#i have filled a major plot point in a future part of the story i feel like i’ve unlocked the secrets of the universe
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Ayato/Thoma x SelfAware Gn Reader part 1 6.5k words
General warnings (not all themes are present in this post): yandere themes, mentions of suicide(in theory and enacted) and major spoilers for Inazumas quest line including character stories.
Author note here: I understand the narrative style of this fic is going to be a little bit different than usual. This fic highlights a lot of internal thoughts and justifications so the description of things isn't as ‘fluid’ as normal. I hope you enjoy it anyway. I want to post this as a ‘teaser’ of sorts but mainly to see how it gets received. The next update would be the completed fic. I see it potentially reaching 17/20k words but if people don't like the style then i'll just have to see.
It's disgusting. It is discomfort incarnate to have such foresight into the fate of the world and yet be bound to its own laws of destiny, especially when what you were sure was to take place is altered. You no longer have any ground of understanding except the uncanny feeling that things are not as they should be, to be so similar and yet be so changed. You knew things will end up alright, as long as you do not interfere then Inazumas political warfare will reach a peaceful end and it did. You watched, noted those ‘special’ to the world, those who have a story, a life, a reason and you took the responsibility of not getting involved and it worked. You became an npc, avoided any confrontation with those deemed ‘special’, avoided any influence in the ‘plot’, watched as a hero came, a nation saved and a people newly united. It worked. Your foresight was correct yet… things changed. With no base to rely on, how were you to know what the ‘future’ must be, how were you to know what to avoid, who to avoid and what minor choice may change a future?
The hero has left, gone to Sumeru you guess, no, you know, you know the hero leaves for a new nation but so has your foresight and with that comes the change.
The one day gathering supplies, one day speaking to a fellow npc to fill some sort of social need, one day being in the ‘dark’ and you've caused a spark.
“Oh Aoi, good morning to you!”
He didn't speak to you, it was directed to the npc shopkeep you were chatting with and yet it grabbed your attention. Thoma is ‘special’, Thoma is relevant and so he must be avoided and you failed.
Thoma spoke of how lovely the nights have been, of the soft whistles of sea, even to npcs Thoma was a gentleman starting conversation. He then noted how ‘unique’ your eyes are, a depth to them hes never seen before. That comment frightened you, made you rush to leave, to stop the change. Quickly you felt a hand on your shoulder,
“Please excuse my rudeness but how about we have a stroll? I know its unfair of me to ask a stranger such a thing but… you remind me of a home away from home, if you would grant me such a pleasure that is.” he ended with a chuckle.
You have been so realistic up to this point, so good at avoiding ‘change’ but you have a heart and knew all too well that whatever feeling Thoma is experiencing is something important to him. You have a heart and so you accept.
A single light hearted stroll became a weekly meet at the shop front, ‘coincidentally’, which became a personal relationship which became a friend. It's alright though, Thomas is a social guy, he's close with many npcs who never impacted the ‘plot’, you can be one such npc, that's fine. Change is fine.
It's not fine. Meeting with Thoma you eventually met with other ‘special’ individuals you knew by name before they even knew of your existence. It's a weird feeling to know a person before getting to meet them, all the private details, their worries, their joys and yet to remain oblivious.
“A formal greeting from the Kamisato Clan, I am glad to see Thoma has a new friend. Do treat him well, sadly I must make short of this meet.” and the man who is most likely the most influential to whatever ‘plot’ is to come of Inazuma greeted. Kamisato Ayato was amongst your top ‘DO NOT ENGAGE’ list other than the archon herself and yet somehow naive bliss and a VERY convincing plea(almost suspiciously good) from Thoma to have lunch by the beaches near the residence of the Kamisato Clan lead you right into his ‘life’.
You have no ‘life’, you are meant to have no ‘life’, no value or effect and yet by each interaction with those deemed ‘special’ by the world your plans crumble.
Ayato then promptly bowed and walked out the residents gate, a body guard joining him as he started his track along the path you had just taken towards the city.
“ah right, he has that meeting. A pity, if his schedule was more open id have asked for him to join us.” Thoma turned to you with a quick hesitant smile, “he's really not as imposing as you may think he is. ah well… maybe he still is but just in a different way then what the people expect. If you'd like, maybe I could let you know when my lord and I are doing something casual, if you would be comfortable with that of course. I forget just how intimidating the idea of being casual with a clan lord can be to someone who doesn't know him as well as I do.”
“Thank you for the offer Thoma but i'd like it if we just kept it the two of us. You are right, the idea is a little frightening right now.”
You knew what Thoma meant by all that, he means that Ayato is a genuine person underneath his political mask. Ayato is a brother, a friend and a man caring for those deemed under his protection and to those lucky enough to see under his mask they may be met with the unlucky fate of becoming a target to his mischievous nature.
Still, the idea of getting involved with someone so influential is nauseating even if just for something ‘casual' as Thoma has in mind. In truth you shouldn't even be here, here near the Kamisato Clan, here near someone like Thoma, here in Teyvat in the first place. You shouldn't be here.
“I see, that's expected haha.” Thoma smiled at you wildly, reaffirmed at the idea of something going on in his mind (if only knowing what said idea was was as easy as opening a character profile and reading a line directly out of his thoughts) “Well we are still here for a good time. Let me get that blanket and pillows for the beach quickly. You are going to love it!” Thoma quickly skipped into the yard of the clans walls while you waited outside and watched as the npcs you recognized pattered around the area.
That one person at the commission board, you had forgotten his name by now after fulfilling Inazumas reputation months ago. There was the old lady sweeping in the yard, what did she comment on again? … … it never came to you, it was all forgetful anyway.
A sudden feeling of envy hit you. They were forgetful, oh how lovely that would be to ease your nerves. To know that each day the sun rises you can follow your coded script without fear of altering the fate of the very universe by the time the sun goes down. Wow, you've messed up haha.
Thoma returned quickly as promised, a blanket and two pillows clutched under one arm as a basket was held in another but probably most heavy of all was the giant smile on his face, wrinkling his cheeks with a sense of genuine happiness. No wonder you messed up, it would be impossible to say no to him. It's all his fault and yet you felt you could never put the blame on him.
“Well, sorry to have starved you of your lunch for so long, we are nearly there and I can't wait to see your reaction.” Thoma then lead you through a short path of the surrounding forest and down towards the beach.
Perhaps your recollection of the game isn't accurate, you could have sworn a group of enemies should be nearby the beach here but all along the coast line was just gentle laps of the waves apon white sand. Thoma layed out the blanket with little worries evident on his face, he placed both pillows down then removed his shoes, each unclad foot stepping on the blanket to avoid spreading sand all over it, you promptly did the same, sitting down and placing the basket you had down next to his.
“This place is lovely at any time of the day but especially during sunset, I would have asked for you to join then but I feared it would make things inconvenient for you but still, spending the afternoon here is just lovely nonetheless.” he criss crossed his legs and then beamed at you.
“Come on then, don't keep me waiting, i'm dying to try out one of your baked goods.”
Right. One of the first things you did when you realized you were now living in the game was (panic, cry, internally scream in confusion as to how this has happened and if your world will keep on going and you aren't in it) actually to set up an identity for yourself. Running around and claiming to have come from another world and how you somehow know very personal details of select people and the future fate of the nation would lead to either your banishment or a future altered and possibly worse where peace was not founded, the resistance killed off and the entire plot of the ‘game’ thrown off. Not a good idea. Instead you tried to incorporate yourself into the ‘npc lifestyle’ as quickly as possible. You came up with a backstory that befit this world, you are a failed Sumeru scholar who has come to Inazuma to lead a new simple life outside of your failures. (In truth you stole inspiration for the backstory from some npc you think was on Sangonomiya Island.) It makes sense, people you tell won't ask you more about your past details in fear of being insensitive and Sumeru scholars are sometimes brought to Inazuma. You explained your (fake) predicament to a shop vendor who referenced you to the local baker who took you on. Now you bake goods behind the walls, don't face any customers and have a very npc-like backstory and job. You set yourself up well which was helped by all the knowledge you have of this world. Too bad you messed up all that work and are sat in front of someone ‘special’. Maybe you can salvage the situation, maybe it's not as bad as you think it is, you only have ‘maybes’ which isn't helpful since you had a ‘definitely’ to rely on before Inazumas ‘quest’ was finished by the hero.
You just smile at Thoma and reach your basket. “I made some simple bread rolls and brought some butter and jam but I also made some black sesame biscuits before leaving work. Thanks again for convincing my boss to let me off early today, things get busy there.”
“Not a problem, I don't often take days off either but I think I just needed a break today and imagined it would be a nice chance to get to know you more. How about you pass me one of your rolls in exchange for a serving of okonomiyaki? Sorry it's probably cold by now but should still be good.” He reached into his basket taking out some wooden containers as well as some cloths, likely for cleaning any spillages, and handed you one with you exchanging and giving him a roll and butter from your pack.
You both nibbled at each other's creations, the bread rolls were still slightly warm on the inside since you had baked them before leaving, which Thoma commented on how lovely it is with the butter. The okonomiyaki you took pieces out of was cold but packed with various spices and toppings which really highlighted Thomas skills.
“I just love that we can do this!” Thoma announced after his last bite. “I love getting to make and share things with friends, it's touching the combined effort put into it as well as the delicious outcome we get to enjoy. Haha, my lord and I do a similar thing but its outcome is not as enjoyable as warmed bread and butter, if anything it's concerning haha. Remember how earlier I said how he can be a little intimidating, our little cook outs are one such example. I really have to steel myself for those.” he chuckled and then leaned down on his elbows.
Once again, what he's trying to explain is something you already know of but need to act oblivious to. You have to convince yourself to be unaware and yet need to be aware enough to avoid ‘changing’ anything, this task has grown rather wearing but is essential to keep up your act.
“Oh? How could cooking together turn out so threatening? You two are close though.”
He laughed
“It's because we are close that he feels he can torment me with his cooking. I swear, i'm surprised i haven't kneeled over and died yet. Worst part is he knows its tomenting, it's the best part to him! Agh- i've had so many of my own treats i've made be ruined by whatever his plan is. Haha, its amusing to look back on but just so daunting in the moment. When I said we could do something ‘casual’ with him I do not mean having one of these cook outs haha, I could never subject you to that.”
The nature of the conversation stayed light hearted, you both exchanging from your baskets while sharing stories or light hearted moments, you had altered your side of things a little, you spoke truth of personal events but under the filter to fit with your backstory, that way lies couldn't catch up with you or forgetting lots of little made up details. The outing was rather pressuring in concept, so much could go wrong since you are involved, but in reality it was very nice. You had kept yourself back a lot when it comes to building relationships with the people around you in fear of your influence potentially changing something important but you are still human and still have social needs but even people like your boss, coworkers and the shop vendors you chat with in passing never fit what it meant to have a friend, to have someone to sit next to and simply have a good time with.
Maybe you've been in this world for too long, you fear you may slip into making a ‘normal’ life here now that you've had a taste of what it means to ‘live’.
The sun started moving, waves became more rash upon the shore and the signs of the afternoon turning to evening became evident. You started packing up your basket and containers, lightly chatting on with Thoma about the seaside. To the side you heard footsteps and Thoma sat himself up straight to look at the oncomer.
“Oh! Done with the meeting my lord?”
Your hand slipped in fright, the container lid clattering as you tried to put it with its matching box. Shit, why is he here? Shouldn't Ayato be too busy? Isn't that one of his whole character points? Not once was ‘strolls on the beach’ mentioned in any of his character lines. You looked up and smiled at him in greeting, your face tugged up tensely and trying very hard to look at ease. You decided it would be easier to let Thoma handle him and just got back to packing your things away.
“Good evening to you too,” he chuckled softly and shifted his gloves, “the meet is done without any problems. When I got back home I wondered if you were still out here, seems I was right. I can now also fix a prominent mistake of mine.”
Even though you tried your hardest to avoid eye contact and look busy it's not like you had mountains to put away, you were left empty handed with a pair of well polished shoes in front of you, their sheen contrasted with the speaks of sand now defiling them. You took a breath in and looked up properly to meet his gaze.
“I do apologize for being so rash earlier, I would have liked a proper introduction. As you can surmise i am Ayato, Thoma has mentioned of you before and I am glad to have the honor of meeting you in person.” he smiled in greeting, no doubt he would have offered a hand or a bow if you both were at the same height but for now a smile would do.
“Right, it is truly an honour Lord Ayato. Thank you for extending your welcome to me.” you bowed slightly.
He laughed slightly, deeply amused.
“Do just call me Ayato in private like this and last I recall, yes my property is in the area but that doesn't warrant me the entire beach side. In truth I have not welcomed you at all.”
Thoma sighed slightly, “My lord please don't tease them so readily, I would like to eventually re invite them here but I can't do that if you've scared them away.”
“Of course, maybe then I can truly offer my welcome and they may join us to tea in the confines of the clan.”
Thoma sighed again at the slight continuation of Ayato's mischief. You took the opportunity of their exchange as an opening and stood up.
“Thank you for the food today Thoma and for bringing me to such a lovely place. I'll get going before it gets too late.”
“Oh, let me walk you back then.”
You shook your head in defiance, “No need, I know the way and it doesn't make sense for you to walk all the way just to have to return. Bringing me here was amazing in itself.”
You turned to Ayato and bowed again, less in respect and more so to keep away from eye contact.
“Thank you again Lord Ayato. Stay well.” and quickly you make your way off the sands of the beach and towards the trek back home into the outer city.
Thoma and Ayato stayed still, simply watching you go in silence until you were out of eyesight. It was Ayato that broke the silence.
“You are sure they do not carry any ill intent?” he said monotonously, still looking at the spot you disappeared to.
“I am sure. They are a decent person and I double checked, they don't have a past linked to any organization. Sure they are rather anxious, I see it often, a little skittish at times and slightly paranoid but it's not at the prospect of the clan. Haha, if you've taught me anything it's to be aware of people's intentions, if anything they are trying to run away rather than to get close. I can assure you, they don't have an agenda against the clan.”
Ayato breathed out, then turned himself to properly look at Thoma, his face relieved. “If that's your judgment it must be true then.”
…
An odd moment of silence spread between the two of them on the beach, both looking out as the sky took on warmer hues of yellow and orange clashing with its deeper blues.
“You've been coming here a lot more recently and to have invited a friend here as well, has your mind been on your homeland?”
