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#the post title was my Metamour's idea
radwolf76 · 5 months
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Experimental Prototype Documentary Of Tomorrow
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Kevin Perjurer casually drops another masterpiece on us, delivering on everything that Defunctland's Season Three has been building up to. Run time one hour nine and a half minutes.
Be sure to check out the accompanying Historical Companion Booklet. Timestamps for sequences with flashing imagery or overlapping voices can be found in the Sensory Guide.
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fanby-fckry · 2 months
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Actually, the more I’m writing Alastor and Lilith interacting post-Metamours, the more I realize that Alastor has a soft spot for her. Lucifer would never get away with this shit.
It’s not unpressidented, either. From the moment the switch flips in his mind from, “this woman secretly wants to kill me,” to “oh she actually, genuinely does want to be my friend,” there is a noticeable difference.
He’s quicker to warm up to her, to open up and allow himself to express vulnerability. And while some of that is probably because Lucifer loosened the lid on Alastor’s bottled up emotions, I don’t think that’s the whole picture.
He defers to her in a way he doesn’t for Lucifer, even in subspace. He’s willing to let her take the lead in conversations and trusts that he’ll like where she brings them.
He uses her title as a term of endearment and continues to indulge her in her more royal rituals. Mentally, he refers to her as “the Queen of Hell,” where Lucifer is “the Devil.” Lilith could just as easily have been, “the First Woman,” or simply, “Lilith,” but no, he picked the royal title.
He sees her on her throne for the first time in Metamours and thinks she looks, “every bit like the Queen of the Damned.” Then on the Survey Fic epilogue, she’s “as regal and dangerous as the day he’d first seen her there,” and Alastor experiences, “All of the awe and none of the fear from that day fifty-five years ago […] along with a fondness that had been given fifty-five years to take root and flourish.”
I haven’t written Alastor’s reaction to Lucifer on his throne yet, but something tells me it’d be a lot less awe and a lot more wanting to knock him down a peg. Either by fighting, biting, or intentionally being such a brat that Lucifer physically leaves his throne to go punish him.
I know he tells Lilith that he views her as outranking Lucifer because, “your husband spent six years making a fool of himself trying to seduce me while I kept a running tally of his failures,” but I doubt Alastor ever called Lucifer “your Majesty,” with the same reverence he uses for Lilith.
I do kind of have to wonder if it’s a gender thing; if I unintentionally gave Alastor a preference for women before it was even shown on screen.
Like, I had heard Viv’s thing about how he tends to get along better with women than with men, but I cannot stress enough that I didn’t think this aspect of his character would be applicable to this AU.
Especially since Lucifer isn’t even firmly in the ‘man’ category of Alastor’s mind; he’s in his own category because even without knowing the term ‘nonbinary,’ UH3!Lucifer is a shapeshifting Fallen angel who has never been shy about the fact that he does not fit within the human social construct that is gender.
It wasn’t intentional, but I think I’m gonna keep it in mind when writing UH3 Alastor from this point forward.
So, anyway, I had an incorrect quotes idea that wouldn’t leave my head about the dichotomy in the way he views the Morningstars, despite deeply caring for them both:
Alastor, about Lilith: All women are queens.
Alastor, about Lucifer: If he breathes, he’s a thot (affectionate).
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nb-octopus-writes · 5 years
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unposted WIPs
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the stories I’m working on and haven’t started posting yet! I’ve sorted them by fandom, but beyond that, they’re in no particular order.
[masterpost of posted/posting stories]
Sanders Sides
Dragonnapped
(Set in the medieval fantasy period of Faedell)
The capture of Prince Logan was a joint effort between pygmy dragons Virgil and Patton, so they share custody of him.
Roman doesn't understand why Logan doesn't want to be rescued.
~~~
Fairy Prince Roman
Art tag: #fpr art [Chrono Link]
Inspired by a prompt from @hiddendreamer67, and set in the modern version of Faedell.
Logan and Patton did not intend to trespass on pixie territory, nor to kidnap the crown prince, but somehow it happened anyway, and now they're in trouble.
~~~
Sanders Sides Soulmates
Inspired by this post by @fanartfunart​
In a world where soulmarks are many and varied, five young men seek to find their matches.
Okay, that's a lie; they're not all looking very hard. But they do all find each other and it's a big happy cute polycule.
ships: assorted other ships building up to DLAMP in the end
~~~
Abused Pet AU (still needs proper titles for the two stories in the AU)
Virgil, a mini, has lived all his life with an abusive owner. When he's finally rescued and placed in a loving home with Patton and his mini, Roman, Virgil doesn't know what to do or how to behave. It takes a long time, and therapy, for Patton and Roman to show Virgil that he really is safe, and that he won't be punished for being an individual with his own wants and desires.
~
Logan wants to be a psychiatrist. Unfortunately for him, he's a mini, and therefore, legally not a person. He can't get a high school degree, let alone graduate from college or become certified in psychology.
