#THE WRITING ISNT AS SHITE

[sophiethewitch1]

why is it that whenever jason shows up in www its never been planned out. my boys seen the outline and decided thats a load of bollocks which honestly fair he had like 0 screen time before he forced his way through

[einsvei]

REAL REAL REAL. FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT. some of the twisted wonderland fans be so obnoxious about how a character “WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT” but within the same day they’ll post about how a ship is actually canon. or they’ll make a headcanon that is just them projecting themselves onto the character. like which one is it? do you hate people mischaracterizing or are you okay with people having fun? cause there’s literally nothing wrong with making headcanons, regardless of how in character it is. have fun. write whatever tf you want. but the moment i see you berate people for making shit ooc, and then go onto write the same type of shit, that’s when i have a problem.

Im glad my sentiment is shared. Honestly speaking, writing characters that either don't belong to you or that you dont have a full analytical grasp on isn't a walk in the park. Theres a lot of ways to make mistakes, and that's absolutely fine.

Some writers are seemingly alright with adding their own headcannons to characters, yet will yell at others for doing the same.

If you dont like a certain way a writer wrote/ portrayed the character, you're more than welcome to open a google Doc and try to do any semblance of a better job. However, that shouldn't be used as ammunition against the other.

If a person wants to write azul being a CEO of a conglomerate or riddle as a sheltered young master, so be it. But you know what? You're not better than them because you refuse to broaden your range.

[oifaaa]

i would like to see the no tim fic 👀

I've got some bad news for you then friend my 200,000 word fanfic isn't real (not yet at least)

[timeisacephalopod]

It really strikes me that people treat fanfic authors as if they don't know anything about writing, which is weird because even before I wrote fic I cowrote a stage play I got an award for back in high school, poetry my teachers would frequently compliment, and my own original ideas in novel format- which structurally you learn in high school it's not some fucking Devine Knowledge no one knows about? If you didn't learn what an inciting incident is and the basic structure of a novel and tropes like The Heroes Journey by eleventh grade then fine but don't project that onto a format of writing you have some weird vendetta against. After that I went to uni and wrote dozens of academic essays for my degree, some of them quite extensive in length and obviously there's technical skill involved in that writing.

Besides that after I stopped writing fic I learned how to write screenplays and wrote like 3 episodes of TV shows in film school- which by the way used other showrunners ideas because writing an episode of an existing show is how you build a portfolio. That's right fanfic hating assholes, if you want a tv writing job pull out ur fuckin fanfic out so your ability to capture the voice of another show can be judged. I also wrote a movie script in school and I highly doubt I'm some Special Snowflake among fic authors, so where the hell does this idea that fic authors are all 13 year old yaoi obsessed morons who've never even seen a book their whole life and never learned even the most basics of writing like what an adjective is come from?

I know people who hold this idea don't seem to think they're misogynists but they treat fic identical to how people treat romance and erotica outside of Fic World and I highly doubt two areas in which women are the ones doing most of the writing would get targeted with the exact same rhetoric of "that's not real writing" for completely different reasons if the arguments against the fiction are basically the same. Because obviously Real Literature doesn't have romance, sex, or women writing it.

Regardless, it's utterly asinine to assume fic authors have no idea how to write because they're writing fic- like actually no, technically speaking I'm qualified to write all kinds of shit as far as what I know, so I don't much appreciate that my writing a single form of writing somehow means I have no skills or training just because Ive written that particular format according to some people. It's deeply insulting and I really do wonder if people think people who write as a hobby should even be allowed to have that hobby if theyre this obsessed with publish or don't ever even LOOK at a word. Like not only is it insulting to suggest that my hobby is somehow some particularly god awful drivel, but apparently those people don't know what a hobby is given that zero other hobbies get treated like this. No one walks around telling people if they aren't playing professional sports they can't play them at all- we just know that normal dudes playing football probably aren't Tom Brady and aren't looking to be either.

[subconsciousmysteries]

"sx isn't about connecting to other people, anything involving an interpersonal connection is soc"

So I've ranted endlessly about how people butchered the meaning of soc-blindness, but now let's get into what the typology world has done to sx. I can assure you that it's 10x worse than what they did to soc "I'm so much meaner and edgier than thou" blindness.

I have seen much shite online trying to overcomplicate what sx means. They say "it's not about sex", even though it is literally called, The Sexual Instinct. But when I first heard that sx isn't really about sex I thought, okay, that's fine. It can be about an intense passion for another person that isn't physically sexual, but can be seen as sexual on the mental level. I've had really intense friendships that were by no means physically sexual, but they felt mentally sexual for sure with how intimate we were, how many secrets we shared with each other. I couldn't quite describe them as social relationships since I did not choose these people based on some social agenda, or based on some moral characteristics that I respected and admired about them. I chose them based purely on the chemistry we had, and I would never compromise these relationships unless I felt a loss of chemistry.

