#and the conclusion is whatever you make it

[softness-and-shattering]

What if when you messed up, people didnt hurt you? What if they helped you through the actual consequences of your actions (not imposed punishment described as consequences, but the actual effect of the mistake on the world), taught you in a calm and respectful manner how to clean up and make things right, and that was the end of it, and next time you made a similar mistake you knew what to do? And no one held it against you, or brought it up next time you got into an argument about something else entirely, and the problems got solved and everyone moved on?

Wouldnt that be great? What if someone hurt you, and they apologised, and paid for you damages in whatever way makes sense, fixed as much of the damage as possible and that was it? What if you had a fight, and then you sat down with a mediator and came to a conclusion that you could both work and live with? What if the end goal and expected conclusion was genuine harmony, and anything that didnt lead to that was the aberration instead of the other way around? You dont have to be best friends with everyone, but civility is a fine general goal.

The only time revenge should be relevant is light-hearted prank wars. Yeah its not as immediately satisfying to get hurt and then be brave and responsible about it instead of lashing back out. But if everyone does that, we're all preventing a ton of pain to ourselves and others. I dont get to nonconsensually punch someone in the face no matter how much I want to, and no one gets to punch me either. Thats what consensual boxing is for, not for settling disputes. No one comes out The Winner because everyone comes out content when we;re talking about real life. We still have sports and competitions because we wont lose our violent instincts, so we channel them in a way that doesnt disrupt our ability to live with each other.

One of the most important things to unpack and unlearn when you’re part of a white supremacy saturated society (i.e. the global north) and especially if you were raised in an intensified form of it (evangelicism, right wing politics, explicit racism) is the urge to punish and take revenge.

It manifests in our lives all the time and it is inherently destructive. It makes relationships and interactions adversarial for no good reason. It undermines cooperation and good civic order. It worsens some types of crime. It creates trauma, especially in children.

Imagine approaching unexpected or unacceptable behavior from a perspective of "how can this be stopped, and prevented" instead of "you’re going to regret this!”

Imagine dealing with a problem or conflict from the perspective of “how can this be solved in a way that is just and restorative” instead of “the people who caused this are going to pay.”

How much would that change you? How much would that have changed for you?

[frownyalfred]

Martian Manhunter Fuckability Anon here:

Went back to review the catagories for the scale and I think that J'onn excels at pretty much all categories because of shapshifting/telepathic powers

Here's my breakdown:

Compatibility: 4/4, he can shapeshift, also to shape shift he has to have an understanding of what is going on down there so he has some (possibly intricate) knowledge of human genitalia. (Honestly if there was one category I could rank higher than a 4 this would be it cause like J'onn can have either set of genitalia fufilling bisexual Bruce in whatever mood he might be in, also alien genitalia which I think Bruce wouldn't be able to help be like just a little curious about)

Attractivity: 4/4, Once again for shapeshifting reasons, but also for telepathic reasons. He can see into your mind (with permission) and make himself what you want to see, literally creating your perfect dream scenerio (sidenote: I haven't seen any superbat angst regarding a casual fuck between J'onn and Bruce where J'onn shapeshifts into Clark's form while they have sex because J'onn is a) very kind, b) ver discreet when he wants to be, and c) so fucking tired of Bruce and Clark's pining and at this point he's willing to try anything. Anyways just a thought😌)

Commitment: this is where it gets a little wishy washy, I would say 3/4 just because J'onn isn't often seen in committed relationships in his lore (as far as I know which is not that much), but also I know that the relationships I have seen him in are VERY committed (but he's also let go of relationships very quickly when that is what needs to happen) thus 3/4, but I'm open to input

Occupation: 3/4, either he works full time at the watchtower, or works within the 9-5 workday, has a fairly similar schedule to Bruce and can be pulled away from work fairly easily (when he works as a detective, if he works 24/7 at the watchtower he is very easily accessible to Bruce)

Danger: 3/4 Relatively low danger during sex even when shapshifting (still some possibility of danger but very low compared to like Clark) and He's a relatively low threat level if Bruce just keeps matches on his person

Likelihood of agreement: 4/4 another wishy washy one because he is an alien, but also that leaves his fuck status open to interpretation. Also he isn't tied to a partner like a lot of the JL, but open to interpretation on that one

In conclusion, J'onn could be the perfect fuckbuddy if you let him be.

also his name is literally manhunter and his uniform is two straps, booty shorts and a cape ain't no way that man doesn't fuck hard and nasty

I appreciate the explanation and rubric/rationale.

[holnnetd]

Seeing him without his hood

Reader that wears a face cover of any kind on field, not showing their face in the base either. Your teammates haven't seen what's beneath the fabric. And they are unsure if checking what's underneath while your nap in the office would be legal.

And König had a similar case of curious teammates trying to get in his pants, but under his mask fore mostly. And he hasn't seen your face either, nor did he expect of you to show it.