Thoma chuckled and leaned back out on the blanket, now dusted with sand and corners crinkled after the day's events, “I have. Thinking about the mountains of Mondstadt and all the memories just out there across the ocean. It's not in a sad sense, not at all, it's just that recently-,” he paused, looking away from the ocean and down to his lap, slightly gnawing on his lip in thought, “recently i've felt more… connected with myself. It's a nice feeling if not slightly concerning. I feel i'm getting to know myself better but it also just clearly shows how much i have yet to discover.” He sighed, closed his eyes and fully laid down on his back.
Ayato looked down on his friend, doing as he does best and figuring out just what was going on in his mind, his feelings, the reasons for such feelings and the potential catalysts that brought them about. He kneeled down onto the blanket beside his friend, form straight from a lifetime of practice.
“Does your new friend have anything to do with it?” he asks only to be met with silence, Ayato doesn't need an answer, he already knows it's true but just why that is so is still unknown.
“It isn't that you have fallen for them have you? I didn't think of you as one for love to occur after a reasonably short time.”
Thoma opened his eyes languidly and responded this time.
“I don't think it is love. Not yet but… i'd say i've definitely fallen for them haha, in whatever way that is i'm not sure but it feels… unbridled in nature.” he closed his eyes once more and shook his head at his own emotions. He tugged on a smile and relieved himself of his weighing thoughts, “So i'd appreciate it if you don't chase them away okay? I look forward to figuring out what's going on with both myself and with them.”
Ayato nodded wordlessly, not needing to disturb the quiet with a response.
…
“Ayato, did you notice the look in their eyes? It truly just- it just instantly made me feel like i was reliving my home town but also… not. It was familiar but also so foreign.”
“I hadn't gotten a good look at them in truth. They seemed rather determined in keeping their eyesight on anything but me.”
Thoma nodded in acknowledgement, “Makes sense. I do hope they warm up to the idea of the three of us doing something together eventually. Haha, once they've settled their nerves they are very comforting to talk with, I think you'd like them.”
Comfortable silence stretched along the two, the shades of yellow and orange in the sky deepening to reds and purples.
In time Ayato stood up, no doubt with the intent of work to finish. He turned to leave before side glancing at Thoma.
“The nobushi that often occupy these beaches, you've disposed of them correct?”
“Did it just this morning to make sure the beach was safe for today as well as to clear out the threat they bring.”
Ayato sighed in annoyance.
“I still can't understand how those ruffians believe they outwit us, thinking being close to the clan means they may spot our vulnerabilities.” he shook his head slightly, like the ‘danger’ the oathless samurai possessed was nothing but a pesky fly.
He then made his way back to the clan home leaving Thoma to steep in his own thoughts.
It was after this interaction that you decided to cut things down. At first you imagined Thoma to be the safest ‘special’ person to come across, given how social he is and loved by many you could become a face in the crowd while also tending to your social needs and appeasing Thoma who, and you still wonder why, wanted to get closer to you. Following the path you've taken recently, of course you were wrong, infact Thoma should have been on that list of ‘DO NOT ENGAGE’ for the very reason you thought it was safe to, he's social. Very quickly you had realized in your time meeting with him that he would smile and wave to many walking by, one such instance was panic inducing when you noticed Yoimiya come over to greet him. Before she had fully skipped up to the both of you you had promptly dismissed yourself and ran back to the confines of your walls to avoid meeting someone so ‘special’.
This was Thomas' problem, he is the network that is connected to so many ‘characters’ that by staying by his side means undoubtedly meeting with the others. Today's incident was clearly that, you met Ayato, you were right there at the clan bordering the line of stepping into the grounds of one of the most impactful places of Inazuma and it was Thoma that had convinced you to do so. You had been too lenient on your rules recently, too selfish. You don't follow these rules you've written up for yourself because you want to but because you know it's for the better of the future and altering such a future because you can't stay inline is selfish to every being in Teyvat that could possibly be influenced by your choices.
To live means to influence your environment, to live means to leave an impression that proves your existence. You wish for nothing right now other than to ‘die’, be void of life and find comfort in that, to finally release the stress of what it means to have all this information of the world and not belong in it but you are still human, you have needs to fulfill and ‘dying’ is not one of them.
It was time to cut Thoma off, it hurt because you knew it would hurt him but it would be better this way. That night you closed your eyes to rest, determined on your new path but gut wrenching in a myriad of emotions, fear, pressure, uncertainty, sadness. You haven't slept well ever since coming to this world and that night was no different. You fell asleep cursing the ground you walk on, cursing the details that swamped your mind, cursing your very existence and the trouble it causes to both this world and yourself.
Seperating yourself from Thoma was simple, firstly you changed your shopping time, no longer ‘coincidentally’ meeting with him like you had these last few weeks. Secondly, you asked your boss for more work, that way you have an excuse. You aren't a ‘bad guy’ for just leaving Thoma, no its because work has been busy and you just don't have the time. This system worked, you hadn't stumbled on him while in the city and the few times he did come to your workplace you simply told him that you were busy and needed to get back to work. This system went on for weeks and was perfect for devoiding your existence of ‘live’, which yes was depressive, you could feel yourself go mad at the amount of work you put on yourself and lack of outlet, but it worked. The extra work did help with the issue of mora as well (the value of mora being confusing ingame where how a single egg was 400 mora and yet 1 mora is represented as a single coin but you realized quickly it was just the ingame market system) which lightened the financial strain a little. You worked from early mornings to late nights, arms dead by the end of the day. In truth you know it isn't a healthy cycle, often coming home and skipping meals just to bathe and sleep, but it was necessary.
Inazumas rains soaked the land, luckily no thunder was present but the trek from the city to nearby village was still made difficult in the wet weather. Your eyes focusing and unfocusing, legs on autodrive walking you towards a particular customer of your workplace who the boss is very fond of. The old lady you were delivering to had been coming to the bakery for years but in her age can no longer make the walk to the city. Your boss found it mandatory to provide for such a loyal customer and so your weekly walk to deliver her breads was on the way.
In the rain was silence, just the sound of your wet shoes on the mud and the rhythmic clank of the wooden box you carried and its latch. The world began to blur, shapes and colours combining as the rain obscure your vision and the melody of your steps, the rain's patter and the wooden latch soothed your mind. Peaceful, a sleepwalk yet not unconscious.
Peace is never retained.
“Look, a stray lamb. Ha! The rain brings fortune indeed.” a swallowed out voice but a few steps away from you got you out of your daze. A wandering samurai, perhaps 3 all together, walked from the side of the path towards you from the river. If this had been ingame the confrontation would be nothing more but an annoyance, 4 ‘characters’ to choose from to easily snuff them out or the option to just run away until they gave up chase. In reality this confrontation means little less than a deathly denouement. Heavily armed, well trained men with seemingly no morals and a thirst for sick entertainment against a human bering no vision, a basket of bread and a fatigued body leaves little wonder as to how this will end. Panic arose at the realization, the very human phenomenon of ‘fight or flight’ kicking in, and as a baby bird strives to the air you push off your feet, adrenaline quickly awakening your senses and urged your body to a change of direction and just as a fledgling's first flight you fall. Hard. Your mind may have awoken but your body had not caught the message, instead you lay your head in the dirt, all motive diminished, just your sad existence lay bare for a bunch of hostile mobs, stupid coding of copy paste enemies, to take your life. In all honesty this is perfect, you wish to retain as accurate to an npc life as possible? What better way than to die a meaningless death. That brought enough comfort to you to allow yourself to close your eyes (disregarding the other factors such as shock, exhaustion and most likely a concussion from the fall)
Perhaps a few of your questions will be answered now, if you die here will you reawaken into your own world? Will the months of lifetime in this fictitious game be nothing but a dream or will you truly die and merely sink into the mud as nothing more than a mistake upon this world? Neither as it seems the feeling of the rain pelting on your body ended, the sounds of swords being drawn and clashing washed away and your head, though still paining, layed on something far more welcoming than wet earth.
“Are you regaining consciousness then?” you feel hands lean your body up, a hand moving you face side to side prompting your eyes to open. They are met with the analytically eyes of Ayato still looking over your features for whatever wear and tear you may have gathered.
“To have fallen so gracefully in such a life threatening moment, truly your abilities are unmatched to any I have seen before. I am surprised you garner such mud and bruising, I had expected you to be dressed in only the most comfortable of clothing by the way you so effortlessly went to rest.” Oh for fucks sake-
You properly awaken, now relying on your own balance to stay sitting upright and Ayato moving his hands away only to have his eyes peering closer to you. You swipe at your face, lumps of mud clinging to your hand in turn. You heave a sigh just to gather yourself for a moment before speaking.
“What happened? Why would you be here if it means I'm not dead? Ah- sorry,” you jumped into accusations before even giving thanks, not suspicious in the slightest, “my head is still sore. Sorry, I must thank you for rescuing me, I would be dead if not for you.”
Ayato hummed and nodded his head. “To answer your question, I was on my way to the city before the rain started, not wanting to get wet I waited here under this shelter until I saw you stumble right into that group of noboshira and now we are sat here. As for your apology, it's accepted, you are welcome.”
Why was he acting like this? Mischievous sure but with a slight hint of pride or cockiness in vulgar terms. Sure he's a noble but usually he adores the ‘polite lord’ act rather than ‘cocky aristocrat’. His attitude reminded you of how he interacts with those he deems ‘close’ rather than a stranger he's met only once. Yes you are close with Thoma which may influence how he sees you but surely not to the extent of you two being ‘close’ in turn.
And still you must play the fool, be gracious and oblivious like you could never tell between his mask and his true face.
“Thank you so much Lord Ayato, truly you've saved my life.”
You stand to bow, to leave but he holds your wrist at the movement.
“Do not move so hastily now, the rain is still ongoing and I would not like to see a recurrence of you laying in the mud, no matter how amusing the first time may have been. Do sit back down.”
No denying that, no matter how much you wanted to make distance between the two of you, trying to run away would only cause more problems. You sit back down on the bench, a rickety structure just outside the village with hardly enough space for two.
You look to the ground at your feet, watching as rain drops just a few inches away. Ayato sighs, made clear you have no intent of starting a conversation. Perhaps his political side kicks back in, going blunt and straight to the point.
“You have been avoiding Thoma these last weeks, he's become distressed at the idea he's done something wrong.” you do not reply.
“Is it because of my involvement? I understand you may be pressured by our difference in class but both Thoma and I have made it clear that should not be a problem when in private so why is it you fear me? I have seen those intimidated by my title but your anxiety runs deeper than that. I personally don't care as much but if it distracts your relation with Thoma then I suggest it should be dealt with.”
This questioning is unnerving, it is tearing right to the point where the only truth is to reveal the true origin of your situation. That cannot happen so you reply with what you usually do, not exactly a lie but a truth wrapped along with missing context.
You fake a sigh, “My Lord I am… I am an introverted person by nature. When Thoma approached me I- I accepted his conversations not to be rude and i do genuinely enjoy being with him but i- he's a social person, I knew he was and it was uncomfortable for me to get involved but I tried it's just the moment I met with someone such as yourself, someone so… powerful I realized just how large his social circle is. I can't keep it up, being with him means being with others and I cant handle that.” it was the truth, yes you played it up a bit but hopefully it's an explanation Ayato would accept.
“So you do not consider your friendship special enough to warrant such efforts?”
“No!” you lift your head to him, for once properly looking at him, “It is, he is special, he is special beyond your understanding it's just that… I don't fit in, I don't belong by his side and meeting you and others just proves that.”
Ayato looked at you for a moment, seemingly lost in your words, perhaps not understanding the phrasing you used but he quickly morphed back into his usual laid back but self assured look.
“Was that your decision to make?” He let out a soft huff of air and looked forward to the oncoming rain. Why did he wish to avoid the rain? Given his character trailer where he casually accepts it, his skills being water based and summoning quite literal rain not to mention the casual manner his attacks have him kneeling right into it, how could he act so off put by walking along when the storm was hardly harsh, a summer spray in truth, you wouldn't have accepted going on this delivery if the weather was any worse.
“It's comforting. Something I can appreciate both from a distance and up close. Water has a tendency of being both stubborn and flexible, it moves as it wishes and chips away at that it deems in its way. When in motion it is hard to stop, when stagnate it proves hard to move.”
Ayato turned back to you, eyes alight with something more than just his blue hues, they appeared with a sheen, not from the gloss of tears but of something you couldn't exactly tell what it embodied. Without a character profile to read it actually is very hard to tell what goes on in his mind.
“Such waters remind me of you. So stubborn in some label you've put yourself under and yet so quick to wash away when it is threatened. You call such a label as being ‘introverted’ but I imagine it's something more isn't it? Perhaps it is insensitive of me to get into, from Thoma I hear you've had an unfortunate past in your time as a scholar and the depths of your reason may lay there but if you truly wish to integrate into a life in Inazuma then avoiding the people you come across, myself and especially Thoma, all under the pretext of being ‘introverted’, then you will find your burdens much heavier.”
In a very storylike fashion the rains seemed to ease, droplets turning to drizzle. Ayato stood up and readjusted his coat cuffs, “At the very least explain to Thoma your reasons, I did not exaggerate when I said he has become distraught.”
You stood in turn, head buzzing but no longer in the previous pain. You nodded to Ayato, your anxieties haven't shown any actual proof and yet you hurt someone who has shown nothing but kindness and acceptance to you, it is wrong.
“I will, you are right.”
Ayato offered his hand to you for a hand shake, both as an untold promise to explain yourself to Thoma and as a simple goodbye gesture, you shook it with a strong resolve.
“I look forward to hearing more about you in the future. Do keep yourself well and avoid potential naps in the mud, it's not the most comfortable of places.” he smiled at you with a cheeky glint of amusement before turning his back and walking to the direction of the city.
You sat back down on the bench, intent on waiting out the remaining drizzle, and leaned against its wooden pillars. It's all so conflicting, when you try to do right for this world you hurt and confuse those around you, if you try to appease the people around you you risk threatening their future. You bare a cursed mind of information, a cursed existence upon this plane, it isn't right to affect others by the curse you bare but it also isn't right to devoid someone so giving as Thoma. You sit and contemplate until the drizzle gives way, your carry box placed by your feet filled with breads untouched by dirt and still awaiting their destination.
Ayato strolls along the path to the city, it is not his usual reasoning for taking the trip but still a reason worth doing so. Along his path all threats had been eliminated, you should arrive just fine but it wasn't that which plagued his mind, rather it was a soft sense of amusement, a sense of glee that left him softly chuckling to himself. He adjusted the cuffs of his gloves, a sign to his Shuumatsuban in hiding that they are to leave him for a moment, once the soft shuffling of unseen ninja pass he turns is view to your direction, the distance hindering the sight, he needed a moment to himself, to gather all possible elements at play to give reason to his unspoken questions.
“As expected, Thoma was right, they do hold some degree of depth.”.
