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blankfairy · 9 days

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thank you sm for the tag @thenn!! this was really fun!

1. How many works do you have on ao3 (or masterlist)? twelve total published!! but a hell of a lot more rotting in my google drive and three-ring binders haha

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 23,456 including my fics from my nsfw account. (i can't believe it's all sequential??)

3. What fandoms do you write for? currently, resident evil and house of the dragon. in the past i've written for overwatch, fortnite, and warrior cats. i'd love to do some silent hill stuff, too!

4. Top five fics by kudos in his nature (nsfw) — 265 kudos afterglow (nsfw) — 212 kudos thunderclan's smallest warrior — 74 kudos a taste of home — 47 kudos i'd be lying if i said i wasn't wishing for an untimely death or demise — 45 kudos two of these are warrior cats fics from YEARS ago too :sob:

5. Do you respond to comments? ofc!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? all my fics are one-shots,, but.... published... this is how a girl becomes holy? and then my two wip longfics, folie a deux and all things devour are bound to have unhappy endings.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? afterglow probably?? just because it's just two dudes having fun. being silly. i generally quite enjoy angst, so...

8. Do you get hate on fics? luckily not! but i don't post a lot, either. i did get banned from a discord roleplay server once because of a fic i wrote tho lol

9. Do you write smut? yup!! i have an ao3 account specifically for it.

10. Craziest crossover? house of the dragon and resident evil, maybe? it's not 'legally' a crossover but i'm just asoiaf-ifying the umbrella corporation and the weskers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? no, but i did have someone steal some ocs back on quotev, years ago.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? naur ...

14. All time favorite ship? canon/canon or oc/canon? let's see,, c/c, serrenedy (leon s. kennedy x luis serra). i mean, with a ship name like that, who can resist? i'd say willsker (william birkin x albert wesker) but. um. i've got other uses for william birkin. i also love weskennedy (albert wesker x leon s. kennedy) for. other reasons. oc/canon, i'm definitely biased but finn x will LMAOO not that they're good together or all that compatible but they're both awful and should never date anyone ever except for each other. exception being that time finn married larys strong in asoiaf and they were also perfectly awful for each other.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? not saying, crossing my fingers, doubting its completion will only bring that to fruition!!

16. What are your writing strengths? my partner tells me he likes my dialogue and that it feels realistic, and i like to think that i'm good with descriptions, setting scenes, etc. there's a particular action scene in my resident evil longfic that i'm very proud of, and lots of visceral descriptions of gore that i think are done really well!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i'm not sure,, i definitely procrastinate a lot, and i'm really bad at taking criticism. trying to do better but i'm just so sensitive akjbsdkjbfksdj

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? i mean, sure!! i'm a little iffy sometimes because translators can be whacky, but i'll either around, check reddit, etc. little phrases i don't mind. usually i just put the phrase in italics and mention them saying it in said language.

19. First fandom you wrote in? it was either warrior cats or supernatural! i think it was maybe even a supernatural/elder scrolls crossover? i remember toiling away in my digital art class, writing in the tiniest text i could because i was embarrassed haha

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? of the ones published? woof. um. i honestly have no idea. that's like picking a favorite child lol.

tagging: anyone who wants to do it!! i get embarrassed tagging people :sob: i don't want to be annoying

#tag game #james writes

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galaxymooing · 4 years

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UGH THAT ART I REBLOGGED I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT LONGFIRE NOW I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH toptier rarepair

#stomping #it's a little iffy sometimes because longtail was a warrior when they met but like #he had been made one like THE DAY BEFORE OR SOMETHING JKDFJFSDJKLFDSLKJ #so i think by the time longfire happens like in the 2nd or 3rd arc it isnt too bad #for warrior cats standards #I JUST..... THEM GOING FROM ENEMIES TO RESPECTED FRIENDS... UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #i am pleading over battle cats today

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rhenuvee · 3 years

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Fred Weasley Fluff Alphabet

A/N: Seen a lot of these so I decided to do one of my own. And yes I do know there are different versions of the fluff alphabet but I chose this one, hope it’s ok.

Warnings: Swearing

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A = Admiration (what do they absolutely adore about you?)

Fred adores your laugh and smile. Making people laugh was always his forte, so seeing that beautiful smile of yours makes it 10x better. If you’re lucky you might catch him blushing at your reaction, but he’ll never admit it.

B = Body (what is their favorite part of your body?)

This sounds weird but your head/face lol. 1. He likes to rest his chin on top of your head, or lean on yours at least. 2. Going back to A he loves your smile and 3. He loves it when you rest your head on him, whether it be his chest or shoulder, he’ll also kiss your temple.

C = Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?)

Would rather be the big spoon with his arms cradling your waist, bringing you closer to his body. Gives head pats, and whispers sweet nothings to lull you to sleep. Lowkey though, likes being the little spoon. You can only catch him like that if he’s too exhausted to think, and ends up just collapsing into your arms to sleep. Oh yeah, George is probably tired of seeing this.

D = Dates (what does their ideal date with you look like?)

Definitely tries to bring you somewhere or experience something new each time. But generally, if there was a place that made you significantly happier, he would take a mental note of that place and bring you there again sometime. I can picture trips to the beach, amusement parks/fairs, and maybe some sport like skiing or snowboarding, or maybe even just tobogganing (if you have snow).

E = Emotions (how do they express emotion around you?)

I don’t think Fred’s one to hide his emotions in the first place. I think most of the time he’d just be open and honest with himself. If he was feeling upset, though he might shut others out, he knows he’s calm when he’s with you. So once he feels like his head is clear again, he’ll talk it out with you.

F = Family (do they want one? If they do, when?)

Definitely wants a family in my opinion. The idea of mini you and/or mini him is something he’s always wanted. Probably wants kids once you guys are married. After that, he cannot wait to have a family with you.

G = Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?)

I don’t see Fred as going all out with gifts, but occasionally will spoil you (like on your birthday for example). He likes giving and receiving gifts, though most likely isn’t his primary love language.

H = Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?)

Holds hands whenever you’re walking together- yes I’m sorry, you’ve become that annoying couple that occupies half the hallway and has a walking speed slower than a turtle. But other than that, likes holding your hands out of reassurance, whether it’s him ensuring you’re going to be okay or vice versa.

I = Injury (how would they act if you got hurt?)

Small injury? Asks if you’re okay and stuff like that for the first three seconds, then it’s right back to teasing about how clumsy you are. Big injury? Definitely tries to stay by your side as much as he can, might make light jokes to make you laugh.

J = Jokes (do they like to joke around with or prank you? how?)

Yes of course, who do you think he is. We all know he does all jokes of the sort, but more common ones for you that I can picture are things like scaring you in the hallways, and a lot of teasing to make you flustered. Might’ve pranked you once or twice with his WWW products- never again by how much you looked like you were gonna beat his ass (unless you like being pranked then you do you).

K = Kisses (how do they like to kiss you?)

I feel like he likes longer kisses more. If you have alone time together, you bet your butt he will not stand for a simple peck. Once again- yeah you’re the annoying couple. Only gives small kisses if you’re saying bye to depart to different classes? Stuff like that.

L = Love (how do they show you they love you?)

He shows love through his loyalty. He’d never fight or abandon you if you weren’t at your best. He knows that leaving or ignoring a situation isn’t going to fix it, so he’d rather stay with you and figure it out together.

M = Memory (favorite memory together?)

His favourite memory was when you jumped into his arms when you went to his shop for the first time. You both had been apart, sending letters as much as you could, and now you finally are able to see each other again. He loved the look on your face when you saw the shop and when you said how proud you were of him.

N = Nicknames (what do they call their s/o?)

Love, darling, princess, doll. Will also call you those really ridiculous ones.

O = On cloud 9 (what are the like when they’re in love? Is it obvious? How do they express their feelings?)

I’d say he’s obvious when he’s in love. At first it might be the fact he’s more touchy with you, as in things like bumping your shoulder or patting your head. He expresses his feelings just by showing you any signs of affection.

P = PDA (Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or do they get shy when others are watching?)

Yep, pretty upfront about your relationship, I can’t see him having those secret ones. There is rarely a time where people won’t see him latched onto you unless you’re in separate classes, at work, etc. Brags from time to time, mostly to 1. make you flustered and 2. as a comeback when Ron keeps asking why you would choose Fred. Does not get shy, unless George teases him about him being clingy.

Q = Quality Time (how do they like to spend time with you?)

He just likes talking with you. He likes hearing your voice. You don’t have to be up and running about to have a good time with Fred. He likes talking, and your reactions to his stories. He also likes listening to whatever funny moment happened to you- he wants to feel included and laugh at the joke too.

R = Rhythm (what song reminds you of them?)

Errrr the songs I listen to don’t really correspond to Fred’s personality, so sorry if it might not be the songs you like or you think match him. But the one that comes to mind is Talk Too Much by COIN.

S = Secrets (how open are they with you?)

I’d say 90% open with you.. He doesn’t really see anything he has to hide from you, and again he likes telling you things. Burped loudly in charms class? He’ll tell you. As for the 10%, comes from his own insecurities. Sometimes there are things he feels iffy about, but as long as you’re willing to, you can talk it out and comfort him.

T = Time (how long did it take you to get together?)

Really depends who you are to him at first. If you’re already friends, maybe a month at most of teasing and matchmaking from your friends and his friends will make you get together.

U = Upset (how do they act when you’re upset?)

He’ll do anything to get you smiling again. Sometimes he may act a little clueless, so he’ll just come over to you and hold you tight to his chest. Fred will let you vent, cry, whatever you need without judgement. He prefers if you communicate with him to discuss what’s upsetting you, but if you need time he’ll wait however long.

V = Vaunt (what are they proud of? Do they like to show you off?)

As a joke he always says he’s proud of the fact you’re able to keep up with his energy. But in reality he’s proud of your ability to stand up for yourself, and not take anyone else’s bull. Of course he likes to show you off- would definitely love those moments that you both get in the groove and bounce jokes off each other and make everyone laugh.

W = Warrior (how do they feel about you fighting? Would they fight for you, beside you, etc?)

Would rather you not fight, but shamelessly finds it hot when you roast some dude who’s being an asshole. If it was for a serious reason then he wouldn’t want you to fight, and would rather he take care of it instead.

X = X-Ray (how well are they able to read you?)

Pretty well I’d say. Overall your relationship is easy going, and you two fit like puzzle pieces so there’s little to no problems. However, there might be specific times when it takes a while for him to realize you’ve not been feeling well. For example, hiding your feelings. He’d rather you two communicate.

Y = Yes (how would they propose to you?)

Even though Fred can be boisterous, I can’t see him proposing in front of people. Would definitely go overboard with wherever location he chooses though. And yeah, thousands of hugs and kisses right after so no need to worry.

Z = Zen (what makes them feel calm?)

He’s calm when he can tell you’re happy, and also if you start to feel less insecure about yourself (not forcing obviously). Also feels calm when you’re with him, or at least near him. Is the most at ease when you’re in his arms, snuggled up to him in bed, and him stroking your cheeks.

#fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley headcanons #fred weasley fluff #fred and george #weasley twins

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simping-overload · 3 years

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Full Fluff Aplabet with Zavala!

A = Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Honestly lounging around the house with you is good enough for him, just reading some books, cuddling, cooking, and doing domestic stuff is what he lives for, going on walks around the city and stargazing too

B = Body - what is their favorite part of their s/o’s body?

Your hands, don't matter if they're big, small, soft, or rough(etc), he fuckin loves them

C = Cuddle - how would they cuddle their s/o?

Due to his habit of burying himself in his work, cuddles sadly aren’t very common, and you’ll have to drag his ass away from work to get cuddles sometimes(he won’t complain tho) Not against most positions, but he likes it when your lying on his chest or when your chest to chest with arms & legs wrapped around each other and his face tucked in your neck. expect some kisses while cuddling too

D = Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

in a time where they aren’t at war or in battles at every second. Living in a semi-seclude home so he can finally relax with some peace

E = Everything - You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…)

'You are my light'

F = Family - Do they want one? If they do when?

He's indifferent about having a family. It's not like he's against it, he just thinks he wouldn't have the ability to be there for the child due to him being commander

G = Gifts - How do they feel about gift giving?

Finds it very adorable and intimate. Will give you gifts every so often

H = Hand Holding - How/when would they hold their s/os hands?

He likes holding your hand a lot, holding your hand under the table during meetings(even when he's talking), while y'all are going on walks throughout the city, grabbing your hand if either of you is ever feeling anxious, overwhelmed, etc. Holds your hand a lot when your cuddling, it helps him sleep

I = Injury - how would they act if their s/o got hurt?

Worried as shit, will relieve you of your duties until you are fully healed, don't try to argue him with this, you won't win

J = Jealousy - Do they get Jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

It takes a lot to get him jealous, but if he does he'll probably call you over with one of the nicknames he has for you so the person flirting can get the hint

K = Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Yeah, I'd say he's a good kisser, the first kiss was a slow one, happened after you two been separated for a few days and he missed you severally

M = Marriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would marriage be like?