Luckily for Logan, his owner and best friend, Emile, supports him in this endeavor. Emile trains to be a psychiatrist specifically so that Logan can attend all his classes with him, and the two go on to become a great psychiatric team — even if Emile primarily talks in cartoon references.
~~~
Itsy Bitsy Spider Sides
It was a dream.
Virgil and Patton are spider-borrowers, who belong to Dee. Roman is a regular borrower, who belongs to Logan. Through some means or another, Virgil and Patton end up in Logan’s house instead of Dee’s, and they promptly adopt Roman because he has zero borrower skills and cannot climb things. Logan manages to negotiate that they can live in his house, eat his food, and adopt his Roman if he can study their spider abilities.
~~~
Switching Heights
Roman captured a borrower, and his behavior left something to be desired. So, his fairy godmother decided to teach him a lesson.
also it’s logince.
~~~
Sides in the Real World
Everything is going as normal… until it’s not.
Logan pops up to comment like he normally does, except this time, Thomas freaks out. When Logan summons Virgil to explain Thomas’ panic, Virgil also freaks out, because this is the real world and they’re not supposed to be there.
Now the Sides have to pretend to be normal human beings, instead of metaphysical representations of various aspects of one man’s personality.
~~~
Unnamed Logicality Fic (inside the CCAU)
The story of Logan and Patton's relationship, spanning from the third grade to a few years after they graduate college.
~~~
Dinner Guests (proper title still pending)
Emile Picani is best friends with Dee and Remus's son, Remy. So it's only reasonable that they invite Emile and his parents over for dinner one weekend so they can all get to know each other better. Only, they didn't think to ask… how many parents does Emile have? (Four. The answer is four.)
ships: LAMP, remceit
~~~
Unnamed Fic
(Set in Faedell, medieval fantasy time period)
Remy is the most magically powerful human to exist in the last century, and no-one, not even him, is fully aware of all he is capable of. He certainly didn’t expect to be able to cast a fairy spell, especially unintentionally!
~~~
Sanders Sides Crossover Story
Literally all of the Sanders Sides fics smashed together. We’re currently blaming SitRW Roman.
~~~~~~~
Brothers Apart Multiverse (Supernatural/Bowman of Wellwood)
A Lich in Faedell
What would happen if A Lich of Sense or Bothering Bowman took place in Faedell instead of Wellwood?
Well, for one thing, grabby human intruders will get slapped with a defensive curse rather than bitten.
~~~
John in Brothers Adopted
Jonathan Anthony Frederickson has been popping in and out of other dimensions long enough that he’s gotten fairly used to it. However, he’s never shown up in a world where he was less than four inches tall before. Nor can he recommend sleeping through a portal’s appearance — he’d really rather have his glasses and some regular clothes.
Giant pizza for breakfast is nice, though.
~~~~~~~
Good Omens
Baby Snakes
Crowley tries to play a prank on his angel. It backfires.
~~~~~~~
Not Fanfic
Tom and Reggie
Spaghetti Ropes 👅
This time, the Game is Reggie's idea. You can probably guess from the title what happens.
~~~~~
Humans and Aliens
Possessive
In English, the word "my" is used both possessively and relationally. In other languages, there is a separate word for each meaning. Misunderstandings arise.
~~~
Adrenaline 
In many parts of the galaxy, "Dren" is an illegal combat drug. Humans produce it naturally.
~~~
Tetris
There has been a major misunderstanding about humans, video games, and the precise meaning of the linked phrases “game over” and “you die.” Now an unfortunate alien has been issued a challenge which cannot be won, only prolonged, and it’s only a matter of time before the inevitable end.
~~~
Edible
It really is better not to ask the humans questions you’d rather not hear answered. This includes “How far does your omnivorism extend?”
~~~~~
Other
Seeing Double
(no names for the characters yet…)
Metamours who're identical twins
P met twins T1 and T2 separately, and mistook them for the same person. Which makes things complicated when the friendship turns romantic…
(This is NOT a love triangle; it ends with a polycule.)
~~~
Injustice (working title)
‘Borrowers as pets’ theme
Rich kid + borrower pet. The kid is trying to challenge his privilege and become a better person than his parents are raising him to be.
outline-ish thing
~~~
Paige Penn
Paige Penn, age 15, likes to write. Her two favorite characters are Justin and Nick, a pair of secret agents. One day, she finds herself transported into another world, where she is surprised to actually meet the duo. They, in turn, are just as surprised to meet their creator, and more than a little intimidated to discover that this teenager is capable of making things happen just by writing the events in a little notebook.
~~~
The Big Mermaid
A retelling of The Little Mermaid except it’s GT and also gay.
Ariel’s father absolutely loathes the humans, and has forbidden his daughter from going anywhere near them. But Ariel likes watching their ships, and she often sneaks out to do just that. One stormy night, a human is washed overboard, and Ariel rescues the poor, tiny, gilless creature, setting them safely on a cliff. When princex Erica regains consciousness, they will only vaguely remember a kind face and red hair.
