#and it's interesting that it says something but no one will engage with the thing it's saying because you're not supposed to think about it

[viperify]

oneshots | ᴛᴏᴍ ʀɪᴅᴅʟᴇ X ꜰ!ʀ��ᴀᴅᴇʀ

☾₊⊹ To The Moon n’ Back.

Short Summary: This year you’ll spend another ordinary Valentine’s Day, all by yourself. Or that you think—until you receive a mysterious letter.

Warnings: 18+ only! soft impact play, brief fingering, semi-public sex, unprotected p in v, also this is kinda ooc!Tom bc how do I make this man engage in Valentine’s Day activities.

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day!!! 💋🩷

wordcount: 2,4k

Tom Riddle does not do love.

So why is it that every time you walk past him, his heart beats just a little bit faster?

He’s done everything to distract himself—drowning himself in books, studying more than what is usual, even for someone called Tom Riddle.

Yet, you never fail to leave his mind. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to get the thought of you—specifically your lips on his—out of his mind.

By sweet Merlin, that’s the worst part of it all.

──

It’s Valentine’s Day.

Safe to say—you aren’t interested in a relationship.

So it shouldn’t bother you that all of your friends are out with their partner. But it does, your chest tightening at the thought of spending another night alone on a day that’s meant to be celebrated with your loved ones. It’s always been like this though, they’ve had their fun, and you—well, you stayed behind.

You decide to head to bed early. Right after dinner, which was awfully boring with none of your friends around, you make your way back to your dorm. Or try to, at least. Because as soon as you turn the corner, someone bumps into you.

Not just anyone—Tom Riddle. Head boy, former prefect, top student in every class, teacher’s favourite, award winner… you could go on like this for hours. There is probably nothing in this world that he hasn’t achieved—except for finding a Valentine’s date, it seems.

“I am sorry,” you mumble as you crouch down to pick up a piece of paper he has dropped. And it’s really not that you wanted to know what was written on it—it must have been the familiar number that caught your eye—the number of your dorm to be exact.

Though slightly taken aback, you hand him the paper—or better—he rips it from your hands. For a moment when his lips part slightly, you think he might want to say something in return—maybe apologize for bumping into you—but nothing ever comes.

So you leave, shooting him a weak smile.

It’s not like you expected an apology from him. He has his close circle of friends, all of whom are from renowned pureblood families. Even if you wanted him to like you, look at you the same way you’ve looked at him for years, it wouldn’t change a thing. Tom Riddle was unreachable. Any girl that has ever been interested in ended up getting rejected, and you wouldn’t be one of them.

Yet, the rich scent of his perfume lingers, the way his eyes flickered to your lips for a brief moment imprinted in your mind. His hands brushing over yours briefly, feeling his warmth, the warmth you’ve been craving to feel on your skin—

You shake your head. You’re interpreting too much into it.

──

Tom curses himself for almost blowing his cover.

After hours of contemplation, hours of sitting in front of a blank piece of parchment, he finally writes something down.

My dear—

He scoffs. Pathetic.

Scrunching up the paper, he discards it on the wooden floor of his dorm.

I hope this letter finds—

Definitely not.

Please meet me at the Astronomy Tower tonight at—

Please? Who is he to beg? You should be the one begging for— fuck.

Twenty crumpled-up pieces of parchment later, Tom’s had enough.

He opts for something shorter.

Astronomy Tower. 9pm. Don’t be late.

Perfect.

──

You are tucked under your duvet, putting the romance novel you had started on the nightstand. It was only 8pm, but with nothing else to do, sleep didn’t seem like the worst option. Soon enough, your eyelids flutter closed, and you drift off to sleep.

Though, it isn’t too long before a sharp knock on the glass of your window wakes you. It’s your owl, delivering a letter. Quite an unusual time for you to receive something, yet curiosity gets the better of you, and you open your window to get it.

No sender.

Reluctantly, you tear the envelope open, and your eyes skim over the words written on the parchment.

“Astronomy Tower. 9pm. Don’t be late.” You whisper, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. You don’t recognize the handwriting as anyone's you know, and as soon as you wipe over the words, the ink smears, vanishing, leaving you with an empty parchment.

At first, you are quite unsure whether to go. There’s no name on the letter, and especially on a day like today, there will be stricter enforcements of the curfew rules. Though, knowing yourself, you would have probably gone anyway. Even on a day like this, the moon and the stars are the only company you crave.

So you change, folding your PJs neatly on your bed, putting on the first skirt you find—though as soon as you step out of your dorm, you regret your decision. Tonight is cooler than usual, a soft breeze brushing past your skin, having you shiver. It’s too late to turn around, though. So you make your way, walking the route you normally take when you sneak out past curfew.

As you ascend the stairs to the tower, a figure leaning against the railing catches your attention. Only when you take a few steps closer do you recognize who it is. The brunette curls are unmistakably Tom’s, and for a moment your breath catches in your throat, halting your movements. Knowing that he is most likely on his patrol, you turn around to return to your dorm, but as you do just that, his voice stops you.

��You came.” He remarks quietly, without turning around.

It is him.

“You wanted to see me?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest. “Riddle, if this is some kind of—“

“Come closer.”

You walk forwards then, though reluctantly, and lean against the railing next to the brunette. It’s silent between the both of you for a while before he speaks up again.

“They fascinate you, don’t they?” He asks subtly, staring into the distance of the night sky. You follow his gaze, taking in the stars and moon on the otherwise pitch-black horizon. “You watch them each night when you can’t sleep.”

You turn your head then, looking at him briefly. You want to ask how he knows, yet you decide to keep it to yourself. Instead, you answer honestly.

“It’s a rare constant in my life. They help me calm down, especially after a long day.”

He gives you a soft nod in return, and silence returns between the both of you, left with owls howling in the distance. There’s still snow on the ground, and it must be below freezing temperature, because when another cool breeze brushes past you, you shiver, scrunching up into yourself.

“Why am I here, Riddle?”

Tom finally turns towards you then, a spark of something softer shimmering in his otherwise so strict chocolate-brown eyes, and he takes a measured step closer.

“You didn’t have any other plans tonight, did you?” He asks, in a way that’s implying he already knows the answer—because what does he not know—and you shake your head no.

“Then that is why.”

You part your lips to question him but are interrupted by his hand reluctantly reaching out, fingertips ghosting over your cheek, trying, testing, before his hand wanders to your neck. His thumb draws small, soft patterns on your jaw, and you tense slightly at the contact. He stops then momentarily, watching your softened expression, but when you don’t complain, he continues.

His gaze flicks to your lips, the air between the both of you growing thick with tension as he slowly leans in. Your surroundings fade into a blur, and before you know it, his lips are on yours.

Tom Riddle is kissing you.

The kiss isn’t what you’d expect of someone like him—it’s soft, tender, your lips moving in sync as his second hand rests on your lower back, pulling you closer.

Soon enough, he has you pressed against the railing, lips only parting from yours when a soft moan falls over your lips. A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips, then he goes back to kissing you as his fingertips trail up the soft skin of your thighs, stopping at the hem of your skirt.

“Okay?” He murmurs, waiting for a verbal agreement before turning you around, adjusting your position with a firm grip on your waist. He bunches the skirt around your hips, delivering a soft smack to the round curve of your now exposed ass.

A soft whimper falls over your lips, and you slightly lurch forward at the contact, but he is quick to reposition you, pulling you back to him.

It is most likely the choice of your underwear that has him go silent, fingers softly tracing along the lace of your burgundy thong, though he is quick to rid you of the last piece of fabric covering your lower body. Tom makes you step out of it, crouching down to lift your leg. You only faintly notice that he puts it in his pocket, and time to complain is sparse because his hands are back on your exposed skin within a second, cutting off your thoughts.

“You’re gorgeous,” he whispers, drawing a soft mewl from your lips, “even more so than I thought.”

Another gentle smack, and you feel his hand gently massaging your thighs before they wander up further. He doesn’t proceed—he waits, lingering there for just a moment.

“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.” He instructs, his voice soft, and you obey, parting your thighs to allow him better access. A whimper escapes your lips when Tom fully presses himself against you, making you feel the problem you’ve caused him.

His hand leaves your thigh, traveling up until he reaches your already soaked heat, humming as his fingers swipe through your folds, collecting your arousal. One finger slips inside of you, his thumb rubbing circles on your clit, and you can’t help but buck your hips into his touch.

A second finger enters you, stretching, preparing you for him. You appreciate it—but all you want is to finally feel him.

“Riddle, please— I need you.”

His fingers withdraw then, hand wrapping around your throat instead, tilting your head backwards as you feel his hot breath ghosting over your ear.

“What’s my name?”

“Tom, God— please let me feel you, Tom.” You croak out, whimpering in defeat.

He lets you go then, the sound of him undoing his belt cutting through the night. “Good girl. Sounds so good when you say it.”

He casts a warming charm on you, a pleasant heat spreading through your body, and the next thing you feel is his tip nudging against your soaked entrance, slipping inside of you with a single, slow thrust. He groans when he’s inside of you completely—and it might be the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard.

He’s told you to stay quiet—though that order is quickly forgotten when he sets a steady rhythm, fingertips pressing hard enough into your skin to leave bruises. He stretches you perfectly, filling you completely with every snap of his hips, knuckles turning white from how hard you are gripping the railing. The sound of your skin colliding with each thrust fills the air, accompanied by your moans and whimpers and occasional low groans from the man behind you.

“Spread your legs a little further for me, love.” Tom breathes, hand slipping between your legs once more as you do. Again, he finds your sensitive bundle of nerves, rubbing the bud in slow, circular motions.

As your moans grow louder, walls clenching around him, he angles his thrusts slightly differently, his tip brushing over your most sensitive spots inside of you.

“Oh— Tom, don’t— don’t stop, fuck—“

His palm lands on your ass once more, but this time you arch your back into his touch, thighs trembling at the electrifying sensations shooting straight to your core.