Not really no.

N = Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

Honey, Darling, Dear, Dearest, My Love

O = On Cloud Nine - What are they like in love? Is it obvious to others? How do they express their feelings?

Due to him being the stoic person he is, those who don't know him personally can't tell he's in love, but those who are his friends(ikora, cayde, shaxx, etc)tease him relentlessly about it. Shaxx gives him advice on flirting and date ideas. When you're around he's not as focused on his work and more so on you if your talking, he finds you very distracting. He's also more laid-back and relaxed.

P = PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag about their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

He's not against PDA, so he'll give you the usually getting kiss in front of others no problem, just when you try and turn it into multiple kisses he gets very flustered. He won't brag about you, since you've already made a name for yourself

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about their s/o? Do they remember every little detail they mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?).

He's very observant so he remembers most if not all things you mentioned liking. It comes in handy when he's getting you a gift for a special occasion

R = Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

He's not overly romantic, but romantic enough to have you realize it. He'd do a lot a make you happy, he'll get you gifts that reminded him of you or ones that you said you liked, there's a lot of stargazing at fellwinters peaks and cuddling.

S = Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

It probably depends on what your goals are but since you managed to get with him they are probably good(in his eyes) so id say he'd be supportive and helpful. He gives good advice.

T = Thrill - How long did it take for them to get together?

Probably a couple of months, since it'll take him a bit to come to terms with it and ask you out since he has a busy schedule

U = Understanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

It takes a bit but over time he'll start to understand how you express your emotions, how you handle certain situations etc, but he'll become understanding over time.

V = Value - How important is this relationship to them? What is it worth in comparison to other things in their life?

It is very important to him, while yes being the commander is also very important but he would put you over his duties if he needed to.

W = Warrior - how do they feel about their s/o fighting? Would they fight for them, besides them etc?

Not against you fighting if you're a guardian, it becomes iffy if you're civi, but if you insist he'll help train you on some techniques when he can. He would both fight for you and beside you, no questions asked

X = X-Ray - how well can they read their s/o?

Pretty well once he's adjusted to your personality

Y = Yearning = How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

He's been alone for some time so it's not hard as most, it'll just involve him burying him in his work again but Ikora and others are there to help while your gone

Z = Zen - what makes them feel calm?

Being hugged, he doesn't know why but feeling protected instead of doing the protecting is a very nice change for him.

#zavala x reader #destiny 2 #fanfiction #commander zavala #destiny 2 x reader #destiny x reader #fluff aplabet

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tallstars-rewrite · 3 years

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About (2.0)

After 3,000 years, we begin. Helloo my name is Yarrow, welcome to my side blog where I talk about my ideas and sometimes art for my personal rewrite of the Warrior Cats super edition “Tallstar’s Revenge”~

Click here for the (now complete!) story here on this blog!! (feel free to send an ask for any tags i may have missed) As well as a link to where it’s posted on Ao3

My Personal blog for warrior cats and other xenofiction posting: Yarrowleef

Search the “my art” tag for all the character art I did over the years (most of it is quite old now)

and now a somewhat lengthy preface:

in 2017 I read Tallstar’s Revenge and was very frustrated by it. So I decided to try out rewriting a warriors book to see if I could make something closer to what I wanted to see. I also did it because I really wanted to finish something, and it seemed like an easy starting point. Then I quickly realized I had no idea how to actually write a story because I usually never get past the “daydreaming and maybe sometimes writing disconnected scenes and concepts” phase, so that was quite a hurdle to overcome.

This fic has been a bit of a rickety lifeboat for me over the past 4 years. Sometimes it even became sort of a vent for my lingering high school angst. I began this project at the same time I graduated high school and was about to start college (a bad idea) and I hit several major periods of burn-out. Honestly, I think I was feeling burned out through at least 75-80% of it. But I needed to focus on something for the same reason I needed to drag myself out of bed every morning, even if I usually didn’t really want to.

Now I think it’s as finished as it’s ever going to be. I’m not going to lie, my confidence in its quality has been. let’s say Shaky At Best. Taking so long means that some parts are already outdated before they’ve even been posted. Also, several bits (including prose and world building) were not even fully edited to completion. There’s at least one or two chapters that are more summary then full writing, but I don’t think it’s bad enough anywhere to be incomprehensible? soo we’re just gonna roll with it.

My mixed feelings about it aside, the only reason I can have those mixed feelings is because I wrote it in the first place, and thus got better (at least a little). I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t, so no matter what I am very glad that I managed to make myself finish it!! And there are at least some parts I still genuinely like. In the end, this was always intended to just be a practice story using someone else's outline, so I am simply going to dump this content on the floor as it is and it is up to you to sift through it. I’m ready to let go of this rickety clumsy life boat, so now I am pushing it out to sea.

In Conclusion: Ultimately, is this story truly an “”improvement”” over canon? Who knows! Seriously, I simply cannot tell. I’ve been staring at it too long. “Improvement” is a very heavy and presumptuous word for someone like me anyway. I slowly chipped away at 200,000 words on my own for 4 years with no beta readers to talk it over with (none of my friends rly know what warrior cats is and I'm too embarrassed to show them, so I'm alone in here with my box of angsty cats). My brain is mush and the lines have blurred together. I have no earthly idea what this is going to look like to fresh eyes. In addition to that, many little things were tweaked just because I felt like it and not necessarily because I thought they were “objectively” better. That being said, some characters have been given completely new traits unrelated to who they were in canon to suit the story I wanted to tell, and how a character is portrayed here does not necessarily reflect my opinion/head-canon of their canon counterpart.

Although my faith in this rewrites execution is iffy and the creation process was a hot mess, I can certainly say I still put a lot of thought and effort (and sometimes tears) into it, and in the end I hope that will count for something. Thank you for reading!

#edit: how did i never mention my art tag asdfghg #TRabout #pinned #will add more links and directory when they are finished #definitely still super nervous about all this but im not even sure why #tbh just didnt expect this blog to get as many followers as it did #but even though the urge to list off all my *specific* gripes with it is so stronggg #i will physically hold myself back from defensively insulting my own writing #in a ‘if i say it first no one else can say it and no one can think im stupid if i KNOW about all the flaws’ kind of way #it is a very bad habit #mostly because it brings attention to the flaws that people ordinarily might not have even noticed if I hadn't pointed them out #thus making the experience worse and retroactively inviting people to be even more critical--#--and not trust ANY of the choices I made to be intentional #but honestly it is a little funny that since ive been alone with this dang rewrite so long #and since i’ve been staring at and tweaking and rewriting this on and off for years i genuinely Can Not Tell how good it is #i dont know how to judge any of it objectivley anymore #for all i know maybe it is good!#or maybe its a mess that didn't change enough from the source material #or that just created NEW problems in an attempt to remove certain canon problems #or maybe its just fine--simply unremarkably middling which i think would be an ok outcome for a first fic?#i sincerely couldnt tell you so we get to find out together #but what I CAN say is that everything that happens I felt happened for a reason #to set something up or illustrate some point #there is no pointless filler from my perspective #there was intention in pretty much everything #heres hoping it will come across that way!

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danwhobrowses · 3 years

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Castlevania Season 4 - My Thoughts

So we return, for the end Well, the 'end', there's possibility for expanded universe stories they say but for our current trio this is how we finish it

I've just binged it all so it's fresh in the mind, so I'm gonna look at the ups and downs of it all

You can also look at my review of season 3 if you'd like

Spoilers for Season 4, Watch it and get back here

So yeah, another great season, it had its downs but a lot of it had its ups too, which we will get to soon - but first let's get the negatives out of the way

What wasn't so good Nothing is perfect, and while a lot of these will be negatives they are mostly small negatives, stuff I felt could've been done a little bit better.

Saint Germain's heel turn could've been hidden So Saint Germain turning bad under the deception of death was a good way to establish conflict and pull back the rebus thing he mentioned in Season 3. But I kinda wish we didn't immediately know that he had broke bad, like we could've been super sly and coy about the fact that he's back and this time encountering Alucard only to be the orchestrator, like imagine the shock we could've had with learning what he was doing in the Castle then getting the flashback which drove him to it.

The rules of the ring change Last season Hector made the foolish decision of trusting Lenore, and while he got to bed a sexy vampire it had cost him all his freedom and the ring would prevent Hector acting against the coven of four sisters. But come this season it turns out that Hector was easily able to scheme against the sisters and invite the downfall of Camilla. Was a bit weird to establish that last season only to ignore it in the next.

The Patented Slow Start Castlevania has had a bit of a knack for starting slowly and Season 4 kinda did the same, things only really kicked off halfway through. Now of course we had to establish things; Trevor and Sypha being exhausted, the plans to resurrect Dracula, Alucard taking in the village and whatnot but we did linger on it a bit too much.

Striga's 'Day Armor' doesn't get enough time Striga took an ambush like a champ with a specialized armor that allowed her to fight in daylight. It was awesome and striking and looked absolutely badass...but that's the only time we saw it. It was just a shame really, granted it ended up that this was Striga's only time to fight, but we could've then used it for other characters, like the ambush dude who had his armor picked apart by the trio, or the Slavic vampire, just felt we could've done more with it.

CGI is sometimes a little shoddy The animation quality was mostly excellent, but that made it very glaring when some of the 3D rendering kinda hit an uncanny valley. I think the one that was most iffy was when Varney jumped into the mirror and then the mirror fragments just kinda wiped into the ground - even though Isaac's mirror tore a hole in the air - it was just a bit off-putting at times.

Couple of things left behind So when we ended it felt like we wrapped a lot of things up...except 2 things. One, where is Saint Germain's unnamed kickass lover? We caught her silhouette just walk away so we know she wasn't killed by Death, she's just 'out there' now. We also never got back to Targoviste, whose survivors must be wondering how to function since Sypha their only hope kinda disappeared on them, they'll also learn that their royals are dead, so it would've been nice to wrap that up.

Our heroes decide to use weapons sparingly In terms of arsenal we knew that our trio had a lot. The weird thing is that in some fights they just wouldn't use what would've been handy to them. There's of course Chekov's god dagger - which we didn't get too much explaining on - but Trevor would often just not use his Morningstar or Vampire Killer at times, even against two vampires, Sypha also seems to have forgotten how to use her wind magic or used her ice buzzsaw extremely sparingly and now Alucard can suddenly have bird wings...which could've been useful in prior fights.

We still lacked intelligent Night Creatures, and the badass vampires were underused So I still feel like it was very missed that the sentient night creatures of Season 1 didn't return still, especially since they were death's creatures. The one's dialogue with the priest is still among Castlevania's best and it's a shame we missed out on seeing more of it. In addition, the Ambusher's squad of vampires looked pretty cool, but like Dracula's council ended up just being swatted away after one fight, the same can be said with the Slavic vampire that was rolling with Varney. They didn't even get the pre-battle slaughter that Dracula's council did, Godbrand got more than these guys and that's a shame.

We don't get Bloody Tears or the Full Opening So the music was good, but we didn't get Bloody Tears again. For the final chapter of this saga it would've been better than using the opening song when the trio were together. Speaking of the opening song, we could've had the full length opening that we loved to see, small stuff but it would've elevated it.

Sypha is pregnant, because...because! So Sypha being pregnant is sweet, but it wasn't really needed aside from the throwaway 'trefor' joke which Alucard did better. Also that baby has gone through a lot, it's not like Sypha's been skipping in a meadow these past few weeks. Also they really gloss over how Trevor knows this and she doesn't

Some of this could've been done in a Season 5 This is more the fault of Netflix I'm guessing, since it does feel like after Season 3 we had much more to tell, but it did feel like some of the characters skipped a load of development. At the end of Season 3, Hector was beside himself in the fact that Lenore enslaved him, Isaac was still very bent on killing everything, Camilla is soaking in her genius and Alucard is more closed off than ever, but in Season 4 Hector is much more content and now has some legitimate connection to Lenore, Lenore is treated as sympathetic, Isaac is eating berries with a new outlook and Alucard decides to rescue a village because they asked, also he has a shield now. It does feel like half of what Season 4 had could've been in a Season 5, and then Season 4 could've built between having the growth be showed; Lenore feeling left out and confiding in Hector, Isaac deciding to bury the dead and rebuild the city, Trevor and Sypha having some friction in their relationship and Alucard not helping someone in need and then regretting it. As I said, this is probably not the show's fault, they were likely told that Season 4 would be it and they had to make do with it but in a vacuum it would've been nice to have had a little more build.

What was Awesome about it So I could easily just say 'the rest of it' but I guess I can afford to be a little more detailed.

Great Animation Aside from the CGI at times the animation was a top grade of excellence. I mean I watched the current My Hero Academia episode which really was pushing its budget and still I'm impressed by this animation, the artwork and settings were excellent too.