But apparently no, that isn't right according to the sxflakes. Sx doesn't describe sex... and it doesn't describe intense 1-1 relationships either! No, no, that's all soc. Anything which relates to another person, ever, is soc. Even having sex with another person is social, because you're dealing with another person!

I was enlightened that sx is this totally abstract, you-wouldnt-understand-it-unless-youre-a-special-snowflake-like me thing, about ~chemistry~ and ~intense vibes~. and it isn't related to connecting with other people at all.

???

How can you have chemistry, one must ask, if there is no other person to have that chemistry with? Well. the "sx is separate from interpersonal connection" crowd continued to enlighten me. Some of them explained to me that sx-doms just want to seduce because they like to seduce, it's about seduction moreso than actually connecting with people... seems like they didn't really think through what the motivation behind seduction is for normal people who aren't far-gone narcissists (hint: the motivation is establishing a sexual connection, which is inherently an emotional connection unless you're broken or you're consciously walling yourself off, as I will touch on later). Others gave me a totally mechanical and disgustingly male-centric explanation of sx, how it's about "spreading your seed" through... making art that lasts for generations! They didn't even say that spreading your seed through literally being a fuckboy is sx, lol. because I guess that's what normies do and we all know that normies are sx-blinds.

It sounds to me like these "sx isnt about connecting" people are pretentious dickweeds at best... and they are describing sheer narcissism with a heavy dose of sexual degeneracy at worst. "Sx is about being a special arteest" or "Sx is separate from interpersonal connection because I'm a broken sociopath who can't feel bonded to all the people I lure in close to me" is all that I hear when people try to explain to me why sx is not about sex or intense emotional connection.

[Also worth noting that a lot of people who write ennea theory are practically proven sociopaths, if you listen to accounts from people who left their cults. Real shit always explains itself.]

Sx is fundamentally about the longing for an intense connection. describing sx as detached from interpersonal connection and being about some abstract sense of selfishness, makes utterly no sense. The reason why sx acts selfish towards most people, is because they are bored out of their brains and chronically disappointed if their interactions aren't a strong 1-1 connection with a person that they feel viscerally excited to pour all of their energy into. Average interactions feel empty, small talk is draining to sx moreso than other IVs. Sx is so fixated on finding #deep relationships that excite them, that they feel completely numb to the simpler, less exciting relationships, to the point of being unable to function in anything less than an intense 1-1. But people are making it sound like sx is this self-absorbed character even in the face of a person who excites them and makes them feel that sense of connection that they were longing for. Which simply makes no fucking sense, and just sounds like a YOU problem with narcissism, borderline or sociopathy making you unable to connect with others regardless of what your IV is.

Also just like how the "soc blinds are so edgy and mean" crowd show their lack of understanding of soc and sp when they define sp by its supposed edginess and soc by its supposed lack thereof, the "sx blinds are so detached from everyone ever at all times" crowd really show their lack of understanding of sx when they say this shite. which makes me question if most of them even have sx. I think some of them are clueless sx-blinds who see intensity as an abstract thing not directed at a specific person, because this is how they experience things due to their sx-blindness. people characterize sx-blinds as boring milquetoast normies, which causes a lot of sx-blinds to mistype as sx, and then butcher the meaning of sx to justify the mistyping. And some of these people who think sx isnt about connection do have sx... they're just also Cluster Bs who are mistaking their dysfunction for sx.

As soon as an sx-user forms a functional relationship with someone where they feel connected and happy, the "sx has nothing to do with other people" crowd declares that this person must be using soc to connect instead of sx. There you see the fallacy that sex is not the most powerful interpersonal connection tool... Rather it is some abstract Other thing that only the special sxflakes can understand. There's also this idea with sx that you must be in a constant state of suffering and longing in order to have the instinct; happiness and contentment is for lame sx-blind norrrrrmieeeees. You must never be satisfied as an sx-haver. Sx can never be satiated by their logic. Sx is just a never-ending void of a need to seduce people who you don't even feel connected with, kinda like borderline / narcissistic supply. "Sx has nothing to do with bonding," say these personality disordered sxflakes who want to pretend that their personality disordered inability to form bonds with other people is just normal sx.

The detaching of sx from interpersonal connection parallels greatly to how society was encouraged to view sex as separate from emotion in recent decades. It has reached the point where you get called an ignorant bigot if you suggest that sex can be an emotional act that is inherently related to interpersonal connection. It is certainly true that people can detach sex from emotion, as someone who's done it myself I can tell you that detaching sex from emotion is the unnatural thing; attaching sex to emotion happens naturally, for EVERYONE. yes, everyone, not just myself but also the dudes, and also the people who are in denial of it. Everyone has to put effort into remaining emotionally detached when they have sex. Sex intensifying emotional connection is the natural process for both parties. It is what sex was designed for, to emotionally bind two people and open the door for them to spiritually connect on the most intense possible level.