With one of his hands on your waist, pulling you back into the sharp snaps of his hips, the other wraps around your throat again, pulling you flush against his chest. Like this he is able to reach even deeper, tip brushing against your cervix with every thrust, providing you with the perfect mix of pleasure and pain.

“Fuck— squeezing me so tight. That good?”

You only manage a nod in return, eyelids fluttering close as you near your climax, walls fluttering wildly around his invading length.

“Open your eyes and look at the sky when you come, darling.”

So you do.

With one last high-pitched moan, you tumble over the edge, hot, white pleasure rushing through your veins as your cunt clamps down around him, his hands on your hips as they stabilize you when your knees are about to give in.

Soon after, your mind still hazy with the aftereffects of your own orgasm, he empties himself inside of you with a low groan, hips stuttering as he is buried to the hilt, making sure you take all of him.

Both of you stay like this for a while, catching your breath. Only when the warming effects of the charm he casted on you wear off does he pull out of you slowly, drawing a soft whimper from your lips at the loss. He fixes your skirt for you, takes care of his appearance before his arm wraps around your waist, helping you stand upright.

“I will need that back,” you say, pointing to the lace half hanging out of his pocket.

He tucks it away completely then. “Don’t know what you are talking about.”

You sigh, rolling your eyes, leaning back against the railing.

A slight smirk plays at the corner of his lips but fades as he studies you in the faint glow of the moonlight, his expression turning more serious.

“Did so well for me,” he says after some time, voice soft again, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

You blink in confusion. Surely he didn’t—

“I wish you could see yourself the way you see the stars and the moon.” He goes on, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “You are worthy of love.”

You shake your head. “Tom—“

Before you can protest, he presses his lips on yours, cutting off whatever words you were trying to form.

“I want you to teach me,” he exhales then, wrapping his coat around your shoulders, “how to love. Teach me how to love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

this was requested by my lovely @riddleswhcre 🩷 thank you so much for requesting baby!! you already know I am not particularly happy with how this turned out, but I hope it was still somewhat alright. <3

[utilitycaster]

while reading sone c3 meta i realized c3 defenders are as incurious about the world as bells hells. not to say read/watch the lore but they could do some research. the biggest thing rightniw is the calamity is a family scabble on exandria but i never see them acknowledging why the gods are fighting. or that the gods always chose each other which is so wrong. calamity is because the gods dont chose each other, they chose mortals. the entire fight is to save mortals and at the end they saved 1/3 of mortals vs the total wipeout that could have happened. im reminded that in a world with living gods bells hells didnt even know their names or what they were like. i can see why this party resonates with the incurios.

So on the one hand I would say that the Prime vs. Betrayer fight is complicated, because the motivations that lead to it are them torn between what they want and their refusal leave or kill each other. The Schism happens because the Betrayers want to leave, but won't leave without the Primes, and the Primes don't want to leave and want to help mortals against the titans. The Calamity happens at least in part because the Betrayers want to kill the mortals, which in turn is at least in part motivated by the fact that they see the mortals as coming between them and the Primes. The Primes meanwhile do want to prevent the Betrayers from killing the mortals, and as we've seen, make an effort to spare noncombatant mortals (an effort which in Divergence largely succeeds, and Downfall fails), but are unwilling to kill the Betrayers and instead seal them both times.

However, the larger point, both that Bells Hells are exceptionally ignorant of religious knowledge and history in Exandria and make little effort to rectify this or even acknowledge that they don't know much, and that many of their loudest fans are incurious as well, is true. The thing that actually strikes me is that, given that of the Predathos options that did not involve either a simple defeat of those trying to unleash it or a simple unleashing and destruction of the gods, both involved the Luxon, there was a profound not just lack of curiosity, but dismissiveness of Ashton learning about the beacon earlier in the campaign by their alleged fans. Whether or not you liked it, the potion of possibility and beacon in their head, more so than the shard, was the culmination of their arc and absolutely plot crucial - and it was not uncommon earlier in the campaign for people to be like "who CARES, fuck Essek, let's go to the Hishari." When, in the end, the shard served more as an interesting mechanical bonus, an opportunity for some of the best roleplay of the game that was then mostly abandoned, and an excuse to go to the Shattered Teeth; the role of the titans was ultimately only something to bring up in fruitless arguments and justify dickish behavior. Even more so than the ignorance of Exandrian lore that I saw with some frequency, that stands out to me: even within the campaign they purported to love, they didn't care about exploring something that might gently brush up against Campaign 2. It's a real cutting off one's nose to spite one's face, and it made them look stupid, and Bells Hells felt similar: they did not want to find out information that might show them to be wrong, or show people whom they disliked to be right.

This incuriosity is still alive and well:

This is probably a vague of this post by me - but that post, I should note, came from me checking something in the transcript:

The fans of Campaign 3 don't even care enough about the campaign and party they are expending so much energy to defend, to engage with the questions the characters thereof are thinking about. They're willing to throw Dorian under the bus in a failed attempt to win an argument. Dorian cares about this, actually, is the thing, and he's mostly brushed off, and even if Bells Hells had said "oh damn you're right", my point is not "why doesn't Bells Hells care" so much as "framing this as the merciful option is again a very self-centered perspective, rather like how donating your impulse purchase fast fashion clothing still often puts it in a landfill, but there's a middleman that lets you pretend you're doing the more eco-conscious option."

And yes, it is similar to how Bells Hells, as the party of Campaign 3, didn't care enough about the people and world they claimed to speak for to learn about it. Recall how many NPCs told Ashton that the titans were dead? I think a fair interpretation is that party didn't want to talk to people because they might have told them something that challenged their limited worldview and required they change, grow, and empathize with others.

There's a line from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: "[My mother] said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy," with the implication that there is a difference between a lack of knowledge that comes from lack of opportunity, vs. lack of knowledge that comes from not caring. And that's the thing. If a fan doesn't know all the lore, or even gets something wrong in good faith? That's fine! There's a lot, and if people don't know every detail of the history of the Calamity that's not a failure on their part, particularly if they acknowledge that they might be missing some information and are still learning. But if someone looks at the story, and looks at the questions within it - in some cases, questions directly stated by the characters within it - and says "who cares?" that's incuriosity. It's not a lack of knowledge; it's a disinterest in gaining it, and a lot of fans of C3 are not just incurious but openly proud of it.

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

Tommy's introduced as a bigot in season 2 and often shown taking initiative in starting the bullying of Hen and Chim vs. waiting for Gerrard to do something and just not standing up for them. There's even a scene in "Chimney Begins" where no one else is even in the room to overhear and Tommy still chooses to be nasty to Chimney instead of a bare minimum of civil. Even after the "resolution" of the episode and his 'apology' (not for racism, but for making Chim prove himself at work), he's still shown to have spent years not learning his lesson, becuase he goes back to the same behaviors with Hen and Chimnney even mentions that "the Asian guy" still isn't invited out by the team for drinks or BBQ.

Then when it's "addressed" in season 7, we see remarkably little growth from Tommy, where he's blaming "the environment" and Gerrard for his choices and actions as a grown man. And in season 8, we get a healthy dose of misogyny in ageism with how he speaks of Abby, while casually acknowledging he also screwed up her life.

It's not just that he was afraid to stand up against bigotry in the face of an evil boss. He could've taken Eli's route, and just be silent. But no, Tommy is someone who chose to actively participate in workplace bigotry and bullying, and then almost 20 years removed, shrugs it off as everyone else's fault.

let’s not forget his very recent comments about Abby that were reeking of misogyny. Talking about her dating some “himbo” younger than her (as if he wasn’t actively doing the same thing) and admitting he was lying the whole relationship (not just about his sexuality).

Word for word that man said, “Heard she went a little nuts after that” as if her entire world wasn’t flipped upside down with her engagement ending and having to take care of her sick mother. The only tiny bit of understanding he showed was him saying she deserved better, which duh. 

One time when I was five I put a bead in my nose and it went all the way up to the bridge and I had to push down on it from the top until I could get it out because I was scared it would go to my brain and kill me.

That has nothing to do with any of what you said, but I just thought I'd put that out there because you're doing some dumb shit and I wanted you to know we've all done dumb shit. This is a safe space.

Anyway, I don't think you've ever been a closeted queer person who's said and done some at times questionable or outright fucked up things to keep yourself safe from scrutiny.* I grew up seeing people like me getting murdered and heard people explain why it would've been avoidable if they hadn't been so obvious or if they'd just chosen to be normal. I also grew up with a lot of bullies who were only bullying me because it put them in the protected group. It kept them from having people look at whether or not they were actually a good target for bullying. I'm actually friends with a couple of those people now. Not close, but we're cordial and we'll talk when we bump into each other at the store. That has more to do with us being in our thirties and living our own lives. There's a couple who had no excuse whatsoever other than being actual homophobes, I don't talk to them.

I dated in high school, I was engaged but I was 18 so I don't know how much that counts, but then I came out when I was in my early twenties. I knew I wasn't actually interested the entire time I was with those people, either. At first I just thought the relationship wasn't right for me, then I started to realize what was actually going on. I still dated, I still asked someone to marry me because I thought I could be happy with them. I did love and care about them, just not the way you should if you're going to marry them. I also didn't tell anyone I was non-binary until two months ago, even though I figured it out about fifteen years ago. A trans person hiding their identity to protect themselves from danger or rejection is nothing new, but it's kind of a shitty feeling to know you've been lying to every ex you've ever had about something like that. I don't like that feeling, and it's going to take a while for me to shake that. I don't know that I ever will.

