a pretty body. No one in all these years had even given you the role of a supporting character, and that was starting to make you wonder if the problem was really you, "I don't think she's looking for someone my age."

"Today 27 is equivalent to 18! You are a beautiful, charismatic, talented woman with a lot to give, you should give yourself a chance" You both looked at each other in silence, Jiwon's gaze trying to meet yours and convince you to give in.

You tried to imagine what would happen if you were cast in the role. The cameras, the flashbulbs, the reporters, your fans, the job offers, the gratifying feeling that you finally got to fulfill your dream....

"Okay, I'll do it" you stopped Jiwon's celebration immediately. Your relentless face sent a slight shiver down her back, "but this will be the last one I'll do, and if I don't stay, then I'll retire for good."

Masterlist.

That’s Right!

Last chapter of Double Trouble! I think this came out ok as whole considering how crazy the initial idea was.. XD

Masterlist

First Chapter/ Previous Chapter

Content under the cut!

Even as Twilight helped him up, Hyrule couldn’t contain his incessant giggles. He’d decided that he likes that fairy. She’s funny and mysterious. He wonders what actually happened to her. At the same time… she’s so easy to mess with. She gets so riled up so easily.

“You too, huh?” Twilight bite his lip, watching the pink one go get the Lesser One

Hyrule keeps giggling. “She’s not half bad.”

“She shoved you in a bottle.”

“I know but did you see her face?” Hyrule almost falls over laughing again. “She shut up so fast! She looks so betrayed.”

Twilight snorts, “yeah, yeah. Well then we better keep an eye on her”

“I plan to.” Hyrule grins cheekily. Something tells Twilight that he better keep an eye on The Traveler as well. He might have something up his sleeve with that attitude.

Hyrule decided to leave Twilight behind and run after the girls. He can smell the residue fairy magic throughout the hallways and finds the original trio all in one room. The Lesser One had returned to the room and was being hounded by Pinky.

Without warning, she grabs the sword, mch to the dismay of the Lesser One and holds it out of arm's reach. “This is mine until we fix this!”

“It is not! You’re just going to give it back to him!” The Lesser One cries.

“Which one?”

They choke on the words and a beat passes they collect themselves. “....You know which one!!”

“Do I?”

“Pinky!”

“Let’s go.” She doesn’t even wait for either of them to come to a conclusion. She just starts walking out of the room. Just what is happening with these three?

“PINKY!”

She just starts giggling.

She gestures for Hyrule to follow and he meets Sky finally in his full form. “Hi!”

Sky looks shocked. “Hyrule? How long have you been here for?”

“About as long as Wolfie, but a little less.” Hyrule admits with a small smile.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I was in the bottle.”

“Oh.”

“We’re missing one.” Pinky looks around and spots Twilight. It looks like he’s collected some of the nearby bananas. “Oh never mind.”

“And your friend?” Sky tilts his head.

“Give them five seconds.”

Hyrule starts counting in his head. He gets to three before the Lesser One appears next to them. “Pinky, I cannot believe you- eep!”

Pink grabs their arm and holds them in place. Hyrule can vaguely see the fairy in the bottle still. She’s fuming but she’s keeping her mouth. Hyrule is tempted to open the bottle.

Pinky grins. “Do your timey wimey wibbly wobbly stuff and get these poor guys back to their friends.”

They deadpan. “No. I wasn’t done.”

“Just do it there.”

“Will they let me even try?”

“I won’t let them get in your way. Do the thingy.” She smiles innocently.

The Lesser One stares at her for a little while before whining and opening a portal behind them with a small clock-like thing. “I hate that I can’t tell you no.”

The fairy suddenly starts throwing a fit in the bottle, banging harshly on the glass. Neither of them seem to notice.

Twilight and Sky both sigh of relief and happily step through the portal. Pinky, sword and fairy in hand also goes through and Hyrule follows quietly.

The Lesser One closes it and stays near Pinky, almost hiding behind her. The rest of the group is shocked at their sudden reappearance and stares at them slack jawed.

Pinky steps forward. “I’d like to be the one to apologize first. We really only needed that one.” She points to Sky. “But ended up with the other two. Seeing as we actually have the same goal, why don’t we join forces?”

Sky bites his lip. “It was my idea.”

Twilight shyly raises his hand. “I second that.”

“I don’t mind it.” Hyrule shrugs. “They’re just weird.”

“I’m sorry.” Pinky deflates and sighs. Sky starts laughing behind her. “But before you say anything! Let’s get introductions out of the way so we’re not like… total strangers!”

Hyrule tiptoes around her and pokes the bottle with the fairy. She glares back at him and he feels the need to egg her own. He’s already ignoring the little speech the pink girl gives to the rest of the group. He chants the familiar spell under his breath and shrinks down to her size.

She’s already got a whole to say on the tip of her tongue, he can tell. He winks and flies up to grab the top of the bottle. It takes a little bit of effort on his part since he’s significantly smaller but he’s willing to try. Hyrule feels like being an agent of chaos today.

He pops open the bottle and the fairy wastes no time in flying out of it.

“Of all the little- no good, pompous, UNGRATEFUL-”

Pinky sighs and puts her hands on her hips. She turns to him and glares. Hyrule feels only a little bad. “...I bet you feel real proud of yourself right now.”

He laughs. “Just a little bit.”

“YOU!” The fairy screams and flies straight at him.

“Uh oh.” Hyrule has enough sense to duck and fly towards the group. She misses him by a hair but suddenly gives chase.

“Get back here! I’m not done telling you what for! Let me kick you for being so annoying.” She screams at him.

They all stare as she chases him and follow them for a moment before Sky says something and their attention is back onto the others again.

Hyrule is shocked that he’s been singled out. Kinda. Not really. In his heart, he knows he deserves this.

He can’t really bring himself to care.

He stops dead in his tracks, just dodging her second attempt at tackling him. She screams in frustration above him. Before he knows it, he’s grabbed and thrown off the cliff with her magic.

Oh, it is going to be fun having her around.