#I am so glad I finally get to answer questions about this kind of stuff

[taeyongdoyoung]

enjoy the silence

summary: your usually quiet self becomes unusually loud around your boyfriend so you want him to make you shut up 👀 pairing: chan x reader genre: smut with hints of angst warnings: silence kink, insecurities, swearing, healthy communication 🥰 belt, fingering, eating out, overstimulation, piv sex, safeword used, pre-discussed scenario, dirty talk, pet names, kissing, overthinking, they're just idiots in love, your honour 😔 word count: 1.5k

You are generally perceived as the "quiet one" among your friends. Always the listener, never the talker. Honestly, you are more than okay with it. Most of the time, you can't think of a funny or interesting thing to say so you keep to yourself. And you genuinely enjoy hearing about your loved ones' days, even if you are not the best at responding with something witty. Some of them say one of the things that they like about you is that you don't give unnecessary advice but offer your support which is more than enough in certain situations.

All of that changes when you meet Chan. He makes you feel so comfortable that you open up without realizing. Sometimes you would babble for hours and he would let you. In most contexts, you would overthink your answer and end up not saying anything. But when you are with him, you don't have to think. You just freely say whatever is on your mind and are met with acceptance. It is like he unlocked a new part of you that you didn't even know existed.

One evening, you are out having dinner with Chan, and you are excitedly telling him about what you did today, what you ate, where you went, what outfit you wore and all the silly details you normally keep inside. He smiles at you adoringly, adding "Really?" and "That sounds nice" every now and then.

You are genuinely having a lovely time when you overhear a remark coming from the table nearby.

"Ugh, does that woman ever shut up? That poor guy..."

"I know, right? Must be so annoying..."

You immediately stop talking and gulp nervously. They must be talking about you. Were you really that loud?

"Let's go home," you say in a quiet voice.

Chan doesn't question it, he just gets the bill and you two make your way out of the restaurant. He drives you home in complete silence and when you are inside the apartment, he finally breaks the quiet spell.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? You didn't even finish your meal..."

"N-nothing, I'm f-fine," you try to lie but your voice breaks.

"Tell me, please," Chan urges you to trust him with your concerns.

"Channie, do I talk too much?" you ask.

"Oh, so you heard those assholes, as well..."

"So...do I?"

"I seriously love hearing you talk, okay? I've seen how quiet you get around your friends and I am glad you feel safe enough to share all these stuff with me. And to be fair, it's kind of a relief, after a long day of me doing a lot of talking, I get to listen to you. These people at the restaurant were just jealous that no one wants to hear their nasty voices."

That makes you laugh and you bury your head in his chest, enveloping him in a hug.

"Don't you ever get tired? Don't you wish to shut me up?" you want to know.

"Where is this coming from? Forget about these fuckers..."

"Not in general. Don't you want to make me stop talking in bed?" you suggest boldly.

"Oh. It hasn't crossed my mind. Is that something you'd like to explore?"

"As long as it's with you, yes."

"With nobody else?" Chan runs a finger across your cheek.

"Nope, never," you admit.

"Well, I'll see what I can do about that."

Chan looks really tired from work and you probably shouldn't push his buttons right now of all times. But you really want to see him snap. Empowered by your previous discussions of this particular scenario, you decide to give it a shot. If he's not in the mood, you'll just drop it and let him rest. But if he's in...may the universe have mercy on you.

"So I told her, no, I don't want to get drinks for everyone, Susan, 'cause you never pay me back and you always treat me like a minion and then she said-"

Chan sighs deeply because you've told this story like three times already but doesn't interrupt you. Okay, he really appears exhausted, maybe this was a terrible idea.

"Tell me to shut up," you beg him at this point.

"Huh?" he blinks somewhat confused.

"I'm obviously being super loud and you're tired. So, make me shut up and take it out on me. Please?"

Realizing where you're going with this, Chan nods and the exhaustion suddenly disappears from his eyes. His gaze is now on fire as he squishes your cheeks with one hand and pushes you against the wall.

"As long you're begging," he smirks cruelly and kisses you.

Oh dear. He's never kissed you like this, so roughly and fervently, teeth clashing against yours, biting your lips until it hurts. You cannot speak even if you wanted to, which you don't. Completely losing yourself to the feeling, you let him do as he pleases.

Chan grabs your wrist and pulls you towards the bedroom. He pins you under him on the bed and starts talking.

"Always so fuckin' loud, huh?"

You shake your head in disagreement. You can be quiet if he wants you to. You'd do anything if it makes him happy.

"Got nothing to say all of a sudden?" Chan teases you and starts taking off your clothes.

You lick your own lips hesitantly but don't dare say a word. Seeing him like this is so unexpected but you can't get enough of it.

"What got you so shy, hm? I thought you loved yapping to me. All. Day. Long."

The way he enunciates each word would make anyone else think he was genuinely annoyed by it. But you know your Channie. You know that he wouldn't hurt you. Not unless you asked him to.

"Talk to me, baby, yeah? Why aren't you saying anything?" he asks while he's unbuckling his belt.

You refuse to speak and he takes it as a sign to continue. He smacks the bed with his belt and the action is so startling you unvoluntarily flinch as if you were the one hit.

"Are you going to speak or do you want me to force the words out of you?"

Oh, so he's going to use your own weapon against you? Very well, then. Two can play at that game. Let's see who folds first.

Chan takes the task very seriously and does everything he can think of to make you talk again.

"Come on, sweetheart, doesn't this feel good?" he keeps asking as his big fingers stretch you out deliciously. Yes, it feels amazing, but you are so stubborn you say nothing.

"Not even a moan? You're crazy," he laughs but doesn't give up.

He eats you out longer than you've ever thought humanly possible, making you cum over and over again. But you still hold on, fingers gripping the sheets and teeth biting the inside of your cheek.

"Was this okay?" Chan needs to know and you swear you see his eyes watering with emotion, begging to be praised for his otherworldly skills, but not even that can make you speak.

You give him a noncomittal nod, which obviously makes him even more competitive.

Finally, he thrusts into you so deeply, so overwhelmingly that it takes every ounce of willpower for you to not break. His hard cock inside you, his strong arms wrapped around you, his smooth voice talking to you, his beautiful eyes gazing at yours. It's too much, yet never enough. You want to tell him so many things. How much he means to you, how grateful you are for him, how happy he makes you, how-

"Be honest, do you hate me?" Chan interrupts your affectionate thoughts out of nowhere.

Huh? Where the fuck is this coming from?

"P-pineapple," you break your silence by saying the pre-established safeword because there is no way you could continue enjoying yourself and each other without unpacking this.

Oh, no. Chan just wanted to hear you speak again, but not like this.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he immediately asks in concern and stops his movements.

"Did you hurt me?" you answer sarcastically. "Did I hurt you? Why would you ask me if I hate you while literally inside of me, are you serious right now?"

"I was just wondering," he pouts adorably, "you weren't talking to me for so long, I thought you were mad at me or something."

"I wasn't speaking because that was part of the scenario we talked about! Of course, I love you, you big idiot! How could you possibly ask that?"

Chan smiles fondly and gives you a soft kiss.

"I love you, too," he giggles. "So, you're not hurt? We can keep going?"

"No, I'm fine. Yes, we can, I just said the safeword because I can't have you thinking I hate you under no circumstances. You're everything to me, okay?"

"Okay," Chan agrees easily. "But can I ask for something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Please never shut up for real, baby. No matter how tired I may look, I love hearing about your day."

"I know. The same goes for you, yeah? You don't have to keep everything in, alright? I'll always listen to you. Whenever and whatever you want to say, I'm here for you."

"Oh, really? You'll be my good girl and listen? You'd do what I like?" Chan raises an eyebrow and you long to see what kind of demon you've unleashed.

"For you? I'd do anything," you promise.

"Then no more silence. I wanna hear you scream for me."

The End

[st-eve-barnes]

Easy on you

(Modern Aegon x Fem Reader)

Summary: Hiding from the party downstairs you and Aegon end up in the same room together, sharing some drinks and secrets, and feelings.

Warning: 18+ for smut. Teasing, dry humping, oral sex (female receiving), explicit language, the whole works. Also fluff, love confessions and Aegon being an insecure slut.

Word count: +5800

I've been a little obsessed with Tom Glynn-Carney lately so you guys get some more Modern Aegon ;) (As always please forget about his issues in canon, this is my version and consent is a big deal to this Aegon)

***

All my fics are also on AO3

***

The Targaryen villa was so immense one could easily get lost in its abundance of different rooms, stairways and halls. You were pretty sure you had walked this exact same hallway just a few minutes ago. They all looked alike and you’d been walking around for a while now without running into another living soul.

You hadn’t meant to go this far, you just wanted to flee the family gathering downstairs but once you’d started going up the stairs you had just kept going without looking back.

Anything to avoid seeing them.

You sighed in relief when you finally found some light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. The room at the end of the hallway had its door ajar and a ray of light came peaking through.

You knocked a few times and waited, when there was no answer you carefully pushed the door open, finding the room inside empty.

It seemed to be some kind of guest or entertainment room, there was a large made up bed and some sofas but you didn’t see any personal stuff anywhere. There was a fridge in the corner and a bar filled with drinks. The light was on which meant someone must have been here not so long ago and maybe you just missed them.

Just as you were about to leave again the other door in the room opened and you were no longer alone. You stood face to face with Aegon, who walked in with a drink in his hand and a surprised look on his face.

“Well, hello. How did you get up here?”

“I got lost,” you explained,”Is this your room?”

“It is tonight,” he smiled and let himself fall down onto the sofa, plopping his feet down on the coffee table,”This was meant to be a guest room but it’s so far up in the east wing I think the rest of the family forgot it exists.”

His eyes rested on yours for a minute, taking you in and trying to read your expression. You looked tense and more nervous than usual. “What are you doing all the way up here, Y/N?” he then asked again.

“I told you, I got lost,” you avoided answering his question.

”Must have been walking for a while then,” he remarked.

“Yeah,” you sighed.

“Want me to direct you back to the party?”

“Fuck no.”

The words left your mouth without even thinking and you bit your lip but Aegon just smiled.“You were trying to get out, weren’t you?”

“Not out, just…looking for a spot to hide out for a while,” you confessed.

“Well, you found it. You…um…wanna grab a beer or something?” he pointed towards the fridge and you gladly took him up on his offer.

If you had to run into anyone from the Targaryen family you were glad it was Aegon.

You and him had been friends for a while now, ever since your brother married Heleana and your family had started spending more time with the Targaryens. Heleana was a total sweetheart and Aegon had always been the most welcoming of the entire bunch.

To be honest those two were the only ones you could stand, the rest of that family scared the shit out of you.

For some reason you always felt at ease with Aegon. maybe it was because he never seemed to feel comfortable around his own family either. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that he was also fleeing the festivities tonight.

You let yourself sink down on the couch next to him and took a sip from your beer.”So who are you hiding from?”

He let out a laugh and shook his head,”Who am I not hiding from?”

You kept your eyes on him waiting for an answer but he didn’t elaborate.

“Okay, so you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” you teased.

He bumped your leg with his,“You first.”

You sighed but when your eyes met his you caved quickly. You’re not sure what it was about Aegon but he always had a way of making you feel you could tell him anything and he would never judge you for it.

“My mum,” you confessed,”And Viserys.”

“What’s Viserys done?”

“Nothing,” you sighed,”It’s just…my mum wants to set me up with someone from your family. Apparently she’s sooo happy with my brother’s new life she thinks it would be wonderful, for me, if I were to marry rich as well.”

Aegon rolled his eyes and took another sip from his beer, trying his best to sound casual with his next question,”So…who’s the lucky Targaryen?”

You sighed deeply,“Aemond.”

“Oh no, poor you.”

“Shut up,” you hit his leg, making him laugh.

“No but…I mean, Aemond’s not so bad,” he then tried to reassure you but you quickly shook your head.

“I don’t even know him, Aegon, it’s not…it’s just not how I imagined things.”

“Then say no, it’s your life, they don’t get to decide how you should live it.”

“I know,” you pulled your legs up underneath you on the couch and turned on your side, facing Aegon,”and my mum said it’s totally my choice and she’ll never push me into it but…I just…don’t know how to disappoint my family.”

Aegon snorted at that,”Want some tips? According to Viserys being the family disappointment is one of the only things I absolutely excel in.”

You smiled but gave him a more serious look then,”Viserys is an idiot. But I mean, it’s not like I don’t understand why my mum wants it, you know, financial security and all that.”

“Money doesn’t solve all your problems or buys you happiness.”

“Only someone who has it would say that.”

Aegon sighed and ran his hand through his hair,”Shit, you’re right. That was such a rich kid’s response, wasn’t it?”

You nodded,”I know what you mean though, having money comes with its own problems and responsibilities but it’s infinitely better than not having it.”

“But your family is doing okay now, yeah?”

“We’re okay, yes but I know where mum is coming from. I just didn’t feel like having that conversation about my future tonight.”

“Yeah, I totally get that.”

“So who are you really hiding from?”

He sighed and closed his eyes while he confessed,”Viserys. Of course, who else?”

“Why?”

“Because…he wants me to work in the family’s company and…I’d rather fucking die.”

“He can’t force you, can he?”

“He can disown me if he wants.”

“Would he do that?”

“I don’t know. And part of me wants to say I don’t give a fuck but…”

You smiled,“You’re used to your little life of luxury.”

“Yeah,” Aegon admitted,”Does that make me weak? It makes me weak, doesn’t it?”

“No, of course not. But, it’s like you said, money’s not gonna solve all your problems.”

He leaned back into the couch,”Yeah, maybe not.”

“What would you do? If you could have any job in the world?”

“Just get paid to play with my band.”

“Are you guys any good?”

His eyes lit up and he gave you a sweet smile,”You should come see us some time and judge for yourself.”

“Tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

“Okay,” he nodded and finished his beer,”Want another one?”

“Sure.”

“Think it’s safe to say neither of us wants to go back downstairs anytime soon.”

He took two more bottles from the fridge and gave you one before sitting down on the floor in front of the couch. You moved down to join him.

“What are we gonna do to pass the time up here?” you asked.

“Well, I could think of a few things we could do,” Aegon teased while giving you a flirty look and motioning towards the beds.

You hit him on his leg,”Don’t be gross.”

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” he avoided your eyes for a moment but couldn’t hide the smile on his face. 

It wasn’t the first time Aegon flirted with you. It seemed to come second nature to him, you never thought much of it. It was always playful and friendly and you knew it was just his way of communicating sometimes.

“Let me guess, there’s no Netflix up here or anything is there?” you asked.

“Nope,” he shook his head,”I doubt there’s even wifi up here. It’s just us. Sorry to disappoint.”

His eyes met yours again and you shook your head,”You don’t disappoint, Aegs, you’re the only Targaryen I’d ever want to be alone in a room with.”

“I still don’t know if that counts as a compliment,” his lips curled up into a smile and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“What about a drinking game?” he then suggested.

“You want to get me drunk, Aegon Targaryen?” you teased him.

“I want to get me drunk,” he joked,” but you can join if you want.”

That flirty look was back in his eyes but you chose to ignore it this time.

“I mean, we can also talk about our families and insecurities and struggles in life,” he then added.

“Drinking game it is,” you shut him up quickly, putting that satisfied grin back on his face.

He was up in an instant to grab a few glasses from the bar and something a little stronger than the beers you’d been drinking so far.

“Okay,” he settled back down on the floor in front of you, filling up the two glasses,”So, truth or dare?”

You laughed and shook your head,”Absolutely not.”

“What? Oh come on, why not?”

“Because every dare you will come up with is going to be something completely inappropriate.”