Ariel, meanwhile, returns home with confusing feelings. She had long enjoyed watching the ships, but now, somehow, she finds herself drawn toward one human in particular. Ariel goes to her close friend and confidant, Ursula the octo-mer witch, who helps her with a plan to meet the human again and explore what exactly these feelings are.
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Review: A Geek's Guide to Unicorn Ranching: Advice for Couples Seeking Another Partner
I bought and read this book so that you don’t have to.
I'm going to preface this review with the disclaimer that I started reading this book actively wanting to hate it.  The author* is the Facebook page admin for Poly.Land, which has some very cult-like tactics in its image posts, similar in style to scam pages such as David Wolfe, Vani Fari (the "Food Babe"), The Mind Unleashed and Free Thought Project.  Most notably, the page is laced with universally agreeable tweets, tumblr posts and memes, some not even about ethical non-monogamy, interjected with the occasional privileged or problematic post about polyamory or swinging, sometimes with amatonormative or ableist perspectives.
Before I get started, allow me to clarify: while I and many others object to the principle strategies of "unicorn hunting" (or even "unicorn ranching", which makes it sound even more like animal husbandry than "hunting" does), the problematic issue of couples seeking a third is rarely the fault of the potential third (or "unicorn").  It is perfectly acceptable for an individual who understands the risks and dynamics to enter into an arrangement with one or both partners of an existing couple who finds them attractive.  The problems are almost always from the misunderstanding of the unbalanced power dynamic the existing couple places on their targets, most often due to ignorance, greed, or socially-ingrained conceptions of the importance of the relationship over the members of the relationship as marketed by the western matrimanial society.
This book is a very short read: 73 pages, in large font, with a few appendixes for sample relationship agreements.  The paperback is only 1/4" thick.  I started it while waiting for a flight to take off and finished it before we reached cruising altitude.
The book is divided into "lessons" rather than chapters, none of them particularly long.  The first ten chapters run as basically a Polyamory 101, or maybe even a "Pre-Polyamory" class.  The chapters cover things like getting your existing relationship in order prior to opening up, different types of arrangements (vee vs. triad vs. square, etc), the basics of hierarchy, what a metamour is, all the basic stuff.
The only slightly geeky things in the book are a shout-out to the Ferengi meme ("FEMALES") and some minor stuff about math.  The author later describes themselves as the geek; but the title aims to target geeks, and there seems to be no good reason jocks, nerds, goths, or preppies couldn't benefit from the information within.
There is good advice in the book.  The idea of dating separately is explicitly floated, and I was glad to see it.  The idea of a triad not being one relationship, but four or more possible relationships, is also included. Eschewing exclusivity, and looking for partners who are already part of other relationships and arrangements, is also mentioned.  Being as "out" as safely possible is recommended for the emotional well-being of all participants.  The "love us both equally" requirement is talked about as one set for failure.  There is an acknowledgement that unicorn hunting is often looked at poorly by the greater community, and that it's a rookie tactic that many couples take.  While introducing the unicorn as most likely to be a bisexual woman willing to entertain a relationship with a man/woman couple, the rest of the book uses gender-inclusive language.
But there are some major problematic issues in the book which raise red flags.  More than once, the book talks about hierarchy and veto power as an option, but never once talks about the ethical implications.  The words "couple privilege" never once appear.  The descriptions of boundaries, and the appendices of relationship agreements, read more like rules than boundaries or agreements, and it's not talked about why that's a problem, how to amend agreements, and how to avoid building resentment.  The recommendation is to be low-key and discreet at first, which can unfortunately encourage bad behaviors and abuse.  How to deal with one's own children in this situation is never mentioned.  Basic discussions about consent and the sense of a high need for emotional work and emotional intelligence is also lacking, and those are the things that unicorn hunting couples need the most.  Jealousy and insecurity, as well as how to mitigate them, go undiscussed.
There's also a some statements of privilege.  Recommending that a couple get their financial affairs in order before opening up and making plans for couples therapy are not particularly inclusive, as it suggests that only the financially stable and the mentally supported can join in on the fun.  Intersectionality is mostly absent.
Only on the last lesson, "Proper Care and Feeding of Unicorns", is there a discussion about what it's like to be in a triad with someone who wasn't in the arrangement from the beginning, and only barely so; the lesson brings the conversation back to the individuals in the original couple.
The "additional readings" list Sex at Dawn, Stepping Off The Relationship Escalator (shoutout to my friend Amy Gahran), The Ethical Slut, and some other books not related to polyamory (e.g., books on communication and self-actualization). While I don't fault the author for not listing More Than Two among their additional readings, given recent developments, it seems like a blatant snub of the work that Eve Rickert put into the work, particularly given how comprehensive and universal the language of MTT was (even for exclusively monogamous couples).  Not including Tristan Taormino's Opening Up or Elizabeth Sheff's The Polyamorists Next Door, however, seem like egregious errors in judgement and I wonder what the story behind that is.