And you mutually agreed that you'd rather not show your faces around.

Neither of you wear a balaclava outside service. As it's not an insecurity issue. Not that much, anyway.

Just a problem with anonymity. Can't have an enemy infiltrate the base, catch a glimpse of your face and get a grip into your private life, eh?

Yet it's outside the service where you don't wear any cover. You'd get to many stares by walking into a gas station with a balaclava. I assure you, most of them don't bat their eye at whatever crazy shit you're wearing, but a face cover?

König would rather show his face to an middle aged guy that won't remember him rather then get police called on himself.

Which leads in conclusion, that you shouldn't have been this surprised when you saw his face for the very first time in a grocery store when you both were on leave, as you were.

Destiny does some funny things, and this time it came down in the form of two teammates reaching for the same last loaf of sour dough bread in the super market.

Your hands brushed momentarily and he quickly retracted his hand back, head whipping to see who was grabbing his holy loaf of bread, only to see your equally quick gaze.

"..."

"..."

And he didn't get to make a face before he turned around, pulling his scarf over the bottom half of his face, just so used to not showing it to anyone he knows

"Eh..." He clears his throat, awkward, facing away from you.

Eh- Thema wechsel, König, schnell!

"The... the bread. You can... have it." He murmurs, speeding away from the baked goods corner, almost as if he was a kid running to the sweets aisle.

Which surprises you a little more is the fact that...

He isn't actually ugly, like others teased him to be.

[hamburgerndsprite]

Sprite's Favourite Fics {Bangtan Fics} Part 12

Note: Hey everyone! Just a quick heads up: in the last seven parts of my fic recs, I included stories featuring all the members. For the next few parts, though, I have more fics that focus on just a few of them. So, I'm going to make separate lists to finish up those fics, mostly highlighting the Maknae line, Yoongi, and OT7 stories. I've already made OT7, Yoongi's, Jimin's and Taehyung's separate fic recs list in Parts 8, 9, 10, and 11. This is the last part and will be all about Jeon Jungkook's fics!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11 (completed)

[JEON JUNGKOOK]

{ONESHOT}

➺ Daybreak by bbangtans

pairing: rockstar!ex!jk x f!reader genre/tropes: angst, fluff, exes to ???, right person wrong time/second chances, jungkook is so romance film lead coded – charismatic and well-spoken and genuine and ughhhhh i be fawning frrrr, this takes place where both jk and reader are 28ish, jk is a lead singer in a band with tae-jimin-yoongi, and y/n is a working professional wordcount: 10.1k Summary: One of your favorite things to do when you were in your early 20s was stay up late where reflective conversations eventually blurred into nonsense as the sun rose alongside someone you thought you would spend the rest of your days with… Now you’re stuck in New York City for one night due to a delayed flight with that very person standing there in his leather jacket and guitar case in hand across from you at the airport gate. See, fate is a funny thing and Jeon Jungkook could always find the humor in anything.

➺ Lucky Number 7 by smoljimjim

>Pairing: husbandJK x wifeOC named Siri >Genre: slight angst, satisfying ending >Word count:  ~7500 >Warnings: swear words, JK's a cheater, the world works in mysterious ways. >Description: The seven-year itch has hit Jungkook. It hit him so bad, he did the unthinkable to his wife, Siri. How will Siri handle it?

➺ The Things He Did by smoljimjim

>Pairings: past bully!JJK x OC named Siri // ex-bf!PJM x Siri >Genre: slight angst, small bits of fluff >Word count:  ~8900 >Description: Siri thought she did well avoiding her highschool bully, Jungkook, during her university life. Unfortunately for her, her roommate starts dating Jungkook's best friend. Now, Siri sees Jungkook more than she'd like. But is that really so bad? Has he grown up? Is he a better man? Can she forgive him for the things he did?

➺ Red by borathae

Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader Genre: married life!AU, Comfort Fluff, slight Smut in the beginning Wordcount: 1.7k Summary: "Jungkook knows that he can always use his safeword with you. Even during your most passionate of roleplays."

➺ The Boy with Galaxies in his eyes by oddinary4bts

☆pairing: Jeon Jungkook x female tattoo artist reader ☆rating: 18+ ☆genre: fwb to lovers, idol!au, angst (a lot), smut (a whole lot too), fluff ☆word count: 52.9k  ☆summary: you had never thought the night sky could be found in someone’s eyes. That is, until you met Jeon Jungkook and his gravity pulled you in. Will he crush you with the galaxies in his eyes, or will you learn to explore his worlds and make them yours?

➺ Love Wins All by cheeseceli

Pairing: Jungkook × Gn! reader Genre: fluff, comfort, late 40s au, drabble, (established relationship) wc: (<1k words). Prompt: "However big, however small, let me be part of it all. You may be right, you may be wrong, but say you'll bring me along." Warnings: Both y/n and Jungkook struggle financially, they are married.