He stared at you in feigned shock but you just narrowed your eyes at him.

“I am offended you would think that,” he then reacted,”Also a little flattered that you know me so well.”

He gave you a big smile and you couldn’t help but join in, his laugh was so infectious you realized how easily he always made you feel better in his presence.

“Never have I ever?” you then suggested and you didn’t miss the sudden interest peaking in Aegon’s eyes.

“You sure about that one?” he asked carefully.

You suddenly felt exposed under his gaze and the game hadn’t even started yet.

”Not so much anymore now, no,” you confessed with a smile.

He laughed softly,”I’ll go easy on you, don’t worry.”

And he did, at least in the beginning of the game. It started off so innocent. 

Never have I ever cheated on an exam. Never have I ever skipped school and lied to my parents about it. Never have I ever binged an entire series in one day. Never have I ever been so drunk I blacked out.

It was only after a few laughs, drinks and harmless confessions that the game took another, more sexual, turn.

Both of you were pleasantly buzzed by then and without really paying attention to it you had both inched closer to each other, your knees almost touching now. 

“Never have I ever dated more than one person at the same time,” you stated.

Aegon snorted and took a sip while your mouth fell open.

“What?” he smiled,” I’m a slut, don’t act so shocked.”

You kept staring at him and just shook your head.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” you shrugged,”Your turn.”

“Never have I ever faked an orgasm,” he stated with a smug grin on his face.

You rolled our eyes and took a sip.

“Why do all women do that?” he asked with genuine interest.

“I don’t know, probably because we’re taught from a very young age that we’re supposed to be good and supportive and men can do no wrong so if we can’t reach our peak that’s still a reflection of our faults and not theirs.”

This time it was Aegon’s turn to stare at you with his mouth open.

“Sorry, was that too much?” you asked.

He shook his head,”No, not at all. That was…very fair. And quite sad.”

“But then sometimes,” you added with a smile,” Sometimes the sex just isn’t good and you just fake it to get it over with and get away from them quicker, and the idiots can never tell.”

”See but that’s still sad, I would never leave my girl unsatisfied and I’d hope she would feel safe enough with me to just tell me if I need to try harder.”

You’re not sure why his words made you blush but you had to avoid his eyes for a moment.

“Of course that never happens,” he then added with a smug grin, making you burst out in laughter.

“It doesn't!" he protested.

“I’m sure it’s happened to you as well, Aegs, all women do it.”

“Not with me,” he insisted.

“Up to 80 percent of women fake it sometimes, do your math.”

He was still firmly shaking his head,”Not with me.”

You sighed,“Fine, I’ll take your word for it, casanova, shall we move on?”

He opened his mouth to protest again but you were faster.

“Never have I ever been caught masturbating,” you blurted out.

Aegon just laughed and forgot about his protest to have a drink.

“Really?” you asked.

He just nodded,“My mum has seen things that will scar her for life.”

“Oh my god, Aegon, ew!” you covered your mouth with your hand as you laughed and he joined you.”Next, please.”

“Never have I ever...slept with someone I was actually in love with,” he confessed, and you both suddenly stopped laughing.

“Never?” you asked,”Not even a little bit? Like a crush?”

He shook his head,”Nope.”

“That’s sad, Aegon.”

"No, it's not, come on, sex is a great thing, whether you're in love or not," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's better if you are."

“You say that but I noticed you didn’t drink either,” he pointed out.

“No, I…I guess we’re both sad,” you smiled weakly and looked down until Aegon bumped his knee against yours and gave you a warm smile.

“Okay, next,” he said,”No more depressing ones now.”

You smiled and nodded,”Okay, um…never have I ever fantasized about a friend.”

Aegon’s smile was soft before he lifted his glass up to his lips and took a sip. He didn’t say anything but quickly moved onto the next one.

“Never have I ever cheated on someone,” he confessed. You looked at each other for a moment, neither of you drinking.

”So at least you’re an honest slut,” you then joked and he laughed while looking into your eyes.

“Gee, thanks.”

You smiled.“Never have I ever had a one night stand.”

HIs eyes stayed on yours as he slowly drank from his glass and then filled it up again.

“You know,” he sighed,”I’m beginning to notice this game isn’t really fair.”

“I can’t help it that you’ve done everything,” you pointed out.

“I have not done everything, you’re just very…”

You pointed your finger at him, warning him to choose his next words carefully.

“Less experienced than I am,” he then added,”which is perfectly fine.”

He placed his hand on your knee and gave it a soft squeeze.

“Yes, it is perfectly fine,” you repeated.

“So why no one night stand though?” he asked,”Is it a principle thing or you just haven’t felt like it?”

“I haven’t met anyone that made me feel like I wanted to,” you explained.

He nodded,”That’s fair. I bet you’ve had plenty of offers though.”

Your eyes met his,”Why? Why would you say that?”

“Because you’re really fucking hot,” he confessed with a small grin and then took a quick sip from his drink, trying to hide the blush on his face.

You wanted to ignore his flirty comment like you always did but you couldn’t help but feel the effect of his words this time, making you feel a little lightheaded.

“You wanna stop playing the game?” he asked.

“No,” you shook your head,”I think I have one more.”

Aegon moved a little closer to you and you were very aware of his hand still resting on your knee.”Go on then.”

You bit your lip and hesitated for a moment before speaking the next words softly,”Never have I ever kissed a friend.”

His stare was so intense it was making your head spin, both your drinks were untouched on the floor next to you, forgotten about now that Aegon seemed to only have eyes for you.

“Do you want to?” he then whispered.

Your eyes widened at his statement and he gave you a soft, sweet smile. Your mouth opened to speak but the words weren’t coming out.

His hand carefully moved up from your knee to your thigh, testing the waters, waiting for you to do something, anything, hit him again or yell at him and tell him to stop being gross. But you didn’t do any of those things, you just stared at him and he recognized that hunger in your eyes, it was a reflection of his own.

He pulled you a little closer to him until you were face to face and practically sitting in his lap. Then he moved his hand up to your face and gently cupped your neck, moving his thumb over your jaw and your cheek. 

You sighed into his touch.“We shouldn’t, Aegs.”

You could hear the words leaving your lips but your hands were clearly not on the same page, grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards you and Aegon was doing nothing to make things easier on you. He was licking his lips and looking at you with so much lust in his eyes you were sure your protest would crumble as soon as he touched you again.

When his gaze fell down to your lips you knew you lost the fight.

He gently nuzzled your cheek, his soft voice was like velvet against your skin,”If you don’t want this I’ll stop right now, just say the word and I’ll back off, okay?” 

Your mouth opened to speak but you had no words left for him, all you could feel and think was how badly you wanted him.

“Do you want to?” he asked again.

“Yes, I want to,” your answer finally came, putting a relieved smile on his face.

“Good girl,” he whispered, which did not help your situation at all.”I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Aegs,” you sighed and looked at him, letting yourself drown into his pretty blue eyes.

“Will you let me kiss you?” he asked, brushing your nose with his.

You nodded,”Please.”

He cupped your face with both hands, looking deep into your eyes before he slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to yours in the softest, sweetest lingering kiss. It was over too soon and only left you wanting more.

Aegon moved his hands down to your waist, pulling you further into his lap and then he was kissing you again. The kiss was still gentle but also filled with more purpose. He started out slowly, just moving his lips with yours. Then he carefully licked into your mouth, teasing your tongue with his, waiting for you to open up to him completely before deepening the kiss.

The room around you was spinning now, his lips were intoxicating and addictive and you never wanted them to leave your mouth ever again. His hands made their way underneath your shirt to caress your lower back, leaving a trail of goosebumps all over your skin. 

You pulled him closer to you, hands tangled in his hair while you kissed him back with the same fire, setting you both aflame. 

You had kissed a few guys in your short lifetime and some of them had been pretty good, but none of those kisses came even remotely close to the way Aegon Targaryen was kissing you right now. As if he was dying and you were breathing life into him.

When you softly whimpered into the kiss it encouraged him to pull you even closer, straddling his lap now and you both moaned quietly at the first contact of his cock against your center. Even through all the layers of clothing you could feel him.

You grinned into his kiss.

“What?” he whispered in between kisses.

“You’re hard.”

“Thanks for noticing, of course I’m hard,” he joked and then bit your lower lip, making you moan softly which made him bite a little harder,”You have any idea how long I’ve wanted you like this?”

You broke the kiss to look at him in surprise.

“You really had no idea, didn’t you?” he realized and he shook his head in disbelief,”And I thought I wasn’t being subtle at all, I flirt with you all the time.”

“You flirt with everyone all the time!” you pointed out.

He laughed softly,”Okay, yeah, fair point.”

“Do you wanna talk about this?” you asked.

He locked eyes with you again.”No, I don’t wanna talk,” he then spoke softly,”I want to make out with you some more.”

His hands moved up your back, pulling you closer again and taking your mouth in another needy, sloppy kiss. You didn’t hesitate to kiss him back and involuntarily your hips moved against his, making him hiss into your mouth. He rocked back against you, letting you feel just how turned on he was.

He was breathing heavily in between kissing you and his hands were now on your ass, holding you down on his lap while you rocked yourself on his erection. Both of you seeking out the friction and feeling the need to be even closer.

“Gods, you feel so fucking good,” he whispered against your lips and then started kissing your jaw and your neck, sucking on your skin and tracing patterns with his tongue. 

He was driving you insane. You had always found Aegon to be easy on the eyes but that’s as far as it went. You had never looked at him this way before tonight, and now it was all you could think about.

You needed him like you needed air.

You pulled at his shirt and he was quick to help you pull it over his head. He didn’t waste any time and quickly did the same with you, leaving you in just your bra. He couldn’t look away and the pleading look in his eyes put a smile on your face.

“Can I?” he asked eagerly,”Please?”

You just nodded and watched as he nervously unclipped your bra and then gently pulled it down your shoulders, revealing your breasts to him.

“Holy shit,” he breathed.

You couldn’t help but laugh,”They’re just tits, Aegs, I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of them.”

“I haven’t seen yours,” he answered in a soft whisper and before you could say anything else he was kissing down your neck and collarbone. And further down until he was gently sucking on your nipple, making your eyes close in a heavy sigh. His cock was twitching against your inner thigh, making you want him even more. 

You knew your panties were completely soaked by now and your pussy was throbbing so hard it was becoming entirely distracting.

“Aegon,” you moaned quietly and grabbed at the waistband of his pants, pulling them down a little,”I need to feel you.”

“I know, baby,” he teased, kissing his way back up to your neck, his lips brushing the shell of your ear as he whispered,”You want me to fuck you? Is that what you want? You want me to fill you up, hmm?”

“Yes,” you breathed.

“You sure, baby?” he checked.

This time it was your turn to tease him and you looked into his eyes while you grabbed his hand and lowered it in between your legs,”Why don’t you put your hand down my panties and feel how sure I am?”

You watched him swallow hard, his fingers moving over your jeans, even through the thick fabric he could feel how soaked you were underneath.

“F-uck,” he breathed.

You moved out of his lap to push him down and pull down his pants and boxers, finally freeing his erection from its confined space. He let out a sigh of relief, quickly followed by the most obscene moan you had ever heard when you wrapped your hand around his length.

Your eyes locked with his while you leaned down.

“Wha…what are you doing?” his voice sounded wrecked all of a sudden and you'd barely even touched him.

The mischievous look in your eyes told him everything he needed to know and just before you were going to take him into your mouth he pushed you back.”No, no…you can’t do that…fuck, baby…please don’t…”

“You don’t want me to suck you off?” you asked surprised.

He was biting his lip and cursing himself. He had dreamt about this so many times, fantasized and jerked off to this so many times but he knew if you put your mouth on him right now this would all be over within seconds. 

And he didn’t want his first time with you to be in your mouth. He wanted to be buried so deep inside your tight heat with your entire body pressed up against him, swallowing your needy moans and watching your face as he made you cum.

”I want nothing more than for you to suck me off but…I,”he stuttered over his next words,”I’m so fucking close to blowing my load…I just…that’s not what I want right now…”

He was blushing, clearly embarrassed and you thought it was the cutest thing.

”Okay, so no sucking then,” you pouted at him for a second but then gave him a sweet smile and he couldn’t help but smile back at you. Then he grabbed you and pushed you back, off the floor and onto the couch. His fingers were making quick work of your jeans and you lifted yourself off the couch to help him take them off, your panties going along with them.

Aegon stayed on his knees on the floor, his eyes meeting yours while he settled between your legs.

“What are you doing?” you asked with a weak voice, knowing all too well what he was doing.

He didn’t say anything, just gave you a playful, flirty look before putting his mouth right above your knee. Soft open mouthed kisses trailed your inner thigh, each one making you squirm a little bit more as he kissed his way higher and higher. That first lap of his tongue over your folds made you want to cry out in pleasure and you bit your hand to stop yourself from screaming so loud the entire family downstairs would hear you.

Aegon’s hand reached for yours, giving you something to hold onto, his other hand was on your inner thigh, spreading you open for him while he nipped and sucked at your clit.

“Not…fair,” you breathed, fingers squeezing his hand painfully hard but you couldn’t feel a thing apart from his mouth, sending you to heaven one lick at a time.

When he started fucking you with his tongue, nose pushing up perfectly against your throbbing clit, you were done for. 

“Don’t stop,” you whimpered,”Please…oh god, Aegs, please…”

His thumb started circling your clit and the room around you seemed to fade away. You were falling deeper and deeper until there was nothing but bliss. Tears filled your eyes and your back arched off the couch in one of the most intense orgasms you ever experienced.

Aegon didn’t rush you afterwards, let you ride out every last wave of it, kissing your clit and licking every last drop you offered him. When you finally came down from your high you pulled him up on the couch with you and into your arms.

His lips found yours in a filthy, deep kiss that let you taste yourself all over his tongue. His hands moved up to your shoulders and he gently pushed you down on your back onto the couch, his mouth never leaving yours. His left hand moved down to your inner thigh, opening you up again while his lips latched onto your neck.

“Wanna fuck you so bad,” he whimpered into your ear,”Tell me you want me to.”

His cock was heavy against your dripping center, begging to be allowed in but waiting for your consent, his leaking tip teasing your entrance.

“I want you to, god please, I want you to,” you were practically begging.

That was all the consent he needed and he slowly pushed himself inside.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me,” he breathed in a shaky voice.

“Yeah, no shit,” you teased.

His lips curled up into a cheeky grin and he pressed his forehead against yours,”Wrap your arms around me, hold onto me, baby.”

You did as he asked, pulling him to you and locking eyes with his. You could have drowned in the ocean of blue staring back at you, his gaze was so unexpectedly soft and loving it was making your heart flutter and you both seemed to halt for a moment, just looking at each other.

Aegon was nervously biting his lip trying to hold himself back. 

“It’s okay,” you whispered,”You can let go.”

He moved his hips with a grunt, slowly fucking you into the couch. It didn’t take long for you to moan with him and set a pace that left you both breathless, chasing that much needed release.

“God, you feel so good,” Aegon’s whispered in between ragged breaths,”It’s totally…fucking unfair…how good you make me feel.”

All you could do was nod while biting your lip, his eyes were on you the entire time, not breaking eye contact once and it made the whole thing feel much more intimate. 

You knew Aegon’s reputation better than anyone, biggest slut in the city who didn’t do relationships only quick fucks, yet nothing about the way he was looking at you and touching you right now felt like a quick fuck, it felt like a whole lot more. 

Something you would have to think about and analyze later when he wasn’t a few seconds away from giving you another mind blowing orgasm.

“Aegs,” you moaned desperately.

“You close, baby?”

“Hmmm,” you breathed,”So close.”