Downside: You're turning into Trevor, Upside: You get a strong warrior woman as a love interest While Alucard could've used some more time to go from emotionally scarred by 'the twins' to sympathizing with the town's plight, his character dynamic with Greta was great. Greta herself proved an excellent late addition being both a capable fighter, a strong independent leader and someone who was more than just an Alucard love interest. If you don't like strong women you're doing it wrong basically, and Alucard realising how he's turning into Trevor was some lightheartedness to Alucard combatting his loneliness and depression.

The Dialogue remains just as enthralling as the combat One of Castlevania's great strengths especially in seasons 1 and 3 were their use of gripping dialogue, the philosophical confrontations of different parties envelop the characters in greater depth thanks to the excellent script, primarily for Isaac and his chat with the bug man. The Slav Vampire also had a fantastic monologue.

Characters remain complex After four seasons it would've been easy to make some characters one dimensional, including the side villains, but Castlevania kept with the morally grey. The psycho noble clung hard to her delusions but her motives remained pure, as much as she was someone on the heroes' side she also infuriated Sypha, Saint Germain was driven to evil out of desperation but he still believably made amends in the very very end, Striga, Lenore and Morana were all on the side of the villains but had doubt about the scope of Camilla's ambition and made them consider their very nature. Simply put, it bodes well when characters have struggles that affect their motivation.

Layered Scheming 'Bring Back Dracula' was a simple premise, but the show did really well in connecting the channels between 3 plot areas, Trevor and Sypha learned of the plot by continually walking into scholar vampires attempt it, in Season 3 it was via a Night Creature in Isaac's name to start it all too, this connects to the Hector & Isaac story through Varney who schemes with the former to enact the plan, but this also connects to Alucard's story thanks to Saint Germain also plotting too. It was a clever way to entwine all three separate stories which would eventually bring things together.

Action still kicks a lot of ass Castlevania has good action? In other news water makes things wet. But still we got some great brutal action we've come familiar with in Castlevania. It could've been easy to go overboard like other shows had, which'd zone in on one thing like gore or nudity but Castlevania remained consistent in their action, looking for new lengths of creativity that never pushed its bounds. Of course building up to the final battle where we took it up a notch for the crescendo. Also I continue to call her Sypha 'Fatality' Belnades because god she kicks ass.

Isaac and Hector grow up It could've been easy and satisfying for Isaac to just roll up to Styria, take his revenge on Hector and leave, acting in both anger and mercy. But instead the characters grew beyond it, Isaac finally decides to heed what the shopkeeper and ship captain were saying rather than the crazy witch, Hector accepts his fate but works to try and make amends his own way. When the two finally cross again we see that both have accepted their humanity and instead of working for someone else they look to seek their own happiness, they forgive humanity in a way and it saves themselves. Their understanding to 'let Dracula rest' also grants them payoff from being Dracula's loyal commanders.

Camilla goes out swinging Where was this Camilla hiding huh? Brutal, Lightning powers and a crimson sword, I mean the wardrobe seems to be a bit less than last season and not battle-suited but dammit did Camilla grip you in her scenes. Her desperation and madness in taking over the world set her up to her downfall where she was betrayed and overwhelmed by Isaac's forces, but rather than let him have the satisfaction she kills herself. It could've easily fell flat because Camilla had just been sitting around like a vampire Cersei Lannister last season and end up proving her frustrations right by having a man take her life but instead she took control of her life and went out strong.

The bittersweet ending of Lenore At the end of season 3 the scheming Lenore claimed herself 'the diplomat', but having been shelved and fonder of Hector than usual it opened the door to explore her own grasp of control. The theme of enduring being prominent in this season for all the arcs we had. We learned the tragedy of Lenore's situation though, as a child of war diplomacy was her escape, she isn't comfortable with peace or total control, she can only live for conflict. While she does like Hector, she ends up valuing her own freedom in the end; and though we could've given more time to earn that sympathy we still accept it as she decides against a quiet life of surveillance freedom with Hector - ironically as Hector has lived under Camilla's captivity - and instead chose death. It was a much more poetic death than gruesome as well, after mulling how she mourned her sister because she understood the nature of greed she elected to make a choice rather than live without making any, looking at the sun for once and getting one last banter with Hector before immediately fading to dust. In a show that almost prides itself on hypergore and graphic deaths, this one was perhaps the most tranquil deaths of the show.

Striga and Morana overcome the greed Which leads to the final two of the four sisters. Camilla consumed herself with greed and died fighting for it, Lenore had no greed but also had no freedom so chose to die in order to be free, but lovers Striga and Morana were not in Styria for Isaac's attack, they were on the outskirts fighting and seeing the struggle firsthand. Their conflict over how they agreed and disagreed on certain aspects of the fight was intriguing, with the intermission of Striga on a tear in her swanky armour to tilt the tone to Striga's side of the argument. A Soldier and a Politician, both agreed though that Camilla's ambitions only worked on paper, so when confronted with their castle overrun and their sister dead it became a matter of duty or survival. Instead of dying in a good fight, Striga looked past her desire of battle and agreed to follow Morana in living, and Morana gave up any political power she could have under an empire to be a mercenary. They didn't overreach, and it spares them their lives in a surprising conclusion where the 'bad guys' still kinda get to live happily ever after.

The ReHumanization of Alucard Alucard has always been a fan favourite, but in the world of Castlevania he still acts as an outcast. While helping the village and getting close to Greta helps bring out some positive emotions in him, it's his dedication to saving the people that gives the show some of its lightest moments, especially when he toys with the kids. In a way it's what he wanted from the twins, but they had lived to not trust and wanted to kill rather than survive, and he grew a community out of it. Allowing the town to settle is the ultimate payoff for Alucard too, because it fulfills his mother's dream, now there are people who know the knowledge that his father did.

Bringing the old band together We all knew that Trevor and Sypha were gonna reunite with Alucard sometime near the end, I mean it's a shame they ditched a city that cannot organize themselves but they were kinda needed in the castle. What's best is that the moment came in it was like they never left, perfectly in sync and bantering off each other, when they fought the top level vampires it was their teamwork and synergy which made them overcome - which is great battle narrative too because alone they were getting beaten. It's just the stuff you love to see.

Trevor is tougher than Death The final battle being Trevor vs Death was a proper Attack on Titan-esque boss fight, just peeling away at the enemy and trying not to get hit. As well as a feast for the eyes it proved to be an entertaining climax - in spite of the limited info we got on the magic 3-piece dagger - and in a way it paid off Trevor's character journey. When we first met him he was an outcasted drunk that wanted nothing to do with the world let alone his family, but now he's here fighting death to save innocent people, his half-vampire buddy and his pregnant speaker magician girlfriend, being willing to give his own life for something bigger than himself, and succeeding...thanks to Saint Germain who owed him a favour and one very clever unsung hero of a horse. To tell you the truth when I saw the trailer I was expecting Sypha to have died and Trevor to be pulling her out of hell by fighting death, but this still worked really well and was perhaps a bit more logical to the canon they set.

Death is temporary, Dracula is forever With all the attempts to revive Dracula one had to work eventually. But back at Season 3 I'm sure we all thought about what would Dracula's reaction be anyway. I mean, yeah he's dead but his wife is there, you really wanna be the guy who ripped him from his wife a second time? It worked though because the people loyal to Dracula never truly understood his grief, they only wanted to further their own agendas through him. So when Dracula does come back in the final scenes with his wife, we see that Vlad Tepes is no longer the vicious killer he once was, not for now anyway. Reviving Dracula may make people think that Trevor and Sypha's actions in Season 3 and 4 were worthless because he still revives but you do have to remember that they do still save a few lives and make a few less night creatures. In addition if they want to expand the universe long into the future they can bring Dracula back in older and disillusioned again if they see fit.

He has many faces, but you still know him At about episode 8 I was really ramping up to tear into the Alchemist and Varney for being practically useless characters, but then the show went and hit me with a great twist by having both characters being guises of Death itself, the proper big bad of the season. It was a fantastic twist which validates the characters, because it was super suspect that the alchemist know where the girl was and said you can't look at her rebus, and that Varney felt like a beta Godbrand but still managed to slither away from the fights. His design was excellent too, the crown was really menacing.

A Surprise Happy Ending! Like, could any of us imagined that? The fight ends, Trevor and Sypha live happily to make a family, Alucard has his friends, a girlfriend and a community that appreciates him, Isaac has his own kingdom, Hector doesn't get the girl or a finger but he still has his freedom, Striga and Morana have each other, it mostly wrapped up very neatly and was earned, a satisfying end which closes the chapter on our trio.

Conclusion

It is sad to see great shows end, Castlevania's use of anime-style animation with gore and a strong voice cast has done extremely well, especially for a show who only got 4 episodes for a first season. It did feel like Netflix didn't give it a chance, but it pulled it off big time and escaped Netflix's cancel hammer long enough to bring a satisfying story, and one can hope we see more of this style and universe either in more Castlevania stories or even the rumored Devil May Cry adaptation.

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birlcholtz · 3 years

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Fic Questions

tagged by @the-lincyclopedia thank you!! (fun game: watch my writing get progressively less formal as the post continues. by the end it’s like what is capitalization)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

77!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

434,378 as of this week but it does go up quite regularly

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Okay so in terms of what’s on my AO3, I have Check Please, All For the Game, Sharp Zero, HP, and Miraculous Ladybug. I also have The Forbidden LOTR and PJO Fanfiction (as in, I’ve written it, but it’s never seeing the light of day)

(technically there is a PJO fic out there that has seen the light of day but I orphaned it because I was tired of getting comments asking about when it would be updated)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

and then i met you (and the whole world changed)

for the better

Knew It Was You

come home (to you, to us)

sin bin schematics

All of these are Check Please and all of them except Knew It Was You are part of my Zimbits Airport AU!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! It’s actually a very recent thing that I’ve started not responding to literally every single comment. Mainly I respond because I love talking about my writing so I am going to seize that opportunity when it comes up

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, DEFINITELY Happy Birthday (HP). Check out that MCD tag ahah. (I say HP but what I really mean is that I write fic about Regulus Black. The Regulus Black-centric tag is my home in the HP fandom)

fun fact: this is a very short fic that I wrote when I was 15 and basically forgot about until recently, and then I reread it recently and went holy shit?? I pulled NO punches????

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the wildest one you’ve written?

Not a ton? I think a lot of the fandoms I write for don’t really mesh that well. That being said, the aforementioned orphaned PJO fic is actually a PJO/ML crossover, so there’s that

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope! Sometimes I get comments that are just.... really confusing? And a more common thing is that in my AFTG fic I’ll get comments from people who are so focused on Andreil (or the most common ships in general) to the point that like. they miss the point of what I actually wrote. Those are annoying but they’re not hate, they’re very enthusiastic, they’re just... enthusiastic about a story I’m not writing? So it’s a bit frustrating.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No sjflskgjhgf I struggle enough to write kissing, I think if I ever tried to write smut my brain would just shut down. I’ve managed some fade-to-blacks (which are mostly in WIPs that haven’t been posted) but they rely HEAVILY on the powers of implication

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, although I have occasionally made a brief go of it, not to post, more as an exercise for myself in a language that I’m learning. Anyway I never finish them so I’m gonna say no

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really? I’ve definitely group brainstormed fics and then written them (the best example of this being Q&A (AFTG), which was the product of a truly off-the-walls group chat), but I tend to do all the actual writing myself. I think the way I write would drive a co-writer up the wall since it’s very disorganized and I don’t write stuff down because ~I know what’s gonna happen I don’t need notes~ and it would infuriate me if I was co-writing with me lmao, so I won’t inflict that on someone else

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I regularly move through ships I’m SUPER focused on, like it’s kind of a rotation. I will forever and always ship Percabeth though.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Okay so if you follow me at @birlwrites you may know this already, but i have this ‘warmups’ document that is just like, random ideas i get that i don’t necessarily want to finish but i just want to try out for a bit? and i have a rule that once a ‘warmup’ is more than 10 pages long (so 11+) then it has to be moved to its own document, just to make scrolling through the warmups doc easier. but usually, a warmup only passes 10 pages when i’m INTO it. so i have a bazillion wips i will probably never finish. i complain about this a lot. i have so many wips. i don’t need more.

here’s one: it’s titled ‘interrobang doesn’t know they’re dating’, it’s basically a full outline for a chowder/tango fic and it would be SO cool if i could ever like. get around to writing it. but i am constantly swamped with writing projects, so it’s probably not gonna happen. if anyone’s interested in adopting it though i’d be down for that!! i think it’s a fun idea i just almost def won’t write it myself

15. What are your writing strengths?

SNAPPY DIALOGUE AND SNARKY INTERNAL MONOLOGUE. my writing is COMEDIC, 90% of my ideas are based on a funny snippet that popped into my head, a lot of my worldbuilding is based on ‘hey you know what would be hilarious’ (whenever i explain how larai selects a chosen one in the rainfall universe i start laughing, which is a STARK contrast to how it plays out on the page), i love writing funny stuff!!

also i think my writing sounds nice, a lot of the time i pick words/syntax based on sound and flow so there’s that too. and i have lots of ideas! i don’t struggle much with writer’s block because a) i have a lot of strategies to deal with it and b) i have a lot of ideas to help get around it/work with it

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

PHYSICAL INTIMACY LMAO, sometimes in my end notes on shippy fics you can see me complaining ‘it took me literally 4 hours to write that very brief kiss’. also sometimes the humor in my writing gets in the way a bit, i have to very consciously put it away so characters can actually have serious, genuine emotions. also i don’t like outlining and i tend not to get betas for fanfiction so like..... i do my best continuity-wise but having really tightly plotted stories is just not my focus lol. (and i do put more effort into that for original stuff, it’s just fic where i kind of go wild)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the reader’s supposed to know what it means, then writing it in another language is iffy for me. (stuff like terms of endearment which come up a lot in fic are fine imo, you can just put a note in to translate them and your reader will prob remember)

If the pov character isn’t supposed to understand it, and it doesn’t matter if the reader understands it, then ig it’s fine? but unless you already speak the other language (and i am NOT confident in my ability to translate english into literally any other language), then i think it’s way easier to just note that a character’s speaking x language and provide tone indicators, body language cues, etc. so the reader understands as much as the pov character.