➺ Mistaken Very Much by 1uvtae

★pairing: jungkook x reader ★word count: 7.4k words!! ★genre: university romance, fluff, crack, tennis au ★summary/snippet: you don't think staring at his butt cuts straight to the conclusion that you, y/n y/l/n, have a crush on him....but whatever. it's not like you actually have a crush on him...right?

➺ Pink Sapphire by jiminrings

pairing: jungkook x reader wordcount: 11k genre: angst, arranged marriage au, fluff glimpse: having jungkook for a husband is great as far as arranged marriages could go; he's easy to love. your relationship's perhaps become so easy that jungkook doesn't think sometimes — and that's what makes it the easiest for you to hate him. alternatively, you and jungkook married each other for business, but the both of you stay for love.

➺ Letting Off Steam by wnderkoo

pairing: f1 driver! jungkook x sunshine gf genre: pure fluff word count: 1.3k summary: a bad day on track has jungkook storming off and disappearing. where else would one find him but in the comforting arms of his loving girlfriend?

➺ Picture Perfect by happy-meo

pairing: jungkook x reader genre: fluff summary: a fluffy oneshot of when reader met jungkook for the first time. [Part of First Meeting Series]

➺ It was always you by hueseok

pairing: jungkook x reader word count: 13.2k content: fluff, semi-angst, childhood friends to lovers au, pining au | ft. naval aviator!jungkook + brother’s best friend!jungkook; professor!reader + editor!reader Description: for as long as you remember, you’ve always had the fattest crush on your childhood friend, Jeon Jungkook. it never blossomed into something more though, because that’s what happens when life naturally takes it's course—you grow up, you move on, and you pretend that those feelings never existed in order to maintain the good friendship that remained between the two of you over the years. so when he visits you after work one day, asking you to marry him, you do everything you can to refuse, because the reason he’s asking you isn’t due to the fact that he finally realized that he loved you after all this time, but because he thinks he’s doing you a big favor. or at least, that’s what you think.

➺ Never Sway by jksarchives

➪ PAIRING; jungkook x reader ➪ GENRE; hurt/comfort, established relationship, very domestic, jk yells at oc but is actually sweet, husband/wife, fluff, brief angst, one-shot ➪ WORDCOUNT; 2.7k ➪ SUMMARY; No matter the situation, Jungkook has never raised his voice at you, choosing patience and understanding instead. He loves you and cares about you too much to see you cry because of him. But his patience is put to a test when a situation arises.

➺ Mind and Music by jeonggukieverse

Pairing: Composer Jungkook x Academic Female Reader Genre: Established relationship, Absolutely Filthy Smut, Fluff, Angsty Warnings: Unprotected sex (wrap it up babes), mentions impregnation Word count: 10k+ Summary: You would always smile and say it's okay whenever Jk misses out on important things in your life, and the boys would constantly hint that he should give you more time. Jungkook gets super sad once he realizes that he might not be making you happy anymore.

➺ Meraki by taegularities

➳ pairing: Jungkook x reader ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ genre: e2l, grumpy!jk (+ photographer!jk) x sunshine!reader; fluff, smut ➳ word count: 26.6k ➳ summary: Jungkook finds you irritating; far too energetic and insistent. But his perception of you changes bit by bit, minute by minute, when he's persuaded into spending an entire night with you at places he doesn't know.

➺ Navigating Tides by jjungkookislife

♡ pairing: ex-boyfriend!jungkook x f. reader ♡ genre: exes to lovers, angst, fluff, smut [18+] ♡ wc: 18.9k ♡ summary: A cruise is the last place you expect to see your ex-boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook. You broke up six months ago, and your best friends Jimin and Yoongi assured you your ex wouldn't even remember this cruise that you booked a year in advance. However, on your first night on board, you discover your ex isn't only on the cruise ship, but there are no rooms available for him to stay in other than yours.

➺ Cool with You by kooktrash

➣ pairing: afab!reader [she/her] x neighbor!jk ➣ genre/au: strangers to friends to lovers. smut. ➣ wc: 14.6k words ➣ summary: your break up from kim taehyung sent you spiraling into what felt like a midlife crisis of tear stained cheeks and tubs of half eaten ice cream with a broken heart. after finding out that your neighbor, jeon jungkook, was eavesdropping on your meltdowns and came to find out that your ex was his old friend, he found himself wanting to comfort you. he knew the kind of guy Taehyung was and he didn’t want to see you beat yourself up over a guy who wasn’t worth it so in the end he helped you through it and was unable to ignore the growing attraction you felt toward each other.

➺ Mean by bonny-kookoo

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Reader Genre: Mafia!AU, Single Parent AU!, Angst, fluff, Smut Summary: Jeon Jungkook was kinda cute, you had to admit that- but he was also a massive douchebag with his head up his ass. And a cute kid.

