#⌈... but why am I here?⌋ ⋆❈⋆ ⌈the adventurer⌋

[mantis-lizbian]

ugh, as someone who was, mistakenly, part of the 4e backlash back when it came out, i am chafing at all the misinformation in here. so, let's take a look.

first, quick timeline:

2000: D&D 3e comes out, then a revised edition comes out in 2003 because haste was broken af (comedic exaggeration, this was not the only reason).

2002: Paizo is founded as a separate company to take over the publishing of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Paizo also start publishing their own periodicals, including a resurrection of the pulp sci-fi magazine Amazing Stories, and started republishing a lot of old pulp novels that had gone out of print. this isn't, strictly speaking, relevant to the rest of this, but it is a fun bit of trivia that gives a solid insight into why early Pathfinder was like it was in a lot of ways, in terms of worldbuilding and plots.

2003: Paizo starts publishing the series of articles that will become The Shackled City, Paizo's debut "adventure path" in Dungeon magazine. based on its success, they continue this "adventure path" model a couple more times throughout Paizo's run of Dungeon. the original "Defense of the Ancients" map for Warcraft III is published.

2004: World of Warcraft launches, introducing millions to the "MMO" and codifying many elements of the genre in the minds of its players in a way very similar to how the elements of TTRPGs were codified in the minds of first-time 5e players in the late 2010s.

2006: Dungeons & Dragons Online launches. it is, of course, based on a modified version of the 3.5e ruleset.

2007: WotC ends the contract with Paizo to publish Dragon and Dungeon in order to start publishing them in-house as digital magazines. in response, Paizo starts publishing the Pathfinder Adventure Path product line for D&D 3.5e, essentially spinning off the Dungeon adventure path model into its own stand-alone publications, in order to fill in the gap of losing their flagship publications. WotC announces 4e, and Paizo starts planning what to do when the edition rolls over.

2008: 4e launches, the GSL for it goes through several revisions ultimately leading Paizo to decide that they can't effectively carry their PFAP line over into it, and as they finish up the APs already in the pipeline, prepare to launch their own Pathfinder Roleplaying Game the next year.

2009: League of Legends launches, leading to the popularization of the MOBA genre. Pathfinder 1e also launches, leading to the ever-present D&D edition wars developing into an outright schism.

2013: Neverwinter launches, an MMO loosely adapted from the 4e ruleset.

okay. lots of shit, some of it probably seems barely related to anything here.

first off, the founding of Paizo was a business decision primarily driven by the economics and logistics of magazine publication versus book publication. in the early days of D&D under WotC's leadership, WotC actually planned to run things fairly light and tight, originally planning to only focus on the popular Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and either licensing the rights to publish compatible products that adapted other settings to 3e to other companies like Sovereign Press (Dragonlance) and White Wolf Publishing (Ravenloft). a curious semi-example of this was WotC's decision to have 3e's version of Oriental Adventures, a book title previously used in 1e AD&D to introduce the setting of Kara-Tur, use The Legend of the Five Rings' Rokugan as its template setting (while also adapting a few elements from Kara-Tur that explicitly did not exist in Rokugan), but then leaving Alderac Entertainment Group to publish any further 3e-compatible Rokugan material. so, no, Paizo was not formed from disgruntled former WotC employees over game design disagreements, and the decision to create a separate company to handle the Dragon and Dungeon magazines is not all that uncharacteristic of WotC in this era.

next, as pointed out in the timeline, DDO launched well before 4e and its mechanics are distinctly 3.5e-based. obviously heavily modified to suit a MMO framework, but undeniably far more similar to 3e than 4e. in fact, even Tome of Battle which launched for 3e in the same year bears a greater similarity to 4e than DDO does in many respects, and feels much more like a testing ground for mechanics that would be utilized in 4e.

as said, Pathfinder's creation was more due to the nature of the GSL which also caused many other 3rd-party publishers to turn away from 4e as well due to how restrictive the license was making it exceedingly difficult to use 3pp 4e products as a successful business model. since Paizo had lost their flagship product, their attempts at republishing pulp fiction weren't picking up steam, and they had just started developing this whole setting for their adventure paths, nabbing the remains of 3e to keep the OGL alive was kind of their best option to stay afloat as a company. while i do think they genuinely strove to make the best of it, rather than using it as a mere cash grab, i also think it was undoubtedly a business decision first and foremost, and not born out of ideological disagreements over game design.

now, as for the 4e slander. first off, 4e is now my favourite version of D&D, certainly from a gameplay standpoint. certainly if we aren't counting Pathfinder as D&D. but at the time, yeah i kinda hated it, and at least in my case, when i first browsed a copy of the Player's Handbook in my local bookstore (R.I.P. Borders), i hadn't read anything substantial about it online yet, and MMO was still the first thing that came to mind. while now i can probably agree with you that MOBA is perhaps more accurate, when looking at this timeline, i think you'll understand why people went to comparing it to MMOs first, considering a single MMO was larger than the entire genre of MOBAs at the time 4e launched. but that's a digression.

the main features i would point to as why 4e can be described as "MMO-like" are: the overtly mechanic-focused rules text, especially in contrast to earlier editions.

4e also drastically simplified skills, 3e's main non-combat mechanics, and completely lacked anything like 2e's strongholds or followers, resulting in very little mechanical support for characters to do much of anything outside of combat, and virtually nothing outside of dungeon delving. this all culminated in the kind of experience someone playing World of Warcraft may have where they have very little ability within the framework of the game itself to actually interact with the world outside of killing monsters. even crafting magical items was reduced to picking up a couple of rituals that let you turn any magic item into "residuum" that could then be reconstituted into a magical item of effectively your choice using a second ritual, very much resembling mechanics like WoW's own Enchantment profession.

additionally, to anyone familiar with running dungeons in WoW, the general rhythm of how powers had a "cool-down" in 4e was also familiar. you've got your at-will powers which simply link to the GC, your encounter powers that you need to try and use at the right point in a boss fight, but can rely on for every boss fight in a dungeon, and your daily powers, which you typically save for the final boss, or for situations that particularly call for it.

again, even though the exact mechanics of marking may derive more intentionally from basketball, they aren't dissimilar to tank mechanics in an MMO, and anyone who's got experience as an MMO tank will be able to intuit how to use them fairly well. given that many of the people checking out 4e were much more the sort to had played WoW more than even watching let alone playing basketball... it's perhaps understandable why they'd spot that similarity rather than the other.

all of this was also a pretty hard turn from 3e's much more "immersive sim" design, imo best exemplified by how, on a fundamental level, NPCs, monsters, and PCs are all built off the exact same set of mechanics, allowing the three to be losslessly transferred between each other, lending a certain verisimilitude. the fact that the rules are equally capable of modeling a PC, an NPC, and a monster forging a sword, casting a spell, or attacking an ogre using the exact same set of rules can subtly emphasize the idea of "this is a real, breathing world".

but that's not the only way to make a TTRPG, and again, i like 4e. a lot. for adrenaline-pumping dungeon delving, it is perhaps peak game design, even. and the ways that it resembles MMOs are, i think, a big part of that, both in what it focuses on and supports and what it glosses over.

One of the funnier manifestations of gleeblor is Pathfinder players: I'll make a post about how D&D will color people's expectations of what RPGs can be like and create a very narrow set of expectations about the medium, and inevitably some Pathfinder player will be like "haha yeah those D&D players should really broaden their horizons, Pathfinder fixes all of their issues," and my friend. I'm sorry to say this but you are not immune to gleeblor and in many regards where it comes to expectations of playstyle created by the game, your favorite game is in fact just another company copying D&D's homework and slightly altering the wording.