So all of that is to say that a character like Tommy is actually kind of important to those of us who also weren't perfect at being queer, especially those of us who grew up during a specific time. I was actually pleasantly surprised that a basic network show would have someone like that, but times they are a-changing. So onto your last point:

Abby Clark is played by a now 57 year old Connie Britton (drop the skincare routine, girl), Lou Ferrigno Jr is 40, and Oliver Stark is 33. When you're an actual grown person, a seven or eight year age difference is kind of nothing. One of you might be a little more ready for things like kids or marriage, but that's not a guarantee. But hearing that your ex started dating a 26 year old when she's about 50, whether or not he knows that she actually pulled Buck's info in a very questionable way (I love that no one going after Tommy ever seems to care about the massive ethical breach from Abby), is kind of...wild. And he presumably heard about this from a mutual friend of some kind, who likely gave him this information colored by their own perception of the situation. This is where critical thinking skills become important. Based on context clues, I can safely guess that Tommy asked someone how Abby was doing or ran into someone who knows her, too, and they said "Hey, did you hear about Abby's new guy?" Otherwise he would've said "I saw that she was dating...." or "She told me she was dating..." So this could've been secondhand bitchiness, it could've been that her behavior was being framed as extremely not okay by someone they knew. We'll never know, the show doesn't have the strongest writing all the time. I'm not touching the thing about her mother, because a very close family member of mine has Alzheimer's, a good friend just lost a parent to it, and I do not want to examine the behavior of a person who's dealing with that or that of the people in their lives.

Could he have said "But I get it, she would've been going through a lot because of her mom and then our breakup"? Yeah. Would it have been nice if they wrote any scenes between Tommy, Hen, and Chimney that bridged the gap between when they weren't close and when they actually celebrated him and his accomplishments when he left the 118 to show why he would be someone Chimney would call on in two major emergencies? Yeah. I think I would've liked to see them talk things out onscreen and to show any apologies. Mostly because it would keep people from dropping an essay in my ask box when I feel like my sinuses and temples are filled with hot needles. I don't actually need to see it other than liking the three of them together, because I figured that they would've shown some hesitation before Chimney would reach out to him or he would've pulled Buck aside to warn him to be careful with Tommy. Or Hen and Karen wouldn't have been so thrilled when they realized what had gone down before Buck and Tommy came into the hospital room. There's a lot of stuff they don't show on this show, but they'd at least make a point to do or not do certain things if a character hated or disliked a character.

*I believe a certain dispatcher even did a whole big speech about this on the very show you apparently watch. I didn't like the Glee part, because I don't like Glee after season one. But the rest of it was good.

[gilbirda]

How to write Romance

Hello! This is the second post I'm making as a rough tutorial for writing, based of my method and experience. I'm not a professional writer by any means, but I've been writing for a long long time, and I specialize in writing women and romance.

The objective for this post is so you, the reader, has an idea what to look for or where to start when embarking in the journey of writing romance or a romance story.

Let's go. This is a long one, folks.

Romance Story line Vs Romance Story

Before I go into the details, I'd like to discuss the difference between "romance story line" and "a romance story".

But Gil, those are the same thing!

You'd think that! But nope. The main difference lies on how much space romantic aspects take in the story.

For example, you can have a tragedy with romance story lines. A murder mystery with some romance intertwined. An epic hero journey with some romance on the side. And so on and so forth.

Before sitting down and getting to writing, think what you want to write about: Is this about an epic romance for the ages, or is this about adding romance to a story (and not let it take the main stage)?

Let's take as an example "Pride and Prejudice" Vs. "Pirates of the Caribbean". One is about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy falling in love and the drama around them; and the other is an epic pirate action movie where Will and Elizabeth are protagonists and their relationship adds to the story but is not just about them.

I want to write a Romance story

Then you really have to sit down and write the story beats with the relationship beats.

Usually the natural flow of the story (first act, second act, third act) will match relationship milestones; and the development of the relationship is the development of the story.

There can still be drama, murder mysteries, etc. but it will serve the purpose pushing forward the main characters' romance story.

For example, the drama could be real life issues getting the way of the couple; or the romantic interest needs to do some growing before proposing.

Also, with Romance Stories you can play with some fun tropes on top of the story itself: Star Crossed Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Childhood Friends to Lovers, etc.

I want to write a Romance story line

In this case, development of the romance takes a step back and doesn't have to match the main story beats.

You will also take into consideration the tips and tricks of this tutorial, but don't have to go deep into much detail and can afford writing the relationship development more "in the background" as much or as little as your story needs it.

For example, you could write a couple getting together at the end, but can write the characters' "will they won't they" beats with the climax of the main story line's arcs — a character receives the Call for Adventure, and leaves behind the romantic interest; a character experiences a devastating loss, and can't really offer romantic interest the attention; a battle leaves main character heavily injured, and romantic interest nurse them back to health.

How do I write a credible Romance

Note how I'm avoiding saying "good" or "bad" romance here. I'm saying credible.

Why credible? Because, in my experience, readers engage more and feel for the characters more if they can believe that what is happening could be real. You write a romance in space, or as pirates, or Regency era stuff — but at the end of the day, you are writing people and people experience emotions in complex ways.

You have to make your readers think "they are so like me for real" at least once.

But how?

Emotions don't exist in a vacuum. You can deeply love someone and still be mad at them; or be frustrated with them; or be sad and not in the best headspace.

There has to be something else going on. Things happen all the time, and the world doesn't stop because you like someone. You have to include more meat than the romance, and explore more circumstances that have nothing to do with Character A and Character B having a crush.

Develop the characters beyond their romance story. Love is great but characters are so much more than that. They should have personal goals, personal drama, individual story lines.

But wait, there's more!

Let's talk more about characters in a relationship

This drinks from some basic character development tutorial (maybe a future post idea? 👀), but regarding romance you should also take into consideration more than the romance.

Feels counterproductive, but it's so so so so important. Before you even consider diving head first into Romance, you should already have solid characters to play with.

Some usual tricks for creating a character include doing a character Bio: Write their likes, dislikes, dreams, favorite food, favorite colors, height, age, etc. Anything you can think of, have it already chewed. (Think making a D&D character sheet!)

For fanfiction writers, understand the character you are writing first. Find their voice and even if you don't have a reference of a good romance already (I'm looking at you, DC comics) try to get an idea how they respond to good and bad things, how do they communicate, how do they like to be loved.

Then, you can use it for Romance.

How?

Easy: Consider what the situation is actually about, not just the romance.

Is it about trust? — How quickly does the character trust? How do they behave with betrayal? Do they have trust issues?

Commitment? — Are they the type that commits fast? Or needs a minute to commit? Do they have commitment issues?

Is it about communication issues? — How? Do your characters speak different languages (literally and "love languages")? Do they struggle with speaking up? Do they hide their feelings to a fault?

Are they incompatible? — Do they have different expectations for physical aspects of their relationship? Do they have little in common? Is the struggle about personalities clashing?

Love is not enough? — Do their circumstances pull them apart even if they do love each other? Is it "not that simple"?

Things you should be careful about

"This drama would be avoided if they had ONE honest conversation"

Classic misunderstanding drama set up. Is very tempting to hinge your drama and character development on one single misunderstanding, and is easy to maintain as long as you don't let the characters make up.

Don't fall for it. Is not as easy as it looks like and a bad execution can derail the story you want to talk about and make your characters completely unrecognizable. Check out this video about "Idiot Plots", which discuss more in depth how hinging the whole plot on one out-of-character misunderstanding is not worth it.

There can absolutely be misunderstandings, but not make it the only thing keeping the story going.

"Big Strong Masc saves Small Weak Femme (and they fawn for their mighty protector)"

(Notice the language used, because I've seen this with all types of ship configuration, not just M/F. )

This is related to deeper issues: Gender roles and patriarchy bullshit, which have no place in fandom.

You can absolutely write Character A saving Character B, but watch out! Characters should be developed on their own and have room to shine without the romantic interest.

Here's my tutorial on Writing Women, and I'm planning on another post to discuss the "strong, independent woman" paradox.

"Character A falls in love seemingly overnight with Character B"

What it says on the tin. It's just not believable. Even people who falls in love fast, don't just make the other person their world overnight.

But Gil, what about 'love at first sight'? That one is cute, and you can definitely write characters meeting for the first time and sparks flying, but there's attraction, and there's love.

Definitely write meet cutes and so on; but acknowledge that there is so much more needed to make a love story work.

"My romance story line suddenly became the main story"

Avoid this as much as possible. If the reader wants romance story, they'd look for straight up romance. Making the relationship suddenly ALL the story is about would be changing the genre mid-story and that's not nice. Is like starting with a murder mystery that switches to a shenanigans slice of life midway.

Then how can I have drama and relationship development?

If we should avoid misunderstandings and character A saving character B, then what would be my romance story about?

Answer: Like any other story development! Write conflict.

Internal conflict — Could be about one character or both; or about their relationship.

Internal conflict is a psychological or emotional struggle that takes place within a character's mind or heart. It involves their inner thoughts, feelings, beliefs, or desires. (source)

You use these to focus on the Character's Journey, and in the context of romance, on how they grow in a relationship. Loving someone else can be the catalyst for a character trying to better themselves, or realizing they need to change.

This is all your conflicts of interests, communication issues, trust issues, etc. Create situations where the drama comes from within the characters and how they themselves get in the way of their happily ever after.

External conflict — How the circumstances surrounding the characters influence the romance.

External conflict is a struggle that occurs between a character and an external force, such as another character, society, nature, or a situation. (source)

Families not approving the relationship, political drama, different species, opposing sides of a war... The world is your oyster.

Or use both! Is so much fun and complex (and credible) when there's layers to why your characters Will They Wont They.

And that's it for now!

I may come back and edit to add and/or tweak something, so keep an eye!

NOTE: These are some tips to write healthy romance stories. If your goal is to depict toxic dynamics or portray toxic relationships on purpose, by all means change and ignore whatever you'd like. Know the rules before you break them!

Happy writing!🙂✌

[ailendolin]

Thank you so much for tagging me @greenleaf4stuff! 💙

As is the case for many people, my first introduction to Tolkien were Peter Jackson's films. I heard about The Lord of the Rings the first time in December 2001 and my initial reaction was neutral bordering on negative, I'd say. I have this thing where the more something gets hyped, the less interested I become in engaging with it. So I had no intention of watching FotR initially.

That changed one Sunday when we were at my grandparents' having lunch. The TV was running and a behind the scenes documentary of FotR was on. I found myself watching it and thinking, "Mhm, this actually doesn't look bad. Maybe I should give this a chance."