His hand moved down between your legs to find your clit, giving you that last push you needed to fall apart completely and when you clenched around him he followed suit. His face buried into your neck, muffling his loud moans before he pulled out and spilled all over your thighs.

Desperate little whimpers against your shoulder when he came down from his high, clinging to you with all he had and then his lips were on yours again, kissing you so deep and slow you felt like you were falling again. 

When you broke the kiss to look at each other you both let out a deep breath that ended with you giggling and Aegon biting his lip and being unable to take his eyes off you.

“You good?” he asked.

You nodded,”Yeah, you?”

He nodded and placed a soft kiss on your cheek,”Can we stay like this for a while or…?”

“Or?”

He sighed,”I don’t…this is usually the part where the girl leaves.”

“Where she leaves or where you kick her out?”

“A bit of both, I guess,” he confessed and traced your jaw with his thumb.

“Do you want me to leave?” you leaned into his touch and looked up at him from under your lashes.

He quickly and firmly shook his head,”No, I…I want you to stay with me. I mean…if you want, it’s your choice.”

You smiled softly and leaned into him,”I’d love to stay. But I would like to get off of this couch first and get cleaned up.”

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded and was quick to help you sit up before disappearing behind the bar to find a wet towel.

You spent the rest of that night in bed with him, doing nothing but talk and sleep, and kiss a little in between. 

When the sun came up the next morning Aegon was back between your legs, waking you up with his tongue and his lips and sending you into another toe curling orgasm.

“You better be careful, Targaryen,” you warned him afterwards,”I could get used to this.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” he smiled while resting his head on your chest and looking up into your eyes.

“To get me to stay with you?” you asked, caressing his hair until he hummed into your touch,”It’s okay, Aegs, I know you don’t do that stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“Date, have a relationship, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh,” he sighed and you watched his expression fall,”Right, of course, how could I forget? I'm the kind of guy you fuck, not the guy you date. Who in their right mind would want to end up with Aegon Targaryen anyway, huh?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” you tried to soften the blow but he was already pulling away from you and grabbing his shirt. He put it on without looking at you. The sudden silence in the room was heavy.

“You should go,” he then whispered.

“Is that what you want?” you asked softly and you didn’t move from your spot in the bed, hoping he would grant you another look. It took a while but he eventually turned around and looked into your eyes.

“You know that’s not what I want, sweetheart,” he sighed quietly and your heart leaped.

“It’s not what I want either,” you confessed.

“It’s not?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

You reached out your hand to him and he took it eagerly, letting you pull him back into your arms. He cupped your neck and kissed your lips, soft but hungry, waking up an entire army of butterflies in your stomach.

“I want to do all that stuff, with you,” he then whispered in between kisses,"I want you so bad....I've never...never felt this way about anyone before. And I know I’m not boyfriend material and you can do so much better than me but…”

“I don’t want to do better, I want you,” you breathed against his lips.

“Wait, did you just insult me?” Aegon teased, making you both laugh but then his gaze turned soft and serious,”I know I’m not the Targaryen your mum had in mind but…will you give me a chance? Will you be my girl?”

You leaned into him and closed your eyes,”I'm already your girl, Aegs.”

He smiled and put a lingering kiss on your forehead.

”Fuck, our families will be so pissed over this.”

[bookishdaze]

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review. More like Rambling and Word Vomiting.

I saw it last night. Finally. After so long!

I personally thought it was good, and a solid addition to the POTA franchise. I don't think it's better than Dawn or War, but I'm willing to bet that by the time the full trilogy is out, Kingdom is gonna be looked back upon as a good beginning to Noa and Mae's story, the same way Rise, despite being most people's least favorite of the Caesar trilogy, is still an amazing intro to Caesar's story.

Some nitpicks. Despite the movie being 2.5 hours long, I felt like the final act came too fast? Like, I understand what people meant with the pacing issue. Suddenly we were in the 3rd act and I was like "Wait, we're here? It's done?"

Now, onto the characters! Let the fangirling commence!

Noa

I loved seeing how his journey and character started and where he ends by the end of the movie.

Him going from "That is the law" to "That is the law. But the law is wrong" was so satisfying.

And him being able to call the eagles to him by the end was great to see. By the way, THE SINGING SCENE WITH THE EAGLES???? LIKE???? It could've been so corny but I LOVED IT???

I'm so glad this movie answered the question of whether apes can sing. Yeah, I know they are only humming, but I'LL TAKE IT. APES CAN SING. YESSSS!

He was just a really nice character to follow. I can't wait to see how he'll be like in the next movie after the events of this one transformed him.

I also think he is the kind of protagonist we need after Caesar. I love Caesar, but Noa is....hmm, I guess you could say softer? More naive? I'm sure he'll get tougher as the movies progress like Caesar did, but I like this change.

Mae

I am a Mae defender. Yes, she did betray Noa in the end. I expected her to tbh. And I understand why she did it. She was right in that Proximus getting his hands on those weapons would've been disastrous.

She has probably been taught all her life nothing but bad things about the apes. She was not going to switch sides just because she met Noa. We still got two whole movies after this. She probably won't have her "redemption" until the 3rd movie. I can honestly go on rambling about her, but I'd rather save that for another separate post.

Raka

I really like him. He's great and funny. I love seeing how he talks about humans and his hopes for humans and apes.

Right before he dies, he reminds Noa "Together, strong." His final words and his necklace as a gift to Noa serve as a reminder. A reminder of a hopeful future where apes and humans can coexist. (And then Noa passing along that same necklace to Mae? Bringing a reminder of that hope for peace into her world? Ugh. So good.)

Also, "He was my village." LIKE. DID HE LOSE HIS PARTNER? MY HEART.

Proximus

I thought he was cool. He gave my mother and I a jump scare at the dinner scene where he slams his fist. Also, the way he was just in awe of the gun after Lightning dies. He has his priorities.

Soona and Anaya

Those two were so cute, and I loved their friendship with Noa.

Anaya broke my heart. In the beginning at the tunnel scene, he's all like "Anaya is not scared." But at Proximus's kingdom, he looks terrified at the dinner scene, and before he goes on the mission to climb the wall, he goes "Anaya is scared" and didn't want to go. Poor guy. He pulled through in the end though.

Although *puts on tinfoil hat* this makes me wonder if this foreshadows how his fear will lead him to make a big mistake in the future movies. Similar to what happened with Winter.

Soona was so sweet. Although I'm disappointed we didn't get more of her with Noa. I saw an interview where Soona's actress described a moment where after they are reunited, they kind of make known their feelings for each other or something like that. But...it didn't happen?

Mae and Noa

Alrighty, I'm gonna briefly put on my shipping goggles on, bear with me, because one has to be a teensy bit delusional for this type of stuff, BUT....

I sensed a....vibe? Not a romantic vibe. They are nowhere close to that yet. But I felt like there were tropes and scenes between them that simply imply a romantic path is a possible direction for their relationship. I will make a separate post about them. I wanna wrap this up, lol.

The ending

I liked the ending. It has me so excited for the future of this trilogy. Now that the humans are able to communicate with others, what will this mean? How will Mae be torn between her people and the apes? Same with Noa? I need to know naooooo

8.5/10 stars (I ain't done rambling about this movie yet. But it's my birthday, and I gotta go out and have some dinner, hehe).

[incomingalbatross]

Castaway

Well. Here is SOMETHING for the @inklings-challenge. Thank you as always for the challenge! I had some trouble with this one, and am not sure how it ultimately came out in terms of completeness, but I am attached to it and glad that it's written.

Team: Tolkien (time travel)

Theme: Instruct the ignorant

---

The thing of it was, when a person washes up on your beach, it’s presumably your responsibility to take some kind of care of him. This goes double for unfortunate teenagers who have already taken on other extraordinary responsibilities, like “battling the forces of chaos and darkness;” as has been said more eloquently elsewhere, somehow the consequence of stepping up for hard jobs is that you turn more and more into The Person Who Does The Hard Jobs.

Which meant that, in between maintaining their equipment for sealing up cracks in reality, trying to figure out where the cause of said cracks would strike next, and looking over potential colleges for next year, Kathleen was sitting by a Mysterious Stranger’s bedside and wondering what they’d do with him when he woke up.

“What if he’s dangerous?” she observed — half to be contrary, but not without genuine anxiety — to her brother.

Brian shrugged. “He didn’t seem like it when I found him.” Maybe because he’d been the one to find the young man lying in the surf, or because he was the only one so far who’d seen him with his eyes open, Brian’s eyes held much more concern than wariness. “Seemed scared.”

“Which doesn’t contradict ‘dangerous.’”

“No, but we definitely shouldn’t start by giving him more reasons to be scared.”

Kathleen was about to answer, when something caught her eye. She could swear the man’s eyebrow had twitched, which was an odd movement for an unconscious person…

She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing his face and breathing.

“He’s faking,” she said accusatorily.

Brian followed her gaze. “He is?”

For a second, they both just watched the man. He remained very still.

Then he groaned and opened his eyes.

“Oh no,” he said in a monotone, looking from one ot the other of them. “Two teenagers are holding me captive. I’m so scared.”

And that was the first thing Kathleen learned about Brian’s mystery beach rescue; he was sarcastic, proud, and, if he didn’t get over those traits, likely to be killed by his own ego.

The second thing she and Brian learned was that (in keeping with her first impression) he was astoundingly uncooperative.

"Where am I?" he demanded, and then blinked at their answer (Nantucket) as if he wasn't sure it actually meant anything. "What day is it?" and "How did I get here?" also got polite responses, and no clear reactions from him. When they started asking questions, though, he apparently had never heard of fair recompense -- he clammed right up.

“What’s your name?” Hostile glare.

“Where are you from?” Silence.

“Do your remember how you ended up on the beach?” Defensively hunched shoulders, and an even more hostile glare.

Brian stood up and stretched. “Are you hungry?”

“…I suppose.”

Finally. Things their mystery guest would respond to, apparently: 1) a chance for him to make a snarky response and 2) offers of food.

Unfortunately, this was not a breakthrough. The evening continued in a frustrating vein, as their guest unbent enough for sarcasm but not for information. He seemed to be judging them on one level or another at every moment -- he was baffled by their food choices, observed dinner prep with silent scrutiny, and glared fiercely at Kathleen's phone. After dinner, he requested paper and a pen, and then huddled in a corner with the notebook Brian found for him and began scribbling away at it.

“Shouldn’t we decide what to do with him, now that he’s awake?” Kathleen urged Brian. “We should at least make him explain something.”

Brian, stubborn as always, shook his head. “There’s a ot we haven’t explained to him yet,” he answered, “and he’s a lot more disoriented than we are. I say let him think some stuff through, and then wait for a good chance to break the ice again.”

“A chance?” she repeated. “And what kind of chance is that going to be--”

The household siren went off.

“This might be it!” Brian leapt up. Kathleen hurried after him, stopping in the entryway to grab their equipment before running outside.

Evil never rests, and neither did the aforementioned forces of darkness and chaos. It had been a while since one showed up directly in front of the house, though.

Behind them, their guest -- apparently also capable of being moved by curiosity, or at leas sirens -- stumbled to a halt at the sight of the rip in the evening air. Strange lights twisted through it, like sun glittering off of waves, or snowflakes spinning in the wind, and discordant sounds came through.

Kathleen pulled a sheaf of papers out of her pack, handed one copy to Brian, and unfolded her own. “If you want to help, read over our shoulders,” she said to the guest. Then she took a deep breath…

And began, as usual in these situations, to sing the Psalms with Brian.

It didn’t have to be psalms; they’d gotten good results with anything they really knew well, sacred or secular, and sometimes you needed something you knew all the words to. But chanting the Office wasn’t hard, as long as you paid attention, and you never really ran out of material. The even, measured progression of verses worked just as well as modern music’s strict meter, if not a little better.

By the time they wrapped up the final Gloria Patri, the rip had closed itself, knitting back together into plain air without anything coming through.

Kathleen sighed in relief.

“Did you just sing that shut?” their guest demanded.

All right, so maybe it was an ice-breaker. Kathleen looked at his wild eyes, and decided to take pity on him.

“Sort of,” she explained. “We don’t know exactly what these are, but they… they destabilize things, left untreated. They mess with… order. Reality. It’s messy.”

“So we treat them with order,” Brian added. “Order and harmony and stability. Reciting poetry can work too, if you really concentrate, but singing is the best defense. It usually works as long as we catch them soon enough!”

“I know it’s freaky --“ Kathleen began.

But the man cut her off. “Singing,” he repeated incredulously. “That’s -- it’s so primitive --”

Kathleen’s eyebrows climbed toward her scalp. “Do you have a better suggestion?” she asked. “Any input on our local threat to reality that we’ve been trying to figure out for five months?”

If anything, this made him look more furiously stunned. “I -- that --”

He looked between them, as if searching for a sign. Then, abruptly, he thrust forward the notebook Brian had given him.

Kathleen took it, Brian crowding next to her, and looked down at the page.

October 25th, 2022?

Once upon a time, there was a man who had grown up in a place of darkness and dangers.

"The world is splintering," someone (who?) told him, when he was small. "All we can do is try to stop the cracks."

He believed this, solemnly, and he grew up training himself to fight. The darkness and the dangers were not natural things -- or not wholly, anyway -- there were people who encouraged them, made them worse (why? why would anyone?). Seeing the results, the instabilities of the world in their wake, filled him with horror from his youth. There were other people, of course, who thought and planned and built to repair those instabilities -- but he was a fighter to his core.

(Who did he fight?)

One day, there came a day when he was on an expedition with other fighters, and those they protected, striking out from their stronghold to stop another danger to the world. When they found the wicked people, the man took the lead in the fight. Alone at the front, the enemy surrounded him. There was a moment when he understood, fully and darkly, that he had fallen into their power.

Then all was dark.

(Who was he? What was the enemy? Who were his comrades? Where did he live? What were the dangers? What was his name?

What is my name?)

“...Oh,” Kathleen said, looking back at their mystery guest. A mystery, apparently, to himself as well.

“I recognize the disturbances,” he said, looking not at them but at where the rip had been. His fists were clenched. “Nothing else. This -- what I wrote is all I have. Just an outline, like a story in my head. Everything since waking up here has been strange to me, and what I can remember is blurred.”

Kathleen looked at Brian in silent consultation. They’d been dealing with these disturbances for months, but he’d been fighting them all his life. What he’d written sounded remote, not just in form but in content, and if his memories were true…

“There’s something else that might help,” Brian said quietly. “We think… we think the rips might be openings between worlds. Or between times.”

Their guest closed his eyes, but then nodded. Somehow, he looked steadier than he had all day. "Well," he said, straightening, "I suppose even knowing that is something."

And Kathleen realized, with a sudden twinge of empathy, that sometimes the Hard Job they had to do was, in fact, just giving the news of a new job description to someone else. Like every other Hard Job, this one promised to be more work down the road... but at least neither they nor the castaway was figuring it out alone, she supposed.

"You tell us about the rips," she said, handing back his journal, "and we'll explain frozen pizza."

[genericpuff]

I'm curious - how many unanswered asks do you have in your inbox? Or do you just delete the ones you don't plan on answering?

do you feel good anon

do you feel good about yourself with this question

targeting me like that

geeeeez

ok but more seriously LMAO i have an embarrassingly large amount of unanswered asks but i do read all of them <3 a lot of them honestly are just from folks like, sharing their anonymous opinions about either LO and LR, with the odd one about comic advice, sharing webtoon recommendations, and other things of that nature!