A section of one lesson is dedicated to "don't bait and switch", e.g., being honest about being part of a couple and, if relevant, that you're looking for someone to join the existing arrangement.  And yet, since there's very little here about the ethics of triad-seeking (or lack thereof), the book itself feels like a bait-and-switch.  Maybe that's a good thing.  After all, unicorns-r-us.com and freesexworkers.com do the exact same thing.
Unlike most books on the subject, this one references very few personal experiences/case studies, and no negative ones.  The author's main argument that unicorns exist and are available, mentioned in the beginning, was that the author has had positive experiences as a unicorn.  At no point is it ever stated that unicorn hunting is problematic.  At the end, there's an assurance from the author that with the right kind of practice within one's an existing relationship(s), the right person will eventually join the ranch.  I feel this is optimism is both dangerous and unwarranted; just going off of several Facebook and FetLife groups on the subject, any given community is filled with thousands of couples who try and fail for years or decades to find "their unicorn", tens of thousands of people who want couples to leave them the fuck alone and/or are angry about them invading queer spaces, and only a handful of unicorns willing to consider joining an existing couple's dynamic for free.  Were I reading this from unicorn-seeking perspective, I would have liked to have seen testaments and stories of couples who were successfully open up and form a triad, and how they did it.  The absence of these stories is telling.
So, like, I didn't hate it, but I can't recommend it. There are other books where you can spend a few extra dollars and receive significantly more information on the relevant subjects, as well as better guidance about the kind of emotional work one needs to do in order to eschew monogamy (A Geek's Guide is $8; Opening Up is $15, and The Ethical Slut is $18, both of which are way more than double in AGG in length). Some even contain workbook questions to think about individually, or with a partner. I think that if a couple read this book, and made no other efforts to read other works or join discussions online with experienced individuals, they would likely be set up for failure.  The author puts all of the scary possibilities up front, which is probably a good thing if it actually makes couples do additional research, but not if it turns them off on the prospect of discovering more about it and just going off on their own, none-the-wiser.
* The author, Page Turner, notes themselves in the back as a polyamory, kink and sex councilor and coach.  I do not dispute this, and I know people who have seen them talk at events on those subjects with expertise.
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bluewonderer · 6 years
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Another pairing/title - "I've Got a Bad Feeling" Coldflasharrow or whatever OliverXBarryXLen would be.
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Hi, Nonnie! :) Thanks for the ask! So, full disclosure: I don’t quite ship the Oliver/Len part of this pairing. However. 
I have been tossing around a Oliver/Barry/Len idea for weeks now and this title actually fits it very well indeed. I’ve been restraining myself because reasons*. 
I’m thinking a “Magic Made Them Do It (MMTDI)” trope via metahuman, sex pollen, or “sex magic is the only thing that will save this city/possibly the world from certain doom thanks, Constantine”. Whichever one would help convey that each character consents to the activities to the max of their cognitive capacities. (Circumstances, of course, will still make this dub-con.)
Sex aside, MMTDI has some plotty possibilities. What are their relationships going into the fic? Is one pairing established while the third has no prior relationship with them? Are all three affected by the magic or just one or two? 
What about during the scenes? This requires a lot of trust-do the characters trust each other already? What must they do to accept what goes on between them? What vulnerabilities are exposed and guessed at by the others? 
Also during the scene: What if, say, kissing isn’t needed to break the spell, but one of them just can’t get into it without feeling like the other party is into it, too? So they kiss, they caress, call each other’s names softly, “pretending” to be into it so they can just get it over with. But are they pretending? When Len kisses Barry, Barry swears it’s not the kiss of an enemy “pretending” to be a lover. It can’t be. But at the end that’s all Len says it was. 
What about after? Does the established relationship fragment? Not from some love triangle, but because “is this what our life together is going to be like?” How will each deal? Guilt? Shame? Ongoing fantasies? Wishing for something that’s not there? I think Barry, despite his propensity to attach himself emotionally to people, will accept the sex part the easiest. He lives with a certain constant level of body horror, not to mention his world is made up of impossible things. The emotional aspect, of course, would be harder. How would Oliver react? Len? Would two or all three of them form a real relationship from this? Or would two of them or all three have “no-strings” sex again, so they can do it on their own terms? 
Would any of them get together at the end? I don’t picture Len/Oliver together, but who knows. I picture either Len/Barry or Oliver/Barry, with the third not being romantically involved. Likely, because I’m such a fluffy sap, I’ll have a polyamorous ending where Len and Oliver are metamours. 
*Reasons I’ve restrained myself from writing this: 1) Again, not quite sure about the Oliver/Len aspect and 2) I’ve written one PWP fic now and a few short but somewhat-smutty (smut-adjacent?) scenes in a couple of other fics and I didn’t want to get a Reputation for posting yet another smutty fic and 3) Clearly, given the million question marks above, I haven’t made my mind up as to the exact plot yet.
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souridealist · 6 years
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Slightly belated Yuletide roundup!
WHAT I WROTE:
I had five works in the collection this year, which is a personal best by far: Imperial Radch, the video game Black Closet, "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", and two for Ursula Vernon's Digger.