➺ Caged Bird by borathae

Pairing: Bandit!Jungkook x Queen!Reader Genre: Fantasy, e2l!AU, Smut, Romance Wordcount: 20k Summary: “Jungkook was sent by the Ravens of the Black Forest to kill the Queen of the Night Queendom. He hadn’t expected to find love when he climbed the high walls of the Queen’s castle and pressed a sharp blade against her throat.” 

➺ Choked by borathae

Pairing: Bandit!Jungkook x Queen!Reader Genre: Fantasy, Smut, sugar mommy queen & cute spoiled prince vibes Wordcount: 7.4k [ Caged Bird Drabble ]

➺ Slipping Through My Fingers by thvhoe

PAIRING: BOXER!Jungkook x Ballerina!Reader SYNOPSIS: Jungkook is frustrated, and you're the only one who can calm him down WARNINGS: Disgusting amounts of fluff, Jungkook tired tk be a badboy, lowkey succeeds, lowkey doesnt, fighting, mentions of blood and bruises, long hair jk, sentimental stuff, Christmas trauma?, oc is super joyful, she makes him talk about his feelings, small argument scene, cringe nicknames, polar opposites, KISSING

➺ Third Time's the Charm by jjungkookislife

pairing: ex-boyfriend!jungkook x ex-gilfriend!reader genre: crack, exes to lovers summary: Jungkook will do whatever it takes to get you back. wc: 727 warnings: funeral, some cursing, some hitting

➺ Requested Drabble by minniepetals

Genre: Neighbor au Synopsis: "Why are you in your underwear?"

➺ Drabble by onlyswan

summary: in which jungkook doesn’t understand you sometimes. > fluff, suggestive / wc: 2.8k > warnings: making out, oc likes calling him baby boy okayyyy

{SERIES}

➺ You're on Jeon by smoljimjim

>Pairing: FuckboyJK x FuckgirlOC named Siri >Genre: enemies/idiots to lovers, angst, funny shit, fluff, sort of slowburn, happy ending >Parts: 38/38 >Overall story Warnings: OC is bisexual, she’s 3 years older than JK, she sleeps with a lot of girls at the start (no details), JK+OC are both hoes at the start- they're just having fun. Betting and revenge, small slut shaming, OC has family drama: a mean dad, an evil sister and a cheating ex-bf, but she has the best mum! JK is immature but grows to be a loyal golden retriever. >Description: You’ve heard the typical story where the college fuckboy does a bet to get the girl – well what if that girl happens to be a fuckgirl? And what if she’s the one making bets with him?

➺ The Cocktail Triology by borathae

Summary: “It takes a trilogy to tell this story. It is a story of love, friendship, the hardships of being young and unexpected encounters. Experience the tingling butterflies of a summer’s love unexpected, witness the significance one little mistake can have on the lives of others and feel the exciting sparks of a love so strong it could move mountains. Find out what it means to grow up, what it takes to find yourself and how to make the best out of your granted time on earth.” 1. Tequila Sunrise 2. Purple Rain 3. Orange Ginger Tea

Tequila Sunrise by borathae

Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader Genre: s2l!AU, Diner!AU, Biker Gang!AU, Smut, Romance Chapters: 5/5 Summary: “You always thought of your life as nothing exciting. Small town, stable job at the local diner, a roof over your head and nice friends. It didn’t take much to make you happy. But that all changes with the arrival of Jeon Jungkook, mysterious biker with dark hair, inked skin and a preference for leather jackets. It doesn’t take long for you to realise that life has so much more in store for you and Jungkook is happy to show you all of it…”

2. Purple Rain by borathae

Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader, Yoongi x Jimin Genre: Biker Gang!AU, Road Trip!AU, Smut, Romance, Hurt and Comfort Chapters: 29/29 Summary: “Two months on the road with Jungkook and his friends and you couldn’t be happier about your life. You spend your days laughing, dancing and rolling around the sheets with the boy of your dreams, all whilst visiting beautiful places. But your idyllic life soon changes, when Taehyungs past catches up with him, putting not only him, but your entire gang in danger. Can the group get through his betrayal and if so can you outrun the danger before it is too late?”

3. Orange Ginger Chai by borathae

Pairing: Jungkook x f.Reader, occasional Taehyung x f.Reader & Taehyung x Jungkook Genre: Smut, Fluff, slice of life!AU, established relationship!AU, domestic!AU, tattoo artist!Jungkook, restaurant owner!OC Chapters: 54/54 Summary: “Snippets out of the adventure, you and Jungkook call “your life together”. This is a collection of drabbles all in the name of The Cocktail Trilogy couple. They all play after the events of the main story.”

➺ Young One by bts-reveries

pairings: photographer, dad!jungkook x hostess, mom!reader genre: family, fluff, angst parts: 29/29 summary: Being the youngest, Jungkook had his fair share of parties, drinking, and wild nights. He didn’t think that this would have a different meaning to him so soon. Parties included two and three year olds, drinking was exclusively banana milk, and wild nights was when his son refused to sleep. He didn’t mind the change, having a son was a dream of his and wouldn’t change it for the world. But what happens when an old friend shows up, bringing Jungkook back to when life was easier and he had no responsibilities? Did Jungkook grow up too fast? 