In the case of the LO asks, it's stuff that often has already been spoken about at length before so I don't really have anything to add (but trust me, I'm usually in total agreement, if I heavily disagree with a take I'll usually try to respond to it but it's rare that that's the case because most of the takes are just things like "wow the art in this panel sucks" like yep it sure do LOL) and often it just feels like my inbox is just like, a comment box for people to get their feelings out anonymously and honestly that's fine, I just also can't really respond to every single one unfortunately, but I do read them and I love y'all's takes!

With LR asks, y'all are way too sweet to me and send me just the kindest things about LR, and I hope y'all know that even if I wind up not getting back to your ask about it, I do read everything you send and appreciate so much the amount of support you've all shown for this project since I took it on <3 A lot of those asks are literally my version of "do it for her" where I read them and it reminds me of why it's so worth doing what I do :') <3

Whenever people recommend me other works to read, I add them to a list and I am currently trying to tackle it :) (honestly that list isn't as big as you'd think, a lot of the recommendations are for the same stuff, like other Greek myth retelling comics or otherwise just bad webtoons that people want me to suffer thru LOL) I just recently finally got a physical copy of Song of Achilles and while it's slow going, I'm gonna be sharing my extended thoughts about it, either in a big Tumblr post or maybe a video if I can motivate myself to do it 🤔

And of course, the comic advice asks... these ones admittedly I do tend to actually move into my drafts because I really, REALLY do want to respond to them, but I'm also not someone to half-ass responses to questions like that. That is a bit of a bad habit on my end because it often means I'm spending crazy amounts of time going over topics that can be researched, but I also just really love talking about comics so it doesn't feel good to get a comic advice ask and just leave it at "idk just start" like yeah, do that, but also I want to pass on all the things I WISH I had known when I was first starting out and I'm glad people see me as someone to learn those things from! So when it comes to those asks, don't worry, I'm picking away at them <3 (but also man, I should probably just like... put together some kind of hitchhiker's guide to comic making or something huh LOL)

Anyways! I do have a lot of unanswered asks and honestly, I'm not really one to delete them, even if I don't get back to some of them it is still nice to read them in their own little curated space separate from my main blog, it's kind of like a personal comment section between myself and those of you who took the time to write <3 The only asks I tend to outright delete are ones that are just like, way too bad faith to even want to give any attention to, or bot spam lmao But for the majority of y'all who have sent genuine asks to my inbox and never saw a response and worry that I might have ignored it or deleted it, I hope you can have reassurance in knowing that they are all still there and even if I can't make time every day to respond to them, receiving all your personal takes about LO and your amazing feedback and kind words about LR is something I'm always excited to see whenever that little notification pops up in my Inbox tab. I see you and appreciate you <3

[e-vay]

Evay QA Bulk Post 5

Here we go again! These do not include Domino or Phlox questions as I plan on addressing those in a separate post. I couldn't get through as many questions this time around but I did what I could. I'm sorry, I'm just a little mentally and emotionally overwhelmed right now so I can only respond to so many at a time.

Thank you all for reaching out ☺️ Despite my brain, I am always very appreciative to hear from you!

PERSONAL ASKS

sayain-princess-vegenta asked: What is some original artwork or stories you've been working on lately? I know you probably get a bunch of questions for established fandoms but spoil us with your own thoughts! 😇

A: Well that's very kind of you to ask! To be perfectly honest, I mostly stick to fan art or creating original characters that exist in an already established world. I only have one personal project that is completely original, but so far it's only character designs. I don't have a full story or world built yet. I'm not sure if I'll ever share it on here.

Anon asked: Who or what made you wanted to do art?

A: There wasn't anyone or any particular thing that made me want to draw. I've just been drawing since I was able to grasp a pencil (or crayon) in my hand and I've never stopped! 🥰

Anon asked: Have you ever caught someone stealing or drawing your art?

A: Ohohoho, allllll the time

-

MISC SONIC ASKS

Anon asked: Do you still like sonic boom or are you over it?

A: My love is everlasting!

Anon asked: Hello Evay_art I always wonder have you always thought doing Amy Rose game???

A: Hi! Do you mean for me to make an Amy Rose game? I don't have the talent to do that, but gosh do I want there to be an Amy game so badly! ☺️ She deserves it! I would love to play a game devoted to her. I thought The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog was especially great because she was a major character in it!

Anon asked: What is your opinion of Sally Acorn? Do you like the idea of her and Sonic have had a relationship? In fact, something I never got an answer for, is she considered canonical?

A: I'm not a fan. Plenty of people can argue for or against Archie characters, but Archie is not considered part of the game canon like IDW is.

Anon asked: I keep on hearing everyone talk about Hell Hath No Fury, so I finally got curious enough to read it! I have to say that it was coming out really good! Do you plan on working on it again any time soon?

A: Thank you for checking it out! I'm glad you were enjoying it. Yes I do plan on picking it back up eventually.

Anon asked: Does HHNF take place in Sonic Boom(Sorry if this is a stupid question)

A: It's not a stupid question at all. HHNF is a Modern Sonic story, not Sonic Boom. Also, it is not part of my AU. It's a completely separate story 🖤

fungus101 asked: Can you do more Werehog stuff

A: Oh I plan on it! I love drawing werehogs!

Anon asked: I have a question since sonic boom has been over for a while now. Do you still like the designs from it or have you moved on? Cause I know the sonic boom designs are somewhat of a future designs for some of your comics. I was just wondering if it would be Recon at this point

A: I still love the Sonic Boom designs and they're still part of my canon. I try to draw more than just Boom (I've been especially neglectful of the Modern designs and I need to do a better job of that), but the Boom designs are still my most favorite to draw.

sonicx1027 asked: Hey Evay, I’m curious if you are going to make another comic in the future, especially with the new Sonic Characters being added from the IDW series. If you are, have a story in mind?

A: I definitely plan on including IDW characters in future comics! I need to catch up on the IDW comics before I feel comfortable enough to write anything. I want to make sure I keep them as in-character as possible. But in the meantime I do have plans of having them make little appearances.

itsyourboysworld asked: on a scale of one - ten how made are you that we still don’t have a trailer for sonic the hedgehog 3 because for me it’s infinite

A: WHY ARE THEY TORTURING US?! GIVE US A TRAILER!!!! I am sure it will be worth the wait but it's killing me.

Anon asked: How do you feel about Mighty the armadillo?

A: It's funny because I think one of the Tailstube videos (or perhaps it was one of the Twitter takeovers) made the point that Mighty is basically just a more mellow version of Sonic and I do agree, I've always thought that. I actually think he's like a fusion of Sonic and Knuckles, but super chill.

-

MY OCs/AU ASKS

emceevoices asked: In Boom Baby, what was the movie Sonic, Amy, and Eggman were watching? In my dub, I had them watch the 93 Super Mario Bros movie, but did you have any specific movie in mind?

A: I believe you're talking about Chapter 5.1 of My Gal. They are watching my own make-believe Overwatch movie lol I just wanted an excuse to draw Mercy as a Mobian

toonfan91 asked: Oh my gosh I thought your tumblr was dead, as a fan of your work it is stellar seeing new Sonic art from you again, or art at all really. I do have one question, if you were to have the time and willingness to, would you draw designs for the Freedom Fighters (Sally, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor and Nyx) that fit in your AU and try to work them subtly into it?

A: I'm still alive! Haha 😄 Thank you so much, I'm really glad you are enjoying my new work! I'm sorry to disappoint but I was never a fan of the Archie comics or characters, so no I do not include them in my AU. Sorry!

milangakokoros asked: Has pensado dibujar a whisper y tangle como si fueran parte del AU donde Aurora existe? Como serian sus vidas? Dime que estarian casadas jajsjj

A: I do plan on adding Tangle and Whisper 🥰 I need to get caught up on the IDW comics to make sure I'm writing them in-character, but they will make an appearance in the near future.

furrylovergril495 asked: Also how old is Aurora? Ps I think she one of the nicest fan kids I ever since

A: Thank you so much, I'm so glad you like her! 💗 I don't like to include exact ages because I don't think Mobians age the same way humans do. Especially since SEGA has redacted the Sonic characters' ages. But for majority of my drawings, Aurora is the human-equivalent of about 20-23 years old.

Anon asked: can you draw super Aurora and tell me what abilities she has

A: 😊 I've drawn Super Aurora (aka "Aurora Borealis") quite a few times! [x] [x] [x]. She has all the standard Super Hedgehog powers (Flight, strength, invincibility, etc.)

thechosenflow asked: How does Metal sonic interact with Aurora? Are they friends or does Metal act as a guardian?

A: I've only drawn the two crossing paths once. I like to think that Metal Sonic is secretly in love with Amy, and so when Amy and Sonic get married he is pretty devastated. Maybe he gets his own Metal Amy and has his own Metal family??? 👀

Anon asked: So we know that Sage is best friends with Aurora but how is she with Rouge and Knuckles son's? I forgot their names😭

A: That's okay, I have a lot of characters. You're asking about Ruff & Tumble! Honestly I don't see her having much of a relationship with them. They are quite a bit younger than Aurora so I don't think Sage would have much reason to be around them often. HOWEVER! I do write Sage to have a friendly-competitive relationship with CC, and since CC does not care much for the hyena boys, that means Sage automatically gets a kick out of them.

antooogamer asked: What happened to Sonic's scarf? Do you keep it or when you retire will you give it to one of your grandchildren?

A: With how much danger that hedgehog gets in to, that scarf would have been ripped to shreds! No way it survived long enough for his grandkids to have it 😆

Anon asked: Have Aurora ever met Blaze, Sliver, and Amy's parents?

A: Blaze and Silver are friends with Sonic and Amy so she definitely would have met them at some point. I originally wrote Amy's parents as having passed away before she and Sonic got married, but I recently decided to change that! The Rose 'rents will be alive in my canon! So yes she'd have met them, too!

cyberdiesel asked: What is Aurora's relationship with the Gogobas and Froglodytes (including Og) like?

A: Aurora does not have any relationship with them (I did not care for them so I don't plan on ever drawing them haha)

Anon asked: What did Sonic and Aurora do for Amy on Mother's Day?

A: They spoiled her rotten by making her the most delicious, sweet, unhealthy breakfast imaginable with pancakes and ice cream and all the flavor syrups! Sonic even cleaned up after!

Anon asked: Does Aurora loves Chillidogs like his father?

A: Nobody loves chilidogs as much as Sonic haha But she does enjoy them. She kinda has to, chili dogs are a staple in the Rose household!

medi0creartz asked: There’s something I’ve been thinking for a long time. I don’t know if someone asked you this but has Cream and her Mom Vanilla ever meet Aurora?

A: Of course! Cream is Amy's best friend. Aurora absolutely would have met her!

echidnapower asked: So, difficult philosophical lore math question for you. 👀 Aurora and Sage are besties. Aurora is the daughter of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sage is Dr. Eggman’s daughter. Dr. Eggman wants to destroy Sonic and take over the world. Sage never wants to hurt Aurora. Eggman hurting Sonic would hurt Aurora. Sage is "presumably" loyal to Eggman. Solve for X, if you know what I mean. >:)

A: echidnapower you always ask the tough questions! It might not be very exciting, but Eggman mellows out in my AU as he gets older and he even adores Aurora, so he has no intention of hurting her. Sage does want to rule the world and make the Eggman Empire reign supreme, but she wants to do it passively and by intelligent means, not through destruction ;) Sorry that's a boring answer for you!

km0901 asked: Hi again! A question that's been on my mind lately comes from your "Time travel" comic. In it, we know that Aroura goes back in time to save Shadow, but from what? I first thought it might be DR. Eggman, but he has seemingly moved on with his life along with everyone else. This leads to the big question, who or what is this new menace?

A: I know this is a disappointing answer, but I can't reveal what the threat behind that storyline is yet! You'll have to wait when I can finally write that story out as a fic. All I can confirm is that the threat is invented by me. It is not an antagonist from the game canon. I'm so sorry I can't share more!

Anon asked: will you ever draw your human AUs for sonic again sense you have a newer art style ( btw speaking of art style i Love it and absolutely adore everything you post)

A: You are such a sweetheart, thank you! I'm really happy to hear that. I'll draw human Sonic characters again, just not sure when :) Some people really hate the way I draw the gijinka Sonic characters so that's why I don't do it much. But whatever, it is what it is. It's not going to stop me forever lol I'm happy you like it!

Anon asked: I love the design for Movie Aurora!! Since Tom and Maddie are like Sonic's adopted parents (if Aurora lives on earth), would you see Tom and Maddie show her tons of affection like grandparents?

A: Thank you so much! Yes I'm sure Tom and Maddie would be over the moon to have a grandbaby! I have the cutest vision in my head of them having to buy doll clothes for her since she's so little.

*The next question is a Shadora Ask. Skip if you don’t like Shadora

Anon asked: Now that i thought, have the Shadora Offspring ever met Black Doom? If they did what's their relationship with him?

A: The Shadora Horde are aware of their lineage [x] [x], but no they don't have a relationship with Black Doom at all. If Black Doom were alive, Shadow definitely wouldn't let him anywhere near his kids.

-

SHIPPING ASKS

aeroranger100 asked: What inspired you to make My Gal? Or maybe I should ask, what got you on board the SonAmy ship in the first place? 💙🩷

A: My Gal came about simply because I thought, if Sonic were to ask Amy out, how would it go? Although I love sappy romance and angst, I actually prefer writing comedies so I put it in the Sonic Boom universe because I could go super silly with it! Though, I still think their date might go sort of like the events of My Gal no matter what universe it takes place in 😉 As far as why I first started shipping Sonamy, it was simply by learning who Amy was in the first place! The moment I saw her and got to know her character I thought, oh, this girl is the one. I wrote a very detailed post about it a long time ago if you'd like to read it! It wasn't meant to persuade anyone, it was just meant to illustrate why I'm so passionate about those two!

Anon asked: Your Sonamy art always gives me life and I love whenever you draw them smooching😘😘 Question: Do you have any art of Sonamy making out? Or if you know of another artists could you point me to them? I'm having cravings!!

A: Thank you so much! Honestly I feel like I draw them making out all the time 🤣 The entire ending and Epilogue of My Gal is just them kissing constantly haha! I'm working on some birthday drawings that should satisfy that craving of yours 👀

Anon asked: Hope I’m not annoying but what are Shadow’s, Sonic’s and Amy’s orientations(sexualities)? I know you answered What are shadora children sexualities but I really am curious about this. Also,love your art💜🙌

A: You're not annoying and thank you for the compliment! Honestly I can only answer for my own characters because they are 100% made by me. Unless SEGA officially confirms what Sonic, Shadow, and Amy's preferences are then I can't say for certain. We can all just imagine what we want.

Anon asked: Are Sonic and Amy still an active couple when their grandparents? And what do you mean by active e-vay? 😏Plz explain if you want😊…. I’m very curious 😂

A: Anon, you are too funny. You can't ask me a question and then follow it up by "what do you mean" when it was your question! 🤣 Yes they're still very active, however you mean it to mean! 😜

Anon asked: Do you think boom sonic has feelings for amy as well?

A: Absolutely I do! He was so sweet on her in that show!

Anon asked: What if sonamy was a same gender couple?

A: I've said it before but I'll say it again: As long as they're together and they're happy, I'm happy!

Anon asked: hi e-vay what's ur fav sonamy universe?? (boom, prime, etc.)

A: Hi! Wow, that's really difficult for me to pick. Boom was definitely the most fun for me. That show made me laugh so hard and Sonic and Amy were both so handsome and pretty, and they were so funny the way they interacted. I am still 100% of the belief that they were secretly dating during that show!!! But Modern has the most potential. It can be fun and it can be serious, so if they ever wanted to take Sonic down a romantic path I think it would be more meaningful in the Modern context.