Sx can be cruel in how it is apathetic towards contracts, commitments and social norms. Sx'ers won't bother paying you any attention if they have lost passionate interest. Sx'ers give up on promises and obligations because they lost interest, much more easily and often than sx-blinds do. Sx-havers will be perceived by many people as very selfish. But sx is by no means as cold and detached from the interpersonal as people are describing it to be. Sx is not only an other-focused instinct, it is the neediest instinct. Its whole purpose is to seek bonds just like the social instinct does... in a far less level-headed, far more emotionally driven way.

But hey, don't listen to me. I guess the only reason I don't understand all these super special super abstract sxflakes who claim that sex has nothing to do with other people, is because I must be a sx-blind. Couldn't be that I'm just not fucking broken enough to be deluded that sex is completely separate from connection.

[ticholasnesla]

Nimona (2023), friends.

First of all thank u to the people who made these great gifs!!! This is presumptuous of me but i truly hope u dont mind me featuring them! This is the first of - hopefully many - years of my Media Gifventure for the Holiday Season of 2023. I will go into more details if i need. So.

🥺

man of the hour. Man of the Year. Gold Star. 🌟

Gif use Disclaimer, I hope me making this post with these gifs isnt overstepping 🙂‍↕️💛 people who upload gifs, which, 9/10 times, they made themselves, are one of the most supportive vertebrae communities of Tumblr. 🫡��👏 bravo chudovyy splendid чудовий mykola please tell me what i should remove and i will remove.

Above all else, Thank u.

anyways here's3 something i hope is going to be fun. Last chance. Gif heavy, flash warning excessive emojis, stupid shite and a dog.

🐕 . . . 🤎

nimona beat my ass yall. It beat my family's ass yall.

That's a Ss²+Gold ranked film if ever i saw one. Congrats Neæs@tflix - Nimona, and congrats ND Stevenson.

Ss²+Gold means Soupsoup Squared PLUS Gold which MEANS

+4 of thees bad boys!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!

i stop talking about strictly Nimona Heere.

so with that all said and done...i was Thinking... part 2?

disclaimer pls read the 👎 RULES. Trans rights human rights. Protect trans kids. Pronouns for your Hostess this evening are she/he/they. this isnt a nft thing so dont talk to me about that. and im not writing free reviews or reading your book. I just wanna award movies and webtoons and webcomics without putting any real artistic effort in (except when i WANT to put real artistic effort in) and also feature some great indie/non indie stuff In a (hopefully) positive light 🔮 shit i might even do requests. Or sketches. Imagine. 🐙

PROCEED 👎to RULES and engage in critical thought and problem soliving before sending me asks.💢

That being said, keep it PG. All asks are good asks and i will develop an FAQ if need be!

Rules 👎 down dere keep scrolling and reading. Thx. But first

Do u wanna submit something to be considered for a Soup GoldTM? Submit your favourite,

Webcomic

Youtube channel

Trending topic

Webtoon

youtube series

Manga

Anime

Plot twists

Lesser known artists

Indie artists

Podcasts

Heartbreaks /no actual bummers pls.

Memes etc etceteree

that kept you warm this 2023! And for my immediate needs, Happened in 2023. For this thing, i will only accept submissions til new yrs day. Is that peechy?

👎👎Ok finally rules for real. Proceed to pig 🐷 for tldr

Keep it pg🦉

K.I.S.S - keep it simple, Saoirse🦆

Stay in your Lane 🫎🦍🐏🪿

Dont message strangers on the internet if you're under 18.🔴And if you do KEEP your age out of their inbox. 🪺🐣🐊

Adult media is fine but i want to keep it Prime Time 🦐🐚 🪸🪼🐠🚦🐬

66I know i might be typing like a fucking bunyak but i wanna have FUN and talk about FUN STUFF my past 3 years has been ROUGH, BAYBEE. I miss my parents, Tails. I miss them a lot. /not a joke.

💐🦋🕊🐝🦂🦈🐄🐓🦤🦀🦀🦅🪱🥀🦽🏥🏥🏥🏥🏥🏥🫀🌎☀️🌜🪐🌬🌪🌦🌈☔️🔥☃️🎅🏡🎆🪻🌷💐🫀🐦‍⬛🚜👨‍🌾💚🤟💒💊🌋🏞🎡🛝🚛🚚🛻🚲

I am but flesh n blood n bone.

Please keep in mind i will only do what i have the jnj marbles for, but i will dedicate a lot of my downtime to this and i really want to have a good experience so um if u know a friend, or maybe want to tag cool accounts to maybe look over here yoo hoo hi there hello and do u wannaaa 🐕🐕🐕

Click that rebwog pwease 🥺 pppwease. Ding that like button smash that like button Uw0

This only works on Good Will so dont Play with my heart. We want to have fun.

I do have a DO NOT PASS GO list in my head but i wont reveal whats on it til i come across it ya? 🦩

Thank y for reading the rules. Now.

Me vs you the reader

Proceed to pig for tldr🐷

The Soup Golds and other Soups utilize a vector of Grandma's Soup from Lengend of Zelda Wind Waker that i edited with my phone. I do not claim to own this graphic and am just fucking around.