So I did and the rest, as they say, is history. I ended up watching FotR in cinema eleven times total and fell completely and irrevocably in love with Tolkien's world. The books were next on the agenda. I adored LotR, couldn't get through The Hobbit because the Elves O! tra-la-la-lally-ing down in the valley felt absolutely jarring after reading about them in LotR (don't worry, I ended up reading The Hobbit 11 years later just before the first Hobbit film came out). So I picked up The Silmarillion instead and to this day it is still my favourite Tolkien book.

I owe so much to Peter Jackson's films. They're the reason I discovered Tolkien, why I started reading books and watching films and TV shows in English and why I've been going to conventions for 13 years now. No piece of media has had such a huge impact on my life (I still have LotR bedsheets from 20 years ago, still have a Middle-earth map from that time on my wall and my living room is basically a shrine to Tolkien at this point).

Tagging with absolutely no pressure: @strangestarlightmusics @magicaltear

Okay.

Something that brings all of us together is our love for Tolkien's work, and its spinoffs.

So, question: What got you into Tolkien?

I'll start.

When I was 12, my father urged me to read The Hobbit. So I did, and I was mesmerized by it, to the point where I'd stay up in the middle of the night to read it. I never got beyond that, though.

Two years ago, I decided to reread it, and I fell in love all over again with the story, characters, Tolkien's writing style, everything. So I decided to read The Lord of the Rings. I got the first book, read a couple of chapters.. and gave up. It was too verbose, too prosaic.

The next year, that is, a few months later, I tried my hand at it again. This time, I got through four chapters, but I still couldn't read the rest. Then.. I began crushing on a guy who'd read it, and so I grit my teeth and went for it. I read, and read, and this time, I found myself enjoying it. Bonus, the guy and I got into conversation.

After finally finishing the first book, I even started the second, and watched the first movie with my family. (By way of flirting I asked the guy whether he liked PJ's Trilogy, and he told me he "found them low budget" so that, um, ended. I'm no longer crushing on real people.)

I read the second, the third book, reread The Hobbit a third time, watched all the movies, and joined Tumblr. Then I got motivated to read The Silmarillion. I'm currently working on that, as well as my Tolkien collection.

Honestly, one thing that fuels my love for the work is all my lovely mutuals who I've gained through this love.

So.. no pressure tags: @gauntletgirlie @wowstrawberrycow @valar-did-me-wrong @balrogballs @ghost-of-morrowbright @gingeragenda @greenleaf4stuff @dragon--ashes @dwarveslikeshinythings @numenoria @onebillionblorbos @zaldritzosrose @varda-star-queen @the-bogginses-are-gay @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @daughterofthesunlands @princessfantaghiro and anyone else I've missed/wants to join.

[deadbeatbirdmom]

Happy Valentine's Day my fellow RWBY fans. This should be a day focused on love. Which is why I'm going to talk about something that's been troubling me for a while. This isn't about any single post, and I'm not singling anyone out. I'd put this under a read more cut but I think it's important enough not to do that. Scroll down for TLDR and a poll.

One of the common courtesies of tumblr etiquette is: don't tag hate with things like a ship tag or character tag. Or should be common, but let's face it, it's more like uncommon.

A good chunk of tumblr users who I end up blocking are those who post hate in tags like the 'Bumbleby' tag, or 'Yang Xiao Long' tag (it'd be the 'RWBY' tag too, but I don't often go there and rarely post in it). No, it's not toxic to block people, it's how you control your tumblr experience. It's how I avoid seeing hate, or try to.

But there are some tumblr users who I don't want to block but also end up putting hate in the tags: some of my fellow fans. It's not intended the same way as those who do it out of spite, but the end result is the same: your fellow fans end up seeing stuff they might prefer not to.

There's another rule, an old one that predates tumblr: don't feed the trolls. Don't give them attention. Please delete anon hate rather than answer it, although I definitely understand how trolling trolls can be fun. Just please don't tag it with the main tags or you'll do the anon's work for them if it's hate about a ship or character.

I see all too much fan art around that gets far less engagement than posts trying to fight back against hate (and unfortunately share the hate at the same time, especially when it's something from elsewhere like reddit or twitter). If you like the art, don't only hit that heart button, reblog it too!

RWBY fandom isn't dead, but we do need to do our part to encourage artists to make and share more art. Likes alone don't help the art get in front of more fans. I don't think everyone looks in the tags to find art, some will rely on those they follow reblogging art. This goes for sharing fic too! And giving fic writers comments (and kudos on AO3).

This is an appeal to keep negativity out of the main tags. I'm not saying you can't post whatever you want, just when it comes to tagging: please spare a thought for your fellow fans who are incredibly tired of negativity. If all else fails, maybe include a tag that can be added to filters? 'Wasps' for posts about Bumbleby hate, maybe?

I don't know about anyone else, but if I wanted to see hate and get angry, I'd be on twitter or reddit. I check tags here on tumblr to find fan art, and to see fellow fans talking about how much they love RWBY and its characters and ships, and find interesting theories and analysis.

I'm also not entirely sure how tumblr works with followed tags and words mentioned in posts. Do untagged posts still show up if the word appears in the post? Does that mean breaking the word with a backslash or something to avoid it showing up? I don't know, perhaps something to consider.

TLDR: please don't feed the trolls and don't tag hate with main tags. Show RWBY fan artists and fic writers some love and reblog their posts, and comment on fics!

One last thing: a poll to find out if I'm an outlier and posting hate is actually normal in this post-twitter world.

[flowerbloom-arts]

[~900 word fic based on the events of a segment from Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes]

Seymour stared at the empty plate in front of Gary and his heart sank. A constant reminder of the unreal thing that sat across him at the table.

Seymour always took pleasure in serving food for his superintendent, it was one of the few things he thought would impress him, but now… the thing that looked like him couldn't even eat it. Seymour was only serving himself in this regard.

He had killed the real Chalmers a month ago now, someone whose body is probably rotting in a dump after Groundskeeper Willie had cleaned it up and thrown away to the no man’s land that all garbagemen send people’s trash to. Skinner could only feel unnerved at the uncharacteristic niceness radiating out of that face. He could almost sense pity out of it.

“Is something wrong, Seymour?” Gary asked, leaning over crossed arms on the table.

Seymour swallowed his resentment and asked him what he thought was a fairly innocuous question, tangential to the illness making his stomach ache; “Gary, why is it that you’re so nice to me, if Chalmers… the real Chalmers… never would be?”

Gary took a moment to calculate his response, one would be fooled into thinking he was thinking humanly. “I’m only his simulacrum, Seymour, meant to occupy you with utmost patience when he couldn't afford to do that himself,” he answered with brutal honesty, just as any robot assistant should, “But I’m not sure if ‘never’ is the right adverb here. He's always been perfectly capable of kindness towards you, it's simply that… something always gets in the way of it.”

Seymour figured as much, and his mind gravitated towards the answer being his own faults – a habit he was taught by Mother with all the criticism she's given him over the years – but he’d rather his assumptions be backed up by an outside source. “And what do you think that might be?” he asked.

Gary furrowed his brow trying to collect whatever clues in his memory bank could point to a clear answer. He shrugged; “He wanted you to be a different person, I think,” he said, not a hundred percent sure of its completeness as an answer, “Someone who could speak to him as an equal and not as a subordinate. Someone interesting he could engage with as a friend. You're a war veteran, right? He thought that surely someone of your experience would offer more interesting insight than consulting him on design and decor choices that never made any difference to him.”

Seymour hung his head over his plate trying to absorb the observations given to him in Chalmers’ familiar voice. All he could feel was a deep disappointment in himself for not measuring up to his superintendent’s expectations and desires, if only he had known… he raised his head with widened eyes when the clone unexpectedly continued;

“But maybe that's not the whole truth,” he speculated, “The original Chalmers’ thoughts are all extremely oxymoronic now that I try to decrypt them all. He revelled in cruelty towards you because it made him feel superior and in control in a situation where he felt aimless, but he didn't want to admit to being cruel only for his own sake; he wanted to know more about you, but if he were to know more about you he would’ve felt that his cruelty was unjustified. He thought willful ignorance would allow him to be blameless, that if anyone were to ever object to his behavior he would be able to rationalize it by saying he's only been judging your present performance with no regard to your mental situation, claim that he couldn't have known better. He's very odd.”

Seymour had stopped eating and leaned back on his chair as he continued listening with great interest and horror.

“He wanted to like you, but for him to like you he needed to know more about you, but knowing more about you would make him feel guilty of his abuse towards you, meaning that liking you would mean he would have to be disgusted at himself, and his ego as a man of stature trumps all else that is important to him. Therefore, he cannot like you in a way that jeopardizes his own moral validity, despite his actual desires…”

Gary looked down at the table and sat in silence, seemingly deciding on what to say to Seymour next. He sighed and rubbed his forehead as if all the contradictions and circular reasoning were making his thought engine overheat.

“If… if it's any consolation to you, Seymour, I like you. I like you in a way that's based on the original Gary’s behavior. I know that probably won't suffice as I am only a simulation of a real person and not the real person himself, but that statement is true to me. Just know that none of his behavior was your fault or responsibility, he was always capable of treating you better and simply chose not to because his pride wouldn't allow it until the moment he was faced with the possibility of death. He was too selfish to change his ways until he was met with the fatal consequences of his treatment of you.”

The pit in Skinner’s stomach grew more vast and painful as he processed it all in silence.

“It's not your fault that you couldn't trust kindness coming out of a cruel man, Seymour,” Gary reassured him. “It’s not.”

Seymour took another moment of deafening silence before nodding in grieving acceptance. “Yes, of course… thank you, Gary,” he replied very quietly.

[thefemmefatalexo]

Nanami SMAU - A Verdict of Us

Chapter 11 - The Things We Can’t Say

Summary: Kento Nanami was perfect—disciplined, untouchable, and entirely focused on his future. Emotions didn’t fit into his plans. You were everything he avoided—bold, warm, and impossible to ignore. You told yourself he didn’t matter, but you couldn’t stop watching him.