[local-hyena]

Allright allright, I think I'm ready now...

TF2 COMIC 7

Saying "I loved it" would be an understatement. It was PERFECT, the perfect ending we deserved. It's been seven goddamn years, I honestly didn't think this issue would ever be released. I started getting into tf2 only recently, about a year ago I think. I hope everyone who've been there from the beginning are happy.

This last issue gave us SO MANY THINGS ! A TIME SKIP WITH THE MERC'S FUTURE ! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ALL GOT THE "THEY GOT HOME AND BUILT FAMILIES AND REUNITE FOR CHRISTMAS" TYPE OF FUTURE THAT LITERALLY ALL FANFICS ARE ABOUT. SINGLE DAD SCOUT IS THE GREATEST CHARACTER DEVELOPPEMENT POSSIBLE.

WE ALSO GOT LITERALLY EVERYTHING WE WERE HOPING FOR. WE GOT UNMASKED SPY, WE GOT PAULING'S FIRST NAME, WE GOT SCOUT'S LAST NAME, SCOUT WITH AN UGLY HAIRCUT, WE EVEN GOT PYRO'S DOG AND MEDIC'S BABOON, TOM JONES IS BACK. ALSO HEAVY HAS A BEARD NOW, AND SOLDIER AND ZHANNA HAVE CHILDREN !!

there are of course still unanswered things. However, the fact that the Administrator forgot why she wanted revenge on Mann really adds to her character and the overall story. Also, it seems that Scout still odesn't know that Spy is his father, since he introduces himelf to Scout's children as Scout's coworker... Scout's ma is also noticably absent, I do not want to think about it too much, since Demo's mother is still alive, there is no reason she wouldn't be as well. We're gonna say that she's spending Christmas with another son, since she doesn't really take an important rôle in the comic... Also, as a Medic main, THERE WAS NO MEDIC CONTENT. LIKE, I KNOW THAT THE LAST COMIC WAS VERY MEDIC AND HEAVY FOCUSED, BUT STILL. I always need more Medic content 😭😭 glad to see that Archimedes is here also !

Also, Merasmus why are you so ripped 😂😂 he looks ugly as ever.

I am so very happy that Hale and Olivia both got fired from MannCo. They are finally happy now, with Hale going back with Mags fighting animals and going on other dangerous adventures.

There is ONE lats thing I need to point out. No, two things. First, I wonder what Valve will do now. Now that Team Fortress 2's story has come to an end. What will happen ? Is the game going to stop updating ? Or on the contrary will they go back to working on it ? Is there going to be a Team Fortress 3 ? Or is Team Fortress simply going to end on this perfect note ?

Finally, the ending. It took me a while to understand that the last dinner scene was adressing directly to us, the reader, the player. When I understood that, it hit le right in the heart. I cannot say that tf2 has been à huge part of my life. Like I said, I only got interested last year or so. I don't even oike the game itself that much, online multiplayer competitive FPSs are not my preferred genre. But the story, the characters and what the community makes (yes, the funny GMod machinimas and SFM movies. The memes and the serious stuff, both of them) made me learn to enjoy this universe. I must confess something. For some time, I played Fortnight with my brother. He made me try because I kept saying that I didn't like it, but I hadnd't poayed the game. After my first game, I said that I had some fun, in the end. So, he kinda forced le to play. For... idk, a few years. I do nlt remember the dates but I started the season with the Nomad skin as the ultimate reward, and stopped when there were hoverboards, or whatever they were. I didn't enjoy it because he insisted on being super competitive and was raging 90% of the time. So yeah, I hated every second of it and I vowed to not play competitive online multiplier games anymore. Which is why I absolutly refuse to play Overwatch and League of Legends. I wouldn't say that Team Fortress 2 reconciled me woth these type of games, but after watching all the Meet the Mercs and learning more about the story, I tried playing. I was a bit intimidated as to which class to choose, but after trying out several (and being very influenced by Meet the Medic), I found out that I had the most fun while playing Medic. I do nlt have a very good aim and I tend to die immediatly when I try to shoot at people. I also discovered that, playing an online multiplayer game doesn't have to be competitive. I have 9h30 in tf2, I play very casually. I do not get mad when I die or my team loses, because in the end, I just want to have fun in my own way. So, this ending hit me right in the heart

I... I almost want to print that last panel and hang it on my wall... I know, there's nothing stopping me, but I don't want my family to question it.

Anyways. That was tf2 comic issue 7. I cannot wait to see what the future will bring for our mercs !

[dee-writes-anime]

Gojo's Mistletoe Madness

FEATURING Yuta Okkotsu x Reader

SUMMARY What's christmas without Gojo sticking his nose where is doesn't belong?

CONTENT WARNINGS fluff, childhood best friends to lovers, some satosugu lovin', megumi is embarrassed, yuji is an absolute angel, inumaki is attacked by a scarf :(

AUTHORS NOTE in honor of the holidays, some yuta fluff because he is my baby and I loveeee him :D

The halls of Jujutsu High were alive with holiday cheer. Fairy lights lined the walls, their soft glow reflecting off the snow-covered windows, and a giant Christmas tree stood proudly in the corner of the common room, adorned with handmade ornaments and sparkling tinsel. It had been Gojo’s idea to throw a holiday party, and no one had been able to refuse—not that they’d wanted to. The air was filled with laughter, the scent of hot cocoa, and the faint sound of holiday music playing in the background.

You stood near the fireplace, a mug of cocoa warming your hands, watching as Panda tried to wrap a scarf around Inumaki, who’d been protesting with a series of muffled “Salmon!” and “Tuna mayo!” Yuta stood beside you, his usual shy smile gracing his lips, the warmth in his expression unmistakable. He held his own mug, cradling it like a shield against his nerves, a gesture you’d grown familiar with over the years.

The two of you had been inseparable since childhood, bound by years of shared adventures and quiet moments. After Rika’s curse had been lifted and she’d ascended to the afterlife, you’d made the decision to follow Yuta to Jujutsu High. It hadn’t been an easy choice, but you couldn’t imagine leaving him to face this new chapter of his life alone.

“This is nice,” Yuta said softly, his voice almost drowned out by Nobara and Yuji’s playful argument over who’d eaten the last gingerbread cookie.

You turned to him, smiling. “It is. It’s been a while since we’ve had a moment to just relax.”

He nodded, his gaze drifting to the tree. “I’m glad you’re here. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far without you.”

Your cheeks warmed at his words, and you looked away, focusing on your cocoa. Yuta had always been open with his gratitude, but it still made your heart flutter every time he said something like that. Before you could respond, Gojo’s booming voice cut through the room.

“Alright, everyone! Gather ‘round!” Gojo clapped his hands loudly, and the group slowly assembled in the center of the room, some curious, others suspicious about what he was planning.

Gojo’s signature grin widened as he pointed upward. “What’s a holiday party without a little tradition?” he announced, gesturing to the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

The murmurs in the room grew louder as people glanced around, speculating who might be the first victims of Gojo’s antics. Megumi, predictably, sighed heavily and muttered, “Why am I not surprised?” as Yuji immediately perked up beside him, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Oh-ho! Look who’s under the mistletoe!” Nobara’s triumphant voice cut through the chatter, and you froze, your eyes widening as you realized exactly where you and Yuta were standing—directly beneath the mistletoe.

“Yuta!” Yuji’s face lit up with pure glee, and he pointed dramatically. “You know what that means!”

Maki leaned back in her chair, smirking as she folded her arms. “This ought to be good,” she said, clearly enjoying the situation far more than she should.