That being said there are def times when it’s used super effectively--the dialogue in spanish in cemetery boys comes to mind! that’s not fanfic but it’s still creative writing so w/e

so i guess it comes down to: does actually writing out the dialogue in the other language serve a purpose? if it doesn’t, then you’re filling up the screen with words your reader isn’t likely to understand, which i try to avoid doing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

so the first fandom i actually *wrote* for was PJO, but i distinctly remember creating warrior cats OCs when i was little. i never actually did anything w them but i had them and my favorite was a riverclan warrior named shellstream i remember this VIVIDLY

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

oh boy. okay so this is hard because i feel like i’m continuously improving as a writer. like in the sense that my writing is getting closer and closer to really matching my own taste? my favorites tend to always be my current projects as a result. and i do really love set those ghosts alight (HP) but it feels a little like cheating to say a fic i haven’t even finished writing yet. even though it’s def not cheating, that’s just the direction my brain is taking it.

i’m gonna say and then what? (OMGCP) because i’m super proud of the prose (especially ch 2 aka the first actual prose chapter), survived by (HP) for SUCCESSFULLY WRITING AN EMOTION and making readers cry :), and Q&A (AFTG) because i’m literally the one who wrote it and yet it still makes me wheeze. those are all fics i reread occasionally, because i’m big enough to admit i enjoy rereading my old stuff! (just like. to a point. some of my old stuff i can’t look at anymore because all the mistakes stick out to me like they have spotlights shining directly on them)

this was fun!! i’m gonna do an open tag because i just started my fall semester and brain tired. i know sometimes people see open tags and assume the op didn’t really mean it but I MEAN IT, PLEASE DO THIS AND TAG ME!!!!! YES YOU READING THIS

#tag games #long post #birl talks

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biwenqing · 4 years

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The Wrong Way to a Demon Sect Leader - Thoughts

Alright I finished this and in the end I’m very charmed by this little novel (probably more novella?)! I would recommend it overall, especially as a quick read with a rather satisfying ending. [English Novel Translation (complete)] [English Extras Translation (in progress)]

The romance - As I said, in the end very charming! It took me until about halfway through to start really enjoying the dynamic of their relationship, but that’s when both of them start to show genuine feelings for the other. The relationship is the definition of “It’s Complicated” ha! Both sides are tricking each other on the orders of their sects so there is purposeful miscommunication, which made it hard for me to really get into at first. However, genuine feelings come from that and that is seen usually in moments where the characters are being honest to themselves and not the missions they are preforming. It ends up making for a really compelling relationship/potential relationship. They fight the odds to learn about and care for each other, and question what they really want for their lives as well.

The tropes - There are lots of tropes in here, some I like, some I don’t, but that’s really a preference thing. Ones that stood out: enemies to friends to (future) lovers, miscommunication, pining, cooking for each other, hurt/comfort, pre-relationship, rom-com ish shenanigans, cheesy pickup lines, misunderstanding, fake relationship.

The characters - Zhao Jiangui and Ji Han are both fun characters who I think it really takes reading most of the story to understand. They’re well rounded in the context of a shorter story - we get an understanding of their wants and fears, about who they are and who they want to become. And that’s lovely!

The story - Short story makes for a tight plot, and this feels like it wraps up any plot strings by the end. Sometimes it feels like it jumps a large amount of time, but it works.

The writing/translation - Both the translation for the novel and the extras seem really wonderful and well done! Smooth, easy to read with good notes. The writing itself isn’t super descriptive, but it works for the tone of the story.

Representation - Really, really loved all the female characters that showed up and there is a good number of them considering the amount of named characters as a whole. There are lady warriors and sect leadership! That was a lovely surprise. Also really liked that there was another mlm couple in the background. What didn’t sit great with me was Ji Han’s internalized/pretend (hard to tell, maybe both?) homophobia. He says some things in the first half of the novel that were iffy to get through. But that seems to stop around the halfway point so? IDK take it as you will.

Rating and Warnings: I’d say Teen. There is some reference to sex but none ever happens (or comes close to it). The reference has dubious consent aspects though, so warning for that. The things noted above re: homophobia. Any violence isn’t very explicit, except for some of the assassination scene. Some referenced parental abuse as well. I think that’s it for warnings!

All in all, I enjoyed it a lot!

#the wrong way to a demon sect leader #twwtadsl #ji han #zhao jiangui #a reads novels #aka it's time for a's opinion!!!!!!!!#i'm still finishing up the extras and they're very very lovely #this is shorter than my notes on golden stage because it's shorter

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faelune-home · 4 years

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A Blade of Fallen Petals

(A/N: Sometimes it’s the major story NPCs, and sometimes its the smaller ones. They were only around for so long, but their death still hits like a brick. ;-;

That’s Wilred here. A little story about missing him, and coping with that. I used Lyse as a bouncing off NPC for miqo!Fu partly due to location (since the mini questline that acknowledges him and gives him a resting place in Stormblood goes into the Lochs) but also I find Lyse an interesting character to discuss death, just because for as much as its not presented in game, she’s lost a lot. She’s probably quite familiar with it.

I want to write more of these NPC remembrance stories, and I’ve already done a few prior - one for Minfilia, and two as part of FFXIV Write 2020, both actually featuring Lyse incidentally - but I’d like to do more.

Didn’t do too much editing after I finished writing, so apologies for any iffy errors.

@ffxiv-writers)

Cracking bones pierced the air as Lyse stretched, finally freed from the stuffiness of the castle meeting room. It felt like she’d been up and moving and chatting since dawn had broken, but she could rest at last. Spying the sun in the sky, seeing it just hovering above the walls of the Quarter, she let out a breath of relief. It would be nearing meal time, and she was starving. And she’d have to consider collecting a plate for Fordola as well…

“Well well, if it ain’t Lyse? I figured you’d be busy till sundown,” a voice called, snapping the woman from her thoughts. Gundobald approached with a wave, an affable smile on his face, which she gladly returned.

“It’s getting close enough though, isn’t it? So technically I have been,” she countered, nodding in the direction of the lowering star. “But it’s good to see you, especially after so long.”

“Likewise, lass, likewise. And it's good to be back in Ala Mhigo, even if it's only for a day,” the elder man hummed contentedly, looking around the city with pride in his eyes. Lyse couldn’t help but smile at his reaction.

“Right, you said you’d stay behind for those that couldn’t make the trip,” she mused, remembering the arrangement one of her soldiers - his own nephew - had made to transport the Ala Mhigans home, “So what brings you all the way here then? Just seeing the sights? Taking back stories for the older folk back in Thanalan?”

Gundobald tilted his head. “Aye, I suppose I could do that for them. Rhalgr knows even in their last few days, everyone back in Little Ala Mhigo gains a bit of new life being reminded that their home is free now.” Then he shook his head. “But that wasn’t the main reason I came. It was to pay some respects to some old comrades. The ones that couldn’t be here even to hear the news.”

Lyse lowered her head upon hearing this. “I see. I did learn about the old mercenary monument up north. Probably still fitting for everyone else that uh...passed beyond these lands.” Looking back at him, she asked, “So you’re returning home now? Would you like an escort?”

“Nah, I’m not so enfeebled I can’t handle myself on the return trip,” the highlander shook his head, though there was a friendly glint in his eye as he said it, “Better to keep your men here where they’re needed more, Commander. But if you want, you could send someone to go check on the Scions’ Warrior girl by the monument.”

At this, the woman perked up. “Fufu is here? There, I mean?”

“Aye, I figured you would’ve known, that she would’ve told you. She was up there before I arrived, and she’s still there now.” Lyse shook her head, surprise still colouring her features. Gundobald frowned, but he didn’t sound worried when he added, “Well, I’ll let you look into that on your own. Suppose you’ve been so busy you could do with a catch up with your friend. I’ll get started on my way back.”

He waved, wandering off down the cobbled streets, leaving a pondering Lyse to her thoughts.

~*~*~

The woman didn’t wait long before making the decision to venture to the old tomb, leaving behind an order to deliver food to the resistance’s prisoner should Lyse not return in time to do it herself. A bread roll haphazardly stuffed in her own month would do her until then.

The sky was turning a shade of purple by the time she reached the monument, the clouds painted orange and pink in the fading sunlight. A sole figure sat on the quickly chilling stone in front of the pillar, the only other source of light coming from a small lantern mounted on the saddle of a sleeping chocobo nearby.

“Hey,” Lyse called out, making the miqo’te jump and spin around. A hand hovered over the chakram by her waist, however Fufu quickly relaxed at the sight of her old friend. Her flickering tail settled.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Fufu said as Lyse joined her. The hyur gave the Scion a friendly nudge, lightly scolding her by saying, “Of course you weren’t, ‘cos you never even told me you were here.”

The miqo’te winced, a sheepish smile on her face. “I’m sorry. In my defense I did show up at the palace gates, and I thought about it, but everyone said you were busy pretty much all day. They offered to take a message, but I didn’t want to interrupt or make you take time out if you were doing important stuff.”

“You’re never interrupting,” Lyse chucked, “I’ll always be happy to make time for you or the other Scions if I can. If anything,” she groaned, rolling her shoulder, both girls wincing at the loud crack it let out, “I’d appreciate having an excuse to take a break.”

Fufu nodded. “Alright then, noted.” Both women fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the quiet as night fell, the sounds of the salt waves lapping at the shore behind them, and Fufu’s noble bird snoring softly next to them, the lantern swinging gently on its hook with each breath the chocobo took. Their faint shadows shifted ever so slightly against the stone structure.

“Who are you here for?” Lyse finally asked, the question having been sitting on her tongue since she’d arrived. Fufu didn’t answer immediately, but Lyse didn’t expect her to. In the meantime she added, “I met Gundobald in the Quarter, he said he came here with you. Or more like you arranged to meet here, I suppose, he said you were already here when he arrived from Little Ala Mhigo.”

Fufu’s tail twitched, managing to brush against the hyuran’s arm.

“Someone I knew once.” Was all she said.

“Did I know them?”

“...Kinda.”

They sat again, Lyse willing to wait for her friend to talk, or even if she didn’t at all. But after a moment, Fufu took in a breath.

“You remember one of the first reports I wrote on my own? For one of my first missions without another Scion watching me.” With a sly smile and a side eye toward her friend, she added, “After the whole thing with the sylphs.”

Lyse inadvertently spluttered as she burst out laughing. “Oh gods! I remember that! Your penmanship was awful, and it was so plain!”

Lyse was already near falling to the floor from hysterics, however the miqo’te shoved the other woman over with an exaggerated pout all the same, though unable to hide the amusement in her voice as she argued, “Excuse you, I’d never done much writing before then, never mind for a fancy mission report. And what am I supposed to even put in one? ‘Went to Little Ala Mhigo, nobody liked me, I had to save some kids from the amalj’aa’? And it's not like you or Papalymo or anybody else was around to help me write it.”

“I kno- gods,” the hyuran gasped, finally trying to bring her laughter to an end. Given their location, things were sure to take a turn, even if Fufu had started the moment of levity. Indeed the woman in question had turned sombre once more. Lyse coughed, trying to stem her chuckles. “Alright, I’m done.”

Another breath out to calm herself, then Lyse said, “I mean, really, it was plain, but that’s fine. It did the job it was meant to do - say what happened, what you did - and you were still new to it all. And teaching you wouldn’t have helped, you probably don’t need to write those anymore. So nothing to dwell on anymore. Right?” Fufu shot her a grateful look. Then she looked up at the stone beacon in front of them.