He never looked your way. Not until the day his perfectly controlled world unraveled, and you were at the center of it.

an: Yeah… this isn’t getting better. SMOOCHES 💋💋💋

{chapter 10} ; {next}

taglist: @giasssslife @getovibesonly @inthedarkshadows000 @burpzz @sleepykittyenergy @fuzzycollectiondeersblog

࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚

You had been haunting Nanami’s thoughts since that night.

He could still feel the lingering warmth of the moment—the soft glow of the garden lights, the way the stars framed your face, the look in your eyes right before you leaned in. He had stopped you. Walked away without a word. And yet, your presence refused to leave him.

It wasn’t just the near-kiss that plagued him; it was everything leading up to it. The laughter, the shared glances, the way conversation flowed so easily between you. He had let his guard slip, let himself enjoy your company more than he should have. It was a miscalculation, one he had spent the past few days trying to correct.

Avoidance was the best solution.

He didn’t text you. Didn’t acknowledge you in class. If he saw you across campus, he turned the other way. It wasn’t cruel—at least, that’s what he told himself. It was necessary.

His life had been planned out since the day he was old enough to understand it. He would become an exceptional lawyer, take over his parents’ firm, and uphold the family name. That was his purpose. There was no room for distractions—especially not one as unpredictable as you.

His parents would never approve. They tolerated your family, but only in the way one tolerated an inevitable inconvenience. Too much money, too little discipline, his father had once said. More interested in social events than serious legal work. His mother had been more subtle but no less dismissive. She’s charming, I suppose, but charm only gets you so far.

He knew exactly what they would think if they found out he had entertained anything more than polite acquaintanceship with you. They would be disappointed.

And Nanami Kento did not disappoint.

That was why, when he accompanied his parents to the Asakura Legal Summit, he forced himself to stand straight, speak eloquently, and engage in the dull but necessary small talk that came with these events. His parents’ friends had a daughter—a well-mannered, intelligent law student, poised and composed in the way that made her an ideal match, at least in their eyes.

He made conversation with her, answering her polite questions and offering equally polite responses. She was pleasant, intelligent, and respectable.

And yet, the moment you walked in, he forgot whatever it was they had been discussing.

You were breathtaking.

The gown you wore was elegant but effortless, the soft fabric flowing around you as if you belonged in a dream. Your confidence, the way you carried yourself, only made it worse.

You saw him. Your eyes met.

For a second, he thought—hoped—you might come over. But you didn’t. You simply glanced away, turning your attention to someone else, leaving a hollow ache in his chest he hadn’t anticipated.

This is for the best, he reminded himself.

But as the night dragged on, it became unbearable. Every time he saw you laughing with someone, every time you charmed another guest with your easy grace, every time you didn’t look at him—it chipped away at the careful walls he had built.

And then he saw you with him.

A young man, handsome, confident, clearly taken with you. You smiled at him, said something that made him laugh. Nanami clenched his jaw.

Before he could think better of it, he was moving.

“Excuse me,” he muttered to the group he had been standing with, barely registering their response as he strode across the room.

You looked up as he approached, brows raising in surprise. The man beside you hesitated.

“May I steal you for a moment?” Nanami asked, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

You blinked but nodded, excusing yourself from the conversation. He led you to a quieter corner, away from prying eyes.

“Nanami,” you said carefully. “What are you—”

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted.

You stared at him, caught off guard. “For what?”

He hesitated. He couldn’t tell you the truth—that he had been avoiding you because he was afraid of how much he liked you, because you made him question everything he thought he wanted, because you were dangerous in the way that made him want to throw away years of discipline just to see you smile at him like you used to.

So instead, he simply said, “For how I acted.”

A brief silence stretched between you before you let out a quiet laugh, though there was no humor in it. “Right. You’re apologizing for avoiding me.”

He nodded.

You sighed, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “I get it,” you said, softer this time. “You’re not interested. I shouldn’t have—” You shook your head. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you. That was my mistake.”

Nanami opened his mouth to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. You think I don’t want you. That I don’t care.

Maybe that was for the best.

“You don’t have to explain anything,” you continued, forcing a small smile. “We can just… move on, okay?”

He wanted to say something—anything—but his silence spoke for him.

You exhaled, shaking your head slightly. “Alright then.”

The moment felt too heavy, too final, and maybe that’s why he found himself saying, “You looked like you were enjoying yourself tonight.”

Your lips quirked. “Is that your way of changing the subject?”

“Yes.”

You huffed a small laugh, your tension easing just slightly. “Fine. It was… tolerable.”

“Just tolerable?”

“Okay, maybe a little fun.”

Nanami exhaled, some of the weight in his chest lifting. “Good.”

A beat of silence passed between you. It wasn’t the same as before—there was a distance now, one he had created. And yet, you were still here, still speaking to him as if he hadn’t spent the past few days pretending you didn’t exist.

“You really had no reason to apologize, you know,” you said after a moment. “You were just being honest. I can take rejection, Nanami.”

He flinched at that word—rejection. That wasn’t what this was.

But what was it, then?

Before he could answer, you continued, voice quieter now. “I just… I thought maybe you felt something too.” A small, self-conscious laugh left your lips. “But I guess that was just me misreading things.”

Nanami clenched his fists at his sides. Tell her she’s wrong, some part of him whispered. Tell her you feel everything she thinks you don’t.

Instead, he said, “You didn’t misread anything.”

Your brows furrowed slightly. “Then why—”

“It’s complicated.”

You let out a slow breath. “Right. Of course, it is.”

The air between you felt heavier now, like something unsaid was pushing against it.

Finally, you smiled again—smaller this time, but still undeniably you. “I should get back.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

You turned to leave, but before you walked away, you glanced over your shoulder. “Don’t avoid me again, Nanami.”

He swallowed. “I won’t.”

You didn’t smile, but there was something softer in your gaze before you disappeared back into the crowd.

Nanami exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.

He had gotten what he wanted.

So why did it feel like he had lost something?

[til-all-are-loved]

{This Charming Man Part 7} MTMTE Megatron x Reader | SFW

Total word count 11k Chapter word count 2.2k

You meet with Ultra Magnus briefly—little more than an exchange of pleasantries and business. He stands as rigid as ever, posture impeccable, optics scanning you as if assessing your readiness for duty. You think about telling him. The words sit at the edge of your tongue, heavy and certain: I’m resigning.

But something stops you. Maybe the timing isn’t right. Maybe you just don’t want to deal with whatever reaction he might have. Instead, you nod along to whatever he’s saying, make an excuse about being needed elsewhere, and leave.

Elsewhere turns out to be the ship’s repurposed presentation room, now a makeshift movie theater. The walls still bear traces of their original function—screens meant for briefings and tactical analyses, now adjusted to accommodate entertainment. Your usual crowd is already there when you arrive: Swerve, talking animatedly; Tailgate, bouncing with enthusiasm; Rewind, inspecting the setup with keen interest; and Chromedome, standing slightly apart, arms crossed in a loose but thoughtful manner.

You’re here to help install some human tech—a simple but effective resolution upgrade that should bring the video quality up to standards a Cybertronian processor might not typically prioritize. It’s a task you enjoy, something tactile and familiar, and the banter around you makes it all the better.

“So, wait,” Swerve says, peering over your shoulder. “You’re telling me that your movies were always this... fuzzy?”

“Not fuzzy,” you correct, tightening a connection. “Just lower resolution. Human eyes are a lot more discerning than you’d think.”

Rewind, ever the archivist, hums in agreement. “It makes sense. Your visual fidelity technology had to be top-tier to make up for organic limitations. Cybertronian optics process differently—we don’t always need that kind of refinement.”

Tailgate pipes up, “Yeah, but I still think it’s weird. If you can’t see in, like, multiple spectrums, what’s the point of making it so crisp?”

You laugh. “Because we like things to look good.”

The conversation flows easily, filled with the kind of light-hearted exchanges you’ve come to expect from this group. But amid the chatter, your attention drifts to Chromedome. He’s present, polite when addressed, but never fully engaged. There’s a distance—not unkind, but undeniable. It isn’t the first time you’ve noticed this with some of the larger bots. They acknowledge you, even respect you, but there’s an invisible barrier between acknowledgment and true camaraderie.

Size. A simple thing, but a defining factor. The minibots don’t feel so out of reach—perhaps because they, too, know what it’s like to be the smaller presence in a vast world. You look at Tailgate, at Swerve, at Rewind, and feel a familiar warmth settle in your chest. The small have to stick together. Even if you barely reach Swerve’s hip, there’s a shared understanding here that transcends stature.

Eventually, the installation is done. Chromedome is the first to leave, murmuring something about needing to check in with Rewind later. The rest of you head into a backroom to start uploading footage, eager to see if the system works as intended.

And that’s when he arrives.

Megatron’s presence is felt before it’s seen—a shift in atmosphere, a tension that settles like a tangible weight. He steps into the dimly lit space, expression unreadable, optics glinting with something you can’t quite place.

The chatter dies down. Swerve, always one to recognize an awkward moment before it happens, mutters something about checking the front display and quickly excuses himself. Tailgate follows after a brief pause, Rewind lingering only a moment longer before he, too, disappears through the doorway.

That leaves just you. And Megatron.

He doesn’t speak right away. His optics flick toward the newly installed tech, then back to you. You sense his attention, but it’s not sharp, not demanding. Not yet.

“Y/N you seem… distracted.”

His voice isn’t just measured—it’s cold. There’s no room for pleasantries.

You rest a hand against the console, watching him. “Is that a problem?”

His optics narrow, something simmering behind them. “It will be.”

That lands heavier than you expect.

You swallow, holding your ground. “Why?”

He steps closer, not looming, but enough to make the distance between you feel small. “Because there’s no room for uncertainty here.” His tone is flat, clipped. “Not for me. Not for you.”

