2ofpentacles

Here is a selection of my fanfics. If you want to look at my fanart, it's under the #my art tag My ramblings and character analysis are under #engage brainrot

This is a general Fire Emblem fan blog, but mostly I post about Zelkov. I'm always open to asks and chatting with people.

Let me try to summarize my thoughts on Fell Zelkov...

As with the other Fell characters, I think of him as being some of Zelkov's worst tendencies pushed to the extreme.

I get into it some in Broken Mirrors that Fell Zelkov is empty and numb inside. He takes depression naps. He has no hobbies. Fell Ivy is all he has, and his world revolves around her. He loves her and hates her. In my (justifiably unpopular) fic, The Rabbit and the Snake he refers to her as his anchor. This was a very deliberate dual meaning. She weighs him down, but also keeps him from losing himself completely.

Zelkov (both of them) needs to be needed. He has to prove his worth to justify his existence. In their bond conversation, Leif says, "Perhaps you could teach me how to make medicine. It would be useful for me to know." Zelkov replies, "Absolutely not. Making medicine is my role. What would I do if you replaced me?"

Fell Ivy needs Fell Zelkov, and she always will. She needs someone who will be entirely devoted to her and tell her she's beautiful and be an enabler and put up with all her shit (and also someone she is dtf with). But I think most of all, she knows that he needs her and will never leave her no matter what — except in death. And my understanding of it is that Zelkov's (and Kagetsu's) death is what pushes her to want to raise the Fell Dragon.

In The Rabbit and the Snake, when he meets regular Ivy, Fell Zelkov immediately falls for her, but actually what happens is that he's deeply envious of the relationship between Ivy and Zelkov where they respect each other and truly care for one another. He wants that for himself, so he kidnaps her and tries to replace regular Zelkov. Eventually he realizes his plan was never going to work, and Fell Ivy is gone because of his actions. The one who needed him is no longer there. He gives in to despair and kills himself (although he was actually already dead and Corrupted).

How do you combat writer's block?

I'm always glad if I can help!

Writer's block is definitely a tough one. If it's a general lack of ideas/inspiration, I often like to listen to music. I have songs that I listen to that remind me of the characters. Specifically for fanfiction, going back to the original media can rekindle enthusiasm sometimes. Also talking about it with other people. They can bring up a fresh idea or perspective that you never thought of.

When it comes to something like getting stuck on a particular scene or story in general, that can be rough. My big thing is to try not to lose momentum. If I'm working on a fic, I make it a goal to write one sentence a day. It doesn't even have to be a good sentence. You can delete it later. Usually I end up writing much more than that, but writing one sentence keeps you involved in the story and thinking about it.

It's possible you might feel stuck because there are plot holes or you can't figure out how to get from point A to point B. That's also a good time to talk to someone else if you can. Sometimes just laying all the information out there to someone else helps you spot a solution. Or you might need to go back and reevaluate what you're trying to do with this story.

Sometimes you might just be a little burnt out on a fic or pairing or whatever and it can help to do a short oneshot of something completely unrelated. Or maybe do something in a style or genre you normally don't do.

Sometimes a story just isn't working, and you put it down. Maybe you pick it back up later, or maybe not. The effort was never wasted.