Imperial Radch: A Good Friend to Have: Uran and Athoek Station, G, 800 words, no archive warnings apply. A post-canon flashfic about evolving terms of address.
“Why do you still call us Radchaii?” Uran asked, leaning back against the wall. He ran his gloves against the welded seam of the wall next to him, like he was stroking a companion animal or a very close friend. Station couldn’t feel the gesture, either through the wall or through Uran’s hands, but it could see. “It’s been months.”
Brandy: All the Great Wide Sea: Brandy-centric, featuring Brandy/her unnamed lover. G, 600 words, no archive warnings. A short fic about Brandy considering new options.
It wasn’t only men who piled into the bar with a purse full of silver and a head full of tales, either. You got the occasional woman coming along, as tattoo-mottled and shaggy-haired as the men, in ragged trousers and oft-patched shirts. One quiet night Brandy wound up pouring sweet red wine for a woman with three brass rings punched through one ear and the five-thousand-mile swallow tattooed on the back of her hand.
Black Closet: Raise Bid to 31 Pieces of Silver: Rowan/Elsa, T, 1.5K, no archive warnings. A traitorous Rowan turns in an intentionally failed assignment and begins to suspect that Elsa knows her secret.
“You know,” Elsa said. “Mallory’s a good girl, and she can blend in with a crowd all right, but I’ve never had trouble noticing when she comes into a room. She draws the eye.” Mallory was pretty enough, Rowan thought. Bright hair. “But you…” Elsa said, pushing back her chair. “You’re so quiet, when you want to be. It’s a gift.”
Digger: Comparative Theology: Murai, Jhalm, Digger, and Shadowchild. G, 3k, no archive warnings. Four scenes exploring each character's relationship with the divine.
. Later in life, Jhalm revisited the temple and learned of the great wars of attrition that Teshia’s priests fought over the herb beds: the Invasive Plant Debates, the Three Or Possibly Four Basil Varietals, and the Mint Idiot, who planted mint in the ground to run riot over the temple. But as a child he’d always found the gardens peaceful, and he’d loved taking home the sacred packages each worshiper was given, leaves from Teshia’s garden dried over the sacred Hearthflame. He used to press the twists of burlap to his nose and inhale something both delicious and sacred. Once one of the priests caught him at it: Cassandra of the straight gray braids and straight-pressed robes. Jhalm jumped, squeaking, and shoved the herbs into his bag.
Digger: Anything That Talks: Murai and Jhalm, G, 2k, no archive warnings.Jhalm's patrol of the Veiled meets another, more ordinary demon, and Murai and Jhalm have a conversation about authority, the past, and how to be good.
“I eat what I will,” it said, slithering forward. Murai could just see the roots of the trees in its coils. She doubted the little stand of elms would last for very long after this. “I eat the shadows of great and small, of weak and of mighty. Yours, impertinent creature – ah, yours is fascinating, strange and dark and deep. So hard-edged, in such a bright light. You will be…” It moved forward, again – between the flanking arms of the Veiled. “Delicious.”
“I see,” Murai said, stepping easily back. “Captain Jhalm, I believe we should kill this creature, if you will give the order.”
WHAT I RECEIVED:
The Touching of Lips by Prinzenhasserin. Queen's Thief, "Five times Costis wanted to kiss Kamet and one time he did." This is a delightful story about five people making Costis think about how much he wants to kiss Kamet; each scene is a beautifully drawn, distinct sketch, and the payoff is delightful. I wanted Costis/Kamet so badly after Thick as Thieves, and this was lovely to receive.
Antelope Dreams by ambyr. Summer in Orcus, "When she was eleven, Summer thought she was very nearly an adult. At seventeen, she's starting to understand how much she has to learn." This is a glorious postcanon fic about growing up, and living with the legacy of Orcus, and being a well-behaved Good Kid (tm) with a crush on a Bad Kid (tm), and Summer remembering the antelope woman and realizing she's a queer furry. It's perfectly in-tone and beautiful.
AUTHORIAL CHATTERING ON WHAT I WROTE:
Yes, I shall continue to do this. Yes, with all five of them. But under a cut!
A Good Friend to Have: This one was a really interesting experience, because I originally wrote it using she/her pronouns for Uran, since canon does. It wasn't unti coming back to it later that I remembered that Uran is briefly identified as male in Delsig, and that if I was leaving the 'Citizen' honorific as Radchaai, I was 'translating' out of Delsig. And thus shoud use he/him pronouns. I really love the series's use of 'she' as a neutral pronoun, and everything that choice creates, and I was pretty hesitant to step away from it -- but it's also a very central conceit of the story that Uran isn't hearing Radchaai the way a native speaker would hear it. Which means Uran needs to use he/him. Going through and changing that was the most annoyingly fiddly editing task I have ever fucking undertaken, but also... really damn interesting to do! The pronouns were all I changed, and it still shifted my mental image of Uran's body language and physical presence a lot.