Even Panda joined in, clapping his massive hands together. “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

“Wait, wait,” Gojo interjected, holding up his hand like a conductor directing a symphony. “This is a momentous occasion. Let’s savor it. We can’t just rush the mistletoe magic.”

Across the room, Geto nudged Gojo with a knowing smile. “You really like stirring the pot, don’t you?” he asked, his voice low and amused.

Gojo tilted his head, his grin unfaltering. “Isn’t that why you keep me around?”

“Among other reasons,” Geto replied with a wink, earning a laugh from the taller man.

Meanwhile, Yuta’s face turned a deep shade of red, and he looked at you, his wide eyes mirroring your own embarrassment.

“We don’t have to… I mean, if you don’t want to…” he stammered, his voice barely audible over the chants growing louder around you. His grip tightened slightly on his mug, a nervous tic that you knew all too well.

You bit your lip, feeling equally flustered. But as you looked into Yuta’s eyes, you saw the same nervousness mixed with fondness that you felt. Taking a deep breath, you decided to take the leap.

“It’s fine,” you said softly, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s just a kiss, right?”

His blush deepened, but he nodded. Slowly, almost tentatively, he leaned closer. The room erupted into cheers and wolf whistles as your lips brushed against his in a soft, fleeting kiss. It was over almost as quickly as it had begun, but the warmth of it lingered, spreading from your cheeks to your chest.

As you pulled back, the room’s volume surged with excitement. Nobara was laughing so hard she nearly doubled over, and Yuji high-fived Panda while shouting something about how “Yuta finally got his act together.”

“That… wasn’t so bad,” Yuta said shyly, his voice barely audible amidst the commotion. His gaze stayed locked on you, and for a moment, the world seemed to shrink down to just the two of you.

“Not bad at all,” you replied, your voice light but warm. The smile you shared was enough to make your heart flutter all over again.

Gojo clapped his hands dramatically, drawing everyone’s attention back. “Alright, folks! Who’s next? The mistletoe’s not done yet!”

Megumi, who had been trying to edge away from the group, found himself stopped by Yuji grabbing his wrist. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, Fushiguro! Mistletoe rules apply to everyone!”

“Yuji,” Megumi hissed, his face bright red. But Yuji just grinned, leaning in close enough to press a quick, teasing kiss to Megumi’s cheek. The room erupted into another round of laughter, and Nobara nearly fell onto the couch, laughing so hard tears formed in her eyes.

Across the room, Geto nudged Gojo with his elbow. “Looks like we’re the only ones slacking,” he said with a sly smile.

Gojo leaned in with a dramatic flourish, pressing a deep kiss to Geto’s lips, even managing to slip in some tongue that made Megumi groan loudly. 

"Why did I expect anything less,” Geto pulled away, laughing.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of laughter and joy, punctuated by more mistletoe antics and playful teasing. But you couldn’t help sneaking glances at Yuta, who seemed equally distracted. Every time your eyes met, he’d give you that shy, heart-melting smile, and you’d feel the butterflies all over again.

As the party wound down and everyone began to retreat to their rooms, Yuta walked you back to your door.

“Thanks for… you know, not running away earlier,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

You grinned, leaning against the doorframe. “Thanks for not running away either.”

He chuckled, his gaze softening. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Yuta.”

And as he walked away, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a slight bounce in his step, you couldn’t help but think that this was the best holiday you’d ever had.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 12/24/2024

pair of portentous tuesdayposts: this one is christmas eve and the next one is new year's eve

trying something new with the reading section, where i list off a bunch of books i bounced off and briefly explain why. let me know if this is interesting, or if it's more interesting when i finish a book i sort of enjoyed and really dissect what didn't work for me like with that annoying evil wizard book a couple weeks ago.

listening

the true champ of the past few weeks has been friends at the table's (an actual play podcast about critical worldbuilding, smart characterization, and fun interaction between good friends) horror/weird west season Sangfielle, and i know i have listened to about sixty hours of it bc i have played about sixty hours of stardew valley. i am currently on ep 49, one before the last finale episode, and it feels like it is wrapping up in a very rushed and weird way? maybe i will feel differently after listening to the six coda episodes wrapping up everyones' characters?

the song of the week is fleet foxes’ white winter hymnal, which is morbidly festive without being strictly christmas-y and is not salting the open emotional wound within my chest that is The Holiday Season. album released 2008. christ im old

-

reading

the concept of this gag award is EXTREMELY funny to me. i wish the EFF sent them a little physical trophy. perhaps a challenge coin.

bounced off a lot of stuff. the six larger books and the far top right are all from my absolute favorite thrift store with the worst vibes, who regularly has a 8/$1 media sale bc they actually want to be more of a kitchen goods and home decor thrift store and don't really want to constantly be overflowing with records no one buys. yet here they are.

i really do need to find a good indie used bookstore around here that will take books and give me back slightly more in store credit than in cash. bc i would like to fill some missing chunks of trilogies/fill out the star wars shelves a little more. but every time i have gone to half price books i have had an unpleasant time.

lumberjanes/bravest warrior/adventure time were not making me feel nostalgic and in fact made me quite sad instead (more in a memento mori way than in subject matter) so they're going to a friend's kid

glad i looked up Heartthrob (despite the really good premise of woman haunted by her heart donor) on my library's comic app bc the third one seems to mostly take place in a mental hospital which is really never a vibe i want

GRIFTER has art i don't love and a bland storyline about an ex-marine who is the saddest boy in the world and can also detect literal space aliens living among us. no thank you

tangle's game has a close-call near-sexual assault in the first chapter. no thank you! cool dystopic social credit score premise but no thanks!

gil's all fright diner is about the king of vampires and the duke of werewolves but they're hicks. the narrator hates that they're dumb hicks. did not jive with the authorial voice on this one

i bought Two Tickets to Tangiers in high school bc it looked cool and have only cracked it open now, almost fifteen years later. fifteen year old kay did not yet have the context clues from the cover that it would be a very racist travelogue

i need to stop trying agatha christie. i am never going to like agatha christie

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watching

somehow i have seen the first tinker bell fairies movie three times this week bc that's all my bestie's toddlers want to watch. a really stupidly stacked cast??? how did all these people have free time in 2008???

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playing

finished the community center in summer 2 of stardew valley (wildly popular and very intense farming sim) and would have finished it in winter 1 if not for the FUCKING pufferfish. i hate fishing minigames and i especially hate the fishing minigame in stardew so i am excited to leave it the fuck alone for a while.

my cauliflower got stupid mchugelarge?? i do not know why they did that. also a meteor fell on my farm and gave me a bunch of really valuable ore, just like real life meteors.

i do kind of regret picking the beach farm bc so much of my day is spent watering, but i am trying to lean harder into animal products and being more of a fun silly flower farm instead of the intense agriculture i find myself doing. i have the greenhouse, i have a small patch of sprinklerable land, i will simply make sure to buy some of every seed each season and if i really need something i will toss it in the greenhouse.

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making

people are being very gracious about their mediocre colored pencil portraits. most of my gift budget this year was two flat rate boxes to my siblings. silly little pet portraits are very cost effective if you already have art supplies, nice paper, gumption, and very cheap small frames.