#yahooworks#yandere ayato x reader#yandere thoma x reader#genshin impact ayato#genshin impact thoma#genshin impact x gender neutral reader#x gender neutral reader#yandere male#x gn reader
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Before HOFAS Elriels claimed Elain will play a major part. Plus SJM said this book will set the future ACOTAR book.
After HOFAS came out, it was obvious that Elain didn't make an appearance. Some Elriels continue to argue the book points out to Elain's book. . . However Az had A MAJOR part it the book. I believe he deserves HIS story to be told.
Az definitely deserves to have his story told, and I believe that Elain isn't the right person for him to share it with.
SJM tends to follow a formula that works well for her. She often pairs characters who have experienced trauma, allowing them to relate to each other and help each other heal.
To me, it seems that SJM isn't overly concerned with how one character feels about another, as the plot is the primary focus. Throughout her books, she has portrayed pairs that start at opposite ends of the spectrum and end up in completely different places. What matters to SJM is how well-matched and similar her planned couples are. She's not necessarily changing her formula; rather, she's now emphasizing why Gwyn is perfect for Az and why Lucien is perfect for Elain, something that was lacking in both ToG and CC
The main takeaway from the series for me is that both Cassian and Rhys have reached a level of self-assurance where they can accept their own flaws. It's simply a matter of finding someone who can accept them for who they are.
It's significant to note that both Cassian and Rhys have expressed their fears but haven't shied away from sharing them with their partners. Az explicitly states in his BC that he's afraid to open up to Elain, and I don't believe it's Elain's responsibility to reassure him. That's something Azriel needs to work through on his own.
The dynamics between Azriel and Gwyn are different. Azriel refrains from touching Gwyn not because he fears tainting her but because he's aware of her discomfort with physical contact. He finds solace in Gwyn's presence and is less focused on his insecurities when he's with her compared to when he's alone with Elain.
Azriel's behavior towards Gwyn aligns more with mate behavior. He constantly considers her comfort, abilities, strengths, goals, and reactions, which was lacking in his interactions with Elain.
HOFAS spoilers ahead
We have ample evidence that Az is refusing to embrace his Illyrian heritage, only to discover that the Illyrians rebelled against the Daglans, and he wields the weapon of the Illyrian who led that rebellion—a figure now idolized and memorialized. This revelation is a tremendous burden for Az to bear, especially considering his struggle to see any merit in being Illyrian.
This is a unique struggle that Elain doesn't share. Despite her transformation into a fae, she doesn't exhibit resentment towards her new identity, as evidenced by her active involvement in aiding fae readjustment post-war, similar to Lucien's efforts with humans. Both Elain and Lucien initially harbored prejudiced views towards each other, yet they've both made strides in overcoming these biases.
Elain's main challenge lies in grappling with her mating bond, a struggle Az can't fully comprehend given his intense desire for such a bond. Lucien, on the other hand, was willing to wed without a bond, highlighting another difference in experiences.
While Lucien also deserves to have his story told, it's evident that SJM is currently emphasizing Az's narrative. This suggests that Azriel's journey is distinct from Elain's.
Az deserves to have his story told alongside someone who truly understands him, someone who has decided to step out of the shadows despite the comfort they offer and who comprehends his struggles, particularly regarding his hands.
As for the timing of when to tell Azriel's story, that's a discussion for another time. As a strong supporter of Elucien, I believe Elain's absence in HOFAS indicates that their narrative is next in line to fill the gaps between Nesta's ability to remove the mask to save Feyre and Azriel's need for her to list those she loves.
Nesta's relationship with Elain has yet to fully mend, unlike the understanding reached between Nesta and Feyre by the end of ACOSF as demonstrated by Feyre's support in HOFAS.
Therefore, the question of whose story comes next remains uncertain for me, but fortunately, we won't have to wait long for the next announcement.
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On "The Lost Cause" by Cory Doctorow
tl;dr - The Lost Cause is an worthwhile read that provides a feeling of hope for the future. As with many novels by Cory Doctorow, it takes place in the near future and showcases one possible future.
A future where humanity is taking the drastic actions needed to manage the fallout of the climate crisis. But also a future where humanity is dealing with the backlash from the older crowd that fears change and the plutocrats that fund them.
The story is told from the point of view of Brooks Palazzo, a young adult living in Burbank California thirty years from now. The Green New Deal has passed, and he is part of the "first generation that doesn’t fear the future". He wants to make a difference in the world by joining the Blue Helmets AmeriCorps and helping to rebuild the lower half of San Juan Capistrano a mile inland.
Not everything is all rainbows and roses, however. Brook's grandfather and his Maga pals aren't huge fans of the changing world though. Neither are the plutocrats that lost out due to the GND...
You can get a copy of the ebook or audiobook directly from the author here. You can also buy the audiobook from libro.fm or get a physical copy from bookshop.org as a hardcover now or pre-order the paperback. You can also check and see if your local library has a copy.
This is going to be less of a review and more of an admiration for a specific trope that is masterfully used. Due to the nature of the trope, there will be spoilers, including major plot points near the climax of the novel. If you want to go in blind, stop reading now.
"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."
— Anton Chekhov (From S. Shchukin, Memoirs. 1911.)
So, Chekhov's Gun. It's a guideline when writing narrative fiction that is commonly interpreted as: every element in a story should be needed, and anything that isn't needed should be removed. You could probably also think of it as a form of foreshadowing, but I'm not an author nor an authority on narrative fiction.
Anyway, spoiler alert - Brooks' grandfather dies during chapter one of the novel. As is common when a family member dies, the living have the chore of sorting through a lifetime's worth of items. As Brooks is the sole remaining person in his family, that task falls to him.
This leads to the below setup for the trope:
I felt around the edge and found a length of floorboard that wasn’t stuck down, and beneath it, a heavy nylon loop. I hauled on it and a square of floor lifted straight up, revealing Gramps’s secret.
He’d jackhammered away a neat square of foundation slab, dug down about four feet, and poured a concrete vault, which he’d filled with: three AR-15s; forty boxes of ammo; a bag of expired high-strength antibiotics; a wilderness survival kit identical to the one he’d given me for my first Scout sleepout, including the hatchet my Scoutmaster had confiscated before we got on the bus; topographical maps of LA County; and, wrapped in oilcloth, a wooden box like you’d keep poker chips in, but this was full of krugerrands, heavy and glinting dully, dated mostly from the first and second decades of this century.
As guns are now illegal, this leads to Brooks stashing the guns, ammo, and gold in the hills of California by page 80. They get mentioned a few times throughout the novel, reminding you of their existence, but don't become really relevant to the plot until right before the climax.
A part of the story that almost feels like it could be the climax.
A group of Maga terrorists have taken Brooks' friends hostage. Brooks decides that in order to save his friends he has to go into the California hills and get the guns.
This, turns out, was not necessary. In fact, it's revealed later that the likeliest outcome of trying to perform an armed rescue would have been his death.
So, it comes to pass that the guns were introduced in the first act, and were subsequently not fired in the third.
The scene that completes the arc of trope:
That was what my grandfather had raised me to expect: a final confrontation, an all-out war, a battle for the future of the human race and its planet. That was what he was planning for, and right up until that moment, as I cleaned off his guns and hid them in the construction waste, I had never really considered the possibility that he’d been wrong. I’d thought there’d be a war with two sides: Gramps’s side and mine. I’d never thought that the real war would be between the people who refused to go to war and the fools who thought they could shoot climate change in the face.
So we have the setup, the implication that the guns will be used later in the novel. Only, they don't get used. They're practically useless, and almost actively harmful. But, given the themes and messaging of the book, the guns being useless is the only possible outcome. The subversion of this trope[0] drives the point home. Having some kind of final showdown isn't the message. Individuals storming the building with guns to to save the day would fly counter to the message of collective action being the way we move forward.
The message I took from the book was that building shelter for refugees is the way forward, even if doing that gets you arrested.
That feeding the hungry is the way forward, even if you get fined for it.
That taking care of people, even if those people were previously pointing a gun at you, is the way forward. (note: ensuring that they don't have access to their guns anymore is wise.)
The only way forward is to build the systems of mutual aid now, even if building those systems will be fraught with adversity and challenges.
No matter what happens, we will always be building the future in the shadow of the present. Only with collective action can we move forward, and only if we take care of each other.
[0] so, I'm not entirely convinced that this is really a subversion of the trope. While the guns aren't fired, they are necessary to the plot in the latter part of the book. But again, I am not an author nor an authority on narrative fiction.
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The Ultimate Enemy is a Disappointment (and How I'd Fix It) (Part 1)
A couple years back, I started analysing a list of DP episodes I thought had missed potential--and my analysis on TUE got SO big I made it its own thing. I rewrote it to death and could never settle on something concise enough, so I abandoned it. But I'm BACK baby. I can't remember where it is now, but I came across a poll on whether Reign Storm or TUE is the better special and the discourse reignited my passion for this analysis, and gave me motivation to trim off some of the fat.
Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day I do like this episode--or at least its ideas. I really liked the episode the less I thought about it, but now I see issue after issue in its execution. Hence, the "disappointment": it could've been great, but it missed the mark. This won't just be a one-sided roast of TUE, though. I have a ton of cool ideas for how to rewrite plot holes or fill in the gaps. The best roasts are constructive! (Though I would be rewriting it in a more mature fashion compared to canon's writing--keep that in mind).
Part 2 is now up: you can find it here.
So here we go: Part 1--the general plot contrivances/contradictions unrelated to Dan's character or the time travel system.
The episode introduced taking off the Time Medallions as a way to immediately return to one’s native time period, but then forgot this late into the second act.
Technically this plot hole involves time travel devices, but I'm counting it as a plot hole by character decisions.
The episode gives no explicit rules on lag time between removing the medallion and returning home, but it takes only one to two seconds to return Skulktech to the future after they dropped theirs, and it had to have been instant for Sam and Tucker to return to the past in time to escape rubble falling from FentonWorks (which was only roughly two to three stories high, not counting the Ops Centre).
Danny should’ve been sent back almost instantly when Dan took his medallion off—which would’ve completely defeated the purpose of Dan’s attempt to trap Danny there in the first place.
If they wanted to keep the plot point, they could’ve just had Dan grab the medallion and turn it intangible while it’s still around Danny’s neck…and that’s assuming that making it intangible while Danny’s still tangible doesn’t count as “removal”. That’s it. He never needed to remove it to begin with.
2. The Nasty Sauce explosion just…sucks. In my opinion, it’s too silly for the tone the episode’s trying to go for (and as a cause of major character death), and it wrecks the worldbuilding.
I tried to put it in way more verbose ways in my previous drafts, but I found another post somewhere on tumblr that did what I couldn’t—say it in three words:
“It’s just stupid.”
Assuming that semi-realistic laws exist in-place in the Danny Phantom universe (so it’s BASICALLY similar to ours) the Nasty Burger shouldn’t have been able to stay in business without a LOT of red tape, cover-ups and NDA’s. They had an explosive substance on premises, being taken care of by unqualified, minimum-wage part-timers instead of trained chemical safety specialists. Forget handling it, they shouldn’t have even had it in the first place! If they got it by going UNDER the law and covering everything up, then one of their employees shouldn’t have been able to just CONFESS to it at a public school assembly.
It also sounds ridiculous that a “certain combination of secret herbs and spices” could catastrophically combust in the first place. They could’ve made the explosion ghost-powered/altered; they could’ve made it not the sauce itself, but a pressure issue with its containment vats; they could’ve made it a gas leak or malfunction of cooking equipment starting a fire, or something. They could’ve made the explosion a Fenton invention at their home (where the whole family had reason to be at once, and Mr Lancer could hold the parent-teacher conference there like in Teacher of the Year). They've used more serious threats of explosion in previous episodes (like the Ecto-Filtrator in Million Dollar Ghost).
And instead they decided “Yep! This commonly sold and digested sauce is a dangerous explosive, and even a small handout serving is enough to blow clean through a wall when it’s heated up!” This is how we're going to kill all of the main characters' loved ones to send him on a villain arc!
Like what?
Nowhere else after TUE did the show acknowledge the Nasty Sauce in worldbuilding. There were no consequences of its risk being publicly revealed, nor did it ever pose a hazard again. It’s understandable, given the show’s episodic nature. Bu at least in The Ultimate Enemy itself, they should've thought about how it affected most of the previous episodes.
During his fight with Boxed Lunch, one of Danny's ectoblasts to a sauce packet demolishes an entire section of wall in the Nasty Burger. So how hadn’t any ghost fights ignited any Nasty Sauce before—or damaged the main vat, god forbid—and caused an explosion already?
If the sauce was always a part of the Nasty Burger’s recipe, then the entire restaurant was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off since season one, and nothing short of a miracle could explain why it hadn’t happened before.
3. This episode committed character assassination of Mr Lancer, for the sake of setting up stakes in the plot. And contradicted his personality changes in previous episodes (such as “Teacher of the Year”).
Mr Lancer, in my opinion, is the character done the single dirtiest in the episode. It warps his entire character around the plot, and turns him into a contrived mouthpiece for how important the CAT is. It leaves him even more malicious and mean-spirited than his behaviour in the first episode of the entire show—leaving him even worse than he started.
He didn’t have much character development, but there were some more positive changes happening in his personality as later episodes occurred. He started out as a selfish, corrupt authority figure (think Mystery Meat, Fright Night and other S1 episodes where he deliberately lets the jocks off the hook for their behaviour), but unwittingly acts in favour of the main characters in “Fanning the Flames”—although ineffective and easily taken down by Ember.
By the time of “Teacher of the Year”, we finally got a glimpse into his (albeit scant) ideology as a teacher around helping his students succeed, and his concern for Danny’s failing grades.
It even revealed his personal interest in Doomed, which gave him more in common with Danny and Tucker and humanised him in way a few other episodes hadn’t. Season two even demonstrated his (albeit brief) willingness to stand up and defend his students from a ghost attack in “Memory Blank”. Lancer, for a brief period of time, became more than just his job, book title swears and his frustration with rebellious students.
We're talking about the teacher who, in the early 2000s, kept a picture of himself crossdressing at school to convince his students to try their best with a "story about his sister".
The Ultimate Enemy, however, took Mr Lancer’s humanity towards the students—particularly Danny—and flipped it all on its head. It turned him into an elitist, mean-spirited asshole who verbally attacked his students (past and present) based on their performances on this single. Fucking. Test.
They made Mr. “there is no cheat code in school, or in life” Lancer into a cruel enforcer of the hamfisted and childish importance of the CAT. Actual “get rich vs dead-end, minimum-wage job” propaganda.