Your fingers curl slightly against the console. You crane your neck to meet him in the optic, “I don’t think I’ve been careless.”

Megatron’s optics flash. “Then what do you call this?” His hand flicks toward you—not quite a gesture, not quite dismissive, but something in between. “You hesitate. Your mind is elsewhere. I see it. Everyone sees it.”

You hold his gaze, pulse in your throat. “And what? That makes me a liability?”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t answer right away. Maybe because he doesn’t know the answer himself.

You exhale sharply. “One moment, you act like I barely matter. Next, you’re keeping me close. What am I supposed to make of that?”

That brings the briefest flicker of hesitation. It’s quick, nearly imperceptible, but it’s there.

“I’m not obligated to explain myself to you.” His tone should be final, but something about it isn’t.

You let out a slow breath, shaking your head. “I think you want me to be useful.” You glance at him, watching for any reaction. “Beyond that? I have no idea.”

His fingers twitch at his sides. There’s something unreadable in his expression, something too tightly wound. His vents cycle once, slow and deliberate, like he’s forcing the tension from his frame.

“…That makes two of us.”

That shouldn’t throw you. But it does.

For a second, it feels like the whole conversation is leading somewhere dangerous, like pressing forward might tip it over an edge you’re not sure you’re ready to face.

So you don’t. Instead, you say the first thing that slips past your lips before you can overthink it.

“…Would you like to watch a movie?”

He hesitates. Not out of doubt, not out of calculation—but because for once, he doesn’t seem to know what to say.

The moment lingers just long enough before he steps back, exhaling as he turns toward the exit. “We’ll see,” is all he says before he leaves.

The door hisses shut behind him.

You barely have a second to process what just happened before Swerve and Tailgate barrel back in, the shift in atmosphere immediate.

“So what was that?” Swerve says, grinning like he already knows the answer.

Tailgate bounces beside him. “Are you inviting Megatron to movie night?”

You roll your eyes, pushing off the console as you head for the door. “He won’t show.”

---

Later that evening…

The steady hum of Tailgate’s engine fills the corridors as he drives you toward the repurposed theater room, his usual enthusiasm bubbling through the quiet ride. It’s comfortable, even if the question he asks isn’t.

“So, you and Megatron,” he starts, voice light but curious. “What’s the story there?”

You huff a small laugh, leaning back as the hallway blurs past. “There’s no story.”

Tailgate lets out a thoughtful hum, turning a corner a little faster than necessary. “Well, yet,” he muses. “But, y’know… It’s kinda interesting, right? You two talk a lot. More than anyone else, I think.”

That’s an exaggeration, but you don’t bother correcting him. Instead, you shake your head, keeping your response measured. “It’s like, we speak to each other, but we say very little and yet it feels like a lot.” 

“But it’s not like that Tailgate.” you amended lightly

“But if it was, I’d be supportive!” he says quickly, like he can already sense your reluctance. “I mean, yeah, he used to be Megatron, but he’s, like, different now, right? He’s trying.”

You sigh, a small smile tugging at your lips. There’s something so earnestly Tailgate about this—about the way he sees the world. Simple. Hopeful. It’s hard to be annoyed when you know he means well.

“I’ve never been one for uncalculated risks,” you admit, watching the corridor lights flick past. “But now’s not the worst time to start.”

Tailgate makes an excited revving sound, and you flick his dashboard in response, a silent drop it. He gets the message, coasting into the open space near the presentation room.

“Okay, okay, I won’t bug you about it.” The second the doors slide open, he transforms and gestures grandly toward the entrance. “But if something happens, I totally called it.”

You step out, shaking your head as you walk inside. The theater space is already filling up, dim light from the projector casting long shadows along the walls. A few bots have already taken their seats, drawn in by the promise of a classic Noir films.

Rewind sits near the front, adjusting his lenses, likely preparing to compare the film’s historical accuracy against Earth’s actual mid-century crime scene. Rung has settled in beside him, hands folded neatly in his lap, watching the flickering previews with quiet interest. Perceptor, as expected, is in the corner, his optic display already analyzing the cinematography, probably breaking it down frame by frame. Chromedome, arms crossed, remains a little more detached, but he’s here, which means something.

It’s the kind of film that draws in the more analytical bots—those who appreciate subtext, who like stories that don’t tie themselves into neat resolutions.

You finish setting up the system. The film is about to begin. Then, just before the lights dim completely, the door at the back of the room hisses open. A presence lingers in the doorway. You don’t have to turn around to know who it is.

Megatron doesn’t enter right away. He stands at the threshold, scanning the room, the audience, the screen. Assessing.

And then, without a word, he steps inside and takes a seat.

The film unfolds in flickering black and white. Rain slicks the streets, a lone detective leans against a payphone, the brim of his hat shadowing tired eyes. A woman’s voice crackles through the receiver—smooth, practiced, hiding something beneath the surface.

The room stays quiet, absorbed.

Megatron doesn’t speak. Doesn’t shift in his seat, doesn’t vent in frustration the way some bots do when they find human storytelling too slow. He just watches. You steal a glance at him once, maybe twice. His optics stay fixed on the screen, tracking every detail like he’s dissecting it.

He’s enjoying it.

You can tell by the way he leans forward slightly—not enough for most to notice, but enough that you do.

The movie rolls on. The detective chases a truth he already knows will ruin him. The woman in the fur coat isn’t who she says she is. The city is soaked in betrayal, and everyone’s hands are dirty. The atmosphere settles in like cigarette smoke in a room with no open windows.

And then, finally, the last line.

“You can’t rewrite history, but you can choose what parts to carry with you.”

A final shot—tail lights disappearing into the night. The music swells, then fades. The projector hums to a stop.

Murmurs rise from the audience. Rewind starts talking before the credits even finish rolling, already dissecting the historical accuracy of the setting. Nightbeat is animated, pointing out the film’s detective tropes with enthusiasm. You push yourself up onto your feet, stretching, satisfied that the night went well.

“I enjoyed that.”

You turn.

Megatron stands just beside you just out of periphery, arms folded, optics still carrying the last of whatever thoughts the film left him with.

You turn. “…Yeah?”

A small nod. “Yes. The dialogue was sharp. Efficient.” He tilts his head slightly. “And the conclusion—predictable, yet… satisfying.”

You covet a strange, almost ridiculous sense of pride at that. Like you won something.

“Well,” you say, “I’ll have to pick another one sometime.”

Something about that makes him pause. The set of his jaw loosens as if he was about to say the first thing on his mind, before tightening to reconsider. As if the thought is something he hadn’t considered before.

“…I’d be interested in that.”

Your fingers curl slightly at your side. You clear your throat, trying to shake off the warmth tickling your cheeks. .

Megatron shifts—only slightly—but then does something unexpected.

He smiles.

Not fully. Not broadly. It’s barely there. But it’s the honest to goodness real thing.

And worse—awkward.

The great and terrible Megatron does not know how to properly smile at someone. The realization nearly knocks the air from your lungs.

“Thank you,” he says, voice quieter now. “For the invitation.”

He straightens, stepping back toward the exit. He hesitates, just for a fraction of a second, then meets your gaze.

“Goodnight, Ambassador.”

It shouldn’t be anything. Just words. 

“…Goodnight, Megatron.”

The door shuts behind him.

A second later, the overhead lights flicker back on, bright and unflinching.

You blink against the sudden change, heat still lingering on your face. Your hand twitches at your side, resisting the urge to touch your own cheek—like that would somehow erase the evidence.

No one’s looking at you. No one cares that you’re standing here, flushed and off-balance over nothing. Absurdly, painfully obvious.

You inhale sharply, shaking it off as you scan the room. Tailgate is by the exit, already transformed, idling expectantly. You make your way over.

“Give me a ride home?”

He beeps his horn cheerfully, like he’s been waiting for you to ask. “Of course!”

The doors open, and you climb in, settling into the seat. The engine hums beneath you as he pulls out of the theater.

[hils79]

Hils Watches Matz Travel Vlog - Part 3

Aww Seonghwa is doing his old man walk again

Bwahaha! And Hongjoong called him on it

I can't. Seonghwa staring at someone else's food and Hongjoong just looks so fond as he finds the dish on the menu so they can order it.

It's really interesting watching them order food in Italy because generally over here you would just order one dish for yourself. I think Korean food is more about ordering lots of dishes and sharing them, which seems to be what they are doing. It's cute.

They've only just ordered food and Hongjoong is already thinking about how they're going to get back to their hotel in Milan.

Happy engagement/anniversary/date/whatever this is

God, Seonghwa really did just start grooming him at the dinner table

I love it when Hongjoong describes things as a new experience. Like that time they made him try fish and chips in London and he clearly didn't like it 😂

The way Seonghwa just lifted Hongjoong's sleeve to stop it getting in the food. This is why we all call him mother. This is also why all my kpop kids say I'm like Seonghwa and call me mum because this is absolutely something I would do.

And then he just takes over because Hongjoong wasn't doing it right. God, I love them.

I'm pretty sure that's not true...

Hongjoong saying how it's safer to travel with someone else than alone and Seonghwa starts talking about what he'd do if someone tried to attack him. They are both so delightfully weird in different ways

Hongjoong is like 'I thought this was going to be a funny disaster video where we missed our boat or train or got lost but instead it just reminded me how much I love Seonghwa'

I love how they both talk about the other almost like a kid. But also in the way that people who have been married forever talk about their spouses.

All they needed was a day away from the kids to reignite their relationship

Hongjoong: this was such a healing trip Seonghwa: yeah, because we were recording content and that's relaxing for you

That's his husband no wonder he looks so smug about it

Next Matz date should be Loch Ness

They should do a Where's Seonghwa book. Has he learned this habit from Yeosang, who also has a habit of wandering off.

So Seonghwa went to bed at 4am and got up at 9am, whereas known insomniac Hongjoong went to bed early especially for this trip. How the turntables.