This was also published with what was originally its working title, which I don't think I've ever done before; occasionally the right title has come to me by the time I have to save the word document (almost always when the fic is written in one sitting), but this wasn't meant to be final and then I realized I liked it better than anything I could come up with. It's a direct quote from canon: Breq's comment when Uran mentions talking to Station in the second book.
All the Great Wide Sea: The prose is so purple here. I had so much fun writing it. It's a short, open-ended fic written all in a hurry because I thought the collection closed a day sooner than it did, and I basically just threw women sailors, running off to sea to join your man, and Age of Sail tavern imagery together with gleeful abandon. The 'being metamours with the ocean' theme isn't explored as thoroughly as I'd like, but... I couldn't resist adding the tag because I amuse myself too much. I'd never written fic for a song fandom before, even though the existence of it is one of my favorite things about Yuletide before; I'm glad I finally did.
Raise Bid to 31 Pieces of Silver: This title is... a thing. I refused to let mysef name it 'Silver and Hemp,' because this is not a religious fic and for fuck's sake come up with a better reference for a fic about treachery, but, well. I could not, in fact, come up with a better reference. But I did manage to at least include the idea of being tempted out of treachery, and I like the implicit cynicism of the bid thing. Because, you know: Machiavellian secret-police teenagers.
This was a great prompt, and I made a beeline straight for a traitor!Rowan/Elsa worldstate, because that is my favorite route hands down. This is also the first time in I don't know how long that I've used jealousy as a shippy plot device! I don't usually like it, and I don't find it cute in any way; but this isn't meant to be a cute fic, and part of what I love about this fandom is that it's an all-female cast where everyone gets to have a lot of rough edges.
Oh, and I also got to play around with incorporating game mechanics into the story! I fucking love trying to de-abstract game mechanics in a way that doesn't contradict what you actually see. As if you couldn't tell from me regularly sneaking that shit into Dragon Age fic.
Comparative Theology: This was actually my second attempt at my main assignment! I wanted to do a post-canon adventure that involved everyone meeting up while Digger tried to get home, and then everyone having to share anecdotes from their past (since my recipient mentioned liking fic about 'how people get to where they are'), but I just. Could not make it work. I'd had the idea of writing a set of thematically-linked vignettes in the back of my head as a backup, and the idea of linking them specifically by theology clicked just as the deadline started to really intensely loom. And thus! It's a pretty baggage-heavy theme to use, and I did worry about that -- especially in a gift fic -- but, well. The tagline is "A wombat. A dead god. A very peculiar epic." I figured I was probably safe. And one of my favorite things about the comic is what it does with the relationship between the human (or... worshiper of various species) and the divine.
I drew on a bunch of Ursula Vernon's print work as well as the actual comic (though I still got a lot of my own particular High Drama all over the prose, trying to capture the tone of things like the Saltlace sequence in words. The line about the Mint Idiot is in there entirely because I was like 'this voice is drifting way too far back towards just me. QUICK, ADD SOME PLANTS.' The Baba Yaga line is a direct reference to Summer in Orcus too.
I may eventually try and salvage what I had of my original attempt. I hewed closer to canon tones, I think, and I had some good fucking Jabberworck dialogue.
Anything That Talks: This one is secretly my baby. I was surprised to find myself really interested in Jhalm on later read-throughs, because I wasn't the first time; but it turned out I wanted to poke at him. And I really wanted to poke at Murai's decision to be his leash, and at what that might look like, and how she would choose to do it. Twisty power dymanics! The power actually lying with the person with less outward authority! Using one's own weakness as a source of strength! Very rigid people needing to bend or die, and what that costs! MY SHIT. (And I didn't actually realize that last was, in fact, something I keep revisiting until this moment, but hm. This sure is the third fic on that theme I've posted since November.)
Something I absolutely did not do intentionally during this fic and then noticed in the editing: I don't reference color anywhere in this fic other than 'cold white-glowing eyes.' Perils of writing for a black-and-white comic! (I didn't do that in either 'Comparative Theology' or my false start; fic isn't canon, text isn't a comic, and you've got to use the medium you're working with. But I left it alone for this one; I liked it.)
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amourete-blog1 · 7 years
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(( in which felide is a catalyst for this hell we call a relationship to actually work
tagging: @trolljacksparrow @hereticalsym69ls @roseredmutant
aberrantcadenza I'm trying to assume good faith here, so bear with me, but... did you ever have any intention of actually tolerating Lil?