“Well, one of those kids involved in that whole thing, he’s here now.” Lyse flinched, eyes glancing up at the tomb.

“The one that didn’t die in the amalj’aa attack...but he died later as a Brave,” Fufu said, her face eerily straight, yet her eyes already beginning to water. Lyse herself found her eyes drifting to the foggy horizon, a faint memory of a bright eyed, hopeful looking young man dressed in blue coming to mind.

“His name was Wilred,” the miqo’te added without prompt, “And he meant every word of the Braves’ original creed.”

She shook her head, letting out a shaky breath. “I know a few of the folk that believed in what the Braves were meant to be still stuck with the Scions after that whole mess, but Godsdammit, I wish he could’ve been there as well. He just disappeared one day and then h-he was...he’d been left to rot in Urth’s Fount! He d-didn’t deserve that, h-he…”

Her words caught in her throat, and despite pressing her hands against her eyes to stem the oncoming flood, a sob broke from the warrior. Without hesitation, Lyse pulled the miqo’te into her shoulder, letting her friend weep freely. Fufu’s chocobo nearby stirred, letting out a small chirp at the sound of its mistress’ crying. A glance from the monk let the bird settle again, although the tenseness in its haunches betrayed its worry.

“He should’ve been here, I know,” Lyse mumbled gently, rocking to try and calm the other woman. She bit her lip, trying to think of what she could say to soothe her friend, but coming up short. She didn’t know the boy that well, only recognising him as a passing face in the Rising Stones...and one that eventually stopped showing up.

“It’s more than that,” Fufu hiccuped, lifting her head. Her eyes were already red raw. “He started out so angry and desperate, desperate enough for the ascians to notice him and his friends and...and he was the only one to make it out alive. And that changed him, and he wanted to do good after that. And the Braves were supposed to be his second chance to do that and-- By the Twelve, Lyse, he was younger than us.” Her voice cracked, and Lyse winced.

Still, the woman leaned her head forward against the other’s in a reassuring gesture. Fufu sniffed.

“I know I can’t go back and change things. I can wish and hope and say what I could’ve done instead - and I wish I’d watched him more now, I wish I’d taken Riol worries to heart, and I wish we’d never crossed paths with Ilberd, that I had cut him down where he stood if I knew then what I do now - but I know that won’t change anything about what happened before.” She let out a heavy sigh after her rant, finally seeming to calm. “I wish for a lot of things Lyse.”

“Me too.”

“I wish he had a chance.”

“I know. I wish all the time that Papalymo was still here to help me. He’d keep the resistance in line better than I could.” At that, the keeper chuckled.

Another sniff. “It’s moments like this...losing people I feel like I could’ve saved, it makes me try harder. So I don’t have to lose anyone else. So normal people can have a chance after hardship.”

“For those we have lost?” Lyse said, a small smile on her lips. Fufu smiled back, nodding.

“I wish they didn’t have to die, but I won’t let their deaths be in vain. But...but I guess it all feels like so much sometimes. And I need to be alone to deal with it. I know I could stay with the other Scions and they wouldn’t judge me for it, but just every now and then...” She trailed off.

“I get that,” the hyuran chuckled, ruffling Fufu’s hair, “And that’s fine, good even. It shows that you care. That the whole Warrior of Light title isn’t just for show. Better that than coming across like some soulless killing machine.”

“I’m proud of what I do, since I can help so many people, but sometimes it can feel like a weight,” Fufu pouted.

Lyse sighed. “I know the feeling.”

The highlander stood, her knees cracking, offering a hand to Fufu as well. The chocobo finally woke after a whistle from its rider, stumbling to its feet.

“We’ll go back to the Quarter together, and you can spend the night with me. I can send a soldier or call Tataru’s linkshell to let the Scions know,” Lyse suggested. Too worn down by her emotional outburst to argue, Fufu nodded, the idea sounding appealing at that.

“And in future,” the woman continued, “if you come here again, I insist you let me know. I won’t let you sit here on your own. This sort of thing is better with a little support, isn’t it?”

Fufu looked up at the stars above, the shimmering dots reflecting in her wide watery eyes. She smiled, looking back at her friend.

“I’d appreciate that.”

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV #Wilred Glasse #character death #lyse hext #my writing #keeper of the moon miqo'te #my wol #fufu faelune

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bethagain · 3 years

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Re-sharing some of my fics under the new Mandalorian genfic tag. Calling all other genfic writers to come share yours, too, under “#noromo mando.” We can love our reader inserts and OC romances and slash fics, but let’s show some love for non-shippy stuff too!

Probably all of my followers who wanted to read this one have done so, but here it is one more time, in case it makes someone else smile: The post-Chapter 16 Christmas Special. It's Life Day at Luke's Jedi school, and Din Djarin's come to spend the holiday with Grogu. Featuring laughter, cookies, family. Plus Luke and Din having a pretend lightsaber battle with cardboard wrapping paper tubes.

Can You Beat My Uncle in a Fight? (read it on AO3)

He still has to work. That makes his schedule unpredictable.

Sometimes the work is for the New Republic. He’s not sure how he feels about that, yet. The rules haven’t changed: find them, bring them in. Alive if possible. Otherwise not. Din looks at the row of carbonite slabs in his new ship’s hold and thinks, Miggs Mayfeld. He kind of had a point.

The new ship isn’t bad. It’s good, actually. It’s got sleeping quarters that were built for sleeping. Amazing to wake up each morning without every muscle aching. Years back, he’d chalked that up to getting older. Accepted it as normal.

He’d accepted a lot of things as normal.

The ship’s on course now for Miriyan, where the jetii’s school sits in a clearing, surrounded by tall trees. He’s a day late, but it can’t be helped. Job ran long. He’d rather have let the quarry live, but sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to.

The school is a nice place. Peaceful, if you don’t count kids sparring with pretend lightsabers in the open courtyard. That part makes it feel homey though, if you’re a Mandalorian. In fact, he’s been meaning to talk to Luke about that. Those kids could be much further along. Maybe he should offer to help.

He finds himself shaking his head, thinking about it. A jetii sorcerer trusting a Mandalorian? And vice versa? Ancient enemies, the Armorer said. But it turned out, when he brought it up, Luke barely knew anything about it either.

“Yeah,” he said, “apparently that was a thing. Do you mind?”

And Din said, “No.” And that was that.

In fact, the main reason he takes these New Republic jobs is because Luke recommends him. The young jetii’s heart seems to be in the right place, even if the work is sometimes iffy. Din can’t exactly explain why he trusts him.

But if he weren’t running on instinct right now, he’d probably grind to a stop altogether.

Miriyan’s sky is golden with sunset as his ship touches down next to an X-wing, a couple of A-wings, and a freighter that looks like it’s seen better days. It’s a hike from the airfield to the school, but he knows the way. The forest rustles around him. Now and then a twig snaps or something scampers. Luke said Miriyan didn’t have any large predators, but Din still keeps a hand near his blaster.

By the time he gets to the courtyard, the day has settled into evening. Light from the main building’s windows stands out, looking welcoming and warm against the blue of late twilight.

Din knows by now that he doesn’t have to knock. He presses the catch on the simple wooden door and steps into the common room. He barely has the chance to take in the cheerful chaos--groups of people gathered in comfortable chairs and seated on the floor, colored lights strung about the rafters and a bright blaze in the large fireplace--before he’s surrounded by children clamoring, “He’s here, he’s here! Grogu he’s here!”

Grogu’s still only halfway across the floor, toddling on his little legs, so one of children runs back to get him. Din can’t follow without running down another child, so he waits for the boy to bring Grogu to him. The boy’s got a bright smile that looks a lot like Luke’s. The smile turns shy when he’s actually facing a tall, beskar-clad Mandalorian.

Din kneels down to his level. He’s careful to say, “Thank you,” before lifting Grogu from the boy’s hold. The little arms immediately reach out for him, settling around his neck as the child snuggles his head into the space between his breastplate and chin.

“I missed you too, kid.”

When he looks up again, the children are still gathered around, watching with rapt attention. “That’s the cutest thing ever,” one of the little girls breathes. Din’s grateful to see Luke on his way over. A jetii rescuing a Mandalorian might not exactly go with the Creed, but he’ll take it.

“All right, all of you. There’s hot chocolate over by the fire. Get going! Scram!” Luke’s voice is kind, underlaid with a sense of laughter. The children giggle as they scatter.

“Job go ok?” Luke asks as Din straightens up, shifting Grogu to the crook of his arm. The child coos happily, looking from Luke to Din with big eyes and a bigger smile.

“Well enough,” Din says. “I’m afraid you won’t need to have a trial.”

“Ah,” Luke says. “You ok about that?”

No one’s ever asked him that before.

Finally Din shrugs one shoulder, and Luke nods. “Come sit with us. You’re a lot more interesting than that hot chocolate, the kids are going to be all over you again any minute. They’re a little more shy with my sister. Maybe we can buy you a bit of a reprieve.”

Din follows him across the large hall, weaving their way through groups of adults and children. Everyone’s got mugs of warm drinks and plates of snacks. Every now and then, as he passes, he hears an adult scolding a child: Shhh, don’t stare!

The lights aren’t just decorating the rafters, they’re strung around the large windows, too. Boughs of some kind of fir tree decorate the walls. Must have been brought in from the forest.

He has a vague idea that this is how people decorate their homes for Life Day. He’s never celebrated it. He’s never been invited to the home of someone who does.

Grogu babbles happily on the way. Din has no idea what he’s saying. “Did you?” he asks when the child pauses for breath. “Yes? Really? That sounds fun.”

Luke leads him to a group of squishy chairs arranged in a corner. “My sister Leia,” he says, and a lovely young woman with intricately braided hair nods hello.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” she says. “Luke says Grogu goes on about you non-stop.”

The boy who’d brought the child to him is sitting at Leia’s feet. Din looks over at Luke. “Your son?” he asks.

“My nephew. Ben. He belongs to Leia and Han.”

Han is apparently the man slouched comfortably in the chair across from Leia, a tumbler of what looks like whisky in his hand. “Welcome,” he says. “Can I get you something? For a mystical sorcerer, Luke stocks a pretty good bar.”

“No, thank you.”

Han’s unfazed. “Luke wasn’t sure if you’d--” He waves in the direction of Din’s helmet. “Let me know if you change your mind, yeah?”

“I will.”

Luke’s pulling another chair over. He slides it into place next to Leia, then collapses into the empty chair on her other side, kicking his feet up onto the low table in front of them. Din settles into the chair, Grogu on his lap. The baby reaches for a plate of colorful cookies that Luke’s boots narrowly missed. “Those aren’t yours,” Din starts to say, but Ben immediately lifts the plate so the child can reach.

“Which one do you want?” Ben asks, as Grogu stares at the plate in delight. “You can have two if you want.”

The chair is comfortable. The room is warm. The chatter all around feels friendly. Grogu’s weight against him settles something in his mind, a part of his brain he hadn’t even realized had been on high alert for weeks.

Luke seems to sense that he needs a minute. He’s chatting quietly with Leia and Han, something about Outer Rim settlements, until Ben finally throws up his hands and announces, “You’re all so boring!”

“Ben,” Leia starts to scold, although Din notices she’s hiding a smile.

Han just grins outright at his son. “I guess we are. Too much talking. You have a better idea?”

Ben looks like he wants to say something, but he’s suddenly shy again. He sidles over to his father and whispers.

“You better ask him,” Han says. “Go on, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to bite.”

Ben whispers again. Din, curious, taps the mic control on his helmet to turn up the sound. He catches the end of Ben’s question. “....beat Uncle Luke in a fight?”

It’s not polite to listen in like that, so Din waits until Ben, still standing close to his Dad, repeats the question.

“I read about Mandalorians. You’re the best warriors in the galaxy. Could you beat my Uncle Luke in a fight?”

Luke bursts out laughing. “I don’t know,” he says to Din. “Could you?”

Ben’s waiting for an answer. Grogu’s bouncing on Din’s lap now, waving his hands and babbling again. It sounds pretty insistent.

Luke answers Grogu seriously. “We could find out. I don’t know if your dad wants to, though.”

Something in Din’s brain short-circuits for a second at the phrase “your dad.” While he’s recovering, Luke and Ben are discussing options.

“I don’t think a lightsaber fight would be a good idea, Ben. Do you?”

Ben looks around the busy room, at children chasing each other, at families laughing. “No. Someone might get hurt.”

“That reminds me,” Luke says. “You still have that Darksaber?”

“It’s back on the ship. More trouble than it’s worth to carry.”

“Have you learned how to use it?” Bo Katan asked that once, and the scorn in her voice was nearly as sharp as the laser blade. Luke sounds genuinely curious.