Anon asked: desearía tener más contenido tails x cc realmente los amo!!

and makarov asked: More cc x tails comics pleeeaseeee🥺? And will you do an cc x tails animation?

A: I'm so happy you like the LoveBytes (TailsXCC) ship! I promise I'll draw more in the future 💛 I'm sorry for the wait. I don't know about an animation but definitely more drawings to come.

nightfurylover31 asked: I’ve been listening to Backstreet Boys again to relive my childhood, and the songs “Shape of My Heart” and “I Don’t Wanna Lose You Know” feel like perfect Sonamy songs! 🥰💙🥰🩷

A: Backstreet Boys! Talk about ROMANCE! I love those and of course now I will associate them with Sonamy 🥰 Thank you for sharing!

blueberryydraw asked: hey e-vay! I love your works and I'm a big fan of Sonic. Would it be possible for you to make a Sonamy movie? :)

A: Thank you so very much! Are you asking if I could make a sonamy animation some time? If so, I can't say much about it but there is a very special project I'm working on! It won't be ready for a very long time, but when I can talk about it, I will!

ultimate-guardian asked: What do you say about Knuckles x Mighty?

A: I don't personally ship the two of them together

*The next question is a Shadora Ask. Skip if you don’t like Shadora

Anon asked: Sonic does not want Shadow to date Aurora cause he thinks he might hurt her or is it because they don't like each other?

A: It wouldn't matter if it was Shadow or not, Sonic doesn't want Aurora dating anyone. He doesn't think anyone is 'good enough' for his daughter.

–

Thank you all for the questions!

Evay QA Bulk Post 1

Evay QA Bulk Post 2

Evay QA Bulk Post 3

Evay QA Bulk Post 4

Evay QA Bulk Post 6

[insertdisc5]

Devlog #16: Answers and Questions

Hello everyone! Welcome to this month’s devlog!

If you just stumbled upon this, I am Adrienne, also known as insertdisc5! I’m the developer, writer, artist, main programmer, etc of the game. The game being In Stars and Time, a timeloop RPG, which is also the next and final game in the START AGAIN series, following START AGAIN: a prologue (available here!).  You can find out more about In Stars and Time here!!! 

LET’S GET TO IT. This month is Q&A: Cohost edition!

“A Q&A again?” Heheh well I don’t have anything to talk about this month ✨ We’re working hard on finalizing the localization! And on porting to consoles! And on secret stuff! You know, the usual!!! Get excited!!! So, Q&A again 💖 And see, I asked questions for Q&As on Twitter. On Tumblr. On Discord. But some new social media platforms have entered the fray. SO.

Welcome to Q&A: Cohost edition. (Follow me on cohost and/or read this post I wrote about why I think cohost is neat teehee) (and follow me on bluesky if you want. I like it way less though. Sorry bluesky)

@ItsMeLilyV asks:

One of the bits of advice that gets tossed around by indie devs is to avoid making RPGs, especially for your first few games, because they tend to be large in scope, difficult to prototype, and easy to underestimate.

Was this ever a fear for you in making START AGAIN, or In Stars and Time? Did you take any special precaution to keep these games within a scope you could handle, and did you learn tricks from START AGAIN that carried over to ISAT when in came to keeping things manageable? Thank you!! ✨

I had no idea that was a piece of advice given, but yep, that makes a lot of sense! Since I didn’t know, I went in blissfully aware, teehee.

I will say that I am familiar with working on big projects from working on comics, and with seeing big webcomic artists always mention to never start with your magnum opus… And I could tell ISAT had the potential to be way bigger than I imagined, which is why I decided to start with creating the prologue to get used to RPGMaker as well as making games. Kind of a pilot of sorts!

Again, thanks to comics, I know to keep my scope pretty small, because even if you keep it small it WILL balloon into something way bigger than you thought. Just for the prologue, I imagined it’d be a 20mn game, and it’s easily a 2-3h one! Keep your scope small!!!

As for tricks, when I catch myself thinking “wow what if I added this cool thing”, I try to always keep in mind those two things: 1. How long will it take to implement (including bug testing), and 2. Does it add something important to the game. I know we always want to add a fishing game, or a fun minigame, but do you Need It. Does it add something substantial to the story, to the Themes. Or are you just adding it because you like fishing games. Which is a valid reason, but also, maybe just make a fishing game instead. You are not the Yakuza series!!!! You are a small indie gamedev!!!! Think about you in 4 months who has to fix all the fishing game bugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@stem asks:

how is it to have a piece of art that's basically done (as far as i understand) that you can't share yet? like how do you personally bide the time until it's finally ready to release, or is it not really a challenge to wait? :0c

It’s so weird!!! The game has been done for so long!!! I’m very glad I asked some friends to playtest the game, so I could at least get some feedback before the game is out… In some ways it feels like the game will be done twice: once back when I finished making the game, and once when the game actually comes out. It’s just a very strange experience. Sometimes people tell me they’re excited to find out more about this story beat, or about this character, and a part of me is like… Wait, haven't you played the game? Oh, yeah, it’s not actually out. Guess you’ll find out later.

EDIT: My god. I just checked on my private devlog for when I completed the Alpha of ISAT. It was in August of last year (I lay down on the floor and look at the ceiling) (I still had to finish all the illustrations so really the game was Done Donezo in October but still…)

anon asked:

What role did Armor Games play in creating the final product?

SO MANY THINGS. Here are some of them: support when it comes to porting/marketing/social media/localization, feedback on the game and how to make it better, community guidance, testing support, QA/internal testing… The game couldn’t be the way it is without them.

For more small details, I have a weekly meeting with my producer, Dora! We talk about the game and how everything is going. A couple months back, I also was checking in with the internal QA team fairly often to fix any remaining bugs. They also helped me find ISAT’s additional programmer, Isabella, and she is a godsend because coding is hard. They also take care of communicating with press, finding more opportunities to showcase the game in conventions, talking with the localization/porting teams… I am probably forgetting a thousand little things they did to help out!!! THEY’RE SO GOOD OK

Anon asked:

So obviously the skills/spells/what have you are based off of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Did you design each "type" to be like a certain style? Rock being heavy damage and defense buffs, scissors being speed and quick attacks, like that?

Absolutely! I just went with the obvious. Rock is physical damage, defense focused, Scissors is swords, attack focused, and Paper is magic, mind focused. It was fun to develop a spell system around those! I’m excited for people to find out more about Craft…

@nickshutter asks:

I really loved START AGAIN (streamed it for a small handful of friends) and was super happy to hear about a follow-up! The cast is so much fun and their personalities are really well-balanced—did any of the characters change pretty drastically from their initial conception during development of the game?

I’m so glad you streamed it with friends… I hope you had a good fun time…

And for sure! Isabeau and Mirabelle were pretty set from the get go (himbo and shy wallflower), but Odile started as more of a gentle teacher type, even if I very quickly went the snarky old lady route. Siffrin and Bonnie were harder to pin down– I wasn’t sure how to portray Siffrin’s despair in the prologue, and started showing them more overtly depressed, but I thought it’d be Very Yummy to have them show a happy facade to their friends. And then, for ISAT, I had to figure out what a non-depressed Siffrin would be like, for the first couple acts of the game before the despair sets in. As for Bonnie, I had a lot of trouble figuring out what they’d be like, what kind of kid they were, what their relationship with everyone else would be like, and then I thought about what their past would be like and then their characterization was set in stone. Sometimes you need to figure out One Thing to unlock a character’s brain. I’m very excited for everyone to find out more about each character in ISAT!

@SuperBiasedGary asks:

What games (or other media) lit a fire under you to create your own?

It could be stuff you liked so much it inspired, something you found frustrating because you felt an itch to do it differently, or something that made you realise humans make things and you could be one of them.

I found a lot of indie games inspiring, but I think Umineko might’ve been the one that made me go… Oh, anyone can just make a massive video game narrative. And you can make it very simple, with kinda goofy sprites, and still manage to make an incredibly touching story!

As for frustrating games that lit a fire under me, I think I’d say in general, I found issue with the classic trope of the “main character helps people and doesn’t get anything back”. What often happens in some games is that you help NPCs with their problems, sometimes helping them with very intense, complicated problems! For a very long time! And, in exchange, you get… A cool item? A nice new skill? And that’s it?

I know this might be complicated to implement on a narrative perspective, but I remember playing Persona 5, and your character just went through a very harrowing experience (like, oh, being INTERROGATED AND TORTURED BY THE POLICE) and you help your friends during social links, and they go “thanks for your help! Bye~” like WHAT ABOUT ME. WHAT ABOUT MY PROBLEMS. CAN YOU GIVE ME A HUG

So on a certain level, I wanted a game where instead of the characters around you having problems, the main character also has problems. And is subconsciously screaming “CAN YOU PLEASE NOTICE I HAVE PROBLEMS AND GIVE ME A HUG.” And hopefully, the characters notice. Winks

Hm. I do want to say I wrote most of the prologue/ISAT during the pandemic, and I felt very lonely and not supported. But then guess what. I told my friends about how I felt. And most of them told me they had no idea, and vowed to support me more. And now I’m closer to them. So the moral of this answer is, yeah, it’d be nice if people noticed, but also, you need to tell people when you’re feeling bad. LOOKS AT SIFFRIN

Anon asked:

Is there a song you listen to in order to put yourself in the sasasa/ISAT mindset?

I have a whole playlist baybee. Before you ask: there aren’t any hidden meanings behind those song choices. It’s about the Mood, and also my personal tastes in music I listen to when I need to concentrate. I like songs that go WUB WUB

 In no particular order, here are five random songs I played on repeat when making the prologue:

Future Club (Arcade Version) by Perturbator (in bold because this was THE song I listened to on repeat. I believe I gave it to Lindar for inspiration lol)

Arcades by C2C

Wake Me Up by Para One

The First Wish by DROELOE

Les Enfants du Paradis by World’s End Girlfriend

And here are five random songs I played on repeat for In Stars and Time:

Down by Chloe x Halle

Nonsense Bungaku by Eve

Non-Breathe Oblige by PinocchioP

Gentle Heart by Jamie Paige

Ready For The Floor by Hot Chip

It’s interesting, the songs I listened to for the prologue are generally more heavy and frenetic, while the ones for ISAT are more hopeful… I made sure to listen to more lively songs for ISAT, since that’s the feeling I wanted to give off…

That’s all the questions I have! In other, non related ISAT news, I have started a new project and having a lot of fun. It’s a visual novel this time. I’m hoping to get some screenshots ready in the next few months, but also I’m taking it easy on this one. If it takes years with many breaks in between to get it done, it’s fine. What matters to me right now is the process!

That’s all I have to say for today! Let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s any aspect of the game development struggle you’d like me to talk about! See you next time!!!

AND DON’T FORGET TO WISHLIST THE GAME ON STEAM ALSO IT REALLY HELPS BECAUSE STEAM’S ALGORITHM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW OFF GAMES WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF WISHLISTS THAT’S THE REASON WHY GAME DEVS ALWAYS ASK TO WISHLIST!!! OKAY BYE!!!!

[changingplumbob]

Woods Household: Chapter 2, Part 3

When you want to jog for pictures but it's cloudy...

CW: Moderate level sim spice. Content Warning Guide

Carrying on from last chapter, Samir has a voice in his head now that he's a werewolf. When it "speaks" to him, it will be in italics. When he answers back, just in his head, it will be bold.

Reece and Samir wrap up and head out for a jog together. As usual Samir is in front.

Samir: Come on, I’m beating you

Reece: Wish you were, gently though

Samir: Focus

Reece: But you have superhuman speed now, I am only human

Samir: I’m not a vampire blondie, I think you’re just making excuses

Reece: My phone says it’s freezing

Samir: Then you better keep up to stay warm

Reece: So that’s the tunnels where…

Samir: Yeah. I’ll probably go looking for more stuff this week, see if these werewolf senses can help with anything

Reece: Just be careful lover. And come home

Samir: I always have, I always will. You warm enough

Reece: I could do with a cuddle

Samir: After the run… if you can beat me

Reece: *huffs* I’m trying!

Nearing the bridge back they encounter a patch of ice that almost sends Samir flying! Luckily he has Reece to grab on to! Unluckily the closest part is his butt.

Reece: *squeaks*

Samir: *chuckles*

He pulls himself up and gives Reece's butt a slap for fun.

Samir: Thanks for saving me from the fall

Reece: No fair! I thought that meant you-

Samir: Can’t hear you, too far ahead

Reece: You have ridiculously high expectations of me

Samir: You meet them every time though

Back home Reece is pretty chilled despite the run so Samir orders a thermostat to help keep the house warm enough for him.

Reece: *chattering* co… co… cold

Samir: I have an idea that could help

He raises his eyebrows and Reece is putty in his hands.

Samir: You’re taking a shower with me. Clothes off, now

Reece: *pouting* Just a shower?

Samir: Don’t talk back or it will be

Laughing Reece follows him into the warm water where he finally warms up and gets what he’s been angling for since he woke up. The increase in sensation since Samir became a werewolf is an adjustment Reece never tires of.

Around midday Keira pops by to help Reece with his homework for biology.

Reece: You’re still so tanned

Keira: What can I say, the honeymoon was good. Marta says to say hi

Reece: She’s sweet. Now can you explain the types of alleles again? I thought it was just dominant and recessive

Keira: Sure. So it was in high school. But at this level it’s also about if the allele is on the x chromosome, y chromosome, non-sex chromosome or in the mitochondria. Hey- don’t pull faces, you can figure it out

Outside Samir has been keeping himself busy. He fixed one of the turbines that had broken down and then went on a hunt. He got some kind of meat back, we’re not to question it, he is a carnivore. Then he finishes a half done garden planter that is sitting on the workbench. He levels up level 3 handiness and finally sees the benefits of carving with a saw instead of a knife. Then quick mail check.

Reece: That makes so much more sense now!

Keira: It’s pretty logical in the end

Samir: Hi Keira

Keira: Oh hey Samir, you want to study biology

Samir: *chuckles* I’ll leave it to Reece. Thanks for coming over

Keira: No problem

The Foster pair get back to work and Samir goes into the bedroom to practice on his violin.

Keira: Did he not want to practice out here?

Reece: He’s a shy guy Keira

Keira: Right, I know, I’m a loner to. You just look at him and he doesn’t look like he should be shy you know?

Reece: I’m so glad mum got him that violin

Keira: You should thank Carson

Reece: For peeking in my journal? Never

Laughing, Keira sees herself out and when the coast is clear Samir comes out.

Reece: You’re sounding really good boss

Samir: Thanks blondie. I’m just going to mark the property, back in a sec

That’s it, make sure that murderer knows to stay away. That’s not why I’m doing it. No? Could have fooled me. I’m just marking what’s mine. Don’t let those dinner guests lay claim to one inch of your territory. Yeah yeah yeah.

Heading back inside Samir is glad the place smells like him and grabs a book off the shelf.

Reece: Any luck seeing stuff in there yet?

Samir: I don’t- wait… this could be something

He turns the book on a weird angle and begins to read.

Samir: The Moonwood Collective is here to help those in need, to teach control, for the betterment of werewolves around the world. Any who come to Moonwood Mill have a pack waiting for them.

Reece: That sounds… good?

Samir shrugs and goes to get started on dinner.

Samir: I don’t want a pack. I don’t need a pack. I have you

Reece: Yeah but… some kids would be nice one day right?

Samir: Yeah, of course they would. They’d be ours

Reece: *smiles* How’s the Gollum/Smeagol situation thing going

Samir: We watched the film but I still don’t get it

Reece: *sighs* How’s the inner wolf

Samir: Peeved at the idea of dinner guests

Reece: What ya making?