Submissions that dont pass my sneefing test are welcome and valuable! Incoming bee gif:

🐝

love rubbin my dusty little fingers in new Things and readings. So they will be rewarded either with Unseen, Uninterested, or Unwatchable badges, and might be featured as (dis)/honorable mentions! More nuance on that if the need arises. 🦄🔮👀

🐷Asks are open / pending! Feel free to Lurk/ask questions. Dont be rude or ELSE..u get The PIG 🐷🐷

✋️HYYYYYY

🤘🪑YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🐖🐖🐖🐖💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💥⚰️🪦🐽🍄

.. and then the Anon is going off. i dont want to have to do that. 🫠

🐗Let's keep it Frosty🐗

🐖💨💨💨💨Inbox closes Boxing Day! Get ur submissions in Today and get some fun ?

Write a letter and leave me a cookie pls. Im not asking for money i just wanna spend some quality time with u as we ____ 2024.

Here is the dog btw and she's a rottweiler mix.. She's sitting on my foots here and has curly furs all a on her butt. She was a foster fail and is living her best cushy life last i heard about her. I wanna see her again. 🖤🤎🧡🖤🤎🧡

The end. Play Sims 4 but try not to spend money on it. EA's starting to offer free packs that u can download for Free. Console and PC as far as i understand.

Love u. Be back soon.

[feliphilia]

VAMPIRE SEVERUS AU?

An world where severus gets bitten by a vampire at the age of 5 and gets a blood lust everytime he's in crowded places. That's why he hates it.

A world where severus and the marauders are in okay terms and remus and severus, gradually, bond over their shite.

A world where severus and remus and bestfriends

A world where severus doesnt call lily a mudblood and they remain friends

A world where severus isnt hated as much as he is in this one

A world where severus was never a death eater

A world where severus is close with the potters, sirius and obviously remus.

A world where James's and lily do die either way but severus is on their side.

A world where severus is draco and one of harry's 4 godfathers.

I'm gonna write a fic on this.

Update: I'm not. I've been procrastinating ever since.

[drfeelnothing]

Thinking about games i love to play that i also hate

Laytons mystery journey: worst layton game. Zero tension or conflict. Has two extremely intriguing mysteries that never get resolved. The puzzles are shite, like for real if i don't understand what the hell the puzzle is even asking me to do even after i read the hints its because you didnt explain it good. Also if your puzzle has technically more than one answer but itll only accept the "right" one fuck you. One puzzles hint gives you a hint to an unrelated puzzle thanks game.

Pros: i love the characters despite the writing not really fleshing them out. The dress up and decoration functions are wonderful. Canonised Alfendi.

Paper mario sticker star: please watch chuggaaconroys youtube series about this cause he lavishes in great detail every single fucking thing wrong about this not-even game. One of my favorites being its an rpg were battling enemies isnt recommended cause you waste resources and gain zero exp.

Pros: stickers pretty. Just in general i like how the game looks/the textile feel of pulling the stickers off stuff. Idk man just collecting all the stickers and putting them in the museum is why i play the game, ive never even actually beat the game i always stop before bowser. I also have a strong mental association with this game and the song Bouncer by Studio Killers. Because bouncer sounds like Bowser.

Mario & Luigi paper jam: i only play this game because ive never experienced such a grueling game like this before. The mixture of the most basic and boring world design with no plot makes going through it literal hell. But i play it anyway because i LOVE how pissed this game gets me. Zero fun. Boring music. Haunted area has no haunted house. Did i mention they banjo kazooi nuts and bolts'd it and made the world extremely large and empty?

Pros: somehow has the best battle system of any mario and luigi series game. I like how solid the ground feels in the mountain area. Thats all.

[pacifymebby]

what's it like working in care? I need the money so I've been looking into it for a while. Do you enjoy it? How many days/hours a week do you typically work?

I mean its a tricky one because (idk what country youre in but) in the uk the pay is shite, however like if u need a job and u need money, you can get a job in care pretty easily if u know like, the buzzwords for interview and u can show that ur capable of empathy haha, and then once u have the job you will definitely be guaranteed hours.

I do 30+ hrs a week, and i pick up relief hours at other homes too sometimes, its a really understaffed underfunded sector in the uk so there's always places desperate for staff.

However, its a really understaffed and underfunded sector which means the job can be really draining and you quite often feel like ur giving more than u get. Working in care is the main reason im such an angry commie about everything, like, you really see where the government is failing a huge number of people (both workers and those who rely on care) so it can be very tiring and you high pressure.

HOWEVER

Its also the most fullfilling of all the minimum wage jobs. As someone who has worked in care/supermarkets/cafes/bars, i would never go back to any of those other places. You have v high job satisfaction on a good day because youre interacting with these cool people, like, old people are neat they say cool funny things have stories they wanna tell and theyre just straight up sweet (and even when theyre not and theyre grumpy or square goin yous the situations make good/funny memories after the fact) and also so much of the time the peopke youre working with appreciate you and its a positive two way engagement if that makes sense?