(Teacher of the Year)
And... one season later:
(that sure sounds like a cheat code in life to me)
To add insult to injury, TUE used Lancer’s death as the butt of a joke directly after spending the majority treating him like a total asshole—following up character assassination with literal assassination , and excluding him from the rest of the explosion victims in their memorial.
It feels to me, that it'd make more sense for Mr Lancer to be sceptical of the importance of the CAT based on TOTY. Replace him in the assembly with Principal Ishiyama or something. A stickler-for-the-rules school administrator looking to boost the school's image by pressuring kids on a standardised test? That ABSOLUTELY makes sense.
Mr Lancer could still be seen as a threat (or someone Danny can't reach out to for help), but in the department of simply being an authority figure Danny's used to dodging around with his ghost activities. Someone who'd still enforce consequences for Danny getting caught cheating. Someone who'd get his parents involved. He's the closest thing Danny could have to any level of support at Casper High, and Danny could think he's even lost THAT.
4. The way Danny got the CAT answers was contrived, and broke the previously established rules of ghost intangibility.
To cut a long story short, Boxed Lunch’s fight with Danny shouldn’t have gotten the test answers stuck to Danny’s back. Danny immediately turned intangible in anticipation of the explosion, and was thrown outside the Nasty Burger and through Mr. Lancer’s briefcase before turning tangible again.
That didn’t make sense; the series previously established that ghosts (in this case, halfas) were physically unaffected by explosions when intangible. “Million-Dollar Ghost” even demonstrated it when Vlad escaped his castle’s explosion in the same manner, and was left completely unmoved from his position at ground zero. The sauce packet explosion shouldn’t have even moved Danny out of place, let alone flung him out of the building (especially not compared to Vlad and an Ecto-filtrator explosion).
On top of that, the test answers couldn’t have gotten stuck to his back while he passed through the suitcase, as Danny was intangible and the answers sheet was solid. Even if it were possible for already intangible ghosts to grab onto tangible objects and bring them into intangibility, that’d certainly require conscious intention that Danny didn’t have in the episode. The test answers got stuck to his back by sheer accident on his part. Bringing other objects into tangibility always previously involved a tangible ghost grabbing hold of other tangible people/objects and consciously willing them intangible together. Ergo, he should’ve simply passed through the suitcase and its contents all at once—go to the other side, pass go, do not collect CAT cheat sheet.
The solution for this one is pretty simple—just remove the scene entirely. Not only does it break the lore, but it’s entirely pointless and redundant (more on that later when I talk about Clockwork—giving Danny the answers was his idea, and it was a terrible one). Instead, it would’ve been much more compelling if Danny stole the answers on purpose with his ghost powers—being put under so much pressure to succeed that he felt like he had to forgo his morals and use his powers to cheat.
#danny phantom#the ultimate enemy#danny fenton#dp rewrite#tue analysis#10 dp episodes with missed potential
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When I read the way you described Megumi in the daughter au as the "reluctant babysitter", the first thing that came to me is that: "Damn, Shiki has a walking zoo as a babysitter".
Then came the images of young Megumi and baby Shiki just staring at each other, one in total confusion about what to do with a kid this small, and the other in curiosity with her big blue (cursed) eyes. Then somehow it end up with Divine Dogs being summoned as a playmate for the little girl. (Maybe with some other small Shikigami as well)
On another note, there is something that I have been wondering about: Do you have an estimated number chapters for each arcs before you write, like "This arcs will have X number of chapters, this one Y,..." I have always been curious about how fanfic writers such as yourself planned out your stories.
Also, any chance of all these snippets and aus being posted on AO3 in the, hopefully, near future? I love Zenith and all its glorious Au, but navigating these tags can be a pain in the ass some times. :v
Megumi would be a reluctant babysitter, but still an effective one! I think the Divine Dogs would be very effective in keeping young children preoccupied and out of trouble. The rabbits seem like they would make good playmates too, but at that point in time I don't think they would've been part of his repertoire. Maybe we add some toads for variety haha...
Or, maybe this kickstarts Megumi into working harder to add more shikigami to his roster! Such as: Shiki asks for new shikigami playmates and Megumi tells her he doesn't have any others, and she just kind of nods silently in understanding and doesn't say anything.
The next day Megumi walks through the door a little charred, a little smoking, but with a brand new mini-Nue sitting on his arm.
I don't have an exact number of estimated chapters before I start writing. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me personally, I always have a general idea of the overarching plot and major events before I start writing. Minor details get filled in as I go. Like, for a minor arc I'll tell myself, 'A, B, and C are going to happen,' and that's what I work with. Except sometimes D and E come along for the ride, too, so there's also that...
I do not see myself posting AU snippets on AO3 anytime in the near future, apologies! Like you mentioned, they're rather disorganized and not even written chronologically. Many of them are also responses to Tumblr asks, which only adds to the confusing nature of it all. (For those who are curious, all snippets can be found under the '#Writing' tag.) I have an index of sorts compiled on Ko-fi, but it's still rather disorganized without context. I don't want to post this mess onto AO3 since I think it could very easily get even more confusing.
... I figure that if people are looking through the Tumblr tags, then at least they probably know what they're looking for haha. Apologies for the inconvenience!
Currently I have no plans of posting these snippets on AO3, unless they get developed as proper stories in their own right. Which would probably be a ways into the future, if it ever happens.
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Admittedly, this is definitely more of Disney's fault for shortening the series and this post is more of "what could have been" speculation than genuine critique, but i feel like if the crew had six 22 min episodes instead of three 44 min ones (same overall runtime!) the issues with the pacing could have been largely fixed.
They overall seem to work well with 22 min stories, as they had a lot of practice with first two seasons and this is overall more of an animation standard. With season 3 i think they were struggling to fit everything in one episode and then struggling to fill the next.
So! Just imagine (mixed with personal rewrite things bc im a salty bitch):
For the Future could be easily condensed into one episode. Boscha's and Kikimora's deal may be nice fanservice, but it's not of first importance. So the story can be cut and fiddled with to focus on just Luz and Willow with Belos doing his thing in the C plot.
The other 22 min could go either into the Thanks to Them part of the season or Watching and Dreaming part, but personally i would use it to focus on Hunter's possession.
If they want the possession thing to be a genuine point in Hunter's arc, it definitely needs more time. Show us Hunter in his mindscape struggling for control with Belos, connect it more clearly to Hunter's "i don't want to be like Belos" and "i want to be my own person not a tool" fears, show us all the classic drama of "character is forced to fight their loved one(s) but doesn't want to hurt them", give just a bit more focus to other characters reactions to the situation and give more runtime to the depressing aftermath, etc.
There still won't be enough time to show Hunter grieving, so feel like Flapjack's death still should be cut, but if not, then at least the possession thing has more narrative purpose.
The other two Thanks to Them episodes, could still focus on Luz and Camila and Luz and Hunter, maybe give them a bit more time. But i also think the additional time could be used to for Willow (actual hints and foreshadowing to her bottling up problem), Gus (he barely got anything!), Huntlow (i feel like Thanks to Them lacked a major Huntlow moment for the build up to feel more organic) and Wittebane lore.
The Wittebane lore could be also easily connected with Gus since he literally saw all of Belos' memories oh my god--
Also, more of a personal gripe maybe, but the Grimwalker reveal should have happened in Thanks to Them with Willow and Gus. The way it actually happened was just so.. anticlimactic. We could have had a moment of character development with Hunter revealing this by his own volition and that major Huntlow moment i was talking about. It also could connect to Gus&Wittebane plot!
With Watching and Dreaming i have less notes, but they definitely could have paced out Collector's arc better
And also just imagine the devastating cliffhanger Luz's death could have been.
This wouldn't have fixed everything of course, but i think the crew would have had more chance to make it work.
#toh critical#owl house critical#lovin rambles#honestly if it were me i would have taken out possession plot alltogether. but yk. compromise ig?#huntlow critical#< this is more for filtering/organization purposes ig bc i actually love them and this is my only gripe with the ship#ok no. this and the rude sidelining of gus in the willow breakdown scene.#i am angry about Gus's treatment in general#this my first post about the show i think and it covers like. 80% of my problems with this season#toh hunter#gus porter#willow park
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Just a Mechanic
A Gentleman and a Scoundrel, Chapter 6.5
Dilf Bo Sinclair x AFAB!Reader
1.3k. Angst and violence. Homicide.
For those who would like to minimize their dilf Bo angst intake, I present a solution! Any updates labelled with a .5 are intermediary chapters that do not need to be read to stay up-to-date on the main plot of the story. The majority of the angst taking place along the way will be relegated to these half-chapters. Eventually everything will resolve, but until that time, feel free to skip these side pieces if you don't want to wallow in the dark part of Bo's brain.
Bo has an eventful drive home from your campus apartment.
Bo was on the road for less than an hour before he pulled over.
His blue eyes bore through the windshield. There was a buzzing in the back of his skull, getting stronger by the second. He undid his seatbelt. His hands patted his pockets reflexively until he found both his lighter and a mostly empty pack of Reds, smashed and misshapen from its stint in his jacket. He couldn't remember how long ago he'd tucked it there. There had been a time when he was lucky if a pack of smokes lasted him a day.
Of course, that was before you.
Before a lot of things.
Rolling down the window, he lit up and took a long drag, held the smoke in the balloons of his lungs and let it ease out slowly into the night. It burned. Felt good.
He knew he should be something like happy, even if that happiness was tarnished and lonely. You said you loved him. And he'd said it back and meant it. He was sure he did, because the way he felt about you was wholly foreign to him. So that was love, right? And love was supposed to bridge all the gaps and fill all the empty places, right? So why weren't you sitting here beside him?
There were snakes writhing in his stomach and he couldn't name them, wasn't sure yet if they were venomous. It frustrated him, leaving you behind, the way it hollowed him out. He was accustomed to his own greed and familiar with deprivation; the hard part was being in between. Having you and losing you, keeping and letting go. Bo was not a man comfortable in middle spaces.
There was a hollow inside of him. Grimly he considered what he might fill it with, what appetite was unsated. Not food. Not sex. Maybe self-destruction.
You wouldn't like that. But you weren't here. And little did you know he had been self-destructing his whole life. Little did you know him at all.
What would you say if he showed you the rest of his scars, the ones that weren't physical? Would it scare you, all the blood on his hands? He scoffed at himself. Of course it would. How far was your love capable of stretching before it broke? He was too scared to test it.
And did any of that matter? What were the chances of you moving on with your life without him? That would do him in. It would end him. What if he had just lost you entirely, to your peers and your bright future and some guy who never lied to you? Someone younger, softer, better, who gave you what you needed and learned what you liked and touched you—
The static in his brain reached a fever pitch and he winced, curled his lip, flung the cigarette out the window and into the road. Bo clenched and unclenched his hands into fists, staring blankly into the dark.
He felt himself splintering like a bottle against a skull. He had half a mind to turn around and get you, get you into the truck, take you with him. Take you. Keep you. He was better now. Better than that. Better for you. But he could do it. He knew he could.
And you'd slip away from him forever in the process.
His teeth sank into his lip hard. The pain was a pointed flash like a slap across the face. The familiar cloy of shame washed over him. He would never do that to you. Could never hurt you like that. The fact that the thought had even occurred to him was proof he didn't deserve to have you. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles went white.
Maybe two weeks apart would be good for him. Give him time to get his head right. He felt muddled. He knew what he wanted, and he knew what you needed. Life had been simple when those things were the same.
Bo shook his head. The buzzing began to fade. He was sick of sitting here thinking in circles, and he needed to get home. He had work bright and early. A sharp pang of sadness reverberated through his chest. The shop would be silent without you.
A pair of headlights reflected brightly in his rearview mirror, didn't whip past, only grew brighter. He squinted into the reflection and watched as the vehicle pulled over and parked behind him.
Bo sat motionless as the driver got out and approached his truck on the passenger side. He waited until there was a rap on the glass before he rolled the window down and met the gaze of a young man somewhere around your age.
"Hey man, you need help?"
Bo flicked on a sheepish grin as easy as flipping a switch. Some things you never forget how to do. "Thank y'kindly, but I'll be alright."
"Got some kind of car trouble?" the kid persisted.
The static flared. That sucking hollow space inside him groaned.
"Yeah," Bo replied. "Think I've got a flat in the makin' but wouldn't y'know it, I don't have a jack."
"No problem, I've got one. I can go grab it."
Bo's smile widened. "That'd be great."
"No problem, man."
Bo waited until the kid was two steps from the window before he got out of the truck. He opened the rear door, felt under the backseat, wrapped his hand around the cold metal of the lug wrench.
He fell into step behind the young man, his boots preternaturally silent on the dirt. He hadn’t done this in years, but his pulse was steady. Peering against the glare of the headlights, he made sure the kid's car was devoid of passengers. He was alone.
As soon as the kid stepped even with the passenger door, shielded from the view of any passersby, Bo swung the wrench almost lazily and bludgeoned him across the back of the head.
The sound of the impact was thick and wet. The man dropped like a stone. Without a moment's hesitation, Bo slammed the wrench into the cracked melon of his skull again, and again, and gripped the weapon with both hands and brought it down like a sledgehammer two, three, four more times.
Some things you never forget how to do.
When he finally stopped swinging, the whole head and face and mind and brain of the man was little more than liquid seeping into the dirt. Bo was breathing heavily, face and front spattered with red. He pushed his hair back off his brow, licked the droplets of blood off his lips, let the wrench hang loose in his hand, and stared dispassionately at what he had wrought.
It had been over a decade since he'd fed this particular addiction. It sang in his veins, the violence, the release. Fuck, he felt better. He felt high. The smell and taste of the night on his tongue was impeccable, exquisite, tinged copper.
Hiding the crime was second nature. He didn't have a town and a hollow at his disposal, but he would make do. He worked fast, dragging the body into the tall grass off the shoulder, pulling the car up onto the trailer to offload somewhere down the road. He was an expert at appearances and efficiency. He was just a mechanic. Nobody else stopped.
The static in his brain had faded to a low, almost negligible hum by the time he was back behind the wheel. For the rest of the drive, Bo thought of Ambrose. He thought of Vincent. He almost called him, just to tell him he was right. They shouldn’t have left. He shouldn’t have left.
It wasn’t until much later, as he stepped into the shower and watched the blood run pink down the drain, that he thought of you.
Taglist at the bottom bc this is a monster post already: @vincent-sinclair-deserved-better, @slutforguts, @brandnewhuman, @fluffy-little-demon, @cypressnmarigolds, @slasherlouvre , @g0thl3zz, @frankiethedarkangel, @mad-girl-without-a-box, @likeacidrainn, @thatoneidiotlol, @jdbxws, @confused-gender, @xhorror-nerdx, @uwunuzzleowo, @spicysimpura, @gremlinfuck, @the-pinstriped-hood, @vixorell, @hope4rain15, @hamburgerslippers. If you’d like to be added to the taglist, let me know!