Samir: Steak Tartare. Closest I can get to raw meat without seeming like I didn’t try

Reece: You don’t think they’re vegetarians do you

Samir: I… No? Why didn’t we ask

Reece: You wanted them off your territory

Samir: Hmm, guess this will just have to do

Reece: Table is all set, we’ll be ready

Previous ... Next

[cosmicdream222]

have you entered the void before?

I'm asking cause I've seen you post about it a bunch times with different methods to enter

Also, thank you for introducing me to the phase method! I'm using it and another method (one I created) to enter

Hey! Glad to hear the Phase has been helpful for you! Happy to answer your question, but it’s a bit more complicated than a yes/no answer and I’m feeling rambly today so you’re gonna get a whole backstory on how this blog came to be 😂

Backstory about me & this blog

I’d been in the personal development manifestation community since around 2016, and it was my life for a long time. But the kind of manifesting these people taught was basically like… wake up at 5am, work out, journal, meditate, shadow work, tarot cards, affirmations, cold showers, start a business, post no less than 10 times a day across your 5+ social media channels, and maybe if you hustle hard enough and cleared enough past life karma and Mercury isn’t retrograde, then the universe might grant your wishes... (if you don’t die of exhaustion first. 😅)

It really was a mess and realize now despite the facade of positive thinking and good vibes, the whole community really just keeps themselves identifying with lack & victim mentality so the coaches at the top profit off everyone else’s misery.

I believed in manifesting and had faith I would achieve my goals, but despite years of trying a million different things, only saw small or short-term successes and never seemed to get anywhere. I was feeling pretty burnt out and miserable, so summer 2023 I decided to stop trying so hard and just spend some time focused on myself and what I wanted. I went back to the two methods that I’ve always loved and had success with: affirmations and tapping.

I tapped every day and started making affirmation art and lockscreen wallpaper for fun. I posted the affirmations on Pinterest, which eventually lead me to finding affirmations pinned from tumblr. I think it was a screenshot from blushydior I saw at first, but her blog was deactivated by then. So I started stumbling around tumblr (around Aug-Sept 2023 at this point), where I eventually came across loa, the void, and shifting.

I was surprised because despite my extreme research into all things personal development & spiritual, I’d never heard of it. Although I’d read about quantum physics and more supernatural things, every coach/teacher had major limits. “Manifesting” only meant getting logical earth things like making 6 figures in your business through hard work and hustle so you can afford to travel and buy luxury cars & Chanel bags. Stuff like changing the past, waking up with all your desires, etc was absolutely impossible and not even talked about except “you can’t change the past”.

So having only heard about these incredible overnight life-changing manifestations from tumblr, I was skeptical and wanted more information. I basically started this blog to collect information from outside tumblr to prove it to myself and share with others. Which of course sent me down a rabbit hole of research and overconsumption and overcomplicating the void 😅

I did get kinda obsessed and throw myself into trying every shifting & void method I saw right away, which just left me frustrated with “failed” attempts. But I see now I was just repeating the same victim mentality from the old community - that everything had to be hard and a struggle, that I was a victim of circumstance and limited by a higher power. (This is also a really commonly held limiting belief in religion and society in general that affects many people.)

It took me more than a few months to realize, but I’m finally switching my default programming to that of a creator instead of a victim. Because I don’t want to be obsessed and put the void on a pedestal, I’m currently just working on my self concept that I am in control of my reality and can manifest whatever I want - with or without the void. I still do want to experience it of course, just want to make sure I’m going at it with a healthy mindset.

However!

About a week or two ago I read someone’s void success story that triggered a memory from many years ago: I realized I actually did wake up in the void and manifested something, long before I even knew what manifesting or the void was 😭 Because I’d always believed in supernatural things, I thought I had a “psychic dream” but now I know it was the void! (If anyone wants storytime I can make another post with more detail).

And since at the time, I entered without even knowing about the void’s existence, I realize we here or tumblr really do overcomplicate it. Like the video I posted where the void is described as the midway point between wake and sleep - it really is that simple!

I’ve noticed now that whenever I wake up naturally (not getting woken up by an alarm, outside noise, or cat jumping on me) I do always seem to wake up in the void. It’s the same kind of experience, and I don’t hear anything, but my first natural instinct when I wake up is to wonder where the sounds of my environment are. So I end up tuning in to my room and snapping out of the void.

I guess I just have to train myself to make my first thought an affirmation for my desires instead of just wondering where the sounds are 😅 But regardless, now I know it’s absolutely real and possible for me, I know it’s only a matter of time until I figure it out!

[summitclan-chronicles]

Applications are Closed!

Holy cow, we finally made it - and what a grand venture this has been! So many new faces, so many new friends, so many questions and answers! I've learned so much about the people that have come here, even before anyone hops onboard the server!

I'm so thankful for the kindness, grace, curiosity, interest and patience you have all granted me. I have wanted to make this roleplay since I was very much a child too young to be on the internet, and to see that it might actually be something - even significant, at that? - it blows my mind without hesitation.

And just the same, I am thankful for everyone that faced the bravery of coming off anon and talking to me in asks and replies! I'm so glad to have some familiar faces in my feed so early - and I'm sure others have come to recognize and respect you too!

Now, with the soft gushy stuff over, I have 3 gifts to present to you!

i. Application Replies!

Some were multiple choice, so I gathered those together to put in review:

The arcs question made me & fiancee smile, because it stayed pretty consistent, with the most people having read TPB and the fewest having read ASC. On the contrary, I was not expecting so many people to have been rping in the kitty scene for over 10 years! I was also surprised at how many inexperienced people we got - and how filled out the middle was! I'm entertained by the near perfect split on wanting staff roles, & how few people chose Leader on the rank question.

Most importantly, I want to point out the question regarding being placed on a list for future loners and kittens. 98.4% is roughly 59 people, dude! We're going to have a robust list of people waiting for such openings, so I won't have to worry about inadequate responses just yet - much to my relief!

ii. A sneak-peak at our server setup!

I won't be giving out any more than this!

III. A Summitclan Playlist!

To get ourselves in the Summitclan spirit, I put together a little playlist! I'll be making a much longer one at a later date - but this works great for writing up a post or brainstorming characters!

The songs are ordered to flow nicely into one another, but they sound great shuffled too!

In conclusion...

🎄🕎🕯🕊 HAPPY HOLIDAYS🌹🌽✡️🎁

Get on your best jammies, snuggle up into something warm and put on your favorite music... spend time with the people you love & the things you love to do. Remember all this past year has brought to you, and know the good you've put into the world will return twicefold to you. Be it snowing, sleeting, raining or sunny where you are - be it arctic or balmy - you are here, alive and loved very deeply. You are someone to be celebrated, and you make people proud each and every day to be your friend.

Admin Jingo may be a bit absent due to family shenanigans, but feel free to send asks or reply to posts!

I love you all very much! As a reminder before I go...

Make sure your main Discord is accepting Friend Requests and DMs by December 29th (Friday).

If you get a friend request from someone named "Jingo-tastic", that's me!

Once the link has been sent to you, you'll have 1 week to heed it. If 3 days pass without a reply, I'll send a bump msg to your secondary!

You will be given access to the Summitclan Lore on January 1st, 2024 at midnight EST.

Roleplaying begins on January 8th.

Character creation/editing ends on January 15th.

Now that the grand opening has closed, the only way to join SCC is by way of newborn kittens or loners coming in from outside.

And one more time:

Thank you! ☃️

[quetzalpapalotl]

The only IDW I’ve read is MTMTE/LL, and I want to read more, specifically about Optimus. I only know him from Prime, and there, he’s the Superman-like hero, can do no harm kind of guy; I was hoping to see a different take on him. Where do I start for comics that focus on him?

Hello! So glad to have this question! I looove IDW1 Optimus and it's my interest to spread that, lol. When it comes to IDW1 Optimus, many writers have different takes on him, but John Barber is really the one that defines the character, or at least it is if you're interested in OP because of my blog. So the short answer is to read the exRID and Optimus Prime ongoings.

That being said, MTMTE is a far more self-contained story than the rest of the entries in the continuity. Barber's stuff not only gets a lot of crossovers and side stories, but Barber is known for being continuity-obsessed (same), and his Optimus is very much written as a reconciliation of all the interpretations of the character in the comics, taking even the negative implications others ignored and dealing with them face-on. The reading is definitively enriched by context.... but also I'm not gonna ask you to read all of IDW1 because a lot of those comics are... boring at best tbh, and I understand reading comics just for lore is not everyone's idea of a good time, haha.

So I prepared for you a Optimus-focused reading order for IDW1 with little explanations for each entry. Because Optimus is such an important character, his path crosses with many plotlines, so I tried to make it so you would be able to get a full, mostly-coherent story, while also keeping the focus on him. Just keep the following in mind: I am biased. This skips most, if not all, of phase 1 (comics published from 2005 to 2011) because I personally judged it not worth it in an attempt to lower the number of comics (so many). This also skips all the series and crossovers where Optimus doesn't feature prominently (so none of the Windblade series or things like Revolutionaries) so you will lack context for some stuff but I think you should be able to pull through. Finally, there will be issues of exrid/OP where Optimus doesn't show up, but it's all part of the storyline, and also Barber writes about Optimus not only as a person but as an ideal, his influence speaks even in his abscence.

Stormbringer by Simon Furman

An ancient evil awakes, Optimus deals with it while remembering the events that led to Cybertron dying. Nothing to write home about, you can skip it, but it's a quick read and it will give you a taste of how Furman writes Optimus (I'm skipping everything else by Furman btw), which was a heavy influence on JRo (from Marvel) and Barber. You can skip it if you want.

The Transformers (2009 ongoing) by Mike Costa

This is a big jump, so for context: previously the Decepticons did a full scale invasion of Earth as well as almost wiping out the Autobots thanks to intel from a traitor. Eventually the Autobots managed to come on top and defeat the Decepticons. Now the Autobots are stranded on Earth, humans have a terrible opinion of Cybertronians and Optimus wants to make reparations. This series presents a lot of interesting stuff that Barber will expand on. Unfortunately, Costa was (by his own admission) not invested in writing Transformers and it shows, particulary, he doesn't understand Optimus' appeal enough to make something interesting with it, but it was still an influence on Barber. There is some good stuff, but I'm afraid to bore you before getting to the actual good stuff. So you can skip it or come back to read it later.

Chaos Theory by James Roberts

These are issues #22 and #23 from the Costa ongoing, in case you decide to skip it. This is the one thing in phase 1 that you must read. We get a more complex take on Optimus, a look into his relationship with Megatron and their past. It introduces JRo's not-at-all controversial idea of making Orion Pax a cop (if only there was a writer that would later deal with the implications of that).

Autocracy by Chris Metzen & Flint Dille

A radically different take on Orion from JRo, this series is set in the past and shows us a bitter Orion who sees no good sides anywhere in the events that lead to the fall of Zeta Prime. Look, I like this in retrospective, but I don't think it's good on its own, feels very edgy for edge's sake (I have a lot to say about this, actually). Still a dear friend likes it so maybe you will. Either way, Barber will later write an arc that feels like a direct response to this that's one of my favorite parts of OP's character so it's worth a read at some point.

The Death of Optimus Prime by James Robers & John Barber

A single issue that serves as a prologue for the sister ongoings. after using the matrix to save the day at the end of Costa's ongoing, Optimus awakens to a rejuvenated Cybertron. The neutrals come back home and Optimus wonders about his place in peacetime.

Robots in Disguise #1-9 by John Barber Robots in Disguise annual

We see how Bumblebee and co. try to deal with an unstable peace on Cybertron. OP only shows up in issue 6, but since you will eventually have to read all of exRID, may as well read the beginning. Also Arcee shows up, and she will be as important for the themes as Optimus himself, so again, might as well.

More Than Meets the Eye #9-11 by James Roberts More than Meets the Eye #36 Spotlight: Orion Pax

It will do good to revisit Mtmte's Shadowplay arc as we see more of Orion's backstory and his relationship with Senator Shockwave. It may be a long jump, but since we're not focused on Mtmte itself, might as well complete JRo's stuff and read issue #36, where Team Rodimus travels back in time, in that issue we see what Orion is doing after angering Sentinel with no Senator to protect him, now under the guide of Zeta. All of this important for OP's character and for Cybertron's political backstory. Then in Spotlight: Orion Pax, we see Orion working under Zeta-now-Prime and his perspective on current issues.

Monstrosity and Primacy by Chris Metzen & Flint Dille

Following Autocracy, these two series shows us Optimus struggling with his newly-adquired Primacy. Suffer from a lot of the same issues as Autocracy, but in my opinion they're less pointlessly edgy. They don't have as much relevance, however, so you can skip them if it feels like too much.

Robots in Disguise #10-22 by Jonh Barber

We're back to the main series. Again, Orion only shows up in issues #10 and #19, but the same as above applies. Also this will lead up to...

Dark Cybertron by John Barber and James Roberts

A crossover event between the two ongoings, which honestly fits much more better on exRID than it does on Mtmte. It consists of 12 issues, of which #1 and #12 were published on their own, and the rest were published as More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise alternatively, but you can find it all compiled in one volume. Orion has some important moments here, including retaking the name Optimus Prime (but was that really such a good idea?).

Robots in Disguise #28-34 by John Barber

After Dark Cybertron, Barber leaves most of the stuff on Cybertron to Mairghread Scott and takes us back to Earth. Optimus is now at the center on this series and will remain there. Here we start to see his struggles in trying to maintain peace, which will only get more complicated.

The Transformers #35-#38 (2014 ongoing, exRID) by John Barder

This is the same series as Robots in Disguise, expect they reduced the name to just The Transformers to avoid confusion with the comics for the Robots in Disguise 2015 cartoon. That's why we refer to the whole thing as exRID.

Punishment by John Barber

A miniseries where Optimus returns to Cybertron and tries to track down a Decepticon serial killer. Here Barber lays down some themes he will keep revisiting fot the rest of his work. Optimus faces some questions and we see how his self doubt is really taking a toll on him.

This is the first part of the Redemption of the Dinobots trilogy, followed by Redemption and Salvation set later in the continuity. Those two don't feature Optimus and so aren't on this list. However I want to say that they showcase the best of Barber's work when not restrained by editorial mandates, so I do recommend them.

Combiner Wars by John Barber & Mairghread Scott

A crossover similar to Dark Cybertron published across two series, this time between exRID and Windblade. Strascream schemes so Camminus will be indebted to him, Windblade and Optimus use OP's Prime clout to try to diminish his influence (this will surely not become an habit for OP). As questionable as that is, Prowl thinks is not enough and takes matters into his own hands. I think it does a good enough job depiste all the To Sell Toys mandates and either way, it will influence what's to come and we get to see the reason for Prowl and OP falling out

The Transformers #42-#55 (exRID) by John Barber

We continue with the Earth plot. Optimus keeps struggling with peace and makes more questionable decisions. Should he leave Earth alone or is he obligated to protect it? How do you protect that which doesn't want yout help?

Titans Return

A sort of crossover, it opens with a one-shot which is followed by exRID #56-57, and then Mtmte #56-57. For our purposes, you don't have to read the MTMTE chapters, but if you did while on your own MTMTE read you may want to revisit them now with context.

Revolution by John Barber and Cullen Bunn (+others)

Okay, this is where we start with the Hasbroverse crossovers. A six issue series (from 0 to 5) backed up by one shots from every individual series featured. This isn't impossible to follow, but it does drag because it features a buch of characters and plotlines a Transformers-only reader won't care about and the writing isn't great. It does feature some "WTF, Optimus" moments (as in, on purpose), Optimus learns humans are not so defenseless and it is kinda relevant, so you may still want to read it. If you do, make sure to also read the Till All Are One: Revolution one shot (and might as well add the The Transformers one because Thundercraker is in it and he's great, and again, the Mtmte one so you can read it with context this time).