[cactuskat]

I came here for Scalene and Euclid headcanons but reading your last suggestion I feel like I could add for some brainstorming

If you really wanted cute childhood puppy-love billford:

It might seem a little convoluted, but the more I thought out about it the more I started to love it. Euclydia can be destroyed, be it by Bill's Parents or Bill himself. The Universe's destruction leaves the remaining "space" unstable, creating dimensional tears, time rifts, and the kinds of space-time holes we don't even have names in the universe's husk. Bill isn't destroyed, he is ejected from the dimension (maybe due to his mutation or the pure force it would take to destroy a universe (This also suggests other Euclydean things get ejected but this ain't about them))

Billy could be flung into the multiverse through one these, but going through that kind of unstable opening would leave you a bit "unstable" as well. This could act as an explanation for powers if you want to give him powers akin to canon Bill Cipher, and also lead to the important part of making this work: rifts sort of just appearing around Bill, and he doesn't have much control over it

Bill spends his life in the multiverse, an involuntary nomad, flickering about space an time the little scamp, causing mayhem (He is still Bill, and being dragged around time and space with no parental figures or rules is going to mess you up a little bit). He's on the run from both the Time Police, Inter-Dimensional fostercare , and various other intergalactic/dimensional government entities, your choice on how aware of this he is

Because of the rifts he's been flung through, ping-ponged through time, while it's been trillions of years since the destruction of Euclydia to it's basically only been maybe a decade or so, placing him mentally and physically at 12/13, or whatever the Euclydean's equivalent is

Here's one of my favorite parts: Thanks to Gravity Fall's magnetism to the weird, Billy is naturally pulled towards it, so he more than any other location, Bill just appears in Gravity Falls. This leads to him being sort of cryptid and local legend. Weird little legged-tringle just walking in the woods, disapearing in the blink of an eye, you can't tell me that doesn't sound like a cryptid

With ALLLLL that set up, we can finally get some Billford. Ford is utterly fascinated getting meet/be friends with a real life cryptid (a pleasant break from the usual monsters and chaos that follow the pines twins), meanwhile Bill is thrilled to have someone taking an interest to show show off to

Some Concepts

Seeing Billy occasionally in the background, watching these weird kids

Billy appearing in time travel episodes

Billy joining in on adventures infrequently, but disappearing at the most inconvenient times

Ford's slowly growing crush on Billy, much to Stan's confusion, side-eyeing, and teasing ("I thought you didn't like bad boys" "I- I don't! He's just a fascinating entity" "HEY SIXER WANT SOME HUMAN TEETH CAN I FOUND SOME HUMAN TEETH AND THINK YOU'D LIKE THEM" "Sure! Thanks" "*Stan squiting at Ford* "When am I going to get a chance to examine human teeth" "WHY WOULD YOU NEED TO EXAMINE HUMAN TEETH FORD")

Dipper being distrustful of Bill because of how similar he looks/is to Euclid and Scalene, that could be a whole mini-arch

Bill and his parents being unaware of each other (somehow)

Billy's most consistent appearances being during Weirdmageddon. Seeing his parents are alive, are villains, and are trying to kill his friends. Finally getting control of his rift abilities. Reuniting/having a heart to heart with his parents that seems to get through to them but doesn't, though it acted as a long enough diversion to allow the whole memory erasing plot to get properly prepared

Bill visiting his parents at the Theraprism once he gets over the attempted murder

now that the billford divorce has been revealed

WHAT THE HELL ARE YA'LL GONNA DO WITH THE RELATIVITY FALLS AU??

HUH???

BILLDIP CAN'T BE YOUR SOLUTION!

AND OBVIOUSLY NO BILLFORD

WILL THERE BE NOTHING??

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS NOW????????????

[call-me-chips]

Just watched the Sonic 3 movie and here are my 17 cents

MANY A SPOILER FOR THE SONIC 3 MOVIE AHEAD

For those who haven't watched it, twas very good. I'd def recommend you watch it, then come back here cuz I wanna give you my cents 🙃🙃

✨️✨️Le many takeaways✨️✨️:

Alrighty, to start, I wanna say that I loved the movie. The fight scenes were awesome and I could DEF tell that Jim Carrey had fun in his role xD

However, I will say that there were several moments that made me audibly cringe. There was many a cringe

I don't understand how Sonic is able to breathe in space. Even when he has his power taken away from him, he is still perfectly capable of breathing and having a whole heart to heart with Shadow on the moon. I could chalk it up to it being that Mobians can breathe in space, but Tails can't breathe in space. He had to hold his breathe and passed out from the lack of oxygen. Also the fact that Sonic has nearly drowned before, but has no problem breathing in space really bothers me

The vibe between Gerald and Ivo was... almost sexual?? In a way??? There were a couple scenes where I thought they might kiss. It was really weird, some of the moments they had

Also I feel really bad for Stone. All he wanted was to be gay and he never got to

I might be a Sonadow shipper now

The end credit scene. Twas cool. However, I was expecting Rouge. I'm hoping Rouge is in the next one.

Another thing: Amy's design. THEY FUCKED IT UP. Metal Sonic looks awesome but THEY FUCKED UP HER DESIGN. Idk wtf is up with her little fur spike things on the front of her head, but it just reminds me of Asta from Black Clover. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited she's in, but I hope they tweak her design

Also they just cut off a chunk of the moon and they're gonna act like there's no consequences???

I'm gonna pretend Shadow learned how to skate because of Maria cuz it's FUCKIN ADORABLE.

Also THEY DID THE THING THEY DID THE THING THEY DID THE THING! In the beginning, team Sonic did the stack thing from Sonic heroes

They did the thing AND I CALLED IT. Just before they did it, I called it hehehehe

Also Sonic and Shadow did the thing from Sonic Adventure 2

Many a reference hehehe

Another thing I wanna point out: When Super Sonic was fighting Shadow, plain Shadow was able to literally punch the Super out of Super Sonic, but Super Sonic wasn't able to punch the Super out of Super Shadow. Didn't get that :/ If plain Shadow can do it, why tf can't Super Sonic???

Both Gerald and Ivo breaking the fourth wall was hilarious xDD

Ima be honest, I was kinda disappointed with Keanu Reeves' voice acting for Shadow. Every time Keanu spoke, it sounded like he was using his head voice, which made all his speaking lines sound kinda low effort and forced

I REALLY hope we get Super Tails soon, cuz I wanna see the little cape. Also he'd be unstoppable and I wanna see how the movie will handle that

THEY DIDN'T DO THE THING. Shadow and Sonic didn't call each other "Faker". >:( Not ONCE. They didn't do the thing and I am upset. /not really

But yea, overall, twas very nice. Some inconsistencies and inaccuracies, but if you're not a die hard fan, you won't even notice. Even with the flaws, I still really enjoyed it. I've always been a big Shadow fan, so it was really nice seeing him in action on the big screen

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

My Top 10 Fics Of 2024

So, I have decided that I am gonna do the same thing that I did last year because I had so much fucking fun with this last time and it's a great way to look back and reflect on all the hard work I have done this year. And I am counting these down not based on statistics - not how many likes these posts have or how 'popular' they are, but based on how much I like them, and I get to really reflect on how writing these fics made me feel. And that is truly the most important part of fanfiction - how much fun I am having. So I am really happy and excited to reflect on all the awesome stuff I have written this year.

And I think a really great sign is that I had an incredibly difficult time with this year's ranking. Because I wrote so many amazing fics that I had so much fun with. Even if I had a really (not so fun) incident where I came very close to quitting fanfiction altogether, I had a lot of fun, and I wrote a lot of amazing things that I am so fucking proud of. And I'm only including fics in this ranking that I have posted (which is why I strategically waited until after certain fics were posted to write and make this ranking) - and not even including ones I have written and not yet posted, which are also fics I absolutely fucking love. So even if this year may not have been great for my mental health or my physical health, this year was a year where I felt great and comfortable and happy as an artist.

Anyway, here's the ranking!!

This year I posted 20 different fics consisting of over 250,000 words - and that is not including the fics I have not edited and the unfinished WIPs I have in my drafts.