#bo sinclair x reader#bo sinclair fanfiction#dilf bo sinclair#slasher x reader#agaas#a gentleman and a scoundrel#my writing#bo sinclair
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Drowning - Comic Script
Stormblood patch 4.1
Wolfram is at a low point, but an old friend is there to help.
TW: depression, suicide, alcoholism, brief gore
Wolfram Saga Comics (Chronological)
This is the script for a future comic. Posting for those who don’t want to wait to get the story. Numbers indicate frame number. A/B mean a frame is split.
Part 1
Wolf in the ruins of his village in The Fringes, just south of Schism, pacing. Asuna (his chocobo) is nearby, wearing a saddle bag, pecking at some weeds. Narrator - "This is one of the few comics that you *really* need to be familiar with Wolfram’s major plot points up until now to understand. So for those that are - Wolfram has just left Raubahn sobbing on the roof of the Menagerie in Ala Mhigo after Rau confessed his love for him and, with a lot of internal struggle, Wolf rejected his friend's advances. He did what he thought was best for him without giving him a choice in the matter. Now Wolfram finds himself wandering in the ruins of his home town in The Fringes.”
Wolf looks miserable, tears in his eyes as he glances around at the destruction he caused 19 years ago - “If I have to feel this… I may as well feel all of it. Tis a good time to drown.” Dark Thought - ‘Drown? You’re so dramatic. Why don’t you *drown* your feelings with booze like you usually do? You cried the entire flight here - normally you’d have gotten rid of me by now.’
A) Wolf pacing around the ruins, pitiful expression, tears falling down face - “Because I deserve this…*I deserve to feel this*. He was *devastated*. I’m *devastated* too. Having to tell the love of my life - who I thought was lost to me - that we cannot be together was the hardest thing I’ve ever done." B) Wolf pacing - "And godsdammit if I have to mourn him I may as well mourn my family as well… really think about what I did. Why do I keep hurting those I love?” Dark Thought - ‘I’ve said it all along Wolfram - you’re a monster. Just as much as me if not more. You hurt those you claim to love. You lie to them all. You kill…far more than what I did here. The Garlean lives you've taken could easily fill this village 5 times over.’
Wolf sits on the ground, leaning against a ruined wall, tears falling down his face as he looks at the sky - “I ruin everything… everyone I care about. It’s as if my very existence causes pain. My family… this town. All the friends I’ve lost along the way - Moen, Harchefaunt, Ysayle, Minfillia. Poor Krile…she still can’t talk about what they did to her. Many other allies as well… Far too many close encounters. It’s only a matter of time before I get the other Scions killed.” Dark Thought - ‘Beating yourself up like this - Are you just going to do my job for me?!’
Wolf sniffles, worried expression - “Apparently so…And of course I keep hurting him. Once he’d told me what Ilberd did to him in their youth, so much about him made sense to me. Thrice damn me - I know how hard that was for Rau… to kiss me. And then to tell me how he felt even after I didn’t return the affection. I know that my answer hurt him more deeply than he’d ever let on… he must think me so incredibly cruel…” Dark Thought - 'Well, that *was* incredibly cruel. Surely he hates you now.'
Wolf crying into his hand *muffled sobs*. Dark Thought - ‘You know what the worst thing is - the absolute worst thing about you? It is that you would choose to lose them all over again, simply for another moment with him.’
Wolf surprised, looking at the ground - “N-no! No I wouldn’t! Seven hells, why would you say that?!” Dark Thought - ‘You said there is no cause on this star worth losing him for - and you meant it. For a moment you scared yourself because you knew you'd spoken from your heart. And that - my pathetic friend - makes you a truly selfish, evil bastard. Just like me.’
Lighter tears, worried expression - “No… no that's not what I meant. I didn’t - “ Dark Thought - ‘Yes you did. Yet despite being perfectly willing to let the star burn for him - you rejected him and left him sobbing on a rooftop without even telling him that you love him too.’
Wolf annoyed - “That’s because of *you*! I can’t be with him because of *you*! You evil prick!” Dark Thought - ‘Oh but you could. If you really wanted to, you'd find a way. But you won’t even entertain the idea because deep down you want him to suffer. You want him to suffer for leaving you first.’
Wolf brings his legs up to his chest, crossing his arms and resting himself on his knees, lost expression, more tears forming - “No - I left because he was upset and I was the reason. Didn’t leaving make him feel better? Suppose I don't’ have a way to know. Anyroad, I’ve forgiven him for the past. He had every right to kick me out for lying to him all those years ago.”
A) Wolf stands, pacing, frustrated - “And I lied about *you*. About my family! Who - by the way I should be thinking about right now. Not what a shit person I am talking out loud to a -” B) Wolf surprised. Dark Thought - 'Ah, finally noticed did you? You can’t even control yourself, how do you think you can control me?'
A) Wolf surprised. Thought - ‘I…I can’t.’ B) Wolf glances over at his saddlebag, defeated frown. Thought - ‘This was a foolish idea… I should never have tried to let myself feel this. No - I’m done with feelings. Done with pain. Done with you.’
Wolf walking over to Asuna. She tilts her head - "Kweh?"(concerned)
Wolf pats Asuna. Smiles sadly - ‘Not much longer… I’ll be free soon.'
Wolf looks determined, reaching into his saddlebag. Thought - 'And this time I’ve a mind to stay that way…’
Part 2
Wolf standing on the rocky area above the falls in the middle of the river near his village. Hands resting at his sides, looking out at the landscape of The Fringes with a peaceful smile on his face.
A) He turns his head to look behind him. B) Turns around fully, beams - "Oh! I haven't had this dream in a while…It's nice to see you again."
Ysayle stands before him with her hair up, wearing a flowing light blue gown. She smirks - "Oh my dear friend… when will you trust that I am not a dream? I simply find it easier to visit you here than the material plane."
Wolf embraces her, beaming - "It matters not what you are…I've missed you terribly, Ysayle."
A) Ysayle beams, holding him back - "And I, you." B) She pulls back, smiling sadly, looking into his eyes - "Now tell me - why are we here?”
Another zoomed out shot, focused on the falls. They’re standing apart. Ysayle - “If I recall… this place was significant to you.”
Wolf looks at the ground guiltily. Smiling uncomfortably - “Aye, it is. …after I had summoned the hellhound, once I’d regained my mind… I walked through the village, stinking with the shredded carcasses of my family and friends. I knew I could not let that happen again. This was where I came to end my life…“
Ysayle smiles sadly, gently guiding his face back up to look her in the eyes - “And why are we here once more?”
Wolf sighs, worried expression - “I can only assume… because I feel similarly to that night. You… you’ve seen everything, correct?”
Ysayle smiles comfortingly - “Yes, my friend. I have observed your recent struggle. Know that I do not mean to intrude - merely that watching is what I have been tasked with and there is little else to do here.”
Wolf smiles warmly - “Worry not. I trust you with my present as I did my past. You understand me in a way no one else can. Hells, it’s almost a comfort to know you’re watching…provided this is more than a dream.”
She laughs - “Of course. I would be concerned if you didn’t question my existence… So - back to the task at hand.”
Ysayle smiles sadly - “I am sorry about what happened with your beloved. I am not here to say what you should have done in the moment but to caution you - do not let this consume you. The darkness within you feeds on your suffering, as you well know. You must continue. You must survive.” Wolf confused - “Why… why must I continue? What is this life if not struggle and pain?”
Ysayle holds him close, resting her head against his chest - “When my world had been shattered. Everything I believed to be true - gone. My ideals dust in the wind - you embraced me. You comforted me and told me not to lose faith. You helped me to survive that moment Wolfram - and so I’m here to do the same for you.”
He puts his arms around her, smiling sadly - “Aye… but for you your fight, your purpose, it was not over. The war continued. You had that to hold on to.”
Wolf beams - “And besides - you are a beautiful soul. Someone who saw allies in those you were told to hate. Who wanted a better life for her people and fought to get it. Because of you Ishgard is freeing itself from the sins of the past. Dravania are once again allies. The war would not have ended were it not for your sacrifice. You were right to continue.”
Ysayle steps back, smiling sadly - “And yet… I think of myself as Lady Iceheart. I look back on my deeds and remember the innocence my negligence took. The attack on the bridge. Men transformed, unable to return to their old life. The path to peace was paved in blood.”
Wolf worried - “Ysayle…” Ysayle smiles - “Worry not - I am trying to view myself differently. It will take time but I am determined. And so I must give you the same advice.”
Ysayle grinning - “Where I am… I see not one future but many. I cannot divulge too much at this time. Each path I see ahead of you - provided you survive to take it - those paths are *extremely interesting*.”
Wolf laughs - “Interesting? You want me to stay around for my own entertainment? Simply to see what happens next?”
She grins - “You’ve said it yourself - I understand you. So yes - I know that is the motivation you need. At your core you are curious. So live. Live for the next person you can save, the next mystery, the next battle, the next breathtaking landscape, the next calamity to thwart.”
A) Wolf chuckles, wiping a tear from his eye - “That is wonderfully simplistic.” B) Wolf smiles - “So you’re saying the fight isn’t over? That I’m still needed?”
Ysayle beams and holds his arm comfortingly - “Yes. In every future I’ve seen - your role is larger than you can imagine. So yes - you will suffer, as does everyone. Yet you will also see unimaginable beauty. The pain will be balanced with pleasure. You will feel anger but you will also feel joy. Do not give up. You are needed for the struggle ahead.”
Wolf tears up, beaming - “Thank you, my dear friend… truly. Thank you.”
She gives him another hug, smiling - “In the meantime… when things are difficult there is something you must do.”
They separate. Wolf curious - “Alright…” Ysayle looks serious - “Do NOT listen to that separate voice within you. You must quiet it completely for a time. And you already know how to do that. It will not be forever. You will get past this grief just as you got past it before. That voice is simply not something you can handle right now.”
Wolf looks at the ground and nods. “I see.” Ysayle smiles - “And Wolf, you need people to talk to. I cannot visit you often. Nor can Raubahn be your confidant. It's not fair to either of you. There are others in your life that you love and who love you back. Please - trust them. Let them into your heart and they will help you to survive so that you may save countless others."
Wolf grins - “Alright then Ysayle…I will do as you say. I trust you completely - be you ghost, guardian, or a figment of my imagination.” Ysayle ponders. Thought - ‘I wonder if that’s why she chose me… hmm.’
Ysayle beams up at him - “I must leave now my friend, you will wake soon. Remember my words - and do whatever it takes to survive.”
Wolf beams, kissing her forehead.
A) Wolf waking up groggily. Blinks. B) Zoom out shot. He's passed out in the village ruins with a bottle in his hand. Off frame - "KWEH!"(urgent)
Asuna is fighting off an antlion.
A) Wolf worried - "Fuck!" B) A chakram lodges into the antlion's skull.
Wolf has one boot on the antlion's skull, pulling the chakrams out of the carcass with effort. Asuna facing away from him, head up, eyes closed - "Kweh!"(disapproving)
A) Wolf, standing back up, looking guilty - "I'm sorry! Thank you for protecting me." B) He pets her on the beak. Asuna - "Kweh!"(forgiving)
A) Wolf drinking from a bottle standing next to Asuna's saddle bag. B) Asuna looking at him. - "Kweh!"(concerned) Wolf points at her humorously, eyebrow raised - "Hey, don't you judge me ma'am. I said I was done listening to that bastard."
Wolfram Saga Comics (Chronological)
#ffxiv#ffxiv wol#oc wolfram#hyur highlander#ffxiv oc#hyur#wolbahn#wolcomic#raubahn#raubahn aldynn#wolfbahn#ysayle#WolframSaga
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ARC REVIEW: Wrath and Wraiths by Andrew Claydon
Chronicles of the Dawnblade Book Four
I have so much to say about this book and ALL of it is good!
If you’ve been following my reviews of this Epic Fantasy Adventure by Andrew Claydon, you’ll know that the beginning of Book 3 had left me a little unsteady about the tone the series was taking, but while ‘The Odd Sea’ recovered in the second half, ‘Wrath and Wraiths” has blown all of my concerns out of the water from Chapter One.
It’s a masterpiece of storytelling, once again filled to the brim with Claydon’s unmistakeably humor. Dry, witty, and a joy to read, and even though the middle of November is the busiest time of my year, once I dipped a toe inside the front cover, I couldn’t stop myself from finishing the whole book.
Especially when, after only two chapters, Nicholas is separated from the rest of the main cast in a way that leaves you utterly on the edge of your seat. I simply couldn’t stop then, I had to keep going to find out how Andrew Claydon was going to fix the mess he’d put Nick in this time!
The poor man never seems to get a break but, by now, he’s beginning to learn how to roll with the punches. Literally! And the character progression is not only wonderfully portrayed, it’s a joy to watch Nick grow into his own a little... while still bumbling through the odd mistake that humanizes him in a way that really makes this whole series a refreshing take on the fantasy genre.
A surprise in book four of the series, was getting a second point of view, but because of the way in which Nick is isolated for a majority of the story, it was also a sorely needed point of view.
For my part, I loved reading some of the story from Shift’s perspective! Not only do I have a soft spot for thieves, getting to see inside the headspace of some of the other characters is always a delight, and seeing them cope (Or NOT cope, as the case may be) with Nick’s untimely absence was as fascinating as it was enlightening.
I do hope the dual POV can be continued in future books, or possibly some other POV’s from other characters if the plot/situation fits.
The plot for book four was incredibly well woven, and tightly put together, but I still spotted a few threads related to Nick’s other compantions that I can see have been left for future books that I cannot wait to find out how the author is going to address.
And since Book 9 is currently being written, I know I have plenty to look forward to. My congratulations go out to Andrew for once again crafting a wonderful piece of storytelling. The paperback will be gracing my bookshelves as soon as release day hits (Counting the days to DECEMBER 4TH!)
I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
#Bookblr#Bookblr Community#Advanced Reader Copy#Advanced Review Copy#Advance Reader Copy#Advance Review Copy#ARC Copy#ARC Review#ARC Reviewer#Book Review#Writeblr#Writeblr Community#Writing#Writing Community#Indie Author#Self Published Author#Support an Indie#Fantasy#Epic Fantasy#Epic Fantasy Adventure#Chronicles of the Dawnblade#Andrew Claydon#Ari Reads#Arista Reads#Ari Reviews#Arista Reviews
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Fanfic asks 1, 2, 3?