Some last minute boyfriend content

Welcome to public transport, Hongjoong

And of course we have to end with them being nerds

Aww sleepy boys

Holy shit their poor necks that does not look comfortable

I have to say watching that was kind of healing for me too. I haven't liveblogged anything since before I went on my Ateez trip and it felt good to start it up again. I should probably go back to liveblogging my dramas again. I just haven't had the energy to do anything since I got back but I'm starting to feel more like myself again now

[pynkhues]

I keep seeing posts about Louis being a very incurious person/vampire and I wanted to know if you agreed on that but more so where that comes from? Is it a that’s none of my business thing or a I really don’t care thing. Maybe it’s something else entirely. I feel like there’s a touch of Gabrielle in that… am I reaching?

Oh, I really disagree that Gabrielle's incurious, anon. I think she's one of the most curious vampires in the series, and if anything, I'd say that I personally feel the show's made Claudia a more curious vampire and a natural explorer to parallel her to Gabrielle, not Louis.

As for Louis being incurious - - I've seen a lot of those posts too (some of them are really funny!), and I think they're kind of true, but also not really? I think Louis' incredibly intelligent, and I think he actually has a pretty insatiable curiosity in certain respects. He reads a lot, and he reads broadly - from Charles Darwin to Edward Carpenter to Gustave Flaubert, Colette to - as eagle eyed fans noticed in the BTS shots - Simone de Beauvoir, and has obviously a specific interest in art, and I don't think you read that widely or engage with art that deeply if you're not a fundamentally curious person.

I think from a fandom standpoint that the theory comes from Louis never sharing Claudia's hunger to know about the vampire world, and his resistance to learning more about them in Europe, as well as Louis seeming to not have asked Lestat all that much (which I actually disagree with - he clearly asks Lestat a lot of questions throughout 1.02, and both scenes where Claudia asks Lestat who turned him I think imply that Louis had asked and been similarly shut down before) - but I don't know if I'd necessarily describe that as a lack of curiosity so much as a symptom of Louis' initial denial of his vampirism, and then his rejection of vampire society.

Louis doesn't see himself in other vampires. He denies his vampiric needs in Rue Royale, pretty clearly has an issue with the fact that Claudia takes after Lestat when it comes to both her efficacy as a hunter, and her embrace of her vampirism. He certainly doesn't identify with the 'Catfish-with-Teeth' that they find in Romania, and he pretty much hates the Coven, from the work they do, to the way they hunt, to the individuals within it. I think he feels detached / alienated from vampire society, and by the end of s2, I think he likes it that way. I talked about it a bit in my Byronic Hero post, but it's very common with this sort of character archetype to live either in exile, or in a self-exile, and Louis' both - he's cut out from the human society he wants to be a part of in New Orleans, and he chooses to remove himself from vampiric society in Paris.

And to me, that's what sits at the root of Louis' curiosity.

I think that he has an enormous amount of curiosity around the human society that cut him out - again, he's reading Darwin, Carpenter, de Beauvoir, he enjoys the human opera with Lestat, is following people around Paris trying to photograph them, engaging deeply with human art, taking fascinating human boys to fuck and eat in San Francisco - and a fundamental lack of curiosity in vampire society - he never really follows up with Lestat about vampires, is disinterested in Claudia's research, tries to pull the pin on their trip, doesn't want to engage with the Coven, hates the vampiric theatre, hates his own photographs of the vampires, finds Armand boring! The world's softest, beigest pillow!

Louis' fascinated by humanity and bored by vampires, and I do think that's partially a reflection of how Louis' internalised his' feelings about being rejected by one, and rejecting the other, just like I think his capitalist climb has been about gaining social power in a society that tried to disempower him. So yeah! I think he's curious, he just doesn't care about vampires, haha.

[sweetvixen1996]

Kiss the Villain, Moodboard Picture Analysis: Part Eight (Hands: 24/90)

Fun Fact about hands, they are one of the hardest things to draw. There are a lot of moving parts and segments to them, and when you don't get them right, people can always tell -even if they can't always explain what is off about them. Of course, these are photos we're discussing, but my point is that the hands are probably the second most expressive part of the human body after the face. And so I think these photos can give us some interest insight.

I know nothing about watches, but this looks like a nice one. I feel comfortable at saying this is definitely Kayden. These are a grown man's hands, strong and a bit more weathered than a young man's. The figure here is also straightening his shirt cuff, and Kayden strikes me as someone who'd be meticulous in his appearance.

This is certainly Gareth's. The hands and what we see of the face is much younger and softer. And the clothing is much more rumpled and dissuaded. But he also seems to be wearing a watch, though one that is far more feminine in design. Also, fun fact, while in most Western cultures, the wedding and engagement ring is worn on the LEFT ring finger, in Russia (along with Germany and India) they are worn on the RIGHT ring finger.

What is with all these watches?

The interesting thing about this picture is that it's hard to tell who is embracing who. If it is Kayden embracing Gareth, then this is an image of a somewhat possessive affection that Gareth is hesitant to allow -hence, the one of one hand instead of both to cover the embracer's hand. But if it is Gareth embracing Kayden, then it's possible to read unequal interest into this photo, i.e., Gareth is going all in while Kayden is less committed.

I actually find this picture rather sweet. Compared to a lot of the other photos, this one is softer and less... sensual in nature. Judging by the coffee and what seems to be the marble surface of a kitchen's island, this seems to depict a cute moment between Kayden and Gareth one morning.

This is a strange one, but what I think is happening is that the smaller, younger-looking hand (Gareth's) is grabbing onto the larger hand (Kayden's), which appears to be static between the two images with, I believe, the intention of pulling that person up. And, judging by the rural background, maybe Gareth and Kayden were having a picnic date?

Another odd one, to the point I considered saving it for another analysis set. But here are a couple of interpretations of what this could mean:

Hands covered in black paint are sometimes used to symbolize a sense of darkness, negativity, corruption, or involvement in something sinister within someone; often as an element of their personality they don't like and try to hide. However, it can also represent a loss of control, being stained by wrongdoing (either their own or someone else's), or a deliberate attempt to obscure one's actions. We know that Gareth is forcing down his darker impulses and may see them as stains on his own soul.

The idea of black-painted hands also has some relation to criminal activity, particularly when associated with gang culture or a "black hand" extortion scheme. Gareth, through the Heathens and his family's connection to the mafia, has plenty of criminal ties -though not as openly as the others. However, we also know that Kayden is involved in criminal activity. What kind though, is still a mystery.

Finally, it can sometimes relate to money or payment -usually for something illicit or illegal. If this is a case, I think this is referring to Kayden. Gareth is almost certainly a trust fund baby and doesn't need extra money. However, if we take the line in GoF about Gareth stalking a Mercedes as being about him following Kayden, that raises the question of how he affords such a fancy car.

At first, I thought this set of images was really cute... and then realized the sequence of events. What I think is happening here is that Gareth puts Kayden's hand on his heart, perhaps to symbolize his growing feelings for the man or the desire to have a more serious relationship, only for Kayden to push Gareth's hand down -seemingly rejecting him. If we consider that a lot of the songs on the playlist are about uneven relationships and people being used by their partners, it makes me feel very sad for poor Gareth.

[utilitycaster]

I really appreciate your thorough breakdowns of this campaign's end, because I fell off of watching live back in summer 2023 (personal reasons), and though I kept myself pretty up-to-date with subsequent events I eventually started thinking "I'll come back when interesting things start happening" and I just never seemed to find that point. Good to know I'm far from the only one pretty displeased with how things apparently left off.

To throw in my two cents, I think you're spot-on with your impression of what kind of people those who think this was a narratively satisfying ending are. Specifically, I think it's coming from the type of people who find certain characters (I'm sure you can guess who) extremely relatable—difficult childhood, and/or early adulthood trauma, and/or were taken advantage of in grief—but refuse to acknowledge the fact that recovering from these things requires choosing to personally put in effort to do so. They want these characters to be handed a perfect happy ending, no work required, no matter what, and so when those of us who find that unsatisfactory dare to voice that opinion it's a personal attack on them saying that they don't deserve to be handed joy without working for it, because if their favorite characters can have it, so should they. (Because fiction is reflective of reality, so clearly that's what that means, I guess.) It's frustrating because I'd had high hopes for Imogen and Laudna's story in the beginning of the campaign, but there was a point where I just couldn't put up with their deliberate stagnation anymore. Definitely could have been psychologically interesting, though.

(And, just to be perfectly clear, this isn't a dig at anyone in the cast or anything—I suspect this was a case of too much ambition from previous success leading to less careful planning all around. I'm admittedly not super clear on exactly what the deal was with all the gods in the finale, though, so it's entirely possible I'm missing something major.)

Thanks! And yeah that does really feel like it in the end. Like, it is a campaign that seems to mainly be enjoyed by excuse-makers who want there to be a reason why it's right and proper to enjoy it and that criticizing it is inherently bad and wrong. Like, sorry man, if you see a post in the wild from someone you've never seen before indicating a character you relate to is stagnant and childish and your response isn't to say "well, I believe that's untrue, I'll make my own post about this" or "I don't like this so I'll block them" or "hmmmm maybe they are stagnant and childish, but they are relatable for other reasons, which are:" but instead to complain to them about how they are judging you, a random person they've never spoken to, you are the problem! You are the one feeling judged by a stranger who doesn't know you exist and who has no power to do anything beyond say something mean to you, and instead of going "wait this doesn't fucking matter" you are demanding the world bend around you to your will, and playing the victim when the world says "lmao no."

Like, again, no one is actually defending the campaign meaningfully. They're coming up with excuses why they can't or they're coming up with incorrect reasons why critique is impermissible (that fortunately no one is listening to) - that it's improv, that it's happy, that people aren't couching their posts sufficiently in This Is Only My Opinion (this is not how reviews/crit works, eg this AV Club article on the Severance premiere does not have Saloni Gajjar say "this is only my opinion" at the top because anyone who is smart enough to engage with media criticism in the first place doesn't need to be told this; there is a reason we are treating people with disdain and that's because the very act of being bothered by people phrasing criticism without This Is Only My Opinion is an immediate sign you are, in fact, not smart enough to get on this ride). It's the same with the characters. They want something to have suffered enough to be beyond criticism, and the rest of the fandom has (correctly) rejected that paradigm entirely, and they have no way to counter anything head on.