Like in hospitality generally youre faking a smile to be a good employee and the person ur serving isnt even bothering to fake a smile. And 90% of the time u are just serving and waiting on people who dont acknowledge or appreciate you and its literally just a chore etc.

But in care you're building actual bonds with the people you support, theyre happy to see you (most of the time haha) and you genuinely feel good about what you're doing. Ive got some amazing memories of people i met working in care, like just some of the coolest people. And also some of the things im most proud of having achieved too, like, i have a whole degree behind me but the thing im more proud of is that I once taught a young lad with learning disabilities and v v low self esteem, to like sing a song and be happy and confident doing it and he would sing it and do a wee dance and like that was such a big achievement for him and knowing i helped him achieve it is like, wow, cool. Idk if that makes sense?

And i think that like, if youre an empathetic person, and you're also like, able to go with the flow and just sorta roll with whatever weird shit you see then care is a really good job to do. Especially when it's like, you just need a job and your other options are stuff like bar work.

I think most care home jobs in nursing/dementia homes are generally the hardest, you often do a 12 hour shift maybe 3/4 days a week, its long and although "every day is different" its v much a solid routine of getting people up in the morning, washing/dressing/feeding etc, then 15 minute break, then like maybe 1hr of writing up notes and making teas and generally interacting with people, going and changing their positions in bed if they need help with that, answering call bells, personal care/pad changes etc. then getting people ready for lunch/feeding people, then u get your lunch, then you maybe do more notes and the same as in the morning, and then dinner and feeding people and then getting people washed and changed and into bed. And depending on training then youre doing medication rounds too. I didn't work in that kind of home for too long because the shifts were really long and exhausting.

HOWEVER see if you can find a "hospitality" job going in a care home, thats generally minimum wage and instead of doing all the personal care care work, youre maybe serving breakfasts for 2 hours in the morning, then doing a wee tea round for an hour, then knockin around in the dining room getting ready for lunch, then doing lunch, then another tea round, then prepping for dinner and going home. I used to love working that job because it was shorter days but still good hours AND you had so much time to spend interacting with the residents and being that person they could chat too and stuff. It was honestly really good and less stressful.

Also working in the mental health and learning disabilities side of care is really fullfilling too and i think people dont think about it so much when they think about working in care. But supported living homes are really great, theyre usually smaller, usually run by charities rather than evil private companies who are essentially making millions on providing low quality end of life care to people to the 10 years prior to their death (i really really hate private care, i think private care homes should be abolished and care should be brought fully into the NHS) (private care homes are literally a big drain on the NHS i think) (anyway sorry u didnt ask for that opinion haha)

But yeah the charities are always more person centered, more focussed on working with the people you support to live the lives they want to live and to be having a good and healthy time. My best experiences of care are almost all from my time working in supported living homes.

You could also look at drop in and respite places, usually if you just search "support worker" into indeed or a job search then these kind of rolls come up too, where you do day shifts in day centers where people can come to recieve a few hours of one to one support.

I worked the summer holidays at one of those places and my 8-10 hour shifts so often consisted of going to the cinema with kids, going to the park, going on an adventure playground, doing some painting, playing in a sandpit etc... It was obviously stressful at times and like definitely tiring but idk, working in a supermarket or a bar is stressful too and u dont get anywhere near the ammount of positive interaction and job satisfaction ya know?

If u do want to try and get a job in care feel free to message me and I'll help you with like, the kinds of things to include in your personal statement or cv/interview xxx

[superconductivebean]

#228

i really should be doing alot of things but if only two days ago i had some vigor left in me not it's been emptied

im a tough nut, always has been, but you know the worst is came knocking when the shell's cracking from the inside out. you can't escape it because while the crust can protect from the outside, inside you are nearly always alone with everything you had ever had and can only watch every single crevasse becoming a wound and a scar, and another crevasse sprawling into a dashing ray of light

isnt necessarily a bad thing. opening up to people help ease the pain because most of us have similar experiences which we resonate with, reflect on, and cope together, eventually bonding over these things. but the ray is blindingly painful to look through because, on the inside, for all this time you had to be tough for both oneself and others, you're still a delicate and a living being. the tougher you are simply means other people will have to find a way through the shell should you need their help, to open up, to think by a proxy as your own perception can be crucially twisted for the lack of communication, or perspectives, or a specifically configured modus operandi, or anything else for an effective survival in certain mentally challenging at best and debilitating at worst environments and climates.

mayhaps, in short, i just wrote my understanding of sharp's mentorship from the mc's perspective. i imagine her being very, very tough despite the young age; obviously i am projecting my experiences onto her, if not fully indulging -- the scar she has is based on my dental adventures this winter -- and reflecting upon it, shite was my upbringing that i had to grow a shell to have a mental from-all protection. of course she'd be tough as i was. but my girl is lucky, she has someone who can say without condescendence and judge, hey listen, if you are tired, if you need a rest from life, sweet dreams and lazy afternoons, go take it while you can but and ideally should for the rest of your life; i'll handle this for you, dont be stubborn or tardy for butterbeer and friends, remember, do run along now.

i crave the sense of trust they developed and now have for each other

wish i had both time and strength to just sit and write the whole thing down

sorry for the ramble im a sucker for the found family angsty fluff and i like to ramble ig

[realmaturebradley]

watching season 2 of 13rw with my sister because We Hate Ourselves and........... holy fuck it’s actually BETTER so far????????