(I'm so sorry! I saw this and forgot until I did the most recent ask game and saw my inbox again! Thank you for the ask!!)
From Fanfic Writer Ask Game! Huzzah! :D
1. What is your most popular fic?
I will stick to my BttF fics for this as that's the majority of my writing. And I suppose the fic's popularity would depend on what stat you're looking at!
Currently, the fic with the most hits (2,956) and kudos (95) would be Where You Were (Time Circuits #3) -- AKA BttF: Part III in my MartyOC trilogy rewrite. It was completed one year ago this week! I'm very emotional about it. :)
The fic with the most bookmarks (24) is A Fracture in the Space-time Continuum, in which Biff breaks Marty's leg at the end of Part II and Marty has to spend another 6-8 weeks in 1955 with Doc while he heals up. Bookmarks, to me, are "I loved this so much I don't want to lose it/ I want to reread this", and that's a big, big honor. It carries a lot more weight if we're talking about how popular a fic is.
The fic with the most comments (191) would be the absolutely absurd The Doom of Marty McFly that I did for June of Doom 2023. It is a silly meta parody of me brainstorming story ideas at Marty, and I enjoy the escape it provides so much that I'm on my third installment right now! Lots of fun. The best kind of self-insert. High recommend you try it with your own blorbos!
2. What fanfic do you wish you got more response on?
I say this at the beginning and end of every fic, and it is that I welcome and appreciate any and all feedback I get! It truly helps me to better myself as a writer. Even a quick "Great job!" is a huge confidence boost, and I really need that sometimes.
As of right now, I'd say Once Upon a Time in the East (OUAT #2). This story felt like such a niche deviation from Back to the Future in general, but I also feel like it was one of my strongest works this year. It was unexpectedly built off a plot twist in Once Upon a Time in the West, it is filled with historical details I loved researching and implementing, and I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone by writing more mature content. I also feel like it's the rare sequel that surpasses the original, so I'm very proud of it. Which means I want all the feedback I can get on it!
3. What's a fic idea that you have but haven't written yet?
I'm about to break ground on it: Once Upon a Time in the North (OUAT #4). I wrote some scenes for it but then totally changed the direction of the fic last week, so my outline is in shambles. But! It's a stronger story already!
In this fourth and final installment of the Once Upon a Time series, the year is 1906. Marty is a full-blown outlaw with Buford at this point when the law finally catches up to them -- along with their children.
In this story, I'm excited to get the opportunity to expand on Buford's son, who we saw for a hot second in a comic book in the 90s named "Mugsy" Tannen. That's it. That's all we get canon-wise for Buford's son/ Kid's father. Not so much as a first name! So I've made him a whole freaking backstory, including how he ends up working for Arnie Benedict's mob in Chicago, and I'm really itching to cement that lore in this story.
Thank you again for the ask!!
#back to the future#bttf#fanfic writer ask game#answered asks#ask box#timecircuitsseries#a fracture in the space-time continuum#the doom of marty mcfly#once upon a time in the north#once upon a time in the east
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If the Grindelstore story is now more reciprocal plus textual canon; do you think that will/should lead to *slight* changes in the future storyline? Not sure if Im making sense but to me the story of "subtexual romance + kinda one-sided feelings" and a "mutual love + textual romance" warrant a different conclusion, obviously all major canon beats will still be there but Im thinking like maybe Dumbledore vitis Gellert in Numerngrad in a way the books didnt imply or something like that...
This post will be long because I can't help getting into my issues of how changes work. You didn't sig up for such a long answer, so if you want to skip to my specific visit for a potential visit, it 's in the penultimate paragraph.
My reaction to changes depends on what we mean by 'changes in the future storyline', because that hasn't been written in the first place. When Rowling wrote the subtextual version of Grindeldore she had the rough outline of their story. As an author or screen-writer fully fleshes out a story, they draft and edit several times. As the characters develop, the feelings of the creator may change, so the story shifts.
But Grindeldore's rough outline was published long before Rowling and Co. got to really write them, so the situation is trickier. I don't think that what we've known from DH should change. Obviously what was subtext in Harry's story is 'text' in Dumbledore's, as it should be. While I have mentioned that I feel that the ship is more reciprocal, I don't think that it's a major change, even compared to Rowling's old interviews.
She had said that Grindelwald would not have returned Albus' feelings the same way. If we take that to mean that he didn't love Albus, the change is huge. But it can also be addressing that Grindelwald's love was not unselfish, which is still true. She had said that Grindelwald would have been narcisistically taken by all the common things he and Abus had, which is still true. She had said that Albus became a fool for love because he was blinded to Gellert being morally bankrupt, which is true. She had said that Gellert was a user; still true.
Then there are other changes that are more... stretched and I think they should be careful with the way they handle those because it's a slippering slope.
Skeeter said that Albus and Dumbledore did not see each other agaun until the duel of 1945. The private meeting aside, people all over the world saw them in Buthan. They didn't see the duel, but they knew that they had seen each other. Skeeter practiced vicious yellow journalism and she filled in blanks and interpreted intentions to her taste, but she wasn't that bad of a researcher. The elections were transmitted all over the world and it absolutely makes no sense for her to not know this. My point here is that I don't mind changes but I still want consistancy.
They used plot-armor for the early duel so I won't get into that. Having in the same movie two duels in mirror-dimensions with the dimensions being created by completely different magic was a mess, but not in terms of the ship's canon.
In DH Albus says: 'I delayed meeting him until finally, it would have been too shameful to resist any longer'. When we read without having FB, this was a confirmation of Skeeter's comment about Albus delaying the fight for about 5 years (1940-45), during which people died.
The movies introduced the blood troth to justify the delay. This kind of helps the part of the audience who trashes Dumbledore's character. It makes it easier for them to stomach the situation because one could argue that he wanted to go against Gellert but couldn't. This raised a problem: I remember that when we got CoG many of the old crew (pre-FB Grindeldore shippers), me included, liked the idea of Grindeldore having this commitment to each other, but not the implication that Dumbledore might have chosen easily to move against Gellert. That would have diminished the depth of Albus' feelings and angst. They kind of salvaged it because during the SoD duel neither one wanted to harm the other. But by breaking the bond early they are creating a new problem. Albus has promised to Theseus to move against Grindelwald, even though we know he's dreading it. He has already tried to reason with Gellert, he has put himself in a situation where it's already shameful for him to keep resisting. In the next movie the streets will run with blood. What justifies the delay until 1945?
I'm a shipper, but I'm also someone who appreciates consistancy and good writing. I think that the FB movies have done a phenomenal job with the emotional aspects and the thematic nuance of Grindeldore, but by changing things they ARE in danger of ruining certain things instead of fixing them and they are constantly putting their foor in their mouth by trying to fix one thing and opening up other fronts for criticism.
But sure, there are loopholes for some changes. Anyone keeping up with my headcanons knows that I lean towards tragedy. Having Albus and Grindelwald alone at Nurmengard, talking one last time, unpacking a lot of emotion and sharing a last kiss before parting forever would be my brand. It also makes sense to me that Albus will have to push for Gellert to be imprisoned instead of executed, so even if the Confederation ended up allowing it, I don't think they'd give visiting rights to Albus. My own storytelling insticts aside, Albus COULD have visited without contradicting canon. He says: “They say he showed remorse in later years, alone in his cell at Nurmengard. I hope that is true." It's a very vague statement and Albus is known to share truths indirectly. If Albus had at some point a very limited visit and Gellert seemed remorseful, but Albus simply did not want to experience the overwhelming emotion of that meeting in that moment, it could have been a way of saying 'He said he felt remorse but I never got enough time with him to know if that was true' in the only way he could manage without being completely overcome. There is a way to twist words and use the room they live for interpretation to add elements without openly contradicting canon.
i just hope that Rowling, Kloves and Yeates will manage to find the balance between developing the story and not contradicting canon. It needs a lot of attention to detail, but it's not impossible. And of course I hope that they 'll actually be given the chance to finish the story in the first place.
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A (slightly chaotic) Stravaganza rewrite/adaptation idea
So, now that we’ve finished the 2023 Stravaganza liveblog and I’ve told you what my headcanons for the series are after its end, let’s look at how I would change the main story if I got the chance. (Thanks to @10-dutchies-12-bicycles for being the one third of the fandom that voted for this.)
This is not an outright rewrite. I’m approaching this from the point of view of “I’m a showrunner and I’m adapting Stravaganza into a tv show”. In this theoretical show there would be one season per book with ten 40-60 minute episodes in each. I can’t take credit for all the ideas I’m presenting here, some of them have been brainstormed with a friend of mine.
Most of this focuses on the last two books, but there would obviously be minor changes in the adaptation in the first seasons as well. These changes would include things like giving side characters more depth, switching the order of some events etc. Most of the main storylines will still stay the same unless stated otherwise.
Some scenes/storylines are very clear in my head, while others are still a big ????. I may fill in the blanks in the future.
Changes pre- season 5
More development on Barbara and Marco as characters.
Cesare has a crush on Luciano in season 2, but he tries his best to get rid of it when they go to university together. (It helps that Luciano gets very annoying when he’s missing Arianna.)
Ludo gets more development during season 4. Rodolfo is the one who finds out about his di Chimici side (and even sees the ring, realizing that Jacopo is Ludo’s father). Luciano only knows that Ludo’s father is some nobleman.
Alice breaks up with Sky at the end of season 4, though it is left a little unclear where they will go from there.
At the end of season 4 it’s revealed that Jago is gay and out of the closet, Matt was just very oblivious and insecure.
Season 5 (City of Ships)
The first thing I’d change in season 5 is Isabel’s character. I already laid out some possibilities for this in an earlier post, but I would probably make Charlie good at sports + STEM and Isabel good at arts + nerdy things so that her feelings of not being good enough have at least some basis in reality. Even Charlie himself sometimes thinks Isabel's interests are silly and not that important.
I would also change Isabel’s crush on Sky to be unrequited. Or (and this came to me just as I was typing this) maybe she’s ace and/or aro? I just don’t want the group to consist of couples, some people need to stay single.
On the Talian side, I would focus way more on Classe as a city. I’d give Isabel some time to get to know the city, but have some of the other characters already preparing for the upcoming battle from the start.
Filippo could just skip the part where he messes around with mosaics and go to Bellezza almost straight away, giving him and Beatrice a chance to actually develop their relationship.
I also want more pirate stuff. Don’t know how, but more pirate stuff.
I would skip the retcon that talismans can take you to different cities now. There’s not really any major plotline in book 5 that requires it anyway. Isabel can focus on Classe, and any instances where someone travels to another city that’s not their own can just be replaced with something else.
Instead Dethridge can use his thinking brain and come up with a theory that the gate between the worlds is getting weaker. That could be what replaces the city-hopping AND the time travel shenanigans.
Speaking of which, Charlie will stravagate but it’s resolved without the detour to 16th century England. We don’t need the time travel if it’s never really going to come up again.
A side effect of Isabel beginning to hang out with the Stravaganti is that Laura begins feeling very lonely. (In this version they’re not Ayesha’s friends since that’s never relevant to the plot anyway. We’re also removing the SH storyline and replacing it with this.)
Alice (who has grown distant from Georgia as well) notices Laura’s loneliness and the two become friends.
This is the point where we really mix things up: The Fortezza plotline starts while Isabel’s adventure is still going on.
Andrea’s father is who he thinks he is, and he somehow ends the story still being a pirate.
Jacopo is very sick, and it’s obvious he won’t live long. This worries Fabio, and he speaks about it with Rodolfo via the mirrors. Rodolfo, who knows about Ludo, advises Fabio to take a new talisman to England just in case. He doesn’t tell the reason, but his ~stravagante’s intuition~ tells him Ludo might make things complicated in Fortezza and wants to play things safe.
Laura buys this talisman from Mr. Goldsmith. Alice sees it and immediately knows what it is.
Alice fears that if Laura stravagates accidentally, she’ll end up just like the others and Alice will lose her as well. So instead she tells Laura about Talia, explaining that the whole thing is the reason why the others don’t care about them anymore. She even says that if Laura wants, she can show the talisman to the others and they’ll accept her into the group, but that it will be the only reason why they do.
Laura decides to stravagate, but insists that Alice sleeps over while she does. Before Fabio can see her, Laura slips away into the city and steals some clothes for herself. (Laura and Alice plan this all beforehand)
Fabio remains unaware that the new Stravagante has arrived.
While all of this is going on, Isabel’s adventure continues. None of the English Stravaganti notice anything wrong with Laura or Alice, since they no longer hang out together.
The season ends with Jacopo dying and Ludo arriving in Fortezza.
Season 6 (City of Swords)
The other Stravaganti have moved on with their lives, going back to normal life after Isabel’s adventure ended. Laura, however, has continued going to Fortezza. There she meets Ludo, who is now demanding the throne of Fortezza for himself. Laura finds herself crushing in Ludo, and supports him against Lucia.
Alice and Laura’s relationship continues to be slightly toxic and codependent. They both fear losing each other, but Laura doesn’t want to stop stravagating because she also wants to spend time with Ludo.
In this version Ludo does not return Laura’s feelings and is in fact quite oblivious to her feelings.
Fabio expresses his worry about Fortezza’s state to Rodolfo. They’re both a bit confused about why the talisman hasn’t brought in a new Stravagante.
Fabio even returns to Mr. Goldsmith’s shop to find out that the talisman has indeed been sold. He relays this information to Rodolfo, who stravagates to meet the English Stravaganti. He tells them about the new talisman and asks them to keep an eye out for the talisman. (They only have a very vague description of who bought it.)
The events in Talia continue largely as they did in the book. During the siege, Ludo’s side does something (I haven’t yet figured out what) which Laura does not approve of and she becomes disillusioned. She begins rethinking her crush on Ludo. This something is dangerous, and Laura ends up stabbed in her side.
Laura wanders around the streets of Fortezza, bleeding heavily and looking for a safe place to stravagate home. She finds an alley where she can lean against the wall, but just as she’s about to stravagate, she sees all the blood she’s losing and faints, the talisman slipping out of her hand.
Laura has asked Alice to stay over as often as she can, because the whole stravagating thing makes her nervous. (A big part of this is that she doesn’t have a mentor in Talia.) Laura’s parents are out on this particular night, leaving the girls to have a sleepover by themselves.
In the middle of the night Alice gets up to go use the toilet. When she gets back to Laura’s room, she sees the pool of blood on the sheets. Pulling back the covers, she sees the wound on her side. Alice remembers how Matt was beaten up when his talisman was taken from him, and she fears something similar might have happened to Laura. With one hand putting pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, Alice reaches for her phone.