trolljacksparrow i did/do my post wwasnt a judgment of him on a...it wwas not meant to imply that he is a bad person, because i dont think that, it wwas meant to state that he cant argue to savve his life arguing/debating wwith him is pointless because his analogies vverge into the barely-connected and ridiculous, not only the limeblood/tyfora thing but that time he compared pale assault to howw the signless tried to change alternia and he argues only about things he is emotional about, and hes got 10 vvioletbloods wworth of temper, wwhich just turns the arguement into yelling until he is physically separated from his devvice like nothing wwill get done???? its pointless, it wwill just bring stress to evveryone invvolvved and make evveryone upset??? givve people loww moodswwings?? wwhats the point im not dragging him to you - like, im not saying im any better wwhatsoevver lmao try havving an arguement wwith me about slavvery and see wwhere that wwill get you - i am saying wwhy i said wwhat i said. and i stand by it. sparks shouldnt havve engaged him because he sees evvery question as a deliberate antagonism instead of a misunderstanding/asking for clarification. wwas my remark timed badly? probably yes. could i havve done better? also yes. did i say it /solely/ because i disagree wwith him? no. thats wwhy i didnt just say 'ok ill stop' to xanthe, because he said im only doing it cause i dont like him and that wwas incorrect.
aberrantcadenza And yet everything you've said has had the same terse tone of malice? And you're here admitting that you're no better, and... making no attempt to change or help it? There are so many other ways to make the same point and I know Artifex says "Nadaya is a salt pillar," but I also know Nadaya as a kindhearted rebel who is trying his best to be the best lover he can, and for that reason I'm actually genuinely *baffled* that you would continue this, since it appears to be no accident. To outline exactly the implications of this situation: Xanthe has been sitting, totally unresponsive, for a full day and night, and yet another day. He won't speak. He won't express and he won't eat. You may not like Lil, and you're allowed that much, but if you think for one second that somehow takes precedence over your relationship with Xanthe then you and he need to have a serious talk about priorities. In a time like this I would ask you to consider how you would feel, if someone insulted one of your lovers, whether or not that insult was valid if delivered in that same tone.
trolljacksparrow wwhat the fuck is up wwith xanthe wwhat the wwhat the fresh hell caused this
aberrantcadenza Well, considering the only thing that impacted his rather good mood at the time was that entire thread of conversation... And considering, also, that like I said, he's not talking, I can only assume that's it.
trolljacksparrow really my grand total of 2 replies caused a /shutdowwn/ ivve argued wwith lil before and nothing like this happened are you sure
aberrantcadenza "Entire thread of conversation" - meaning not just you.
trolljacksparrow oh, wwhat other convversation? are you sure it isnt like....the thing the brain thing
aberrantcadenza He was with me at the time. Although Hellen did have some influence, that wasn't all that caused it. I don't think you're wholly at fault. I don't think Lil is either, nor Hellen, nor Artifex. I *do* think that your general attitude of apathy towards a rather important matter and your insistence to continue to make passes at Lil even after you've said you were trying to make peace is a relevant issue, even if it's not the sole cause of his shutdown. Which I never said it was, only that it had an impact.
trolljacksparrow to clarify - terse tone of malice wwas uninentonal, i wwas a bit  tired that he said i only spoke up because i dont like lil no i dont think it takes precedence lmao wwhat evven??? i /am/ trying to get better though, i dont usually engage things i knoww wwill make me mad, and i knoww howw to control my anger far better than he does - i only mentioned it so you wwouldnt think im acting holier-than-thou
aberrantcadenza Okay. That helps.
trolljacksparrow ......hellen????????
aberrantcadenza ... Fuck.
trolljacksparrow ???
aberrantcadenza *The brain thing.
trolljacksparrow OH ...i can check if its hellen, and removve ..her? influence, if i see him
aberrantcadenza You can do that?
trolljacksparrow yes rogue of hope i did it before im basically a buff/debuff support but for people's wwills
aberrantcadenza Although that title has no meaning to me, I recognize at least the um. Rogue? part as a "god" title(???) ... But if you can do that, yes. I think you should, and I'll invite you here to do it. We're on Alternia right now and no one can come here without explicit invitation* (*Or else their insides melt) But. When I mentioned "dislike of Lil taking precedence over your relationship with Xanthe," what I mean is that you'd rather hold onto that dislike in a kind of petty way than let it go in favor of letting Xanthe have longer than a week of peace. I know now that you said what you did because you were tired, but please... As your friend and as your metamour, I am *begging* you to think just a little bit more about this, to consider what you want and what you're willing to give for it. If this is how you get when you're tired, *please* clarify that. Where miscommunications happen and people are hurt there is still time to make amends and try to right unintentional harm done. If you want to write a message to Lil explaining that, I will ensure he gets it. I will go to the ends of this multiverse to make sure this relationship works because I care about you. All of you. ... Buff?
trolljacksparrow ...wwhats a metamour?
aberrantcadenza We have mutual lover. So, through Xanthe, you are my metamour, and vice-versa.
trolljacksparrow .......thats adorable okay that wwas a vvideogame metaphor basically i can sense people's wwill/hope and either take it or imbue it
aberrantcadenza :00 Damn.
trolljacksparrow alright howwevver, wwhat am i supposed to do wwhen The Shit happens again, as it inevvitably wwill? also - you think that getting him to unblock me just to read a message dressing him dowwn for his arguement skills is a good idea? really?