Also keep in mind, if you randomly see this post in tags and you don't follow me, this is my main blog and not my fanfiction blog. My fanfiction blog is @sundrop-writes - you can follow me there to check out my fics and follow me for all my exciting fanfiction adventures in 2025.

Honorable Mentions:

Meddle About - Sub!Spencer Reid x Dom!Fem!Reader (6,300 words). I was slightly conflicted about if I should put this on the list or not, because currently, this is (in terms of statistics) the most popular fic on my blog right now, and usually when a fic is super popular, I am less inclined to like it. But this list is supposed to be strictly about how I feel about my fics and the experience I had while writing them. And I did really enjoy the experience of writing this fic - it was really fun to write something absolutely kinky and filthy and to write a fic that was so truly stuck in my head. I had a lot of fun with it.

The Restricted Section - Dom!Hermione Granger x Sub!Fem!Reader x (Secret Voyeur) Harry Potter (4,400 words). This is one of my absolute favourite fics that I have written this year, and it just didn't make the top ten because other fics were more my favourite. I loved writing this because it was such a fun PWP and it was one of those instances where I had the idea and then the fic was posted like a day later. It's a lot of fun.

Tongue Twister - Sub!Gar Logan x Dom!GN!Reader (2,000 words). This is one that I actually forgot that I wrote this year - it feels like so long ago lmao. But I really loved it when I wrote it, I love it now. I will always love Gar so much, and I love writing slutty fics about him.

Eager Little Puppy - Sub!Isaac Lahey x Dom!GN!Reader (2,700 words). This is by far one of my favourite things I have written this year - Isaac is one of my new favourite characters, and I have absolutely loved writing about him (and I look forward to writing more about him in the future). This is just a representation of how much I love him.

One Moment Per Episode With Dick Grayson - Dick Grayson x Fem!Reader (8,300 words). This is another one that I forgot was from this year because it feels like so long ago. I really fucking love the concept and I really, really want to continue it further in 2025 (feel free to send me messages if you are excited about it and want to see more, because I would like to set aside some specific time to work on it). Anyway - I really love the start of it and I really love what I have planned for this fic in the future.

Now, onto The Top Ten:

10. Precious Time Alone (aka The Knot Fic) - Gar Logan x Fem!Reader (11,800 words)

Even with the ability to see the future, you never would have guessed that your life would lead you to falling in love with the perfect man - someone sweet, caring, funny, cute. Someone with the passion and fire to protect the ones that he loves no matter what. A precious guy with green hair who had the ability to transform into a tiger at will. And when you finally made love to him for the first time, you never could have guessed how that unique ability affected his sex life. You weren’t exactly complaining, but you wished you had seen this coming. At the end of the day, it was just another thing about him to love. Or - Neither you nor Gar knew that he has the ability to knot, and you both find out for the first time when you have sex together. Gar Logan x Fem!Powered!Reader. Established Relationship. Smut/PWP. Set during Season 2, Episode 9.

It's such an interesting coincidence that both this year and last year, the number ten slot contains a Gar fic that is a re-make/re-post. I have a lot of fics that are only on AO3 and not on Tumblr, and I highly recommend that you check out my AO3 for that reason, but if I am transferring a fic from AO3 to Tumblr, I love to go through and do some edits on it and see how I can improve it before I post it again.

I absolutely loved this fic when I first posted it, and I love it even more with the edits - including the new scene that I added. It is such a fun idea that could be considered Crack Fic (so often, I write Crack Fic concepts but I treat them seriously) - the idea that Gar has a Knot because he is 'an animal' (or because he has animal DNA). It's such a funny idea, but it was fun and hot to write porn about it.

I love this fic, and if it is your thing and you would enjoy reading it, I hope that you enjoy it too.

9. The Way You Miss Me - Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader (18,500 words)

Fred broke up with you. He made it clear that he was going to have a new life when he opened his shop, and he didn’t need you to be a part of it. You being stuck on him was just another joke in a long line of pranks that he pulled. And life kept on laughing at you when your fear of heights was triggered by a potentially life ending mission the Order put together that had you dangling hundreds of feet over London, held up only by Fred’s strength and determination. So what does it mean when the two of you land, and he’s the only thing that can stop your shaking panic? What does it mean when he’s looking at you with nothing but love in his eyes, holding you tight like a lover would? Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader. Exes to Lovers. Emotional Angst and Smut. Set during Deathly Hallows.

This fic is one of the reasons that the ranking was so difficult. This one got moved around a lot because I had so much fun writing it and working on it. I am also super proud of this fic because originally, the idea was going to be part of a much longer fic, and I am so glad that I was able to pull off the emotions and the tone that I wanted in a much shorter word count that took me a lot less time. It makes me incredibly proud of myself - that I don't feel like I have to spend months and months on an idea in order to truly pull it off.

I fucking love this fic and I am so happy with how it turned out.

8. Why Am I The One? - Isaac Lahey x Fem!Reader (15,200 words)

Isaac loves you. He loves you more than anything else in the world - which is exactly why he has stayed away from you for so long. But when Derek kicks him out onto the street in the pouring rain with absolutely no warning and no reasoning as to why, Isaac has nowhere else to go. He could claim that he sought you out because you’re close by, because he knows that you won’t turn him away in his time of need - but deep down, it’s because he misses you. And staying away from you for so long is the hardest, stupidest thing he has ever done. Isaac Lahey x Fem!Reader. Exes to Lovers. Smut and Emotional Angst. Set during Season 3, Episode 4.

Again, this is one that made the ranking very hard. I enjoyed the process of writing this so fucking much. I was immediately inspired when I saw the episode, and as soon as I saw it, I started working on this fic - the imagery of Isaac so slutty in his white shirt sparks the temptation to write smut, but I love the emotional depth of him being a literal kicked puppy (after being kicked out by Derek) and being emotionally vulnerable and needing some place to go and someone to turn to. It is literally a perfect recipe for the kind of smut I write - super hot sex with emotional depth because one of the characters is feeling vulnerable. It's perfect.

This fic is exactly what I wanted it to be when I set out to write it, and I especially loved exploring Isaac's grief for Erica (which is by far not explored enough in the show) and I might do a continuation of it in the future, I'm not sure. Either way, I think it's fantastic, and it definitely deserves a spot on this list.

7. She Keeps Me Up - Dom!MILF!Jennifer Jareau x Sub!Fem!Reader (3,100 words)

JJ is protective of you. When you offer yourself up as ‘bait’ to lure in an UnSub who is killing women of your type, she protests endlessly about it - but ultimately she can’t stop you. She can, however, possessively lay her claim on you when you get back from the ordeal with nothing more than a tiny scratch. Dom!Jennifer Jareau x Sub!Fem!Reader. Established Dom/Sub Relationship. Smut/PWP.

Like I said, this list is all about reflecting, and I was considering wiping all Criminal Minds fics off this list because of the experience that I had - but that wouldn't be fair to my past self or fair to my art. Especially because this is one of my favourite fics I have ever written and whenever I listen to the song that I titled it for, I still have incredibly fond memories of writing this fic.

I think that MILF!JJ is my favourite version of JJ, even though - ironically - I haven't seen a lot of the later seasons. But way too many people obsess over Professor Reid and Grey Haired Prentiss (who I also love, don't get me wrong) - but I think there is not enough love for MILF!JJ. Not by far. I want to be her controversially younger girlfriend.

I actually have something in my drafts that is MILF!JJ centric, and if I finished it, it would be the only thing that could get me to stray back into the Criminal Minds fandom. I am so down bad for JJ, it's not even funny. (So - if you wanna see more of her, feel free to come in my inbox and let me know.)