Optimus Prime #1-8 by John Barber

We start phase 3 with an arc that's a favorite of mine. Optimus plays with fire to get Earth to join the Council of Worls for its own good. We also get flashbacks of Orion working under Zeta pre Autocracy and pre Spotlight. Barber recontextualizes Autocracy!Orion, deals with the cop thing in ways JRo didn't dare and explores why me made the choices he did without trying to wash his hands.

Transformers Annual 2017 by John Barber

I don't know why this isn't labeled as an Optimus Prime annual, but whatever, it takes place after issue #8. Optimus and Pyra Magna have talk.

Optimus Prime #9-10 by John Barber

We get what I think is one of the most touching issues followed by learning more about the history of Cybertron.

First Strike by Mairghread Scott and David A. Rodriguez (+others)

More crossover fun! I honestly can't tell you how easy this is to follow without having read Revolutionaries (not featured on this guide). Again it's kinda relevant, some of this is a consequence of Optimus actions, leads to Unicron being awoken, and it does have some key Optimus moments, this time by Scott rather than Barber, if you want to see what she does with him. It has the tie-in comics, Optimus Prime: First Strike and Transformers: First Strike by John Barber (the laters follow the former, despite having different names) which don't feature OP a lot.

Optimus Prime #11-14 by John Barber

We see what Optimus' followers get up to while OP is busy in First Strike and then what follows after that event.

Optimus Prime annual by John Barber

Thundercraker tries to make a movie about Starscream (who is in jail after confessing to all his crimes in the Till All Are One annual), it's great.

Optimus Prime #15-21 by John Barber

Barber starts to pay off things he has been building up since exRID as Unicron approaches.

This is the recommended order for what remains (all by Jonh Barber)

Unicron #0 Optimus Prime #22 Unicron #1-4 Optimus Prime #23-24 Unicron #5-#6 and finally Optimus Prime #25

Unicron is here to make Cybertronians face their legacy. Optimus arc comes to an end. OP #25 is my favorite comic issue. I hope you manage to get there, and if you do, let me know what you think!

I hope this was helpful. If you get confused by lacking context, it may help to check the continuity notes section of whatever issue you just read in TFWiki's page for it. And as always, feel free to as me more questions!

[aidaronan]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @wynnyfryd and @stevethehairington. Thank!!! 1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 131 (Jesus Christ)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,069,649

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently I write primarily Stranger Things with the occasion OFMD but I have written for Marvel (Stucky, Sambucky, Danbeau, gen), The Old Guard, and The Walking Dead. I tend to hyperfixate on a ship/fandom for a few years and then mostly move on when for whatever reason I no longer have interest.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Steddie completely overtook all my top fics, which is pretty wild. The top five are: The Prettiest Boy in Hawkins, Indiana Anywhere, Anytime Critical Hit It's Not a Big Deal I'd Burn the Castle for You

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

Sometimes. I very much like to interact with fandom and fandom people. That's kind of the whole point. But I'm ultimately a person with a lot going on and treating comments like they're transactional (aka always owed a response) makes responding to comments feel like a job which is exhausting for me personally.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I mean, as much as I generally like a hopeful ending, there's a fair few. I mean, I was in The Walking Dead fandom where anyone can die so... lol But a recentish one I can remember is one I don't talk about much or promote really bc I don't like to think about it all that often. It's just Steve sneaking back into the Upside Down to bury Eddie. Nothing else, just closure. I wrote it when I was processing some feelings about losing my grandma's cat in a pretty traumatic way. I bottle fed him as a baby and always considered him kind of my cat too. Because of how and when it all happened, I had to take charge and bury him all alone, so I sort of used Steve to get some of it out.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Lol I tend to do Happy Endings so... God, hard to pick. I like the way I'd Burn the Castle for You ends because it's happy but it feels really grounded at the same time which I think makes it happier because it feels like they could actually have it. But when I think of the happiest, I might have to go back to Stucky and We didn't need this to love each other, but I'm glad we get to do it anyway which is a fic where Steve and Bucky never went to war, find a way to live a whole life together despite how hard it was to do so, and then get married when it's finally legal in NY. (Yes, I will keep using the characters getting married when it's finally legal trope because 1. I'm actually a sap, and 2. It's a good reminder that it's recent and hard-won.)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Sometimes, not in a while

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

Well. Hahahhahaha It can be anything from tender lovemaking to hardcore to hardcore with monsters and any mix or combo of those.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Crossovers in the sense of characters from different fandoms interacting? Not in a very long time, I don't think?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Stolen where they attempt to pass it off as theirs, I don't think so. I have, however, had quite a few rude little fuckers repost it on Wattpad lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A few of my Stucky fics were translated into Russian.

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

No because I'm terrible at asking for people to work on stuff with me lol I am trying to get better at not thinking I'm annoying everyone all the time and actually talk about collabs and things. @sparklyslug and I are maybe going to do something if we can stop signing up for bangs lmao

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I can't answer this because the answer is always going to change based on whatever I'm into at the time lol

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I can't point to any specific one because I genuinely don't know which ones I will and won't finish. BUT I do know there's never any conceivable way I'll finish all of my WIPs because just for Stranger Things, I have like 59. Maybe I'll say the Paramedic fic because I sort of lost the will to work on it after I took it down. It didn't really feel like there was any interest.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. And fucknasty porn if we're being honest.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I sometimes feel like I really struggle writing any interpersonal relationships because I'm pretty bad at them irl. I know ADHD bleeds into my work and in every single character I write even if they don't intentionally have ADHD traits because I'll never ever actually understand the world from any other perspective. I also have to resist overexplaining shit even in my writing. I'm also bad at actually, you know, starting the task of writing sometimes lmaooo Plus just, like, me and my insecurities. Which is more of a personal weakness but it def affects how I interact with some of my own work/responses to it sometimes. Also see above and hate asking for "help" and being a "bother" and the fact that only like a few of my stories are beta'd lol

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't do it very often, esp in Steddie. But I've done it in the past (I mean, Bucky Barnes, so...) It's like anything else in writing. You do it when you have a reason to do it and you consider the why of it and how different readers might interact with it and how you WANT them to interact with it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

MCR and The Used bandfic back on motherfucking Quizilla

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Not to flex with the fact that I have 131 works on ao3 and that I've been writing on there for over 10 years, but there are so many things I love and love still--or even things I don't love still and would do a completely different way but love the memory of, or even just the accomplishment represented by that thing--that it'd be impossible to pick just one. But I'll talk about a few that come to mind - Fave Steddie is still Cut and Changed and Rearranged and my baby bisexual Steve learning he is loved

I love the work and historical research I put into The Second Labor, my alt version of the first Captain America movie where Steve joins the war effort in a different way.

And I also love my Cyberpunk Stucky, Empires Fall, but Not Us and think of it fondly.

Anyway thanks again for the tags Wynn and Mack 🥰! This was a nice little reflection moment lol Tagging @sparklyslug @greatunironic @banannabethchase @vecnuthy @starryeyedjanai

[gelataisa]

I'm not delusional, right? When I read other people's thoughts about Squalo and xanxus's ship, they say that it is not real 🫠, and if it was real , it would be one-sided, which are Squalo's feelings🥲, and it is just a relationship between Boss and his captain, who admires his ambition, but I feel that it is illogical if that is the case? There is something beautiful, but they ruin it, but if what is between them is not real, especially xanxus’s feelings for Squalo, this will not become beautiful, but rather a nightmare. Squalo’s interest is clear, but xanxus does not, and this is what makes me not sleep, and what do you think about xanxus’s feelings for Squalo? I don't want to be delusional lol.

I want something that eliminates my doubts so I can live in peace😔helppp

My dearest anon, finally I have the time to answer you. This ask has not left my mind since you sent it, im sorry it took so long.

At the same time though, I am glad it took so long cause i can answer you calmly.

Your ask really angered me. And dont get the wrong idea, none of that anger was directed at you.

There are many layers of wrong in what you reported on your ask, and i'll try to adress them properly. Under the cut cause its gonna be long (and i hope i wont bore you) - i will answer your direct question in the last point, in case you want to go straight to the point. But for real, there is much to unpack here.

We have people bashing you for a ship that you really like, to the point you think that you are delusional. And that is fucking nuts. Every ship is legit. Every single crack pair and rare pair is legit. Cause we are all losers who spend their time thinking about puppets kissing. There is no higher ground to stand on. And this applies to ships that we see no fucking point in as well. And i am not saying this as a person that loves any ship. I am the pickiest shipper ever. And i am not a good person either, there are many ships which i loathe. Yet, i have the decency not to go to the people who ship such ships. If i complain it is privately and with the right people. If i dont like a thing i block (and i have blocked people because of what they ship). Everyone has the right to see only the stuff they want. No one has the right to make others feel bad for the stuff they like.

Personally, i firmly believe that there are ships and ships. And I hope i was not too italian saying that. the point is: i think some ships are basically written in the source material. That is to say, regardless of whether you pair the people romantically or not, the dynamic is deep, complex and (especially) apparent. You dont need to add much of your own to make it work. Other ships, on the other hand, need more work to be "justified", to gain substance. They may require filling in a lot of gaps, or looking at details scattered in the story. Now, both kind of ships have their own dignity (as per point 1), we dont get to choose the things we like. Still, i believe that at the same time we allow anyone to enjoy their thing while we enjoy ours, we need to also realise that some ships have more substance in the source material than others.

I know that the first two points may seem unrelated to what you asked, but i needed them for now. ive heard many the complains you have mentioned in your ask. and they angered me particularly cause usually they are brought up by people that try bring forward their own ships, and that know to do so only by bringing "competitor" ships down. I know you have not explicitly said so, but i believe its whats going on in this case, and it makes me incredibly angry and - honestly - sad. I believe that people that do this realise their ships are not as solid as XS (or some other ship) is (back to point 2), so they bash on it to advance their own. This is what angers me. Now, what makes me sad is that while doing this they also terribly mischaracterise the characters to the point they are not themselves anymore. Indeed, what a pity

Now, about XS: most of what i think of them i have said here. And about Xanxus, as you asked... one thing is clear: people that say that he does not care about Squalo have not spared one thought for him. And if they have, I am sorry, but they have not understood a thing about him. Xanxus is a very complex character. His most apparent trait, once you read the manga, is that his actions most of the times dont reflect his thoughts. and what he thinks is masked, and very well so. he was raised with the pressure of expectations, and hardened a lot because of it. he wasnt allowed to show any weakness, or maybe it was just himself who got convinced of it. but any feeling he has, apart from his anger, he suppresses. it took him one whole arc to express his motivations (and i dont even remember how much of his past was revealed to the cast) and to show emotional weakness. it took him 10+ years to defend his family and show he cares, and even then, he still didnt admit that he accepted Tsuna as tenth. after 10 years. How could anyone expect him to show love for someone? Or that he cares for anyone? That is the only gap you need to fill in XS, a gap named "Xanxus Vongola and his multiple issues".

To conclude, my dearest anon... you are right to say that there is something beautiful. Dont let anyone ruin it for you. And especially, surround yourself with people who share your interests and dont even look at those that try to bring you down instead. You deserve better than that.

And i know im not the best one in interactions, whether it is answering asks or messages or else (thanks anxiety and constant exhaustion) but i truly am glad when people interact about xs. You are more than welcome in my inbox, or if youll ever want to add to my posts and reblogs. to build a xs community is my dream on here, i hope ill have the energy to do so

[2aceofspades]

Hi, I'm the anon who asked if you were okay with all of this chaos. I have many things to say!

First off, your many thank yous made me very very (two verys) happy. So thank YOU.

Second, you absolutely deserve all of the attention you're getting. You're seriously an incredible artist, and I love the fact that a lot of your art is on paper. I especially love how Donnie looks in your style (which is funny, because I remember you saying that you DIDN'T like it). Ahem. Getting off track a bit there. Anyways. You're an incredible artist, and all of the attention is well earned, AND it's okay to feel overwhelmed. I hope you know that we don't expect you to answer everything right away. You're popular, and lots of people are asking you to do things. You can choose to not do something, and you SHOULD. Do what inspires you, and we'll love it!

Third, and hopefully finally. I play with character AIs a lot, just to kind of see how characters would react to certain things. I AM an author, and I can imagine these things myself, but I like seeing it from external sources more. It almost seems more believable. When a human comes up with it, it just feels more raw and expressive. Or something. I have no clue what I'm saying; hopefully it's not too muddled. Then, when someone DRAWS it. It's a thousand times better. I just love it so much!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love how we can give you prompts and questions, and you'll go somewhere amazing with it. I loved the thing with Leo, Donnie, and the coffee. My thanks goes out to you and the asker. It's a huge gift to us when you respond. Literally, it's like a present, I love it.

So, just to clarify because I'm paranoid and words don't really work sometimes, are you okay with super random prompt-asks? Like earlier I saw a post where so-and-so asked so-and-so what the turtles night-time routines would be. Stuff like that?

Thank you so much for everything you do for us! You're amazing, and we all appreciate you.

OH.MI.GOSH??!!!?!

Wah-

Thank you so much!!! Gah- I hope I can articulate an even somewhat intelligent response to literally ALL of this. Okay!

|

First off, I see what you did there and I frickin’ loved it ohmigosh best response ever!! 🙌✨

Secondly, I really really appreciate all your kind words. You seriously had me smiling the whole way through oh stars you’re too kind 🥹 Also, I’m very glad there are some of y’all out there that like the way I draw Donnie…especially traditionally, cuz I won’t lie…I get a bit over-critical of how I draw him hehe. Glossing over that teehee~ But seriously, I also really appreciate your respect of my time cuz I feel much less pressured and more seen as just a lil human doing art things, so thank you! 🌟

And lastly, I totally understand ya and I couldn’t agree more. It’s honestly better when I see other artists capture emotions cuz I just eat that up aaughh yes!! Ahem..I just hope that I can capture at least some emotional accuracy in my art, especially considering how dialogue is not my strong suit by a long shot hehe…

Awwwee! Thank you so much!! It was really fun sketching a silly lil moment like that, so I couldn’t be more grateful for the idea that inspired me 🤗

And finally, that’s where it gets complicated cuz…it’s honestly just complicated for me and my lil gremlin brain. I really do enjoy answering lil prompts and putting my own spin on them, but I can’t make it like…an official thing…? If that makes any sense. Like, I think I’ve seen a few artists on Tumblr put out a post for prompt asks, but that idea, for me, makes me very nervous. I naturally try not to think too much while I draw, I just feel my emotions, really. I dunno…maybe that’s a lame excuse gah..- but, as it stands, for now, I’m ~okay~ with answering the occasional prompt ask, but I won’t be making a post about it or anything. I’m just a little um..paranoid..?..after the whole spontaneous sticker war thing heh…

One last big thank you to you, anon 🙌🙌 I seriously appreciate it so much 💙✨

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

2. "Drunks and degenerates -- that's my crew!"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Dark times will do that to good men." He nods gravely, then shifts his gaze to the pile of soggy logs at his feet.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - *Serious* question time. This man is no innocent. No one is.

"Do you know anything about the man hanged behind the Whirling-in-Rags?"

"Is this your mug?" (Hold up the Yellow Man Mug.)

"Are you a cryptozoologist too?"

"You were *surprised* to see my colleague, Lieutenant Kitsuragi."

"Thank you for your cooperation." [Leave.]

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Oh, so *that's* what the RCM in Martinaise is about? Great." He nods in sincere approval. "Great to hear someone's finally taking care of that."