[fictionplumis]

I’m gonna have to write a fic for this pairing, aren’t I? 

Nevermind the fact I still haven’t finished my Eddie/Venom/Flash one yet and I can never just write a short fic, no, it has to be a Thing and I always go for the really small pairings.

I just have a lot of feelings about the concept of coming to know yourself through your shadow, and let’s face it, Roche and Iorveth are each other’s shadows. All the qualities they hate about each other are the same things that personally drive them. 

And it’s true for both of them but I just keep sticking on Roche for some reason, the loyal Temerian Hound, who committed a lot of wrongs at the order of a king who saved him, and then lost that king, and, uh... 

Look, I’ll be honest, I haven’t played the second game so I’m not too clear on what happens with Saskia and Vergen and Henselt (besides the fact he’s shit and Roche kills him, spoiler alert I guess), so I can’t really say how all that ties in to where he ends up in the third game, but in the third game he’s in a pretty shit situation, doesn’t seem all that concerned with the Socia’tael anymore, and is more than willing to kill Radovid for the sake of Temeria. I’m assuming the general idea is that Anais will take over the throne, and then what? 

What does Roche do from there? 

He has the blood of two kings on his hands and Emhyr isn’t exactly the kind of man to give into his promises without some kind of backhanded result. Making a deal with him is like the damn Monkey’s Paw, and it wouldn’t really be smart of any ruler to give Roche a position of power in a court. 

So we have a man who’s known nothing but war and following the orders of his king, who has decided one of his first acts WITHOUT orders is to kill another king for his country, and then really has no place in that country afterwards. 

We could obviously go down the PTSD and depression route very easily here, but I’m not the kind of person to just settle on that and Vernon Roche probably isn’t either. Now that he has no ties, it’s time for this bitch to go find himself. 

And maybe that means just wandering aimlessly for a little bit. 

And maybe that means coming across some wayward elves getting harassed. 

Roche, naively maybe, had thought that with Nilfgaard taking over, shit like that would have stopped. It was supposed to stop. The elves are allowed wherever they wish now, so long as they behave, and these ones clearly aren’t Socia’tael or the people harassing them would have been long dead. And that’s how Roche finds himself helping Aen Seidhe refugees under an alias and realizing how much of an absolute shit lord he had been. 

I know some people like to have it where Roche doesn’t hate non-humans, he just did it because he was ordered, but shit like that tends to be a bit more engrained. When you’re around someone, ADMIRE that someone, and they’re so flippantly disregarding the lives of people they consider OTHER, it rubs off. Roche is not immune to propaganda, nor is he necessarily a good person since there’s really no such thing. There’s just people, who sometimes try their best and sometimes don’t, and who sometimes change and sometimes don’t. 

So here we have Roche realizing the hate he felt for these people was never really his own. There’s nothing here to hate. The Socia’tael, yeah, maybe, but not the innocents he drove from their lands and sometimes killed if they didn’t obey Foltest’s ordinances. 

So he does a Personal Growth, which both makes him feel shitty and wrecked with guilt, and also makes him determined to help and be Better. 

And then fucking Iorveth shows up and nearly blows his cover to shit.

At this point, it’s still okay to hate the Socia’tael for Roche, because they’re war criminals and gods dammit, if he can be better, then so can Iorveth, Iorveth just chooses not to. But whatever, Roche has officially decided that he’s not going to pick a murderous fight over this because he’s not that kind of person anymore and it’s not his job to enforce the rules. He’s helping now. 

But, uh. Roche can have a little fistfight sometimes. As a treat. Because Iorveth’s face is very punchable and Iorveth is his usual haughty, smug self who takes way too much amusement from Vernon fucking Roche helping elven refugees. 

Only he’s not just very amused, he’s only amused to pissed off Roche, reality is he’s pretty confused and suspicious of this. Because HE would never go off and help dh’oine no matter how bad off they are, so obviously Roche wouldn’t go off and help Aen Seidhe without some ulterior motive. 

Iorveth bides his time and somehow manages to find a time that’s ripe for Talking. Not the goading shit-talking they do, but like an actual TALK. It maybe starts out as an interrogation, but Roche doesn’t raise to the bait like Iorveth assumes and then Roche is all sincere about shit that happens to relate a lot to what Iorveth has been feeling too, and oh gods damn it all, now he’s sympathizing with Vernon Roche. Empathizing, even.