“I’ve trained with swords,” Din says. “I can’t really practice with it on board. The ship’s not made of beskar.”

“Good point,” Luke says. “I destroyed more than a few pieces of furniture when I was learning.”

Ben’s not letting this go. “He knows how to use a sword,” he says to Luke. “I bet you’re really good at it,” he adds to Din.

Din finds himself smiling behind his helmet. “I’m not too bad.”

Just then, tumult and shouts from across the room have Luke getting to his feet. Din slides his left arm protectively across Grogu’s middle as his other hand hovers by his blaster. But it’s just a bunch of kids play-fighting, and most of the noise turns out to be laughter.

Somewhere the kids have found a bunch of cardboard tubes, and they’re cheerfully batting each other with them in a boisterous approximation of a lightsaber battle. It’s nothing like the carefully orchestrated sparring Din has seen on other visits here. This is a free-for-all. Kids are getting bonked on the head and whacked on the back, and they’re all laughing like mad the whole time.

Luke’s family have abandoned their comfy chairs and come along to watch.

Din’s with them, mystified by the whole thing until Leia explains. “They’re from the paper we use to decorate gifts. If you’d been here last night, you’d have gotten to see. We made a party out of getting everyone’s presents wrapped.”

Her tone is kind. Luke must have told her he’s not familiar with this whole Life Day thing. But Din’s having another moment: Gifts. He didn’t even think of gifts.

“Don’t worry,” Leia says, apparently realizing. “We made sure there’s something for Grogu. The children wanted to wait until you got here to open presents, so we’re doing that later tonight. You’ll get to see.”

Why are these people being so nice to him? It must all be for Grogu. He’s grateful. “Thank you.”

While they’re talking, Ben grabs up a spare cardboard tube and dashes into the fray. He immediately gets bopped in the shoulder and spins around to hit the other kid on her backside. Leia smiles, Han starts cheering Ben on, and Luke--Luke’s got a maniacal sparkle in his eyes.

Din watches, impressed, as Luke shifts into Jedi Master mode. His face goes solemn, his back is straighter, every movement suddenly more measured. He strides into the fray, the children’s own movements slowing as they watch him. They don’t seem afraid. It seems more like respect.

Luke gently takes a cardboard tube from one of the older boys, who hands it over and steps back. The Jedi Master moves into a fighting stance, cardboard tube balanced in his hands and looking for all the world like a lightsaber--if it weren’t so completely absurd.

“All right, Mandalorian,” he says, and his tone’s filled with laughter and that solemn expression’s turned back to a grin. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

There’s no saying no. The kids are all cheering now. Even the parents are getting in on it. “Two credits on the Jedi Master,” one of the men calls out, and someone replies with, “My bet’s on the Mandalorian,” and Leia’s got her head in her hands but she’s laughing through her fingers.

“Looks like you don’t get a choice,” Han says, offering to take the child. “Go on, wipe the floor with him.”

Ben holds out another cardboard tube. Din, half amused and half horrified by this whole thing, reaches out and takes it.

It’s close. Din’s not sure if Luke’s holding back, but he sure isn’t. It’s only sparring, of course. He knows how to do that without hurting his opponent. Not that getting bopped with cardboard would do much harm anyway, but the goal is not to get hit. He’s breathing hard but he can still hear everyone cheering as he forces Luke back toward a corner, then has to duck and roll, narrowly avoiding the Jedi’s sudden counterattack.

He should probably be embarrassed. This is about the furthest thing from dignified that he can imagine. Mandalorians train with real weapons, not these… they’re not even toys. They’re pretend things.

This really should not be so much fun.

The battle ends when Luke finally manages to land a blow. Din’s on his back on the floor, Luke leaning over him. He’s already got one boot against the jetii’s stomach, ready to throw him back across the room, when that cardboard tube sneaks in low and connects with a pauldron. In a real fight a hit against his armor would barely have registered. But this isn’t a real fight.

Din concedes with grace, accepting Luke’s hand to pull him to his feet.

All around them, credits are changing hands as the kids run up to surround them both. Din expects them to congratulate Luke, but mostly they want to talk to him.

“How’d you do it?”

“You almost beat him!”

“Can you teach us?”

“Master Luke, can he teach us?”

Luke’s brushing dust from his shirt and trousers, still grinning. “I don’t know, maybe. Let’s let him catch his breath, ok? We can ask him later.”

By the time they get to opening presents, Din’s exhausted. Watching the kids open their gifts is nice, but he’s content to sit back away from it all, Grogu snuggled on his lap again as the two of them let the party go on around them. Ben brings Grogu’s gift over. The child tears happily at the colorful paper, adding it to the cheerful litter of wrapping that’s now covering the floor. Inside the box is a plush toy in the shape of a bantha. Even the curled horns are made to be soft.

“He told us about your adventure on Tatooine,” Ben explains, as Grogu examines the toy with delight. The child cuddles it to his chest for a moment, then holds it out to Din.

“You want me to tell him?” Ben asks the child. Din realizes, startled, that Luke’s nephew must be jetii, too. Of course he is, though, why wouldn’t he be. Maybe Han and Leia are, too.

“He says it needs a hug from you.”

Din accepts the little plush and speaks to Grogu as though he’ll understand. “How about if you both get a hug?”

Grogu chirps happily.

Ben translates, “He says yes.”

Din gathers the child and the toy up together, gently wrapping his arms around them. Ben nods, and then there’s that smile that looks so much like Luke’s.

“I’m glad your dad’s here, Grogu.” He pats the child’s head, flashes Din one more grin, and leaves them to have some time together. As a family? Din thinks, looking over Grogu’s head at parents and children looking at gifts, sharing cookies, and laughing together.

As a family.

#the mandalorian #noromo mando #fanfic #genfic #din djarin & grogu #din djarin & luke skywalker #the mandalorian spoilers

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myupostsheadcanons · 4 years

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Books “Read” in 2019

I am going to rank these by how much i enjoyed them vs. any actual literary quality. often well written books aren’t always the most entertaining books.

Note: i listen to many of these books at work, which is why i am able to go through so many of them in a year.

List from 2017 List from 2018

------- My Favs of the Year ----

Novels from The First Law:

Best Served Cold (#1), The Heroes(#3), Red Country(#4), Sharp Ends(#5).

A Little Hatred (#2) (Age of Madness, sequel to The First Law)

I read “The First Law Trilogy” about a year or two ago and finally got around to reading the rest of the books, just in time for a new series taking place in the same world to start up (Age of Madness) and now i am waiting like everybody else for the next two books to come out in 2020 and 2021. A Little Hatred shouldn’t be read as a stand alone, a lot of what goes on is dependent mainly on knowledge from the first trilogy and in The Heroes, then bits and pieces from Best Served Cold and Red Country. So much of your enjoyment of each book is based on what you’ve learned in other ones (character development or seemingly useless information being not so useless later).

Age of Legend (Book 4, Legend of the First Empire)

This is more-or-less an “aftermath” book where the main characters are still reeling about what happened in the previous book and are trying to make plans for what they are going to do next. I still like the characters and the world/setting it takes place in.

House of Assassins (Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Book 2)

I’ve been waiting for the next book in this series to come out the second i finished the first book in the series. It is one of those Science fiction in the disguise of Fantasy settings and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see how that plot/revelation comes out (I am certain that the location the story takes place is Earth, more specifically around Asia/India, but in a post-invasion apocalypse setting where nobody remembers anything prior to the invasion). I also really like how much of a badass Ashok is... i have a thing for emotionally stunted badass characters, especially when their flaws are held up to a mirror and have real consequences.

R. R. Haywood’s Worldship Humility & Extinct (Extracted, Book 3)

I love the way Haywood writes characters and dialog. I was at-first iffy about WSH, but was won over after i warmed up to the new characters.

Shades of Magic Trilogy (A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Shadows)

Solid multi-verse and magic system world. Well-written characters, some minor nitpicks on plot points, but can be easily ignored. LGBTQ rep, the gays don’t stay buried.

“Don’t you have enough [knives]?” “You can never have too many.” [me, every time: LOL]

One of the few times when a character deserves a redemption arc, doesn’t really get one, dies, and i am perfectly fine with it because it is done well.

Assassin’s Fate (Fitz and the Fool, Book 3)

I read this one in book-book form, but i already knew most of the emotionally painful parts of the book by spoiling it to myself when it first came out a couple years ago. The main appeal is the inner monologues of the two main characters, even if like 50% of this trilogy is basically spending weeks/months trying to go from Point A to Point B, when many other books would have glossed over the details of travel.. but you can really feel the stress as they dwell in their thoughts and struggles.

Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles & Circe

Re-Imagining of the Iliad and The Odyssey. Focusing not on the characters of Achilles or Odysseus, but on Petroclus (Achilles’ lover) and Circe the sea nymph witch that Odysseus had an affair and child with.

The Spear of the Stars (Cycle of Galand, Book 5)

Still love Dante and Bleys... This is where they really get into the meat of world building and solving the mysteries of the Arawn Cycle (the book/bible) and peel back the layers of their reality.

Dust (Silo Book 3)

A great ending to a good series, it answers whether or not humanity can or has survived what had caused them to be locked away in the silos.

Blackthorn and Grim (Dreamer’s Pool, Tower of Thorns, Den of Wolves)

I like the premise of the books, the two main characters first seeking out revenge, but end up wanting to become better people due to magic shenanigans.... One part Fantasy, One Part Mystery, One Part Lovestory.

The Dispatcher (Audible Free Book)

I want a whole series based off this novella. It is John Scalzi so he can write a good story. I had previously read Android’s Dream by him, which it didn’t make it into my top-10 that year, but was still decent, even if the subject matter was a bit gross... The Dispatcher world is a Sci-Fi Noir, not quite Cyberpunk, where people don’t die by anything other than natural causes. The Dispatcher’s job is to kill people before something goes does wrong and the person “resets” to when they where safe and sound.

---- this is the “Above Average” Zone ----

All the Pretty Horses & Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West

The master of bleak and depressing fiction. if regular Dark Fiction isn’t enough for you.... there is Cormac McCarthy books. Get use to the “purple prose” that fills up pages with no dialog.

The Golem and the Jinni

Supernatural world of the far past dealing with Edwardian New York and Immigration. It not only is a “fish out of water” story of the two main characters trying to fit in with society but they are among communities that are also new to America and trying to find their own place in the world. There are love subplots but most of those kind of fizzle out.

The Axe and the Throne: Bounds of Redemption Vol. 1.

“Discount First Law” book... it is lacking the dark humor that made TFL series far more entertaining. This was also the book that was prefaced by warning people about how grim and dark the setting was... Hahahaha. I still found it entertaining none the less, and hope the rest would show up on audible soon.

Black Snow, White Crow (Audible Free Book)

Another one of those short stories that should have a larger saga to its name. Fantasy Industrial Punk. It has the whole equality role reversal thing going on, it isn’t done quite as well as Left Hand of Darkness (but that book leaned onto the boring side of things).

Stephen King’s IT, Pet Semetary, and Carrie

It’s Stephen King. Classic King. Not much else to say.

Watership Down

Depressing Rabbit Book. Though I did like all the stories and mythology the rabbits had.

Bloody Acquisitions (Fred the Vampire Accountant, Book 3)

A series that is always fun to listen to. I wish the audio books were cheaper because they are rather short.

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike, Book 4)

shuddup, i don’t care if it is Rowling... i have a low-key crush on Cormoran.... he just hits that big-burly tragic-backstory man-shaped soft-spot of mine. These stories are also her “for adults” writings so... expect more racism and garbage values.

The Eye of the World (Book 1, Wheel of Time)

Classic set up to a long running series, though i am reluctant to go further as the middling books in this series are said to drag out the story too much.... It’s not as self-centered as Wizard’s First Rule and the characters are more relatable and stick to their fantasy tropes. This is the “mold” that other modern fantasy try to subvert by going “darker and edgier.”

The Exorcist

If you like the movie, read the book. There is a lot of back story that the movie wasn’t able to adapt.

---- This is the “AVERAGE, but Still Good” Zone ---

The Iliad and The Odyssey

Classics. I am still on the hunt for an unabridged version of Jason and the Argonauts story. I also have Virgil’s Aeneid in my wishlist to get too soon.

Phillipa Gregory’s Plantagonate Novels (The Lady of the Rivers, The Red Queen, White Queen, The Kingmaker’s Daughter)

Sometimes it is like reading the same book 5x in a row. other times you end up not liking the previous protagonist in a book you just finished reading because of how the current protagonist sees them from their POV.

Return of the King (Lord of the Rings, Book 3)

Read the other books last year and didn’t get around to this one for a few months.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Fuck... I’m a janitor... why can’t i afford a house? If you liked Stephen King’s “IT” go back and read this book.