aberrantcadenza The point of this hypothetical message isn't to dress him down. It's to explain what you meant vs what may have been perceived, because whether or not you intended for it to be worded harshly, it came across that way. Disengage. If you see things start to go south, disengage. If you feel it's appropriate to do so, apologize and step back. If you don't trust yourself but things still need to be resolved, get me or Xanthe.
trolljacksparrow i mean...you knoww thats howw hell percievve it, especially coming from me "hey i didnt mean to be petty i just meant you suck at arguing"
aberrantcadenza As I said: I will go to the ends of this multiverse to make sure this relationship works. If clarification is needed, I will provide it. I'll help you edit your message to be seamless. I will ensure Lil doesn't take it the wrong way. I would vouch for both of you until the day I cease existing.
trolljacksparrow thats some serious determination oh, are you gonna invvite me or?
aberrantcadenza :??
trolljacksparrow to the alternia
aberrantcadenza Yeah. ... Just think about what I said, please?
trolljacksparrow yeah?
aberrantcadenza It doesn't have to be now.
trolljacksparrow i wwill i should probably send that message wwhen im /not/ solar-flare furious at him for upsetting my belovved though
aberrantcadenza I cordially invite you to come visit us, etc. etc. I don't think these invitations need a set format, but if they do, you're invited. -- [althivecoords.txt] --
trolljacksparrow aight omww
aberrantcadenza Lmao, *you're* furious? Keep your anger to a minimum. Do what you need to do to make that happen. We're doing this for Xanthe.
trolljacksparrow wwhy do you think im not engaging???????
aberrantcadenza Just making sure we're hardened-sediment clear.
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Rules: answer the questions in a new post and tag people you would like to get to know better
tagged by @choking-on-roses thanks for saving me from boredom! 
1. Nickname: Andi, Scarlett, Rach, Rae
2. Star Sign: Leo :3
3. Height: 5′6″
4. Time rn: 4:17PM
5. Favourite Music Artist: Hm. Um?... I would have had an answer for this years ago (Linkin Park heh.) buuuut I’m gonna say Purity Ring right now since that’s my current Pandora station I’ve been listening to. I’m also a big fan of Fall Out Boy, Mindless Self Indulgence, and Yoko Kanno. 
6. Song stuck in your head: Take Me to Church because I was just watching Stephane Lambiel’s exhibition program to that song (it’s SO GOOD OMG). 
7. Last Movie Watched: Rogue One for the second time (SpiritAssassin 5everrrrr). 
8. Last TV Show you watched: I don’t really watch tv? Does anime count? If yes, it was Yuri on Ice, if not it was some awful sitcom my bf’s family was watching over Christmas. 
9. what are you wearing rn: Fleece pajamas with lil sheepies on them. 
10. when did you create your blog: I created this one mmmmm at the end of October I think? Early November? So just a few months ago. I had a blog before that for like, 3 or 4 years, but deleted it after a bad breakup this past September. 
11. what kind of stuff do you post: Whatever I want really. Yuri on Ice stuff, cool fanart, Killing Stalking memes, porn occasionally, scifi art, anime scenery, stupid shit that makes me laugh, feminist stuff... yeah. 
12. do you have any other blogs: Nupe. 
13. Do you get asks regularly: Nupe. This blog is so new I only have like... 4 mutuals? And I don’t really post ask thingies sooooo. 
14. why did you choose your username: Hm. Well... I made this blog because I needed a place to sort of redefine myself after my breakup. My online nickname with her became Lion or Lion Prince, and she was Bunny/Bunny Princess (disgusting, I know). But I really ended up liking that name? I relate heavily to my star sign, and lions are my favorite animals, and I like the masculine title of Prince. So I took it back from her, in a way. And I just threw “introverted” at the front because it’s accurate and I couldn’t have just “lionprince”. 
15. Gender: Genderfluid. I really just want people to be confused but turned on when they see me. 
16. Hogwarts House: Slytherin >3 
17. Pokemon Team: Is this even relevant anymore? I mean, it’s Mystic of course. Fight me. 
18. Favourite colour: orange or gray or purple (most everything I own is gray). 
19. Average hours of sleep: 7ish? Sometimes 10. Sometimes 5. So yeah, 7 on average lol
20. lucky number: 14. No idea why. When I was 14 I remember that I LOVED being 14 years old. Like, for no reason. I just thought it was the perfect age to be. Who knows?
21. Favourite character: Oh my god, how tf do I answer with just one??? Rey from Star Wars jumps to mind immediately. OH! And Furiosa from the newest Mad Max movie *V* Oh oh! And Thomas Raith from The Dresden Files novels. My sweet emo sex vampire I love him so much ;_; 
22. how many blankets do you sleep with: A sheet and a giant faux fur comforter. 
23. dream job: Rockstar lol (no seriously. I love to perform). 
24. Following: I’ll follow Rosa’s idea and say I follow 197 blogs. 
Since I have very slim choices as to who to tag (shortage of mutuals, like I mentioned before) I’ll tag my bf and metamour ^_^ @squerl @clumsybutstillcute
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