Iorveth hates it. 

Roche doesn’t seem to particularly care how it makes Iorveth feel and Iorveth hates that too. 

Overall he regrets he even asked.

Then something something something they have to do a Thing together. I don’t know the exact details, probably has to do with displaced elves. 

Let’s just say Nilfgaard hasn’t fully conquered the North yet, like they’re almost there, it’s in that stage where they technically occupy the area but there’s a lot of unrest and certain people (racists) aren’t very keen on certain rules (rules telling them not to be racist) so they’re causing Problems about it. 

Maybe they get wind that there are some Witch Hunters holding a decent amount of elves hostage, but not quite enough for Nilfgaard to bother with them, so Roche is like, sure, okay, I’ve been getting better at this whole sneaky sneak thing, I’ll go sneak the elves out. And Iorveth is obviously not letting Roche go do that alone, because it’s Roche, and Iorveth still wants to be suspicious of him and doesn’t like him, and someone needs to be there to actually rescue the elves if Roche dies, also he kind of wants to see Roche die (he doesn’t, but semantics) so he goes. 

The sneaky sneak plan fails, go figure. And here’s where I might have to twist canon a bit because how well known is it that Roche helped plot against Radovid? Dunno, but we’re gonna say not too many people actually know, just those in power. And Temeria is established and under Nilfgaard, but Roche isn’t in a position of power there and when the sneaky sneak plan fails, he’s not wearing any indication that he’s WITH Temeria. So say someone that knows him from his Blue Stripes days sees him and they’re like, huh. Vernon Roche hates non-humans and didn’t immediately ally himself with Temeria and Nilfgaard. Clearly this is an ally. 

So at first getting caught is sort of fine, because now he’s making awkward conversation with a racist and getting introduced to other racists but no one is trying to kill him so like. Okay. Could be worse. 

And then the alarm sounds because Iorveth was spotted and they drag Roche to go corner him. 

Iorveth is fully expecting Roche to keep up his little ploy and he can’t even say he blames Roche, because it’s a good way to sneak in and save people, IF Roche isn’t seriously considering going back to being a shit lord just because it’s convenient. They’re pretty out numbered. Fighting would be a bad idea. Iorveth is still pissed, obviously, and feels betrayed, and he plans on giving Roche no end of shit about this later even if he DOES use the position to save the elves. 

Only Roche curses under his breath and turns his sword on the nearest Witch Hunter and all hell breaks loose. For the first time Iorveth finds himself fighting WITH Roche instead of against him. 

And it’s kind of fun. 

Just as thrilling. 

And they actually turn out to be a very deadly team together. 

So they rescue the elves and have every intention of escorting them back to the refugee camp they know of when they’re told about the camp these elves came from. One that was attacked by Witch Hunters. It’s a thing they’re doing now, kidnapping elves and destroying refugee places. So instead they point the elves in the direction of the camp they came from since the roads are all clear, and they go on their little crusade to save elves. 

And along the way they learn stuff about each other. 

Roche learns more about elves in general, and the uncultured swine actually starts finding himself more and more fascinated by the deep complexity and emotional connection to the world they have. He envies it, even, because even when Iorveth has nothing, he has that connection. Roche has only ever had Temeria and now, well. Only himself, really, and he’s still trying to figure out what to do with that. 

Iorveth takes the slightest amount of pity for the useless dh’oine, because the idea of not having that connection, that thing to moor him down, sounds intolerable. How do humans survive without that? So he starts making a half-assed (or at least he tells himself it’s half-assed) effort to help Roche recognize the natural world around him a bit more and have more respect for it. 

It’s the fact that Roche is TRYING, genuinely TRYING that really makes Iorveth feel a certain way. 

And he opens up a bit about himself, his past, why he joined with the Socia’tael, and after seeing everything he’s seen, and what he’s STILL seeing, Roche starts understanding it a bit more. The actions of desperate people pushed to the edge, what they do when diplomacy fails, when assimilation means death, the tactics they resort to because there is no fair fight otherwise. 

Now he can’t hate the Socia’tael either. He can’t even dislike them. Hell, he even finds himself admiring them. 

And Iorveth learns about humans. 

Nothing groundbreaking, exactly. Not about the species as a whole, anyway. Maybe that they’re capable of change, which is pretty revolutionary in his mind, and sometimes they stop into places and Iorveth sees that some humans do, indeed, have compassion for things that aren’t exactly like them. 

The most interesting and useful thing he learns is that human body hair isn’t that bad and against what he would have assumed, he actually kind of likes it? Especially the stubble that Roche can never seem to entirely shave off in the morning--because it turns out Roche is actually pretty cleanly for a human when he has regular access to be. 

The texture and burn of it scraping at his skin is nice, okay? It’s new and nice and maybe he can understand why there are so many mixed-elves running about despite how awkwardly bulky and clumsy dh’oine are. Also they’re warm. And, at least in Roche’s case, large. So yeah. He’ll concede the point that they make good bedpartners, and that’s ALSO something Iorveth learns about humans. 