Georgia wakes up in the middle of the night to her phone ringing. She answers it, and it takes her a moment to understand what Alice is telling her. Georgia wants to ask a million questions, but from the panic in Alice’s voice she hears that this is serious and that there is no time to be wasted.
Georgia stravagates to Remora, and through a game of telephone the Stravaganti get a message to Fabio.
Fabio sets out to find Laura. It takes him a while before he finds her passed out in the alley, her talisman next to her. He wakes her up for just long enough to help her hold her talisman.
Meanwhile Alice has just been panicking. She eventually gives in and calls an ambulance. As soon as the ambulance pulls up in front of the house, Laura wakes up.
Alice makes up a lie that the girls were hungry and went to the kitchen to make sandwiches, and a knife left on the counter slipped and hit Laura. The paramedics barely believe this but they’re too busy to question it too much.
The next day Alice explains everything to Georgia. She blames herself for what happened to Laura – if she hadn’t been selfish and scared of losing Laura, this wouldn’t have happened.
After hearing Alice and Laura’s story, everyone else realizes that they treated them badly and that perhaps Talia was taking up too much space in their lives.
The others insist that Laura has to stravagate and finish her mission, but she doesn’t want to do it. Even seeing Ludo again is not enough for her to go back. Alice, feeling guilty, convinces Laura to finish her mission. Laura agrees, but insists that Alice has to stay with her whenever she stravagates.
Laura returns to Fortezza and is properly introduced to Fabio. She has now fully realized that Ludo’s cause is not worth it, and agrees to deliver messages to the castle.
Meanwhile Ludo too is beginning to see that he has gone too far. He feels especially guilty about betraying his Manoush roots. He even has a dream about his mother, and eventually he decides to surrender before more people die because of him.
There’s a lot of ?????? here that I haven’t figured out. There’s a bit of logistics that needs sorting out in regards to a few characters.
In this season Dethridge has his theory that the gate between the worlds is becoming unstable (the dates are no longer matching up in the two worlds) because of the amount of active talismans. He fears that one more talisman or translation may make the whole thing collapse. (Listen, if the books can do the city-hopping retcon, I can do this)
This ties into the way everyone gets to the wedding. Luciano goes to England and explains to everyone that they can come to the wedding, but they must give up their talismans. They’ll get temporary talismans that they’ll have to destroy later. He gives everyone a day or two to think about it.
Everyone agrees to do it, though the decision is especially hard on Georgia and Nick. Luciano says that if they can get the gate stable again, they might be able to bring over new talismans.
The temporary talismans are pages from Luciano’s original notebook. Both Vicky and David also get a talisman, with Vicky getting the leftover pages and covers.
Again, there’s a bit of ???? in regards to order of events and logistics here. But Ludo doesn’t die – instead he ends up becoming a pirate with Andrea
Ludo doesn’t die, instead he ends up in Classe and becomes a gay pirate with Andrea.
Instead, the person who dies is Cesare (listen! listen! put the tomatoes down! trust me!). I’m not exactly sure how he dies, but it happens after the Stravaganti have gone back to England after the wedding. Nick and Georgia try to stay behind to be with him as he dies, but Cesare tells them to go home. He makes Luciano promise to tell his family that he loves them. Luciano and Getano stay with Cesare as he passes.
Seriously, this whole ending is full of ????. Cesare’s death will mean more than Ludo’s to the audience, but I want the rest of the ending to feel satisfying.
The series ends with a montage of first Talia, then England. In the Talian montage, we see the people we met along the way going on with their lives (we don’t see Luciano and Arianna yet).
Then we get a scene where the English Stravaganti (plus Vicky and David) burning Luciano’s notebook in a fire. Alice shows up as well and burns her talisman. They all watch the fire die out. Alice grabs Laura’s hand and the two leave together. We start the English montage by seeing Alice and Laura happy together. Isabel is going to the movies with Charlie, who happily listens to his sister talk about whatever she’s passionate about, having learned to appreciate her interests. Matt and Ayesha go on a ride in Matt’s car. Sky hugs his mother goodbye at the airport as he leaves for the US. Georgia and Nick are at the Mulhollands’ living room, where Vicky brings them tea.
The montage ends, and we get one final scene of Luciano and Arianna watching the fireworks from their balcony in Bellezza.
Roll credits.
Jk, there’s a mid-credit scene.
A café in London. Text on the screen says: Five years later. The café is full of people. Jago Jones, now a successful author, sits by himself in a corner, working on his laptop and drinking coffee. Someone walks over to him and points at the seat opposite him. “Is this seat free?” a familiar voice asks. Jago looks up at the stranger. “Sure,” he says with a smile. The camera pans out and Cesare, dressed in regular 21st century clothes, sits opposite Jago.
Continue credits. The end.
Ok so I feel like I owe you a bit of an explanation for that last scene so I’ll rewind.
Very early in season 2, Georgia will give Cesare… something. Maybe it’s another one of her piercings or something. It’s done in a way that will not draw attention to the fact that this is a potential talisman. Cesare continues to wear this object around his neck the entire series, and no attention is ever drawn to it. But attentive viewers will know that this is one big Chekov’s gun.
There will be other small things that foreshadow Cesare’s stravagating sprinkled through the series.
Before Cesare dies, Georgia somehow ends up speaking about her home in an attempt to comfort him. As he dies, Cesare holds his talisman in his hand, though again, no special attention is drawn to it. It’s one of those things you’ll catch on your second viewing.
There we go – my changes for a possible Stravaganza TV show. There are a lot of other minor details my friend and I have planned, but those are the most coherent and important changes I would make.
#this is even more confusing than my previous long post#stravaganza#isabel evans#alice greaves#laura reid#ludo vivoide#cesare montalbano#georgia o'grady#idek who all to tag I can't tag everyone??
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Copyright cash grab
I think the thing that bothers me most about current Star Wars is that it lies so hard about what it’s really doing, like we’re not going to work it out anyway.
Fandom cannot create new canon, it can only work with what it has, open up the cracks, fill in the plot holes and put a new spin on things. But the show creators don’t have that limit, and yet have devolved to reusing the same old plot and structure we’ve seen before and hiding it under a different set of faces.
I suppose it’s meant to be clever, but fanfic has been re-spinning these stories for literal decades now so it just feels like a pallid and obvious cash grab as well as a way for Disney to lay claim to the older Lucas-made canon as now belonging to them.
Personal opinion and potential spoilers behind the cut
Mando spins its story around the core structure of the OT movies while doing its utmost to pretend that it isn’t doing that. Instead of starting with the feisty space princess whose home has been destroyed by the Empire it sneaks in via Solo and focuses on a lone gunslinger doing any dodgy job for money while throwing him about in the mud a lot, role flipping Yoda and Luke, and hiding it all under a layer of Mandalorian armour. But the constant references to other parts of SW get old fast, and they leap right in there from the very start regardless of people only majorly starting to complain about that from Season 3. It was always there, we just weren’t so overloaded by the constant stream of really obvious ones back in Season 1.
And The Bad Batch follows this exact same pattern, the only major difference is that it’s framed around the core plot of the prequel movies and overall tends to bury its true purpose under fewer Rebels references. Sure it’s tying up a bunch of loose ends from multiple seasons of TCW, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to like it.
Add to this the other shows that only got made in order to support these^ two shows.
TCW Season 7 sets up everything the other shows need to have already been established in order to work. The Bad Batch setup is established, Trace, Rafa, and their convenient little Coruscant hiding place gets laid down for later plot use, and the Mandalore arc sets up the rest.
Tales of the Jedi explicitly covers how Anakin treated Ahsoka behind closed doors and how he used others to actually carry that out so that it can be reused later. Amongst other plot relevant details it showed us the relationship between Dooku and Mace, how Dooku was pissed when Mace got a promotion he hadn’t even been trying to claim, and how Dooku was directly offered the chance to drop all of what he was doing and to walk away with the Jedi – and still chose not to.
Half of The Book of Boba Fett was just a dumping ground for anything that didn’t conveniently fit into either of the other two shows but that they didn’t want to leave out (you can’t claim copyright over something you haven’t put onscreen), and boy did it show that they didn’t waste any money covering that part if they could help it. Orphan Boba gets to re-enact Luke’s back story of getting and losing a new family out in the sands of Tatooine, while Vanth gets to lose his arm and get a robotic replacement, it covers the question of what happened once Jabba was dead, drops in a much cuter version of the scene where the Luke defeats the rancor, features a cantina complete with familiar players, and shoves not-Chewbacca in there because having a Wookiee in the main story would be way too much of an obvious nod to the OT setup they’re still trying to pretend isn’t happening. However, it was permitted to drop in a couple of future plot points such as what happens to your brain/memory once you get a deep tissue, full body, bacta treatment, and giving Boba his 3 seconds of playing both Solo getting thrown wetly around by a Wookiee, and the Emperor as he rescues Fennec from certain death by having her Vaderized.
In all fairness this has taken a certain level of effort to re-spin. Aspects of one movie or TCW have been given to the other show, roles have been split between characters to make things less obvious. Hunter gets Anakin’s wig, while Hemlock gets his hand, and Echo gets to play Vader but in reverse order (starting as a cyborg and not becoming one). Or things have been approached from a different angle (usually reversed), like how Bo rescues Din and Grogu from the dianoga pit on the boat instead of getting them into the garbage masher in the first place. Pieces have been recycled from all prior SW visual canon as well as many games, books, and comic books, in addition to many references to non-SW movies.
But some things have been lifted straight out of fanfiction. The outfit that Riyo Chuchi wears when we first see her in TBB mimics Fox’s armour as closely as it possibly can without actually being clone armour, and Foxiyo is a small ship that has zero canonical basis – so far at least. Not that this would be the first time that SW has blatantly ripped off someone else’s work for their ideas or spaceship designs, but being able to data scrape AO3 must make this a lot easier to do than back when you had to pay people to manually cruise the internet.
Whether the Ahsoka show will continue this pattern and frame it around the plot of the sequel movies while pretending it’s nothing more than Rebels Season 5 remains to be seen, but having Jacen Syndulla reframed as the new Kylo Ren is definitely nothing I will ever need to see.
.
Obviously I’m glossing over a lot of the finer detail and references here because I’d be here all day otherwise and I’m trying to limit potential spoilers.
#star wars#the mandalorian#tbb#tcw#probably unpopular personal opinion#disney are all about the copyright ownership#we already know that
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Goals + updates for 2023!
(plus sneak-talks into my future fics!)
ALRIGHT RIVAMIKA FRIENDS! This evening (now that I've finally come back from my short New Year's trip... as well as recovered from major car sickness on the way back home l o l), my birthday-week-and-writing-sabbatical (😂) officially begins!
If you've been following, I've been hustling since November with my IRL workload and it has taken time away from writing and fandom things, so I had planned that from January 1st for a whole entire week I will dedicate my time to rest in the form of writing. No work, no emails, no ads...
NOTHING except sitting in coffeeshops or beautiful places and writing stories from my heart again.
During the holidays I had a couple of technically free days, so I wanted to get a one-shot in to get myself ready and warm up for this week (and then produced last week's one-shot, The Perfect Brew, which might mark my all-time favorite one-shot I've written so far).
The hard part was deciding what the heck to focus on and commit to. I thought about keeping it free, but knew it would lead to more one-shots, which is fine too.
But after I came back home and rested, I sorted through my WIP's (which, at this point, I actually have 7! I just forgot about 4 of them omg) and I rediscovered a WIP in my Google Docs I loved and forgot about, and that is the orphanage fic.
I don't think I've shared much about it just yet, but it will be a multi-chapter fic set after Season 3, and both Historia's orphanage and castle will play a big role in the plot for Levi, Mikasa and the Scouts. Obviously I don't think I will complete the entire fic just in this week (sheesh... I can't even imagine?!) but I aim to make a good dent in it and hopefully publish something by my birthday weekend :) I believe this is the one I want to make the most progress in, and hopefully get something published from it, though I can't promise timely updates the way you got Microcosmos every week or two.
Also on the back burner that I might trudge through this week is the Ackerman (Kenny, Levi, Mikasa) short-fic, and a post-war reunion fic that will likely be a long-fic. Then deeeeeep in my backburner is also a post-war long-fic that will circle around Levi and Mikasa and gang as Paradis refugees; I foresee this as something that will be a lot darker and angstier.
I'm honestly just excited for starting 2023 dedicating passion-time to writing; it feels like me saying YES to dedicating this full year to growing as a writer. I only began writing in May so it's strange that I haven't even hit a full year of doing so... But knowing that 2023 is starting and ending with me in love with writing is just exciting. I'm PUMPED. I have other ideas (maybe starting a Rivamika-specific writers' accountability group, etc) but I'll save all of that for another time hehe.
All this to say, thank you to all of my fandom friends I've made here who have encouraged me and brought me soooo much joy and inspiration literally on the daily. You don't understand how much your presence here has helped me in my real daily life, and has sustained this newfound inspiration. It makes writing and creating art not feel like an echo-in-a-chamber. To have real people enjoying what we create together, encouraging each other in the process, and sharing their joys for it, it's just sooo important and meaningful. Thank you all!! I will continue to ~dedicate my heart~ to creating art in lots of forms for our lil community here. :)
Please look forward to another year of Onigiri's proud hyper-fixation on Rivamika ;)
(P.S. I can see my nighttimes being filled with reading all of y'alls fanfics that I haven't gotten to read yet!!! PLS!! I CANT WAIT!)
#rivamika#rivamika fam#rivamika family#Levimika#Levi x mikasa#mikasa x levi#oh also#another small goal for 2023? write 1 TwiYor and 1 CloTi fic!
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~THINGS GO SOUTH IN THE SOUTHEAST~ Part One
Characters: Robert Fischer, Maurice Fischer, Uncle Peter (Inception), OCs
Warnings: angst, abduction, mentions of terrorism? Racial stereotypes, English is not my first language, and everything mentioned/ narrated is pure fiction, not an indication or a statement towards a particular race, religion and so on.
This could be read as an independent story, as it has nothing to do with the movie's plot/ scenario.
Prologue
Robert exhaled sharply, fighting to control his bouncing knee. He was at the verge of a panic attack, hadn't felt that way ever since his mother's death.
"Do you want some water sir"?, asked one of his guards.
"No. No thank you".
Focus! Focus Robert for fuck's sake!, his mind shouted at him. He had to keep his cool if he wanted to carry out his mission. Well, he didn't- hell he didn't, but what other choice did he have? Lead his company-sorry, his father's company to financial ruin, or die. Die in Abu Dhabi most likely, and get eaten by the flies.