Alien Franchise Dramatizations: Alien: Sea of Sorrows, Alien: The Cold Forge (Audible Free Book) Alien III (Audible Free Book)

I don’t mind that they all are done with a full cast. Though often I end up wanting to find the actual book and listen to them with just one narrator and descriptions.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia, Book 1)

I would like to get the rest of the books in this series, but for books that are only 5-7 hours long they want 20$ a book for them. It needs to go into an omnibus.

Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets (Audible Free Book)

It’s Stephen Fry... he’s funny and a good narrator.

Wizard’s First Rule (Book 1, Sword of Truth)

I don’t like Richard. He started off alright, but even before he got tortured 2/3rds into the book, i was starting to dislike his personality. Other than that, the side characters and world are solid, but it was like taking an R-rated movie and cutting it down for TV. There is somethings that are vaguely described when i am use to harder fiction like ASoIaF, The First Law, Dresden, and McCarthy books actually describing those things.

Halloween (2018, movie novel)

Like I said when i first read the book, it would’ve benefited by a second re-write before being published. But, i like the movie and so I liked the book.

Don Quixote

Another classic read. I did find it hilarious that the Author spent a good chunk of the second book complaining about Fanfiction of his own book... in the 1600′s.

The Princess Diarist

I listened this book instead of going to see TROS. worth it.

Smoke Gets in Your eyes: And other Lessons from the Crematorium

Non-Fiction, If you want to know the ins and outs of the funeral business and get told in an informative yet non-clinical way with lots of tidbits and history facts tossed in as well as a semi-autobiographical account of the Author’s life.

--- These Books are “Alright” ---

Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz books

I ligit got into an argument with a 70yo man in a comic book shop about how Canon the other Oz books were post Baum’s death. He was looking for Oz comic books and I brought up reading the first 14 books, and he’s like “There’s over 100 of them” and i was all “but all those are written by somebody else.” and he got all “they are still canon...”

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

If you want to know about the In//cel ideology in a classic literary form, this fits the bill. So much man pain.

A Christmas Carol (Tim Curry) (Audible Free Book)

Tim Curry, guys.....

The Poetic Edda (Norse God Mythology)

I listened this book twice. I bought two Edda books thinking I’d get some extra content, but no... same book just different production teams and readers. Returned the one with the worst translation.

Treasure Island (Audible Free Book, dramatization)

I need to read the actual book sometime, but i did like the cast and thought they did a good job.

Wally Roux, Quantum Mechanic (Audible Free Book)

A YA coming of age story about diversity and acceptance... with wacky science fiction.

Carmilla (Audible Free Book, dramatization)

The vampire before Dracula. Victorian Lesbian love story.

Even Tree Nymphs get the Blues (Audible Free Book)

A novella from one of those “love on the Bayou” romance series with supernatural creatures. Could practically take place in the same world of either True Blood, Dresden, or Fred the Vampire Accountant.

Mystwick School of Musicraft (Audible Free Book)

Harry Potter lite. For 10yo girls.

A Grown-up’s Guide to Dinosaurs (Audible Free Book)

I like dinosaurs.

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World (Audible Free Book, Dramatization)

Interesting way on telling us about the Fossil Wars and Puma vs. Adidas.

True-Crime from Audible: Body of Proof (Audible Free Book), Midnight Son (Audible Free Book), The Demon Next Door (Audible Free Book), Killer By Nature (Audible Free Book)

Why is True-Crime or YA fiction the only halfway-decent things Audible is giving us? But yeah, these are basically the type of reporting that the two journalists from Halloween were trying to do. Where they go around and gather up information about semi-famous cases and present it in a Podcast-like format.

---- Meh... ---

Camp Red Moon (Audible Free Book)

Would’ve been better if they were actually written by R. L. Stein.

More Bedtime Stories for Cynics (Audible Free Book)

No... half of these aren’t written very well.

The Darkwater Bride (Audible Free Book, Dramatization)

The setting is nice, but it is far too .... Soap Opera Dramatic.

Junk (Audible Free Book)

A cross between Alien Invasion and Zombie outbreak, read by John Waters and written as if it was a bad version of a Philip K. Dick Novel.

Rip Off!! (Audible Free Book)

Most of them are duds and boring. I don’t even remember half of them without having to look them up. The two that stood out the most for me where the “Other Darren/Bewitched” and the “Dark and Stormy Night” stories, the rest were rather garbled.

--- Garbage... ---

Dodge and Twist (Audible Free Book, Dramatization)

No, you are not being edgy or kool.

Unread:

Siege Tactics (Spells, Swords, & Stealth. Book 4)

Triumphant (Genesis Fleet, Book 3)

Earthsea (Tehanu and Tales from Earthsea, i am going to re-listen to the first three before i get to these)

Into the Wilds (Warriors, Book 1)

Pout Neuf (Audible Free Book)

House of Teeth (Audible Free Book)

Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons (Audible Free Book)

The Other Boleyn Girl (Phillipa Gregory)

#the first law #legend of the first empire #saga of the forgotten warrior #realm of the elderlings #a darker shade of magic #the song of achilles #john scalzi #r. r. haywood #Cycle of Galand #blackthorn and grim #myu reads #long post

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nihilnovisubsole · 5 years

Note

After reading your fanfics (god, your Daud is still killing me), and subsequently getting into Lovestruck (far more than I ever expected to??? You're such a good writer!), I really have to ask: "If you had full liberty to make a dating sim, what type of characters would you make?" (and is the answer: Cranky Old Men?)

oh man. ohhh man. where do i start. i actually had an idea for one earlier this year. but considering the amount of work that it would require - not least of all doing the art assets myself on a forearm that’s been iffy for the past year - i don’t see it going anywhere.

you’re correct in that if i did my own visual novel, i’d make an overall older cast than what i write for lovestruck. that’s not to cast aspersions on them! they know their audience well. but if i did a solo project, it’d have the age range of my personal work. here are some ideas that i took down when i was procrastinating on another big writing project:

- an MC in her thirties with an established career, maybe facing a professional challenge or a turning point in her life. assertive, very aware of her strengths and weaknesses, she’s been around the world and knows what she’s getting into

- a disillusioned former soldier of fortune, the shoe-in for my thing for artfully-weathered older men. a good, even-tempered leader but not exactly warm, like there are certain boundaries he puts between himself and everyone

- a quiet, serious “intellectual warrior” type about the same age as MC. very talented, but reserved because of his tragic past, which makes it tricky for the others to befriend him at first

- a cheeky, morally-fluid, well-dressed grifter who’s good at making himself useful. while he comes off a little sleazy - probably because he is - his spark of real charm wins you over. a bad decision, but a lot of fun

- a rakish-looking punk a couple years younger than MC who often gets into trouble over his head. the opposite of the grifter: seems like he’d be bad news, actually a nice, somewhat lost guy who just wants to belong.

[thank you about my writing, by the way, that’s really sweet. sometimes i don’t know where to shoehorn that in when i’m answering an ask, but i’m always grateful to hear it.]

#writing #long post #anon #asks

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 5 years

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Psycho Analysis: The Pillar Men

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

“Awaken my masters!”

Sometimes it’s really hard to divide a villain team into singular entries to cover on Psycho Analysis; the characters are just too intrinsically linked to take apart and do individually. So, the easy answer to this problem is to just do the whole group together! And considering these guys come right out and make their big debut by striking a pose together, how can I not group them together?

The Pillar Men are the major antagonists of the second (and objectively one of the best) parts of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The trio consists of sinister and mysterious leader Kars, crafty and determined second-in-command Esidisi, and loyal and noble warrior Wamuu, and they pose one of the greatest threats in all of the JoJo canon on account of being enormous, ridiculously buff ancient Aztec vampires with insanely bizarre powers.

Oh, and Kars is the one who made the mask that turned Dio, thereby making Kars a greater scope villain for the entire franchise, so there’s that too.

Of course, while they’re all a serious threat, they aren’t really totally equal in terms of quality. Just watching the show it’s easy to tell who the more interesting Pillar Men are, though I will say all of them are good villains.

Actor: Kars is portrayed by John DeMita, who has had a long history voice acting smaller roles; Esidisi is portrayed by Chris Jai Alex, whose biggest role to date aside from this is Panthro in ThunderCats Roar; Wamuu is voiced by Paul St. Peter, who is probably the most famous of the three as he is the voice behind Xemnas of Kingdom Hearts fame, Kurama in Naruto media since 2014, and perhaps most surprisingly (and amazingly) of all, Wormmon in Digimon Adventure 02. All three do excellent jobs, with their voices really helping sell the character of the Pillar Man they’re voicing, and generally speaking they seem to be considered some of the best-voiced characters in the dub.

Motivation/Goals: The Pillar Men share one simple goal: they desire to obtain the stone mask and the Red Stone of Aja and combine them so that they may become the ultimate lifeforms, thus becoming invincible. This seems like a really good plan… but, frankly, it also seems like overkill considering these guys are basically godly powerful right off the bat, their only major weakness being sunlight. I suppose wanting to find and eradicate your only weakness is a smart goal, and the fact you become a literal god on top of that is icing on the cake.

Personality: Wamuu and Esidisi both really shine in the personality department, while Kars, unfortunately, hangs behind the two. Wamuu especially is a very interesting character, being the most honorable and noble of the Pillar Men; from his allowing Caesar’s blood bubble headband to continue to exist to his constant playing fair in his fights, Wamuu easily cements himself as one of the most affable antagonists in the franchise, to the point where he and Joseph basically become friends as he dies. His code of honor, fierce loyalty, and sheer badassery makes him a lot of fun to watch.

Esidisi is not quite as nice or honorable as Wamuu; considering he posessed the body of an innocent girl just so he could try one final suicide attack after his initial defeat shows he’s not afraid to be a bit underhanded, as does his crying psych out trick. And yet, that being said, Esidisi is still a pretty honorable villain in his own right, and much like Wamuu he does view Joseph as a very worthy adversary. The lengths he goes to aid his fellow Pillar Men indicates he does have a fondness for them, one that is seemingly reciprocated, and this sort of villainous friendship is always nice to see. While definitely more pragmatic and tricky than Whamuu, there’s no denying Esidisi was a worthy foe.

Kars… is odd. As the leader and the final foe to be faced in the story, he spends much of the series mysterious, his nature and motives shrouded in mystery. However, unlike DIO or Yoshikage Kira, we never really do get much of a sense of who Kars is in comparison to his fellow Pillar Men until the very end of this part. What we do get ultimately ends up being contradicted as well; his love of the natural world, for instance, shown best when he kills drunk drivers to save a dog and overcomplicates a landing to avoid crushing flowers, is tossed out the window when he becomes the Ultimate Life Form and allows his squirrel hand to kill another squirrel. He also puts up an act of being honorable and noble like his subordinates, but it’s all seemingly for show, as he goes back on his word when it suits him and he plays dirty and sadistically. Even his love for his fellow Pillar Men is a bit iffy; while it’s pretty obvious that he did care for Wamuu and Esidisi, and he told Joseph he would avenge them after their deaths, he does at one point pretty callously dismiss Santana, a Pillar Man he himself had raised. Kars’ personality just seems to flip flop back and forth when it suits him, and putting that aside he’s just a bit too mysterious and vague for his own good.

However, if nothing else, Kars shares one trait with his fellow Pillar Men: he is undeniably over-the-top and hammy to an absurd degree when the scene calls for it, and that honestly does redeem him at least a bit. And what little we do get about his origins and the source of his motivations is pretty interesting and makes a lot of sense. It just comes a bit too late for his own good.

Final Fate: All three Pillar Men meet their end in this part. Esidisi diees first; after being reduced to little more than a brain and some blood vessels, he is vaporized by sunlight after trying to steal Suzie Q.’s body. Wamuu is defeated in one-on-one combat between himself and Joseph, with his dying moments cementing how honorable he is and showcasing the culmination of his relationship with Joseph. Kars has the most sever and disturbing fate of all three; after becoming the Ultimate Lifeform and being blasted into space by sheer accident, his adaptive abilities kick in and put him into a state of hibernation to save him from the cold, airless vacuum of space. Unable to move and trapped entirely as he drifts further and further away, Kars eventually ceases thinking to cope with this horrible situation.

Best Scene: As a group, there is no better scene with all three than their introduction, in which upon waking up for the first time in thousands of years, all three of them strike a dramatic pose together. It is one of the most JoJo moments you will ever witness.

Individually, Wamuu has his final battle and ultimate death against Joseph, which cements his status as the very best Pillar Man with his noble and badass qualities on full display.

Esidisi has the scene where he breaks out crying to psych Joseph out, a weird and iconic trait of the character that was even adapted as a taunt in All-Star Battle.

And Kars has the moment where he decides to strum the opening notes of “Roandabout” on Lisa Lisa’s legs solely to piss off Joseph.

Best Quote: Wamuu’s best quote is the one used to introduce this Psycho Analysis, and the one used to introduce the Pillar Men as a whole: “Awaken, my masters!”