6. Blood In The Water - Void!Stiles Stilinski x Fem!Reader (11,700 words)

Being Stiles’s best friend, you are incredibly worried about him when you figure out that he is quite literally not himself - and that the thing currently occupying his body could be destroying it in the process. When you approach him to show this concern, Void takes a particular interest in you. He’s not capable of love, or even fondness, but he likes you. And he likes the way your fear spikes when you talk about Stiles. So he makes you a deal - he’ll agree to take care of this fleshy, mortal host, in exchange for something more precious, more rare, and more delicious than the meal you have brought for Stiles. He wants your pain. He wants your tears. Void!Stiles Stilinski x Fem!Reader. Pining Best Friends. Extreme Emotional Angst, Hurt No Comfort. Set during Season 3 (with flashbacks to Season 1, Episode 11).

Another one that made the ranking so hard. This fic was so much fun to write, because as I said in the A/N for it - I fucking love writing villains. I love writing characters who are absolutely unambiguously evil. I do think it's a big of a shame that the recent cultural shift is to write villains as morally ambiguous or to take characters who are evil (or morally grey shifting more towards 'bad' in the canon) and soften them up so much in fanfiction to make it seem like they did nothing wrong.

A lot of people write Void as one of those "he is bad but he won't hurt me because he loves me uwu" characters and I really don't like that - because I want to write him as a character who is absolutely fucking incapable of love. He does not know love, he doesn't know what it is, and he has absolutely no softness or fondness for any person.

I really want to write a sequel to this fic - I have one drafted out that I think would be so fucking good - and I think I want to make it one of my goals for 2025 to complete and post the sequel. Anyway, just this fic as it is, I fucking love it, and I had such a fantastic time writing it.

5. Downhill - Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader (20,100 words)

Draco knows his place in the world. He is a Malfoy, he is Pureblood. He is supposed to marry, carry on the Pureblood line. He is supposed to do everything that his parents would - including killing, if it’s what his Dark Lord wishes. Draco Malfoy is not supposed to hesitate. He is not supposed to feel fear. He is not supposed to have room in his heart for fondness, or even love. Not even when it comes to his bartered and bought fellow Pureblood fiancee. Love is nothing but a weakness. And Malfoys are not weak. Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader. Arranged Marriage/Hesitant Lovers. Emotional Angst and Smut. Set during Half-Blood Prince.

This is one of the fics that caused me to strategically wait to make and post this whole list lmao. And I am glad that I actually got this fic posted when I wanted to, and I'm glad that I waited. I have had this fic brewing in my drafts for a long time, and I have had the general idea for it in my head for a lot longer. I've actually had the idea in my head for longer than the original fic existed (the fic that this is a prequel to) and when I figured out that I could utilise my idea here, I was so excited.

I love writing about the real consequences of Draco being a Death Eater and I fucking love writing the Arranged Marriage trope, and this was all my favourite things to write about rolled up into one. And I also loved writing the inclusion of Harry having a very shallow one-sided crush on the reader when she is too busy actually falling in love with Draco to notice. This was incredibly fun for me to write and I absolutely love how it turned out - so it is by far one of my favourite fics I have written this year.

4. Figure It Out - A Criminal Minds Casefic (18,000 words)

Since you joined the BAU, you have been keeping a terrible secret from the team. When the team takes a case in your hometown - your festering secret comes to be known with a vengeance. Fem!Reader x Gen!BAU Team (Platonic). General Casefic, modelled after a Criminal Minds episode. Angst, Mystery, Hurt and Comfort. Set during Criminal Minds Season 3.

I feel like this list would be incomplete if I did not include the fic I obsessed over as my first fic of the year. This fic really did a lot for me as an artist - for so long I have been wanting to write something with a similar concept to the music video for Figure It Out by Royal Blood (something where the story essentially goes in reverse and more details are revealed along the way, constantly changing who you believe is the villain vs who is the victim). The first time I saw that music video, it changed me and I have been so radically inspired by it ever since.

And because this idea has been sitting in my head for literal years, I am so fucking proud that I managed to do it justice. And I do think that Criminal Minds is the perfect backdrop to do this kind of idea with, and I think that this is actually a kind of radical artistic episode that they might actually do.

I would also love to use this format for other fandoms (I think it would work so well for The Walking Dead especially, and you guys know that I want to apply everything I do to Titans) - so I am so glad that I wrote this fic and gained confidence in writing something with an usual format and that I just got to have fun with it.

3. When Doves Cry - Jason Todd x Gar Logan (11,100 words)

At Dick’s insistence, Jason comes back to Wayne Manor to help the Titans end Crane’s deadly plan. Jason doesn’t want redemption or forgiveness - he’s done believing that he’s worthy of those. Once Crane is back at Arkham where he belongs, Jason plans to disappear, never to be heard from again. But Gar - someone who never stopped loving Jason and never stopped believing in his goodness - has other plans. Jason Todd x Gar Logan. Friends to Lovers/Lovers Reunited. Smut and Emotional Angst. Set during Season 3, Episode 13.

This fic is absolutely so fucking special to me. This is actually one of my only fics that has a dedication, even though most of my romance based fics should be dedicated to @nctzenkane - because he is the love of my life and he inspires most of my romance based fics in one way or another.

I wrote this fic at a time when I was really struggling as an artist. If you have been following me all year, then you will likely know about an incident where I spent months writing a longer fic, and that fic garnered some complaints and hate comments, and when I spoke up with my distaste for those comments - I was basically told to shut up, and I was told that fanfic readers have a right to be rude and treat fic authors like shit the second that we post our work to the 'public'.

And it really demotivated me and the whole incident really made me thoroughly consider quitting writing altogether, especially considering the fact that my chronic illness is getting worse each year and every single time I successfully post a fic, more and more work has gone into that fic behind the scenes (past my illness) in order to make that fic 'visible to the public'.

All of this to say that I was feeling down, disappointed and lost, and I asked Jaycen what to do - what I should write to truly make myself feel confident and good in my art again. I asked him to request something because I needed some inspiration and some artistic direction. And he requested this fic - because he usually only enjoys romances between canon character pairings (and he loves JayGar because I majorly fed him the juice on that) and he knows that Titans is my strong suit.

The fic is also incredibly special to me because the song is also incredibly special - even though I fucking love 80s music, I didn't really listen to Prince until Jaycen encouraged me to, and when I listened to this song for the first time, it really wormed its way in as one of my all time favourite songs. And it suits these characters and their dynamic so well in addition to being such a beautifully personal song to me.

So yeah - this fic is gonna go down in history as one of my top five favourite fics of all time, not just from this year. And it definitely made the ranking a lot harder.

2. Heaven's Gate - Daryl Dixon x GN!Reader (24,200 words)

Hope. Not the fragile, delicate thing that everyone mistakes it to be. Hope is stubborn, and grows inside of you long before you ever realize its purpose there. Hope can’t be crushed by a thousand pound tank or torn apart as easily as concrete walls can. Hope is balanced on the backs of songbirds, it whistles quietly in the wind, and it brings you right where you need to be (even if you don’t know it). Daryl Dixon x GN!Reader. Strangers to Lovers/Lovers Reunited. Emotional Angst, Hurt and Comfort, Fluff. Set during Seasons 1-5.

This is another fic that is so fucking special to me, and that's why it's so close to the top of the ranking. I have had this idea in mind for years probably - I fucking love the concept of any fic that involves reunions when it comes to The Walking Dead (and I could write 10,000 more fics based on this concept) because every single moment of reunion in the show just fucking gets me. Even though I don't really like Rick and Lori's relationship (and I love Lori, don't mistake me as a Lori hater - never), the moment where Rick gets out of the cube van and reunites with Carl and Lori for the first time in the first season - it gives me goosebumps every single time without fail.