KIM KITSURAGI - "So you *do* know something about it?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "No, no," he shakes his head emphatically. Then corrects his tie. "Nothing. He was some kind of mercenary, but everyone here knows that... I'm just glad to hear you're looking into it, that's all."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's not feeling very comfy in his clothes, is he? Strange...

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He didn't *kill* him or anything, but there's something going on here.

2. "Is this your mug?" (Hold up the Yellow Man Mug.)

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "My... mug? Why would you think that?"

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - His eyes widened at the sight of the mug. He's seen it before alright.

"You said 'Yellow Man'. That's not something many people go around saying."

"It seemed as if you were calling to it *longingly* when you cried 'Yellow Man'!"

"I can *see* you recognize it. It's in your eyes."

"You look like the kind of guy who might have a *collection* of mugs like this. Home -- in his *colonial mug collection*."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "How do you mean? Forgive me, officer, but we've only just met."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He is trying to avoid lying to you outright in case you really have been to his apartment.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - He's trying not to look afraid, because that would be incriminating. Yet he *is*.

"Just admit it, man. You put the mug in the trash container behind the Whirling."

"You're acting kind of suspicious. Did I mention the mug was found at the scene of a lynching?"

"Alright, I believe you. You look like the kind of man who knows it's a *crime* to lie to an officer."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Maybe... okay, yes. I did. I know I shouldn't have, and I am very sorry, officer." He pauses. "You're not going to fine me, are you?"

"I am…" (Rip out a fine slip.) "For 20 reál."

"I am…" (Rip out a fine slip.) "For 100 reál."

"I am." (Rip out a fine slip.) "For 250 reál -- the maximum."

"Nah, Gary. I just want information."

We're not actually going to *see* this money, as you may remember -- it goes to the RCM. It's purely a matter of how mean we want to be to Gary.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Okay, I deserve that -- and I won't do it again." He accepts the slip of copy paper with a bow. "You have my word."

"I don't know what got *into* me. Stuffing my garbage in another man's property, it's… I've been having trouble at work lately. The Kojkos are price dumping us out of competition."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "WHAT DID YOU DO, GARY?!"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "NOTHING! Nothing... just answering some questions. Helping out the law..."

"How did you get into the trash container?"

"Gary, did you put the clothes of a murder victim -- the man who was hanged behind the Whirling-in-Rags -- into that trash container?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I know a guy who works with trash collection services -- CS Municipal. He gave me a master key for the trash containers of Martinaise."

"Why would you need to get into everyone's trash?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "So I can use the Whirling's trash compactor to store my own stuff," he says, bowing shamefully like a fallen knight. "Garbage disposal is expensive as hell, the damn Himeans run it like a mob..."

"I'm sorry, okay? I thought I could cut costs. I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have disgraced myself."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Disgraced?" The lieutenant raises his eyebrows and looks up. "No need for the histrionics, sir. It was, after all, just a trash container."

REACTION SPEED [Easy: Success] - He studies his reaction. Gary doesn't answer.

2. "Gary, did you put the clothes of a murder victim -- the man who was hanged behind the Whirling-in-Rags -- into that trash container?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Officer, please..." He raises both hands. "Let me explain. It's not like *that...*"

"Do."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I was only cleaning up. I live right across the yard from where he was hanged and I saw him stripped naked. All the clothes lying around in the yard, smelling... People are animals, you know..."

"Yes-yes. What happened?"

"Okay. Then what happened?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Then I came out to clean up the rags because *no one else would*. I put them into the Whirling's trash -- along with a broken mug, admittedly..." He changes his mind mid-sentence.

"Okay, I was coming to throw the mug away and, well, I threw the mug there and the clothes too."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Right, it was just *civic duty*," the lieutenant remarks drolly.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Exactly! That's exactly what it was -- civic duty."

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - As he shifts uncomfortably, a series of clicks, like the clinking of glass beads against one another as they roll across a hardwood floor. You've heard this sound before, but where?

3. "What's that strange sound?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "What... sound?"

"That clinking I just heard when you moved."

"Don't mess with me. I think you know what I'm talking about."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Really?" He fans his arms out slowly, and, this time, his motions are soundless.

"There's lots of weird stuff out here in the reeds, though -- insects, trash. Could be the wind shifting some garbage nearby."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - Every day, the wind shifts the reeds and whatever was left in them: tambourines and condom wrappers, plastic and glass bottles, the smell of decay.

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Challenging: Success] - The sound you heard was not the sound of something easily abandoned.

4. "You wouldn't know anything about the victim's missing armour would you?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Armour? No." He changes his mind. "I mean -- yes, of course. I know he was wearing armour. But I don't know anything *about* it..."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - An infant could see he's not telling the truth -- but he's too scared to admit more wrongdoing.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - There's something going on here. You should observe him more closely, after this topic is concluded.

5. "Let's move on -- for now." (Conclude.)

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I hope I could help your investigation, in my small way." He's visibly relieved it's over.

+5 XP

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Hmm, does this mean you were in *his* apartment, admiring *his* colonial mug collection? Perhaps it would be *interesting* to tell him...

3. "Are you a cryptozoologist too?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "No-no... I help Morell with research sometimes and I've learned some things along the way. But I don't usually go in for picnics like this on my own."

AUTHORITY [Medium: Success] - What *does* he do then? This feels like a good opportunity to DOMINATE him.

"What do you do, then? If not cryptozoology?"

"Fascinating. Let's talk about something else."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Oh, this and that." He grins.

"Sounds intriguing."

"Sounds shady."

"As long you're making ends meet and advancing your career objectives."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Sometimes."

AUTHORITY - See? He's being evasive. Shake him up, show him who's boss.

"That's not an answer."

Let it go.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I just didn't want to bore you with unnecessary detail, officer."

"I work as a special courier. You know, urgent deliveries, overnight deliveries, deliveries to out-of-the-way locations."

"So you deliver things. What kinds of things?"

"Fascinating. Let's talk about something else."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Oh, I don't know the contents, officer. Part of my job is discretion."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's trying too hard to seem untroubled by your question. The rigidity in his posture gives him away.

"Do you deliver drugs?"

"Do you deliver guns?"

"Do you deliver letters to the secret mistresses of corporate and government officials?"

"C'mon, you've already behaved suspiciously with the trash container business, stop evading the question."

"Oh, I guess that's okay then." (Conclude.)

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "No, no, that's far too dangerous. Besides, dealing drugs isn't for people like me and you, officer."

2. "Do you deliver guns?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "No, nothing like that. I leave that to companies with hundreds of years of tradition in arms manufacturing. No need for an amateur like me cutting in."

3. "Do you deliver letters to the secret mistresses of corporate and government officials?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "What do I look like, a pansy? Besides, that kind of cavorting goes against the community values that would strengthen our city."

SUGGESTION [Trivial: Success] - You're a simple cop asking a simple question. He can't beat around the bush much longer.

4. "C'mon, you've already behaved suspiciously with the trash container business, stop evading the question."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - He sighs. "Okay, fine, you got me. I'm a special *topping pie* delivery courier."

"What?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "You heard me. I deliver topping pies. It's temporary. I'm looking for another job. Not many jobs for good men out there these days."

"You said you deliver *special* topping pies. What makes these topping pies special?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "They're wheat-free. And vegan. And... *huge*." He pauses.

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - He's thinking of a way to gain some advantage from his embarrassing situation.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "That's basically it. I'm a pie delivery man. How about we change the subject?"

ENDURANCE [Challenging: Failure] - I'm satisfied. Are you satisfied? Because I am.

4. "You were *surprised* to see my colleague, Lieutenant Kitsuragi."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Not many Seolites here, or anywhere, other than Seol. I meant no offence, truly."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Do you remember how when we met Measurehead and I said the next racist will be the *really* good one?"

"Yes."

"I think so. Sorry, as you know, I've been having problems with my memory…"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Well..." He gestures toward Gary as though he were presenting a work of art. "*This* is that racist."

+5 XP

"Yes! Our *lucky* racist."

"Will you grant us three wishes, Gary?"

"Are you, Gary? Are you a racist?"

"I don't know. I liked the previous racists better."

"He is nothing compared to Measurehead."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Hey, man." He blushes. "All I meant was there are not many Seolites around here. I'm just stating a fact."

"Do you have a problem with Seolites?"

"The lieutenant is a native of Revachol."

"Yes. What *are* they doing in that Seol of theirs? Scheming?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Oh, yes, of course he is. I was just speaking about his... connections." He flashes an impenetrable smile. "Let's change the subject, okay?"

Well, if you insist.

5. [Composure - Legendary 14] Why's he shifting around like that? Analyze Gary's composure.

+1 Clinking sound. +1 Thinking about the armour.

COMPOSURE [Legendary: Success] - That shirt looks *very* uncomfortable on him. Look at the buttons, barely keeping that thing together -- as if something is ready to *rip out* from underneath.

His massive musculature?

Something worn underneath it?

COMPOSURE - No, he's scrawny. Try again.

Something worn underneath it?

COMPOSURE - Yes. Like a piece of ceramic armour, for example. One that makes a clicking sound when the plates meet each other, resembling pearls or marbles. Stolen from the corpse in the yard near where he lives.

"I see you're a connoisseur of high-quality combat gear."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I knew you'd figure it out, officer." He sighs heavily. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you at once. I was..." He unbuttons the shirt.

"I was ashamed of what I did. And I didn't want you to know." You see gleaming white ceramic shine underneath -- a thin layer of interlocking plates covers his gaunt torso.

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - We're not detecting falsehoods, sire. He's gearing up to admit the truth.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - This *shame* is surprisingly sincere.

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "GARY! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "LATER, MORELL! I'VE GOT APOLOGIZING TO DO."

KIM KITSURAGI - "No -- you've got *explaining* to do." The lieutenant's tone is icy.

"Give me that armour. Now."

"Why did you *really* put those clothes in the trash?"

"Why did you lie to me, Gary?"

"Do you know who killed the hanged man?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - He sighs again, hangs his head, and unbuttons his shirt fully. A cuirass that matches the dead man's boots comes into view. Soon it is in your hands -- smelling of his sweat.

Item gained: Fairweather T-500 Cuirass

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - But so, so light to hold. Like a bag of cotton.

2. "Why did you *really* put those clothes in the trash?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Everyone was picking those pieces off him and I was watching them do it. And they scattered his clothes all over the yard, everything was smelling..." He looks at his feet.

"So I went there to take out my trash and started cleaning up. All those rags on the ground, him swinging up there, and…" He swallows. "I had a lapse of honour, sir. I thought: He's a foreigner. They all say he wasn't from here."

"Only the cuirass was left, so I stripped it off him. It was early in the morning, no one saw me. I took it with me. It was a mistake. Had I known it'd give you guys' trouble, I wouldn't have..." His lips start quivering. "Fuck..."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - We're detecting sincere contrition here, sire. He's not trying to flatter anyone.

KIM KITSURAGI - "It's okay." The lieutenant jots something down in his notebook. "It was a loose end and you're tying it up now."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I'm so fucking sorry I called you *Yellow Man*." He says silently. "Seolite officers commanded the Suzerain's navy. Most of them sided with the King, when..." He shakes his head.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - It's difficult to say what the lieutenant thinks of this historic apology. His face does not belie emotions.

3. "Why did you lie to me, Gary?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Because I was weak." He says, staring at nothing in particular. "I should have told you the moment I saw you, but..."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "THE HELL, GARY?! YOU IN TROUBLE?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I'll explain later..." He doesn't muster up the strength to yell.

4. "Do you know who killed the hanged man?"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I always thought it was the Union... some Union hard-asses. Lynched him because of the strike. But almost everyone in town knows that. I wish I could tell you more..." He shakes his head.

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - This is all he knows.

5. "Are we done here, Gary?" (Conclude.)

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Yes. Absolutely. I will *never* do anything like this again." He looks around, relieved of some burden, his mouth still quivering.

Task complete: Who put the clothes in the trash?

+30 XP

Level up!

FAIRWEATHER T-500 CUIRASS

+1 Pain Threshold: Thicker skin +1 Volition: Borrowed confidence -1 Empathy: Mania of invulnerability

This vitreous enamel cuirass fits snugly and redistributes kinetic energy across its countless white plates. Amazingly, it fits under your coat! And it also makes pretty porcelain sounds when shaken.

4. "So, Gary, you live nearby. In an apartment in Martinaise?" (Point in its direction.)

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Sure do, officer."

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - His eyes narrow slightly. He's wondering where this is going.

"Have you found your door open lately?"

"And you're a big Man from Hjelmdall fan?"

"Yes, he insisted that I open the door to your apartment."

"I think I broke into your apartment. I'm very sorry."

"We'll return to this later. For now, let me ask you something else."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "In my home, yes, when I was going to..." His face turns pale. "How did you *know?*"

"Mr. Evrart Claire thought it necessary to unlock your apartment."

"Nothing. Just wanted to ask if your door's been unlocked lately. Now I have."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Mr. Claire unlocked my apartment?"

"No, I did. Took a look around, too."

"No, I did. Don't worry, I didn't go in." (Lie.)

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "So you work for Evrart Claire!" He realizes what's going on and changes his tone: "Officer, please tell him we're good. No, no, tell him I'll make it up to him..."

"What have I done? He'll send the muscle after me…" The man looks around, whispering, he makes sure no one hears you talk.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - As he lowers his tone he hunches his back.

[oodlyenough]

aa4-1 turnabout trump

alright i finished the first case of aa4 last night!

despite my efforts i think i'm more spoiled for aa4 than i realized, or at least most of the hanging mysteries from the first case are ones i think i already know the answer to. kind of a shame but i don't think there was any way to avoid it. oh well, this case was fun anyway. i think 3-1 is my fave tutorial case still but this one was great even if i embarrassed myself by hitting the wrong button. also after banging my head against the wall through aai for five months it was nice to play a case where i could just use my brain and solve it because all the logic made sense and clues progressed naturally lmfao. i know first case are usually the easiest, but still.

apollo seems fun enough but the real draw of this case for me was FINALLY getting to meet beanix, whose characterization i know to be somewhat controversial lol. i've enjoyed him so far although fandom primed me to expect a weird secretive asshole -- will see if that changes as the game goes on. i missed phoenix a lot playing AAI so i am clinging to his ankles. was very exciting when his musical cue started in court. get his ass nick

the forgery ace stuff is... hm. i'm reserving judgment until i finish the game. also, lmao not to reference AAI for the thousandth time, but the conclusion of its grand finale was "illegal evidence is good sometimes" so i guess we already crossed this moral event horizon.

i've also been eager to meet trucy, who didn't do much in this case but have a bug-eyed stare. one thing i'm glad to be spoiled for actually is trucy and her approximate providence because the game trying to tease that as a mystery would've bugged me so much LOL and it's very funny to play when everyone is like "you have a DAUGHTER?!" and phoenix is just like :) yeah and as the player i am probably meant to be asking all kinds of questions about what happened there when i know the truth is just

i think the biggest hurdle this game is going to have with me personally is the level of suspending disbelief i have to do that maya and edgeworth are just totally uninvolved and unhelpful while phoenix is embroiled in whatever kind of conspiracy plot is going on. on a real-world level this is almost certainly the result of the franchise wanting to pivot to new characters, so there's not much explanation beyond that. but it's a bit hard to rationalize in-universe, especially because i also know the franchise immediately goes "lol lmao nvm" in 5&6 anyway. phoenix said something in this case about needing a lawyer he could trust, in reference to apollo, and i was like yeah if only we... knew one of those....

but whatever i guess. the true gift aa4 will give me is finally being able to read all the 7yg fics i have marked for later on ao3. onwards to 4-2!