➺ Ungodly Hour by explicit-tae

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader Genre: Fluff, Smut, Jimin and reader are frenemies Parts: 9/9 + Drabbles Synopsis: That time you - a broke college student - were willing to do just about anything for a hulu account after your brother kicks you off of his - (and Jungkook would do anything to have you)

➺ The Love Prognosis by awrkive

pairing: surgeon!jk x surgeon! (fem)reader ft. corporate lawyer! mingyu genre: medical!au, rommates!au, f2l, fluff, smut, angst word count: 90.9k words (main story, excl. drabbles) summary: for as long as you can remember, you've always been a hopeless romantic. the girl who’s always dreamt of cheesy encounters with her soulmate, grand love declarations, and a cute little beach wedding to boot. but reality pretty much slaps you hard right on the face, because love, unfortunately, doesn’t come grand — it’s simple and it’s quiet, but it is quite painful, especially when the love that you’ve been seeking for all your adult life has just been right under your nose all this time.

[fallloverfic]

"Dear Castlevania fandom... Just because a man is pretty doesn't mean he's a bottom." - an ignoramus

I already wrote about this before, but if you're too foolish to realize you don't know off-hand why people make whichever character a top or bottom, please shut up. There's a lot of reasons people like Olrox as a bottom, and why I in particular wrote him as a bottom back in 2023, which have nothing to do with how pretty he is (but can include that, and there's no harm in that):

The idea of a human topping a vampire is fun (this was before season 2 released and we relied on season 1 alone: hi new people who showed up in 2025, season 1 came out in September 2023, you didn't start the fandom or the ship :D Welcome, hope you enjoy your stay, but stop being dickheads :D). The idea that Olrox is so intrigued by Mizrak that he allows Mizrak more control in the form of topping is fascinating

Olrox topping Mizrak just isn't as interesting, at least in humanoid form (but in his serpent form, that's more interesting). This had nothing to do with who was prettier, at least in my case. I tested out who I enjoyed doing what, and Olrox bottoming was more fun. So I wrote that.

Are you implying Mizrak isn't pretty for some reason? I mean he's buffer (slightly) but... hmm... Honey, he had me at the side cape.

The idea of a shorter man topping taller man is fun (Olrox is actually taller than Mizrak)

The idea of Olrox, a marginalized First Nation man whose people were genocided by members of Mizrak's religion, letting Mizrak top him is, well... interesting. That Olrox wants to be in a relationship with Mizrak at all (deeper than "oh he's hot, we should fuck"), as indicated by him clinging to Mizrak in S1E4, is a fascinating one. Giving someone like that any power over you, voluntarily (after all, Olrox is stronger than Mizrak, he doesn't have to allow Mizrak any control) is deeply intriguing. The concept of marginalized people who love people who are active in making them marginalized is a complex idea and I like biting into it in fic as a marginalized person who unfortunately does that.

Said clinging in S1E4 feels kind of like something a bottom would do? Obviously you can frame it any way you want, there's no actual "this is bottom behavior" label or whatever on it. But it kind of feels that way and it's fun to angle it that way.

Olrox sitting on Mizrak in S1E3 while clothed is so fun for him riding Mizrak headcanons. I'm sorry you're boring but I'm not.

If people want buff cute guy to top the slightly less buff pretty vampire, let them

You can still draw whatever conclusions you want from the final episode of season 2, but it very much feels like Mizrak is topping at least at some point in their relationship by now, and if people want to go with that, I say let them

The idea of a weaker/newer vampire topping a more powerful/older vampire is fun

Younger top/older bottom is popular

The potential idea that Mizrak is more powerful than Olrox expected + is topping him is fun

Switching is a thing

Certain dynamics are popular in fandom and people roll with them

Olrox topping has been popular in fandom since 2023. I know, I wrote it twice in 2023: Mizrox with Olrox topping, Olrox/Richter with Olrox topping. It's not radical to write, it's just what people enjoy doing for whatever reason. I didn't look at Olrox and Richter and score them on pretty points to see who got to top/bottom. I just didn't see them in that scenario with Richter topping. I imagined it, though. Just didn't get around to writing it as a fic.

I'm curious how precisely you make this stupid concept work with Adrian, who is also pretty lol Are Adrian and Olrox not allowed to fuck in any way where one is a bottom because they're both pretty lol (I made Olrox a bottom in that relationship, hate me if you must :3)

More to the point, people can do whatever they want. It's shipping. Play with your dolls how you want and let other people play with theirs how they wish. Block if it annoys you.