And as for Imogen and Laudna...while I think many things in the campaign were flaws that went beyond them, they certainly were at the heart of several, and I think had their relationship been a genuine slowburn - had Laudna rejected Imogen and remained mad in episode 65, as Laura outright expected - it might have been something worth our while.

I do think the bulk of...not even blame, simply responsibility, rests on Matt, and I do think it's mostly stretched thin/burnout/not realizing how this concept required much more work than past campaigns did, and again, I don't hold it against the cast (their live show in Philly this December was great, the CRF one-shot was fun, the Assassin's Creed one-shot was fun, and EXU Divergence has been stellar) but yeah it didn't work very well.

[kinkystims]

okay. i am Trying My Hardest to not have shame about having a tickling fetish and sharing in kink spaces that aren't explicitly tickle kink spaces even though i am hopelessly embarrassed whenever i do share. Anyway. i am being soooo brave about it

i haven't been tickled in like. A While. like. A Whileeee. and when this is something you fixate on. well. you just start thinking about it more and more. and it's gotten to the point where if i concentrate hard enough i can like feel phantom sensations of it and start squirming around and basically i am losing my mind thinking about tickling

i wish i was tickled more regularly because it truly is something that i crave very very frequently

i'm still working through internalized shame about it but it really does feel like.. something i need for satisfaction. sometimes i can go without it if i'm doing something else kinky, but tickling and other things that put me into subspace are starting to be kind of vital for my (maximum) enjoyment of sex i think. i still can enjoy it without it but. yeah. definitely fetish territory

was so easy to accept i'm trans. accept i'm a lesbian. etc etc. but self acceptance for having a fetish ???? 😭😭😭

it's interesting because i can like very confidently engage in other kinks that feel more "normal" or conventional, but for me i've been fixated on tickling for as long as i can remember yk like since childhood, before i even recognized it as sexual. and it's even a huge step for me to be acknowledging it publicly in a non-tickling space. i think it just holds a lot more weight for me which leads to so much shame at how much i want/need it. it feels... hm. it feels hard for me to trust that others can think about it as sexually/strongly as i do? which leads to me shying away from it because it feels like a turn off

it's just such a mental block but it's okay! i'm definitely trying to be more upfront and out loud about it without preemptively assuming others will find it weird/trying to care less about people finding it weird/a turn off. but. i'm working on it 💪🏽

no one has ever reacted badly to me saying so i just get so nervous every time !! tickling is a fun activity!!! it's hot !!!! and good !!! and i love it !!! and i will be fighting back the shame with all my might 🤺🤺🤺

god....... i literally need to be tickled like a lab rat to maintain my well-being oh my god. and i won't deny it anymore!

[chocodile]

Hi ! I’ve been a massive fan through the years, seeing you develop Hyden and his world and how full of life and wonder and details is so awe inspiring and cool! I really love your work and your style is so vibrant and electric! It always makes me happy when I see your posts pass by

I wanted to ask if you had any advice about wanting to share your stories with the world. I get so anxious that no one will care and I’ll just be posting to no one. I don’t want fame , just mutual interaction or have people genuinely curious , hear about others stories and be able to tell my own

How did you start? I don’t want to assume , but you do have so much confidence and are very well spoken in the way you explain your lore, what helped you get over any fears or worries?

Gosh, thank you so much for the compliments! That's so sweet of you to say… it means a lot to me that people enjoy my stuff.

My thoughts on your other questions about sharing stories are long, rambling, and disjointed… apologies in advance for the length, I swear I tried to edit this down:

Regarding sharing stories, I'd say the most useful thing you can possibly have is to have at least one friend you share story stuff with who is totally on board with it and having fun too. I've been coming up with stories and characters my entire life, and only twice have I really had an audience for it. Every other time it was just me and my sister, or me and a couple friends, or me and my wife doing creative stuff semi-privately just for the joy of the craft.

(Of course, I know that's easier said than done… but if you do have creative friends, organizing some plans to share stories with each other, ask questions, create AUs where your OCs from different stories interact with each other, etc can be very psychologically nutritious.)

Regarding feeling anxious, I suppose I never felt much anxiety about it myself, so I'm not sure how to advise there… I was a teenager on Neopets where putting massive amounts of work into character stories that nobody might ever read was the norm… unless you were astronomically popular, it was expected that you would probably never hear from your audience and would never know how many people read your stories. Everything was primarily for your own entertainment, and I carried that approach forward into other creative works. Of course, it's hard not to feel a little self-conscious these days, when you can easily see what people are saying and see who is getting "engagement" and who is not... but I do think that aiming to entertain yourself (and perhaps one or two friends) first and foremost is the healthiest approach. Plus, if you are really invested in something and constantly producing lots of art and info about it, people tend to pick up on that positive energy.

Apologies if this isn't super useful... I know "just don't care and also happen to have a bunch of friends with very specific interests!" is not very helpful advice in itself.

I have many other thoughts on "launching" a story, how to meet other OC creators, and trying to build an audience who interacts with your characters... it's something I've thought about a lot. I can share my insights for others in this boat, if anyone's interested? I'm unsure if I should include them here since it might feel lecture-y to Anon (and also this post is long enough, PHEW). Let me know if you're interested in hearing them though!

[fairestbeard]

Ok I'll have to play the devil's advocate on this one and defend Claire here (not really, but kinda).

Honestly, this feels like a copout and absolving Carmy of responsibility for his own actions. As Nat says in fishes, no one can make a person act a certain way. And as he said in the fridge and I agree, he did this to himself. Knowing his history, you understand why and sympathize with him. However, he did this! He chose the easy way out. He chose not to be honest. Those were his choices whether or not we think Claire was pushy or manipulative.

Carmy's major issue is not being able to decide. Wanting something but preferring to take the comfortable route even if it's detrimental to his real desires. He has shown this behavior since season one- taking one step forward and then several steps back, sabotaging himself.

The fact that Claire might be into hook up culture doesn't necessarily mean that she was just trying to use him for sex. She obviously wanted more and he did give her the impression that he was capable of more. Just because she engaged in hook-up culture also doesn't mean she's not deserving of love and an actual real relationship. And Carmy is not a delicate little flower (ok, ok, he kind of is but let's be logical for a bit).

She did ask him if he wanted her to have his number. He said yes- with the I want you Freudian slip there and all. She asked him again why he gave a fake number, he literally said because he likes her so much blah blah blah. Even when she asked if he was busy the first day, he couldn't even bring himself to say he had work thing with a coworker. Each time he could have just been honest. He chose not to be.

Yes, maybe Claire should have seen the signs. Maybe she wasn't even interested in the truth, she just wanted what she wanted. But she's not clair(e)voyant 🙃 haha couldn't help it . His heart could have been racing because he was so excited or horny or in love. She did ask if he was ok and he said he was great. That's not on her.

It was his responsibility to shut it down or fan the flames and he chose to do the later. Maybe he actually really cares about her (barf) and is just not ready/healthy enough for a relationship. Maybe he thought he could reignite that old flame and it would solve his Sydney problem. Maybe he just wanted to get laid/lose his virginity and get it over with. Either way, he potentially hurt a real person on the other side of this game, at least from what we know for sure, all speculation aside.

THAT is what he needs to take responsibility for. His dishonesty. Does he need to apologize? I say yes (but I'd still see it as poetic justice if he doesn't after her never apologize quip). If he doesn't and also take necessary steps to right them, he will do it again to someone else and will be bigger and worse.

These seeds do grow.

People can easily use each other in all kinds of relationships, that’s why I think it’s so important to have relationships established on knowing and caring for people and not seeing them as disposable.

Hook-up culture is not that. I really don’t think it’s accurate to say Carmy used Claire and not that they used each other, but also one person has experience with hook-up culture and it’s not Carmy, and they make sure to show this is what Claire and her friend group typically do.

They reverse the gender tropes a lot on this show and definitely did around this relationship, and Carmy wasn’t even going to tell Claire what he said in the walk-in. She was in a place she wasn’t supposed to be and accidentally overheard it.

She walked away. She didn’t try to work it out or talk about it. And it was about him not her. He never blamed it on her at any point. Which she lies about later to Tiff. It wouldn’t feel good to hear that for anyone, but he didn’t know she was there and he wasn’t saying it to hurt her.

There’s also no indication he ever felt safe enough with Claire to have that deep of a convo, all their convos are depicted as vapid and talking around their real feelings for a reason. Claire was using Carmy as well. She knew he had anxiety, she noticed his heart racing. She is a medical professional.

Just because you have sex with someone or call them a “girlfriend” or whatever, doesn’t equal intimacy or a bond of any kind. Which, Carmy thinks that word sounds awful, but it doesn’t come up very often that maybe he doesn’t care for the gendered dynamics of that?

He doesn’t say it outright, but the whole thing with him dating Claire is that it’s what Mikey and his family thought was good for him, and Mikey (and Richie and Fake’s) opinions of Claire are extremely sexist. Notice how Carmy gets grossed out by Richie calling Syd “sweetheart” or Nat pretending to be a helpless little girl to manipulate Cicero. He literally calls it “gross”.

Anyway, just me ranting about this for the millionth time but Carmy can apologize to Claire for using her because he didn’t know what he actually wanted when she was just hooking up with him for fun and thrills (she tells us that’s what she’s into) and then it didn’t go the way she wanted and got too inconvenient so she walked.

Carmy wants intimacy and emotional safety, and the show has gone to great pains to show he gets that from Syd, in contrast to anyone associated with his past. What Syd is getting in return needs to be answered now from her POV, but that contrast is the reason Carmy and Claire don’t work. Not because he made the mistake of calling her his girlfriend in order to not be seen as a jerk by Syd and not because they had sex (big deal TBH), and not he had a meltdown and admitted his real feelings to Tina.