So I simply aim to recreate that feeling with my fics.

Also - the bird symbolism. When I lived at my old place, I had a bird feeder right outside my window, and I used to do a lot of bird watching. And I became familiar with certain bird species and the rarity of certain types of birds, and there is just something hopeful that ignites within you when you see a particularly rare bird - and it is a myth I have heard that cardinals represent good luck (likely because of their rarity) when you see them.

And I love how the whole fic evolved to represent hope, which I think is something we all need more of in our lives. During this year of existential dread and sadness, it felt really good to write something that was purely about happiness and hope.

1. The Jaws of Life - Jason Todd x GN!Reader (19,900 words)

You and Jason don’t really hate each other - at least not anymore. Your feelings for each other are more than complicated, and before you have time to figure it all out, you have to part ways. Jason goes back to Gotham at Bruce’s behest, and you’re off to visit a long lost relative that you didn’t even know cared about you. Unfortunately, while you’re apart, the Joker makes things even more complicated with a phone call and a gun. And your world comes crashing down before you can even put names to all the stars in your sky. Jason Todd x GN!Powered!Reader. Friends With Benefits to Lovers/Lovers Reunited. Smut, Extreme Emotional Angst, Hurt and Comfort. Set during Season 3. 

Here is the big number one! I am giving this one the top spot even though it's incomplete (and I am kind of biased because in my head, I am including how amazing stuff from the second part is) - and maybe it's just an excuse to include such an amazing fic in two different 'Top 10 Fics of The Year' posts lmao. Because when I post the second part in January, technically it will count for next year too.

But anyway - I love this fic so fucking much. This fic has been so long in the making, and I love every single aspect of it - the emotions, the metaphors, the length. This is one of those fics that is perfect to me because it came out exactly how I wanted it to be in my head. I am so utterly proud of this fic, and I am so glad that people are getting to read it now, even if it is just the first part.

Anyway - that's all for this year, and I am sooo looking forward to seeing what I can come up with next year.

[cupidbedsy]

❃ downtown festivities ; flowers

➪ summary: connor and violet visit downtown chicago and their adventure is nothing short of chaotic

➪ warnings: two people rearing their heads into every single thing connor and violet do (lukas and kevin ofc)

➪ word count: 0.9k

➪ file type: 12 days of au's: christmas edition (flowers) blurb

➪ cupid's notes: honestly, whenever i'm in writers block i really just need to write for these two bc this was so easy to write and i don't know why i was dreading doing this in the first place. i still have three more blurbs to work on in order to be caught up but i don't know if those will be out tomorrow or today so yeah

© cupidbedsy ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

“Are you sure you don’t want another jacket?”

“Connie, I’ll be fine. I promise.” Violet looked up from where she was sitting on the couch, already dressed in her winter coat, UofI beanie on her head and gloves adorning her hands. 

Connor finished putting on his boots, walking over to her, and grabbing her hands to pull her up, “Just making sure.”

She smiled up at him, letting him bring her into a soft kiss. When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead to rest against hers, unable to keep the huge smile that was growing on his face. The smile caused her to blush, looking at him with curious and shy eyes, “What?”

“Nothing.” He stepped back, gripping her hand, “C’mon, we have places to be.”

The two walked out of Connor’s apartment, Violet whispering about all the things she wanted to do and wanted to see. It took everything in Connor to not just say ‘okay’ to everything she was saying, wanting nothing more than to spoil her just as he always did. 

The cold hit them immediately as they stepped out of the building, Violet trying to bury her head further into her coat, “Jesus fuck.”

He laughed, looking down at her, “That’s a new one.”

She clutched tightly onto her boyfriend’s hand as they made their way down the street, eyes wandering as she tried to look at every single Christmas decoration that was out. Once they came to a corner, Violet’s eyes looked around aimlessly until her eyes landed on the store diagonally from them, a hit-eating grin on her face, “Connie.”

“Yeah, pretty girl?” He didn’t look down at her, simply pulling her into his side to keep her warm and away from the other people who were starting to crowd around them as they waited to cross the street. 

“I found a store I want to go to.”

“And what store is that?”

She nodded her head in the direction, waiting for realization to click after he turned his head. He scanned the store, immediately rolling his eyes before looking back at her, “Really?”

“Please.”

“Do you want to go because you want to or do you want to go because you want to see my face everywhere?”

“Well, when you put it like that…” She trailed off, smiling before pulling him in that direction. 

“Careful, Vi. You’re either going to trample someone or get trampled and I am not in the mood to deal with either outcome.”

“Shut up.”

They came to a stop outside the Hawks store, Violet bouncing with anticipation or amusement, he didn’t know, but it made him smile nonetheless. He opened the door, allowing her to talk in first, trailing after her as they climbed up the steps. 

The guy standing there, got ready to greet the two of them when his gaze fell on Connor, cocking his head in confusion to which the boy just grumbled, “Don’t ask.”

The worker laughed and nodded, “Welcome in guys.”

Connor followed her around like a lost puppy the entire time, making mental notes in his head about which things she said she liked and which ones she loved. When they stopped by Winter Classic jerseys, he gave her a look when she took her phone out and took a picture of the sign, “What’re you going?”

Violet gave him an innocent look, “I don’t have this picture of you yet.”

“Obsessed much?”

“Yes.” 

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

Once Violet finished looking at everything she wanted to, the two made their way back downstairs into the cold of Chicago, trudging through downtown. When they came to a stop at a red light, waiting to cross, she looked over at him, studying the slope of his nose and the slight curve of his jaw. 

As if he could feel her staring, Connor looked over at her, furrowing his eyes with a cocky smirk playing on his lips, “Yes?”

“Can you believe it’s almost been a year since we started dating?”

And she was right, and no, he couldn’t believe it. A year ago today, they were probably texting about something completely random and most of his focus was on playing better and helping the team. A year ago today, they were dancing around their feelings and just basking in their friendship and flirtiness.

In a week, Violet would fly out to Buffalo with the team so they could be together for their anniversary, and then they would fly back home to celebrate New Year’s together. Connor’s head swam with the information, at their plans, at the present that was hiding in the bottom of his backpack. 

His smile softened into one of fondness, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple and bringing her into a huge hug, “I love you.”

Her eyes met his and she grinned, going up on her tip-toes in order to kiss his jaw, “I love you too.”

Some ran into the back of Connor, causing the two of them to stumble slightly, the boy turning around to glare at whoever it was. But instead of some stranger he thought he was going to have to yell at it, he was met with the faces of his two teammates, “What the fuck are you two doing here?”

Lukas and Kevin gave them shit-eating grins, “Fancy meeting the two of you here. What brings you two lovely people out on this very fine day?”

And some things will never change, even if those things include running into Kevin and Lukas when he really didn’t want to.

꒰ FLOWERS TAGLIST ꒱

@winterbarnesblog @rowdyluv @fantillisgirl @macklin-celebrini-71

FLOWERS MASTERLIST ; AU'S ; 12 DAYS OF AU'S

TAGLIST ; NHL MASTERLIST ; NAVIGATION

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! May I just start by saying that your blog is one of the most helpful resources I've ever come across! The physiology of love has been particularly helpful for writing a very logically driven character who would absolutely go on a tangent about that kind of thing!

Now, I've encountered a recent roadblock in writing the relationship between that character and a very esoteric driven character (if you can't prove it with logic, they believe in it). The two are in a romantic relationship and get along very well, they respect and even make time to go to events regarding each other's interests/beliefs.