He stuck his face to the plane's window, feeling the moisture radiate to his whole body. He didn't have a gun pointed at his head yet, but still, his life flashed before his eyes. Not his future. The past.
EXPLOSION DESTROYS MAJOR GAS FACTORY
MAURICE FISCHER FACES RUIN
HUGE CORPORATION SPOILED AFTER ACCIDENT
UAE AND USA COMPANIES NOW AT FINANCIAL WAR
He knew it. He had warned his dad at the council not to make deals with these people. Maurice had simply ignored him.
A sudden sound threw him off his seat. A continuous ringing. It took him a while to realize it was the phone in front of him.
"Should I pick it up"?, that same bodyguard asked him. He was forgetting his name. Could be Victor. Focus you idiot!
"Yes, hello"? Robert said breathlessly, holding the device close to his ear. Not too close. He was scared of who it might be. “Hello”!?
“Hello Robert”, his father answered, taking his time. ;I wanted to inform you that Carl will be waiting for you once you arrive.
“"I thought-I thought, he lowered his voice, "that mr Smith would send his men”
“"No, it’s too risky. Besides, it’s gonna be just a meeting Robert! Don’t be a coward and don’t mess things up ‘cause this is a very important situation, you hear me? I have to go now.
“Alright dad”, he breathed, but Maurice had already left.
“Tie your belt Rob”, his pilot said through the microphone. ;In half an hour you’ll be having three women jumping around you like eager puppies.
“They’re civilized people”!, Robert shouted. Just… a bit dangerous.
Robert Fischer was the son of one of the richest men on Earth, heir to a company successful like no other. His whole life revolved around custom tailored suits, important contracts and people who made him feel inadequate and alone. In other words, a business meeting meant -as his dear, beloved father had pointed out- nothing more than a long, boring night. Until that fatal explosion happened. The accident that threatened to put his father in a prison cell for terrorism and association with criminal activities against his country.
Chapter One.
Robert smoothed the fabric against his skin, taking in the warm temperature of Abu Dhabi. Stoicism was a key trait of his personality, and with stoicism he intended to carry out his mission.Or, rather, talk to the guests that filled that huge hotel salon.
The cold air of the air conditioning sent shivers down his spine, making want to sneeze. He put a timid smile on his face instead, and shook the hand of the man standing by the door.
“Mr Fischer. It’s an honour to meet you. Your father’s ventures are quite legendary”, said the man, who was, most likely, organizing this event. It must had taken him by surprise, meeting Robert in a place he hadn’t invited him in. Personally invited him, that evening when he had given the list of names to his secretary.
“Thank you sir”, Robert said, nodding politely. “And may I say that you are a worthy heir of your ancestor’s work. After all, what else could a man desire”?
The man smiled at him in agreement. Fuck, he needed to remember his name.
“Is this your first time in the Emirates”?
“Oh yes, business has never brought me here before, and I don’t travel much otherwise. Of course, though, I couldn’t decline your invitation. I actually arrived only an hour ago, so I haven’t discovered your country’s beauties yet”.
“I’ll gladly show you around Mr Fischer, provided that you stay long enough for a trip”.
“I’ll have to leave soon for Sidney I’m afraid. It’s quite a busy time of the year…”.
Robert wandered around the room, giving unsatisfied glimpses at the expensive furniture and luxurious lights hanging from the ceiling. He gave handshakes and charming smiles to the ladies, trying to escape their invitations for a drink. The noise and low music made the room feel suffocating, or, so he had said on his way to the men's restroom.
He locked himself in one of the toilets and answered his phone anxiously.
"Hello mr. Fischer", came the flat voice he'd come to know just a week earlier. "The target's name is Imran Youssef. Don't lose sight of him. Learn everything you can".
"Alright", he said, his voice trembling. "But how will I recognise him,"?
"They'll introduce him to you the moment he arrives- remember, he is the cousin of the company's owner. But you better behave a bit more confidently, if you wanna keep your head on your shoulders".
Robert gulped hearing his last words. "And you will keep your end of the deal"?, he asked, but John Smith had already hung up the phone. Again.
Robert ran his hand through his hair and opened the door. Even before he had seen him, he sensed the presence of a man, and flinched. Raising his head he was met with a blond, quite muscular male in a modest suit that made him look out of place and concept. It could be his sunglasses, but Robert thought he was looking at him rather suspiciously.
Robert washed his hands as thoroughly as every respected millionaire would, put a stray strand of hair back in place and left with a heavy sight. Thankfully the stranger didn't follow him. But why the hell would he in the first place? Fuck Dad. Fuck.
As he arrived at the main room again, the voices seemed to be a bit raised, people gathering towards the entrance. Robert guessed it would be his man, so he sat by the bar, ordered a martini of which the name sounded nice, and waited patiently.
After a while he saw the Arab coming to his way, accompanied by three men and two ladies, young enough for him to think they were his daughters.
He approached the man with the calm and confident demeanor he'd inhabited over years of practice.
"Mr Youssef. I'm Robert Fischer", he said steadily, facing the cold stare of the Arab.
"Your cousin's company and my father's company lead a corporation together".
"Yes, I remember. Until the accident happened and you let us down".
"You cannot lead an empire with sentimentality, Mr Youssef, as I'm certain you're aware. Nevertheless, we're terribly sorry for the damage done in your factory".
"I did not expect to find you here", Youssef continued. Weariness and dislike were carved on his face, but the woman on his left was flashing smiles.
"Ah well, how does the saying go… All roads lead to Rome", Robert said pleasantly. "I'm not on a business trip currently- I've been sent to my death, actually- I was hoping for a good two- day's rest and some sightseeing. The gentleman who organized this event had the kindness to invite me. I was actually hoping", he said after a reluctant pause, "that we could look past our business differences and have some fun".
"Are you sure you are ready for some fun, Mr Fischer"?, asked one of the ladies.
After a searching glimpse at Yousef's face, Robert smiled widely.
"I'm guessing we will find out soon miss".
Two hours later, shortly after Youssef had left, he politely greeted everyone and left for his hotel room. The warm air enveloped him in a suffocating embrace. He felt exhausted, while an unraveling feeling of worry was eating him up. He had talked to Youssef. He had made him laugh, drink, almost pat him on the shoulder. But he had not acquainted the information Smith wanted- he'd have to drug him in order to get that information!
Right after stepping out of the building, he was faced with two men, dressed in black.
"Mr Fischer", the one of them said, and in his voice Robert vaguely recognised a familiar tone. A black Sedan was parked right next to them. Robert nodded and followed them into the car eagerly, craving a long sleep, which he wouldn't have.
The slow humming of the machine was soothing, helping him drift off to a light sleep.
"Sir, we're here", startled him the voice of his guards. The door opened, and Robert thanked them for their service, only to be reminded that they would escort him to his room.
The hotel Smith had ordered him to go to couldn't be more different than the luxurious building he'd visited before. Dusty old rugs and ripped tapestries covered the walls, along with an unpleasant, vague scent of neglect.
"Stay here", Robert said, leaving his bodyguards standing by the door, his suitcase on hand.
A glimpse of satisfaction appeared in his eyes on sight of the dinner room. A buffet was waiting there for him with food of very questionable quality, but he wasn't feeling particularly picky at the moment. He walked up to the receptionist and leaned over the bench.
"Hello miss.I would like to rent a room".
The woman looked at him as if Octavian Augustus himself had come to talk to her.
Although she has no idea who that is, he thought to himself. "A room? To sleep in? Do you speak English"?
The woman kept her eyes on him, shaking her head slightly. Robert turned to his men for some help, but they looked just as miserable as he did. Robert sighted heavily and nodded at the board with the keys, then to the staircase to his left.
The receptionist came back to life, finally understanding what it was that he wanted. After she let some words in Arabic flow out of her mouth, she signed him to come with her. Robert followed her without second thoughts, eager to lay on a bed no matter how shitty the mattress was.
The weird duo snaked around dark corridors and through rusty doors with labels on them, of which Robert understood exactly nothing. After a while though, they reached a dimly lit room, where a man had fallen asleep on a chair, legs stretched on his desk. The receptionist woke him up placing a soft hand on his shoulder, and the man flinched, opening his eyes which laid directly to Robert.
“Hello sir”, he said with a hesitant, raspy voice.
“Hello”, Robert forced a smile. “I would like to rent a room for one night”.
The mancocked a brow in disbelief, and with disbelief and restraint he carried on the conversation with that obviously very rich, very out of place American.
Ten minutes later, Robert returned to the reception room, accompanied by the woman, who eagerly gave him the keys to his room. Robert’s eyes flickered to the exit of the building and back, scanning the space. No one was there. A threatening silence seemed to have fallen upon the room. Robert went on to ask the woman if she had seen anyone come or go, but then he remembered that she didn’t speak a word of English.
Dropping the keys on the παγκο mindlessly, he ran outside.
Darkness and dust covered everything in the city’s suburbs, the area being empty as far as the eye could see.
Where the hell have they gone?, the boy inside him screamed. Maybe they had orders to leave as soon as he was settled-after all, Smith himself had told him to go to that God-forsaken place, he should be safe. But they had taken his suitcase with them. He had personal stuff in that suitcase, which they knew he’d need for the night…
Fear was eating him alive as he called Carl with sweaty hands. All he learned was that the number he had called was deactivated, or did not exist.
Robert leaned against the wall, choking on the heated air and called John Smith.
“Fischer? What’s the matter”?
“My guards are gone. I went into a room for a moment and now I can’t fucking find them”, he answered, sounding surprisingly composed.
“Alright Fischer , listen carefully. Stay in your room, lock the door, cover up the window, and wait. I’ll send someone ASAP. The code is 58091”.
The phone call ended with a soft beep and a deathwish. Robert climbed up the staircase to his room, closed the curtains, breath erratic, he brought his feet to his chest and sat there, waiting for the monster to crawl out of the bed. Needless to say, his appetite had disappeared but nevertheless, he found calm in the darkness, the stillness of the night. Anxious though he was, he didn’t feel afraid anymore, or sad, or anything really. Because, he had come to realize a long time ago, he had nothing to lose. Uncle Peter, of course, would be sad, would grieve him appropriately. And right after the funeral and a deep sight, he would start searching for his replacement.
A quiet knock on the door pulled Robert away from his thoughts. He jumped on surprise, and moved slightly towards the door. The knock echoed again.
"58091", said a male voice and Robert was quick to open up. Three men waited outside of his room, their figures almost inseparable from the dark walls.
"Mr. Fischer, Smith sent us. We have men coming out our way, we have to hurry".
Robert nodded and silently followed the two men in front of him downstairs and out of the hotel. The air had at least turned a little colder. The men rushed into the car, forcing him into the back seat. A hint of uncertainty hit Robert, instinctively noticing something he couldn't pin-point. He sighed and laid back on the seat.
Patient as he was, he didn't bother asking any questions, remaining silent, arms crossed tightly around his chest. Up until his goddamn phone rang again, and a gun appeared. Pointing at his head.
Robert felt his whole body light and empty.
"Answer it", the man next to him ordered, and Robert shook his head reassuringly.
"Fischer", said Smith right away, and Robert put him on speaker.
"Yes, I'm here".
"Alright. My men are coming for you. Should be there in fifteen. Stay where you are and wait. Remember the code"?
Oh, of course he did. Along with twenty others, apparently.
"58091".
Smith was out, and Robert pinned the men with a look somewhat annoyed.
"Happy"?, he asked handing him over the phone.
"Shut up", the man growled, but at least he hid the gun away.
"May I ask what it is that you want"? Robert then said calmly. "Or…who are you"?
I suppose I'll find out very soon, he sighed. And gods help me cause no one else will.
#cillian murphy#short story#inception#robert fischer#fanfic#independent story#fiction#robertfischerfanfiction#abduction#gunfight#action#inception moodboard#robert fischer moodboard
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Hi Max! I admire your work and, if it's all right with you, I have a few questions about it. First, as Ink Stains is coming to an end, do you have plans for a second season or some form of continuation? Petra is an intriguing character who I would want to see more of. Second question: what inspired Petra? For some reason, she feels both familiar and distinct. And, my final question: while it may be a little early, do you have any other series planned outside Pale Angels? That's all! 💗
Oh hello! Thank you so much for showing interest in my content, that really warms my heart <3 I rarely get questions on here about my shows so this message really brought me some joy just now lol. Well, you've just unlocked a Pandora's box of boxes so be ready for a LOT of information,,,
- Ink Stains season 2?
Sadly, Ink Stains won't get a second season. It was always intended to be a four part miniseries, and it wouldn't make much sense to expand that already small plot in any way. Even with just four episodes there were moments where I found it difficult to fill the airtime. The majority of the characters (in my opinion) are written so that they are only interesting in limited doses. BUT, although there won't be a second season, that doesn't mean there won't be "some form of continuation"... more on that is answered in the last question. >:)
- What inspired Petra?
I started working the concept for Ink Stains in early 2021, and it underwent many changes before it reached its current form. At the same time that I was rewriting the story, I was reading Marlen Haushofer's Mansarda. The book has nothing to do with the series or Petra, but for some reason it gave me new insights on how to (somewhat) soften her character, as the original plot and Petra's character were both significantly edgier. From there, I'm not even sure what inspired her or guided me to where she is today as a character. And tbh, I feel like her design makes her appear more intriguing than she actually is lmao.
- Future projects?
Nothing is really set in stone, buttt.. Pale Angels will feature a large cast as well as a good amount of episodes. By using the Sims 2 as a tool to tell your story, which can already be a draining af, working with such a vast cast on top of that, can be incredibly exhausting. I’m not gonna go into detail about that much, but basically everything takes longer and requires more planning... which is not always enjoyable.
Knowing myself, I will eventually start a different project alongside it to distract myself and prevent burnout. This is where Ink Stains comes into play.
With Ink Stains, the size of the cast has always been one of my biggest issues. I ended up including more characters than necessary to tell the story because of my writing skills—or, to put it more accurately, lack thereof. Victor, Petra, and Fren were always supposed to be the only three characters in the story, but other characters were ultimately needed to progress plotlines, offer the main protagonists difficulties to overcome, and generally give them more depth… And I hate that.
Don't get me wrong, I love all the supporting and minor characters in the show, but I do wish I were a better writer and didn't need such gimmicks to tell that particular story. Of course there will always be a need for background characters, but not to this extent. To get to the point already LMAO my next project will be similar to Ink Stains and will only have three characters as its main focus. Although it might not be a sequel, it will be a type of continuation with the same-ish coming of age/indie story and similar vibes.
Damnnnn this is long. I'm sorry if this was boring to read, but I do hope you found my rambling enjoyable, and that I answered you questions. <333
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