[beastoftheblackhole]

fully experiencing the five-second flip flop between ‘this is a great idea’ and ‘this idea fucking sucks why am i bothering’ w this fic im writing

[artificialashley]

Okay so after my jokes with Mac I read some of Bring It On and it deffo needs a revamp.

So I will be remastering it and posting a version with better writing and grammar on ao3 whilst I procrastinate my current WIP that I’ve stared at for four days now without writing one new word.

This isn’t a full blown rewrite, simply me betaing old me.

Link for anyone who cares x

[lovehelpmewrite]

Sleep Addled Hands

Title: Sleep Addled Hands 

Pairing: Joe Mazzello x reader

Summary: You take a bath to relax after a long day and Joe just wants to help you relax

Word count: 846

Warnings: fluff, like the tiniest mention of her chest I guess??

[A/N]: Uh hi so there's literally like 0.3% characterization in this but I’ve been super stressed lately and this is what popped into my head because its what I Need™. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, its basically just Joe taking care of sleepy!you so what's not to like.

I sighed at the comforting heat of the bath water, letting myself slide down a bit more until my shoulders too were submerged in the warmth. Between the dim light provided only by sweet-scented candles and the warm water, I was finally feeling relaxed for the first time today.

“Long day?” came Joe’s gentle voice from the doorway of the bathroom.

I peeked one eye open to look at him, seeing him leaning against the door frame in a pair of black khakis and a dark blue button up. His hands rested in his pockets while he looked me over, hazel eyes soft and sympathetic.

“You have no idea,” I answered, resting my head against the back of the tub and closing my eyes again.

I didn’t even attempt to hide the pleased smile on my face as I heard the telltale sounds of Joe’s clothes dropping onto the floor. I simply returned the slow, sweet kiss he placed on my lips and slid forward to let him get in behind me.

Carefully, as to not splash the water over the sides, Joe sat down and leaned against the back of the tub, gently pulling me back to lay on his chest.

I closed my eyes and let the inherent smile Joe always seemed to bring out of me just be. 

His arms held me, hands gently running over my chest and shoulders; not sexually, just calmly, comfortingly. He pressed a soft kiss to the side of my face, smiling when my head lolled to the side at the action. My muscles were finally relaxing and the constant tension that work seemed to bring was slowly working out in the presence of the one I love. 

Joe pressed another kiss on the side of my face where my earlobe connected to my jaw, then another on my pulse point, another where my neck and shoulder connected, and finally one on the top of my shoulder.

I hummed contently. 

“I love you,” he mumbled, his head relaxing back again so his mouth was just above my right ear pressing soft kisses into my hair.

“I love you,” I mumbled back, exhaustion turning into sleepiness in my relaxed state.

Joe just smiled into my hair before coaxing me to stand and get out of the now lukewarm water. He took our softest towel and carefully dried me off, gently running the cloth over my slightly heated skin while I swayed on tired legs.

“Okay, step in,” he instructed quietly, bent over and holding a pair of my comfortable underwear open for my feet to step through. 

I let my hands rest on his now clothed shoulders while he slowly pulled them up my legs, helping settle them over my hips. I laughed a little when afterward he lightly smacked his hands onto my butt, pulling me into him with a grin and kissing me once more.

I grinned at him when he offered me his most worn t-shirt, the fabric thin and practically see through in parts but so incredibly comfortable. He waited as I put my arms out toward him before gently guiding my hands through the arm holes and then pushing it over my head. 

Once he had pulled the hem down to rest against my upper thighs he placed his hands on either side of my neck and pulled me to him again, pressing soft sleepy kisses over my mouth. My hands came to rest on his wrists, a content sigh exiting my nose at the lazy movements of our lips against each other.

He was the one to pull back, placing a delicate kiss on the tip of my nose as well before turning and pulling me behind him. 

I just wrapped my arms around his waist and let him guide me to bed, my face pressed into his back between his shoulder blades.

Finally, we made it to our bedroom, the darkness of the room only helping me revel in the looseness of my normally stress-tightened muscles. Joe only turned and let go of my hands, chuckling to himself a little as I flopped down on the duvet lazily. 

I just returned his laugh, smiling dopily while my tired hands pulled blindly at the blankets until they pulled back enough for me to unceremoniously climb underneath them. 

Joe just threw back the blankets and climbed into bed with me, opening his arms and waiting for me to situate my head over his heart and my arm over his waist before pulling the blankets over the both of us. His arm draped over my shoulder languidly, thumb gently drawing patterns over the smooth skin of my upper arm.

Just as my mind was dropping into the dark of sleep I processed him leaving one last kiss to my hair before whispering “I love you.”

“Love you...” I murmured back, words slow and slurred and laced with sleep.

Joe only smiled into the darkness and closed his own eyes, glad to just be with the one he loves.

[titanslayer]

whitewashing / race erasure is a cheap silencing tactic