[lyricalt]

fic_promptly - theme: sharing is caring

sniperspy - rated G - prompt: share your knowledge

+++

“Ten?” Sniper exclaims, surprising Spy into jolting from his papers. “As in, ten percent?”

Sniper holds up a paystub, pointing to a column of Spy’s bonus wages. 

Spy pauses. He snatches the slip from Sniper’s hand, annoyed that he’s somehow managed to steal it off his desk. Salaries aren’t exactly kept a secret, but like many a privatized business, RED doesn’t seem to promote the idea of having the other mercenaries share the details of their pay. Currently, Spy has no reason to pry, being quite satisfied with his own paychecks, and he already knows the BLU spy makes an identical amount, down to the decimal. 

For a brief moment, Spy struggles with his own need to be private and the temptation to spit in the face of any big corporation. In the end, the humble pro-union French spirit in him wins out.

“Yes. I receive a ten percent bonus off my base pay each time I successfully retrieve Intelligence,” he explains, watching as Sniper’s expression darkens. He sighs. “Oh, come now. It’s not that much more than what you ma—” 

“Only?” Sniper interrupts.

A lengthy silence fills the room.

Spy feels himself go very calm. “What do you mean ‘only’?” 

“Mate, they give me a twenty-five percent bump if I ever manage to grab that briefcase.” Sniper blinks, slow, digesting this new information along with Spy.

Spy assumes they’re both heading to the same conclusion. The cold and calculated part of him acknowledges that Sniper has less of a chance of successfully retrieving the briefcase, making it unlikely that he receives the bonus amount on a regular basis. You wouldn't pay a long range specialist the same rate as someone in espionage or scouting, after all. In fact, Spy only recalls Sniper having twice done it—both under highly unusual circumstances and a string of fuck ups on both the RED and BLU teams. Sniper had been rightfully gleeful, but Spy suddenly remembers the amount of expensive upgrades, fixes, and new knickknacks to Sniper’s camper and weaponry the following week. Not to mention the few fancy dinners he’s treated Spy to, but Spy had only amounted the splurge of funds to the price of courting someone as classy and refined as himself.

Spy stands up, nearly knocking over his chair, and starts rummaging through his files for the RED company handbook.

“Let me see your fucking contract,” he snarls at Sniper, tucking the book and several of his old paystubs under his arm.

Sniper is already headed out the door to his camper with Spy at his heels.

“Right. Okay. So I have an idea,” Sniper mentions, and Spy matches his steps so that he can listen.

+++

After one week, the two of them get called into Miss Pauling’s office.

“So, uh, yeah. I can’t let you two do this anymore,” she begins, leafing through the datasheets of their kill counts, assists, and briefcase acquisitions.

Sniper remains silent, a tactic that Spy can appreciate but not follow through himself. 

“Whatever do you mean?” he asks, very politely. 

Pauling heaves a sigh, setting the stack of papers down. She pushes her glasses up in a motion that matches the way she rolls her eyes hard.

“Oh, so you’re making me say it? Fine,” she says, unruffled. “Spy, you cannot steal BLU’s Intelligence and hand it over to Sniper at the last second so that Sniper can make the objective. And Sniper, you cannot split your bonus wages with Spy. Or anyone else for that matter. Did the two of you think no one would notice?”

Spy takes a brief drag from his cigarette. He genuinely dislikes making Miss Pauling’s job any more stressful but truth be told, she’s upper management, and therefore not really anyone to show mercy to.

“What’s stopping me from saying I dropped the briefcase on accident, and Sniper only did his due diligence and picked it up himself?”

“Well, for one, your smug expression-”

Spy fixes his face to look more demure and polite.

“-and two, RED’s not going to let you game the system. You get that, right? Consider this your first offense and verbal warning. After that, it’s a write up. Then disciplinary action, which would be up to the Administrator.” 

Sniper clicks his tongue. 

“So you’re sayin’ we’ve got one more go at this?” he asks, not even breaking into a victory grin.

Never once has Sniper sounded more attractive. If Spy could start furiously making out with him right then and there, he would. Unfortunately, he has to settle with looking neutral, keeping his eyes on Miss Pauling. 

At his questioning look, Pauling shuts her own eyes. She rubs her forehead. 

“I guess,” she replies, tired.

“Fantastic,” Spy says, his expression back to being smug. He reaches for the desk, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, and can’t help but take a sneaking glance at one of the datasheets for the total number of briefcases he’s managed to hand over to Sniper. Sniper’s upcoming paycheck seems to be in marvelous shape. He peers up at Pauling with the smallest of apologetic smirks. “You look like you want to dismiss us.”

“Yeah,” Pauling says, waving a hand as if to shoo them both away. “I’ll just get started on your write-ups. You know the amount of paperwork I already have to do for you guys? Endless.”

Sniper obediently stands from his chair and clears his throat. “Well, how about we nab a briefcase under your name and you’ll get a little gift of appreciation? Will that smooth things over?”