Esidisi gets this when he turns Joseph’s signature trick on him: “Next you'll say, ‘I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face!’ Watch.” This is only improved when Joseph responds with exactly that and then calls him out on stealing his tricks.

Kars gets this after the Pillar Men give their wedding rings to Joseph: “Let us keep moving. Apparently the human race has regressed rather than evolved.”

Final Thoughts & Score: The Pillar Men are really fun antagonists. They bring a level of seriousness and drama to the story that plays well off of Joseph’s goofy and eccentric personality, while not being entirely above goofiness themselves; I mean, Esidisi’s sobbing trick and Kars turning his hand into a squirrel are both things that happened, after all. And on top of all of that, they take the overly buff and macho aesthetic of early JoJo to its ludicrous, logical extreme with their awesomely god-like builds. They’re not called “The Aztec Gods of Fitness” by fans for nothing.

As I mentioned though, some of the Pillar Men are just more interesting than others. Unsurprisingly, Wamuu is a 10/10; with his excellent voice acting, his defined and noble personality, and his strange yet compelling relationship with Joseph make him one of the most notable antagonists in the entire franchise, and he’s not even the big bad!

Esidisi scores an 8/10. He’s not quite as impressive as Wamuu is, but he’s still pretty awesome in his own right. His incredible determination and love for his comrades to the point where he just refused to die for a bit solely to make their lives a little easier is honestly a bit inspiring and a great show of his true character. The fact he fights with his own blood veins is also ridiculously cool and disgusting all at once. Kars… I am giving a 6/10. He has a reputation of being one of the more base-breaking villains of the franchise, though definitely not to the extent of Diavolo, and it is a bit easy to see why. Kars is a bit too mysterious for his own good, and what little we do see of him seems to get dropped whenever it suits his mood. All that aside, there really is no denying that what we do learn about him is relatively interesting, and when he finally cuts loose towards the end and starts hamming it up, he honestly does live up to the precedent set by his cohorts. Still, I can’t pretend like he’s not overshadowed a lot by Esidisi and Wamuu; they’re just a lot more fun as antagonists. At the very least Kars is a lot of fun to play as in All-Star Battle, though his GHA really is a pain to pull off.

No matter the individual quality level though, as the collective big bads of this part of the Joestar Saga the Pillar Men are all some of the most interesting and unique foes in the series. I think what’s most impressive is that the series somehow managed to top these guys with nearly every villain after this. You heard right, this series gave giant ancient Aztec vampires with incredibly strange body powers and with one of them literally becoming the ultimate lifeform in the second part of eight and counting, and yet somehow they still managed to keep escalating the villains from here to ludicrous extremes, with a bisexual psychopathic egomaniac vampire who can stop time, a hand-fetishizing serial killer who can turn things into bombs and rewind time, a paranoid mafia don with multiple personalities and the ability to erase short chunks of time, a gay priest who has a thing for prime numbers and wants to reset the universe for his vampire boyfriend, and a dimension-hopping United States president who wants to collect the pieces of Jesus Christ’s corpse to attain ultimate power all following as big bads.

It really is that sort of series. And when the series is like that, it’s better to start embracing how crazy and over-the-top you are early on, and what better way to do that than with Aztec super vampires? The Pillar Men are a great way to ease people in to the insanity that would follow, being a perfect mix of down-to-earth understandable weirdness and out-there bonkers wackiness. Much like Forever after, they marked a point where the series really started shaping up into the one we all know and love by truly creating and embracing its identity. For that, they definitely deserve a lot of respect.

UPDATE: The only real change here is that Wammu gets bumped down to a 9/10. This is mainly because, as amazing as Wammu is, he’s still not quite on the level as villains like DIO or Kira in terms of iconicness. I wish he was, but sadly we do not live in that world.

#Psycho Analysis #The Pillar Men #Kars #Wamuu #Esidisi #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

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epic-summaries · 5 years

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Women in Mythology - Hausos the Dawn Goddess

Has anyone thought about how weird it is to have a deity for the dawn. The dawn isn’t like the sun or the moon, you can’t really see it. It’s not an important everyday function like caring for the hearth. It’s not a job like blacksmiths. It happens and it’s beautiful but it’s not physical. I googled “dawn definition” and the first thing that comes up is “the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.” (The Google Dictionary). It’s weird to deify a small period of time. It’s probably why there are so little dawn deities. There are only two mythologies with dawn deity/spirits (maybe three but Tefnut is the goddess of the morning dew and moisture, that’s not really the dawn) which are not from Indo-European cultures. These deities are the Shinto’s Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto and the Sioux’s Anpao (which btw has two faces and I love that fact, it makes a lot of sense to me). All other deities are from Indo-European countries. Which is why “Dawn goddesses are crucial in Indo-European comparative mythology…” (Source 1 to an article about Eostre and Bede.) Dawn goddesses, lunar and solar chariots and Sky Fathers are the backbone of comparative Indo-European mythology studies. (I seriously considered doing something comparing Indra and Zeus but I was already looking up dawn goddesses for funsies. This whole thing was written for funsies tbh).

What is Indo-European Mythology? Short of it, so I can get to the comparing of deities, is that Indo-Europeans are a theorized people that that originated the Indo-European languages (English, French, Spanish, Sanskrit, Hindi, Hittite, Persian, Greek, etc.). There are also a few similarities between the mythologies. Which, you can explain as surrounding cultures influencing each other or if you a psychoanalyst you believe that the similarities between all of them is because of a deep shared self conscious or that they all originated from one original deity. Indo-European mythology exist because of the last mindset.

Using comparative mythology, we can assume some of the Indo-European Pantheon. It’s a bottom down perspective. And I want to do this exercise, so let’s compare some Dawn Deities.

Was the original Indo-European Dawn Goddess really named Hausos? I can say with 99.9% certainty no. Hausos is scholar’s best educated guess

1. Auseklis - Latvian Mythology

Sadly, I can’t find to much about him (or her, Auseklis is either one). Yeah, this is the god of the dawn and morning star (aka Venus). He is subordinate to the moon but also serves the sun. He is associated with marriages, bath-houses and birth.

2. Aušrinė - Lithuanian Mythology

I can find more about her then I can about her Latvian counterpart. She had an affair with the Moon God, which caused Sun Goddess and the Moon God to basically divorce. Aušrinė lived on sea-girt island where she takes cares of magical apples that will bring love to people who eats them. Also she had cows that made boiling milk (ummm) that will make you beautiful (sure). Also, she’s connected to maidens, weaving, love, weddings and baptism (she’s later connected with the Virgin Mary when Lithuania was Christinized). And there is a myth of a man falling in love with her after finding her golden hair in the water of a lagoon. She also makes the sun’s fire every morning (that makes a lot of sense).

3. Aurora - Roman Mythology

Sadly we don’t have much from just Aurora and most stories with Aurora are actually stories about Eos. She gave sight to Orion.

She is the mother of the morning star, Lucifer. It’s cool that the dawn and the morning star are separated.

4. Brigid - Irish Mythology

Every list of dawn goddesses has her or some articles will say that she comes from the original Indo-European dawn goddess. But they never explain why. In her list of what she is the goddess of, they never mention the dawn. She’s the blacksmith goddess, the goddess of the spring, the fertility goddess, the healing goddess, the poetry goddess.

My favourite quote from my research is “About Brigid there has been scant evident. (...) questions need to be asked about her origins, her functions, in early Irish society, and existing tradition (...)” (Mother Worship:There and Variations, source below)

Sure, spring and beautiful things are often associated with the dawn but that is not enough to convince me that she is a dawn goddess. Also, her name doesn’t fit well, unlike Ēostre.

5. Eos - Greek Mythology

She’s properly the goddess who’ve heard the most about, she’s Greek. She’s the daughter of Hyperion (titan of light) and Theia (she was a titaness and probably had something to do with light, being also called wide-shining). Eos is the sister of Helios (the sun) and Selene (the moon). She is also married to Astraeus (dusk), but if you didn’t know that, I don’t blame you. Eos was well known for getting around a lot. She loved Orion, Tithonus, Cephalus, Cleitus and Ares. Tithonus is a pretty famous story, Eos asks Zeus for Tithonus to become immortal which Zeus does, but as the asshole he is, he didn’t make Tithonus eternally youthful and Tithonus becomes dust. (Zeus it was in the subtext to make him eternally youthful.) When she has an affair with Ares, Aphrodite curses Eos to be constantly falling in love or just to have an unsatisfied sexual desire. Eos also had some children in the Trojan war, when he died, she cried which created the morning dew. And she was the mother of the anemoi (aka the winds).

She had the classic job of announcing the coming of her brother Helios. She seems like his assistant. She also rides her own chariot of Pegasi.

I love how she is constantly being called the rose finger goddess. I find that pretty.

6. Ēostre/Ostara - Germanic Mythology

She’s more of a spring goddess then anything. But I keep seeing her on list (not just Wikipedia), so I have to add her. Though, I’m more confident in adding her because she linguistically looks like she belongs. And I can see how the dawn goddess becomes a spring goddess (still very iffy on Brigid mainly due to linguistics). Spring announces summer, like dawn announces day (I have no proof of this, it’s just logically I can see how this can happen). Though, there are some scholars who believes that Ēostre might have been an invention from Bede, because that’s the first time they hear about her.

So, Ēostre is associated with spring and fertility. Then there are tons of theories of how she very probably connected with Easter celebration, rabbits how she might just be a spring goddess and not a dawn goddess. She can’t be both? She couldn’t have started out as dawn goddess then became a spring goddess? Bede is writing in the 8th century, at the very least over a thousand of years after the Indo-Europeans migrated. Things change in a thousand years, especially without writing. Hell, Eos and Ushas changed even with writing.

7. Thesan - Etruscan Mythology

She was the dawn goddess and evoked in childbirth. All I could find about her.

8. Ushas - Vedic Hindu Mythology

For brevity sake, there are many different sects of Hinduism. Anyway, Ushas is found in the Rigveda which is one of the oldest texts written in an Indo-European language. In this text the three most important gods are Agni (fire), Soma (moon and plants) and Indra (the king of gods and the weather god). The most important goddess is Ushas, she’s found in many hymns. Her sister is Ratri (night) and her brother is Chandra/Soma (moon) and sometimes she is married to Surya (sun). In her Vedic hymns she is considered the most beautiful of the goddess. She rides a chariot of either horses or cows so she could make way for Surya. She chases away demons and the dark. Interestingly, she is renewed or made young again everyday (reminding me of Ra’s journey). She also breaths all life. I’m very interested in the fact that in that she’s all seeing much like Helios is in Greek Mythology. And, she is sometimes the sister of the twin horse gods Ashvins (and health and medicine gods too), which also are theorized to be originally Indo-European.

9. Zorya - Slavic Mythology

Hahahaha, who decided they would also be known as the Auroras. I have a feeling it was some Western European with classical knowledge decided that. Anyway, one is the dawn and the other is the dusk and one is midnight. The dawn Zorya, named Utrennyaya, has been described as Perun’s wife (Perun is the law and weather god) or both her sister and her were the wives of Jarylo, the god of springtime (interesting). Utrennyaya’s job is to open the gates for the sun every morning. She was the goddess of horses, protection, exorcism, and the planet Venus. I like how there job was guard a chained dog who wants to eat Ursa Minor, because if that happens the end of the world would start. Zoryas are also protectors of warriors where they would show up like maidens with veils and shields of their favourite battles. They also lived on a paradise island, much like Aušrinė (though the two cultures are neighbours).

So, what educated guesses can we make about the Hausos? The dawn goddesses is beautiful (who would have guessed? It’s not like sunrise is stereotypically the most beautiful time of the day? Sarcasm btw). Dawn goddesses usually have a story involving immortally and aging (see I didn’t just mention Tithonus because it was famous). Many are either springtime goddesses or somehow connected to the deity of the spring. Hausos might have also been a love goddess, since the other dawn goddesses will either be love goddesses or have many lovers (of course there were the apples that made you fall in love too). I don’t know where Wikipedia gets that she might be a weaving goddess. I get it. She weaves the the cloth like she weaves the day but I didn’t see weaving as a theme in enough goddesses (only one) to be confident in making an educated guess that the Indo-European dawn goddess would have anything to do with weaving.

Women in Mythology Series: Previous Morgiana

Links to sources because I got lost in research a lot:

1. The Goddess Eostre: Bede’s Text and Contemporary Pagan Tradition(s)

2. Indo-European Deities and the Rgveda

3. Wikipedia

4. The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons

5. SIGNS OF MORNING STAR AUŠRINĖ IN THE BALTIC TRADITION: REGIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL FEATURES

6. Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines

7. Sun Myths in Lithuanian Folksongs

8. Mother Worship: Theme and Variations

9. Theoi

10. Greek and Roman Mythology, A to Z

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