The problem is, they bond by debating. Like, they debate about the possibilities of the supernatural existing, do ghosts exist, etc. They don't argue, that's the key here. I... don't get it. To me, debating is arguing. If I believe something very strongly that I can back up with facts, I can get riled up in seconds if someone even jokingly goes against me.

Could you help me understand debating? Or even why some people do it to bond? It's my biggest struggle with writing these two characters and every time I try to research myself I just keep getting "benefits of debating" articles.

Hi! The first thing that came to mind after reading this was studies on sensation seeking.

Sensation seeking - the tendency to search out and engage in thrilling activities as a method of increasing stimulation and arousal.

Perhaps your characters experience debating as a thrilling activity.

Zuckerman's Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS)

A questionnaire designed to measure the extent to which a person needs novel or exciting experiences and enjoys the thrills and excitement associated with them.

Contains 4 subscales, each containing items and phrases as a forced-choice between two distinct options:

First is thrill and adventure seeking, with items such as “I would like to try parachute jumping” versus “I would never want to try jumping out of a plane, with or without a parachute.” These items ask about desire for outdoor sports or activities involving elements of risk, such as flying and scuba diving.

The other scales are experience seeking (e.g., “I am not interested in experience for its own sake” versus “I like to have new and exciting experiences and sensations even if they are a little frightening, unconventional, or illegal”) These items refer to the seeking of new sensory or mental experiences through unconventional or nonconforming lifestyle choices;

disinhibition (e.g., “I like wild, uninhibited parties” versus “I prefer quiet parties with good conversation”). These items indicate a preference for getting “out of control” or an interest in wild parties, gambling, and sexual variety;

boredom susceptibility (e.g., “I get bored seeing the same old faces” versus “I like the comfortable familiarity of everyday friends”) reflected in items that refer to a dislike for repetition, routine work, monotony, predictable and dull people, and a restlessness when things become unchanging.

If we look at each subscale, perhaps your characters are high in "experience seeking" and "boredom susceptibility" and this might be reflected in their love of debating. As a whole, perhaps they both have what is called an HSS personality.

High Sensation-Seeking Personality

If you have this type of personality, it means you prefer to live your life with boundless energy and enthusiasm. You constantly seek out new experiences that will delight, surprise, stimulate and invigorate you – and you may indulge to excess.

Typical Characteristics of High Sensation-Seekers (HSS):

A continuous need for novel and diverse experiences that stimulate them*

A low boredom threshold*

Dislike of routines*

Doesn't respond well to authority or rules and regulations

May not be able to resist impulsive urges

A tendency to make unusual choices that may frighten those around them

HSS personalities often:

Are drawn to high-risk hobbies and sports

Build relationships that contain chaotic elements*

Like music, art and cinema that is daring and stimulating*

Challenge people by provoking raw and intense emotions*

Are fast and sometimes reckless drivers, which may be reflected in their history of accidents or speeding tickets

Become restless or depressed and even more desperate for exciting experiences if sensation is denied*

*Perhaps these characteristics and behaviours apply to your characters.

And we can always use The Five-Factor Model of Personality to help us understand certain traits and behaviours.

Using this model, we could say that your characters likely have high levels of openness and extroversion, and may not be as agreeable, to explain their love of debating.

(Of course, in reality, psychological tests and qualified assessors are needed to make these conclusions using these models, but I think that they can also be used by writers as guides for character building and development.)

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Thanks so much for your kind words! Really happy to hear the Physiology of Love post was helpful for you. Hope this one would be too :)

[chaparritabellita]

I've recently started using Tumblr again for the first time in many years. It's a weird feeling. I'm not quite sure how to use it as well as I used to, so I'm sorry I couldn't figure out how to add a "read more" break at the very beginning of this behemoth post. A month or so ago I re-read this post along with some other diary-like posts I have on here. It was so surreal. I felt like I was reading journal entries written by an entirely different person. I cringed and I cried. When I first started this post, I was freshly 22. Now I'm 29, and things are both better and worse than they were seven years ago. Today marks the 7th year anniversary of my first date with CMO. We celebrated this anniversary on Saturday like we have every year since 12/23/17: by recreating our first date. We admired the Christmas lights and reminisced in the perfectly chilly weather. At one point during our stroll, I told him that on our first date I had wished so badly that I could have held his hand. "You can hold my hand now," he told me sweetly and interlaced his fingers with mine, though even the mildest of PDA has never been his thing. In that moment, I felt those old butterflies resurface. On our first date, I could have never known that I would spend the better part of a decade with this man. I could have never known that he would turn out to be my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the love of my life. I never could have dreamed of the love and adventure and companionship he would bring me. That night was just as sweet as the first. I had almost forgotten that 24 hours earlier I had had a very difficult conversation with my mother. For the first time in all these years, I told her that I would not be visiting for Christmas. I'm nearly 30, but standing up to my parents still feels as impossible as it did when I was a child. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. Things have never improved with my parents. If anything, things are worse now than they've ever been. A lot has transpired recently that can never be unsaid or undone. There are more familial rifts now than ever, and I don't think those will be repaired either. I will never understand why my father chose to disown me, nor why my mother continues to stand by his side. This year I have had many difficult revelations about my parents and my childhood. These realizations have made me sick both emotionally and physically. I wish I could say that I've processed everything I need to, but I know that this is just the beginning. CMO is proud of me for this step I've finally taken, and so am I. My wish for 2025 is to heal. Here's to growing, healing, and to the love of my life.

You know what would just be so amazing and make my year? If I could actually confirm whether or not my coworker liked me because my fantasies are really, really getting out of control at this point.

[originalartblog]

Apparently much-needed reminder that reposting artists' art (by saving the images or screenshotting them and reuploading them yourself) on other platforms without the artists' expressed permission and without credit is theft and an insult to their passion and craft. You are profiting (in views, in attention, in feedback) from someone else's work and ideas, who do not get that feedback for sharing their creation.

If you are an art reposter, you are a thief and I have no respect for you.

[fatedroses]

Two former military elites taking merc jobs perform absolutely hellish battle tactics together.

[r0semultiverse]

Hey, what the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK??

"12 years ago"

"Open your mind!"

Ice Queen counterpart's ice cream machine is a portal???

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

I kid you not when I say that evil or criminal gays are so so important in representation and some of yall just refuse to get that. The idea that a queer person needs to be perfect flawless and infallible or else they don't deserve to be represented is a legitimately disgusting mindset that perpetuates the idea that queers need to obey and blend in to exist in "normal" society.

Straight people have SO FUCKING MANY movies of evil heartless criminals, or heist romances, or romantic supervillains, etc etc. Like the amount of times I've heard "this villain was right actually" about the fucking Joker or some shit should win me an award with how I've put up with it for so long. If your first thought when you see people celebrating queer rep of villain characters is to say "but she's bad" or get super sarcastic and insulting about it, you need to reexamine some stuff.

[rorapostsbl]

i recently came across the hound of the baskervilles. on my last chapter, do NOT spoil it 😭 but the relationship between sherlock holmes and dr. watson is — dare i say so — adorable 😭🥺⁉️

holmes refers to him as, “my dear watson” which led my bl-filled mind to search them up on AO3. to my absolute surprise, guess what i found?? THOUSANDS OF FANFICTIONS OF THEM TOGETHER 😭😭

then, i searched on tumblr. guess wHAT AGAIN?? THERE ARE SO MANY CUTE ARTWORKS ON/ABOUT THEM 😭⁉️

[pollyanna-nana]

I'm thinking hard.