The scratching of Pauling’s pen doesn’t even hesitate.

“Do not make me open an attempt-at-bribery case with HR, Sniper,” she says, now thoroughly engrossed with paperwork. She doesn’t bother looking up to see Sniper wince. “You are one of the few mercenaries here with a clean record.”

“We’ve an HR department?” Spy asks, surprised, though he briefly throws Sniper a doubtful look as well. 

“Yeah, and that’s me,” Pauling says, meaningfully.

It’s a good enough cue as any to leave. Both Spy and Sniper exit as casually as they can, waiting until they are down three hallways to shake hands—though Spy does fall prey to his French pro-union spirit, and pulls Sniper in for a quick peck on the cheek. 

“Buy you dinner?” Sniper asks, who should, on top of throwing piss at people, absolutely have a long list of HR violations against him, inappropriate fraternizing included. 

“Buy me dinner,” Spy agrees. 

[lucifermorningstxr]

"Did someone say 'making it hard?'" Lucifer smirked into Chloe's skin, rubbing his length against her leg in punctual demonstration. He didn't want to pressure her into sex tonight, not by any means, but he simply wanted to demonstrate to his human how worked up she made him. And this wasn't any normal election either. It was aching for his partner, his other half, whenever she was ready for it. "Don't feel obligated to pay it any mind though... it'll be ready when you are." He kissed her neck in conclusion, holding her practically limp body against his as the pair writhed beneath the hot water. Whatever happened, as long as it was with Chloe, would be A-OK in the Devil's book.

"That makes two of us." Lucifer smirked against Chloe's skin as his hands traveled up and down her back, gently weaving through her wet hair as he kissed her face and neck gently. His beard scraped ever so sensually against her smoothness as he breathed hotly into her ear. "I have been for the past four years, but I'm glad it's now. You're the only one worth dear old Dad's tortuous invention that is patience. Now I get why his sycophants are always on about saving themselves."

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

Part 1 , Part 2

Kim Rok Soo wakes up several hours later. Surprisingly, he hasn't been moved from his position, still held up against the teenagers chest, face in his neck. Only now there's a monster fur wrapped around Kim Rok Soo's back and tied behind the boy. A... baby carrier.

Choi Han presses a hand on the baby monsters head when he notices it wake up. With his right hand he tightens his grip on his knife and casually swings it diagonally through the air, a black aura cutting through the space in front of him and arriving at the creature that attacked them, reminiscent of a cross between a mountain lion and a goat, with oozing green fur and bulging eyes.

The monster is cut. The monster falls.

Kim Rok Soo squirms in the carrier. It makes him recall a memory of a father that would tie his baby to his back when he went out to fight. His wife had died, so he had no choice but to manage alone, because he couldn't trust anyone with his child. They both disappeared one day, and Kim Rok Soo never heard of any bodies being recovered.

Whatever, he thinks. It isn't embarrassing to be in a baby carrier if he's a baby. He hasn't been thrown away or left behind, so it's fine, right? Unfortunately, he notices, it is glaringly obvious that they haven't left the forest yet. Nor does it seem like the teenager has a base.

He didn't want to admit it, but seeing that monster, and a black haired Korean teenager that managed to kill it so easily... it made Kim Rok Soo remember the book he read last night.

The Birth of a Hero.

It seemed unreal to jump to the conclusion that this teenager is Choi Han, and that they're in the Forest of Darkness in a fantasy novel, but the hand stroking up and down his back reassured him that this was reality. And that Kim Rok Soo... was a monster.

...

No, what was he? A monster didn't make sense. Could he really have been dropped into this world as a newborn baby monster? That might as well be the world telling him to die! If he hadn't been next to his egg shell then wouldn't Choi Han have killed him instantly?!

Kim Rok Soo doesn't know how long Choi Han has been in the Forest of Darkness, but the calm exuding from him even when he kills monsters bigger than himself makes it clear that's it's nearing the time that he'll find Harris Village.

His stomach rumbles with a loud noise. He's ravenous, but the idea of hunting a monster ruins his appetite. Choi Han will feed him, surely.

He hasn't eaten since he hatched. Kim Rok Soo was forced to record books about child rearing before so he knows that babies need to eat often. Does a teenager- no, a teenager that is over a hundred years old now- know how to take care of a baby?

Choi Han pats him on the head.

"Hey." The patting was a little harder than maybe it should've been. "... Can you eat meat?"

Kim Rok Soo hums but it sounds like a warble. Monsters don't speak. Babies don't speak either. This kid is really asking a combination baby monster a question about his diet.

Even if it wasn't super obvious, Choi Han was obviously desperate for companionship. The tone in his voice made it clear that he hadn't spoken in a while, to someone or to himself. Yet, in this terrible forest where everything sought to kill him, Choi Han willingly picked up a liability and is trying to care for it.

Kim Rok Soo warbles again, quieter. This is why this kid ends up being the main character. Kind people will always find a way to be kind.

Choi Han unwraps the carrier and Kim Rok Soo readily jumps to the ground. He misses Choi Han's flinch because he's facing the felled mountain-lion-goat monster.

Experimenting, Kim Rok Soo sticks his elongated mouth into the flesh wound made by Choi Han, but only gets a mouthful of flowing blood. It floods his nostrils and he takes his face back out, shaking his head and frowning at the bad tasting blood.

The wound won't work, so he tries to bite through the fur somewhere else, but it doesn't even tear. He's a baby monster but he can't even do that much?

He's going to try something else when a black flash has him flinching and tumbling backwards. He lands with his back to Choi Han's leg.

Choi Han reaches towards him.

Kim Rok Soo closes his eyes. Did Choi Han decide he was useless and that he's better dead? He hadn't even had the chance to try fantasy food yet! He wanted to fall asleep on a human bed once they got out!

Something wet touches his mouth.

Without thinking, he takes it into his maw, finding it squarish and squishy. It tastes like the blood his mouth is coated in.

Kim Rok Soo blinks and looks up. Choi Han is looking down at him with expectant eyes. Though his face is devoid of emotion, he manages to still seem like a friendly- if a little apathetic- high school student.

The meat is chewy and softer than he expected, or maybe his jaws are stronger than he thought, so he ignores the fact that it tastes like blood and stares into Choi Han's eyes.

For being stuck in this forest for a hundred years, he has a nice gaze.

Gulp. The meat glides down the back of his throat incredibly easily. If he hadn't been a human before this, maybe he would've swallowed it immediately without chewing.

Choi Han waits for him to finish swallowing.

Kim Rok Soo warbles, unable to ask why the century old teenager is staring. Is something the matter? He's still hungry.

When Choi Han doesn't move Kim Rok Soo points at the monster with a paw.

More.

He wants more.

Choi Han gapes, astonished, but Kim Rok Soo gets off his leg and sits patiently to his side, waiting. If he is going to take care of a baby, he should do it all the way. Of course, once Kim Rok Soo gathers his strength, he'll guide Choi Han to Harris Village and let them heal his heart. He has to leave to get some powers that he is interested in to make him moderately strong.

Choi Han cuts out another square of meat and offers it to Kim Rok Soo, only to receive a blank stare. Don't just offer it to me, feed it to me. Babies shouldn't eat by themselves, they're too weak.

The wine-red baby opens his mouth. Choi Han's mouth breaks into a small smile. He places the square of meat onto the baby monsters tongue and watches in fascination as it swallows without chewing this time.

They repeat this until Kim Rok Soo burps, lazily blinking. Being a baby is better than he thought it'd be, even if the food isn't great. He can swallow it quickly though, so he reasons that being a monster right now isn't so bad because he doesn't have to suffer through eating tough, bloody meat.

He taps his tail on the ground, like ringing up customer service.

Isn't he taking advantage of the twisted protagonist too much? Kim Rok Soo should hurry and deliver him to Harris Village as repayment.

Choi Han is quick to bring the baby monster up to his chest, wrapping the monster fur around it again. When he strokes the bumpy head, it feels warmer than when he first held it. Despite being here for so long, he doesn't know how a baby monster grows or is raised. Do they normally get warmer the more they eat?

He should feed it frequently, so that it doesn't get cold.

[spidergirllexi]

❤️‍🔥How ateez is in bed: woosan edition❤️‍🔥

This is apart of a new series(I’m still fixing tweaks for it) its based off of my ateez in bed but threesome addition. With that said, post is under the cut. Kisses!!

Again, we have another set of polar opposites. Wooyoung is a taker while San is a giver, wooyoung takes what he wants from you while San gives you whatever you want. Meaning, while wooyoung is using you for his pleasure San is making sure you’re receiving pleasure. The dynamics between them is wooyoung is a hard dom while San is a service dom, San is more on the submissive side which makes him more attentive to your needs and body, while wooyoung still knows what your body wants and needs but will ignore them to get his own pleasure. He knows you’re fine with San there, which he goes all out when San is there because he knows you’ll be comforted during his aggression. San likes knowing this, he loves knowing you seek comfort in him while wooyoung is pounding into you and using rough hands. It makes San feel needed, wanted. Wooyoung doesn’t need to feel wanted until after sex. During it wooyoung is all about himself, which leaves you gasping for air, overstimulated and crying while San cuddles you and waits his turn to love you properly. So in conclusion, wooyoung and San make the perfect duo doms.

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #11 Review

To be honest, this one was underwhelming. There's always something worthy of commentary, it just feels like not much happens and it doesn't quite feel like a full issue - perhaps because it bucks the Marvel formula of the three Cs - conflict, choice, and conclusion.

Stuff certainly happens but nothing that couldn't be summed up in a few sentences at the start of next issue. The last three issues have all had high stakes, for better or worse, and without room to breathe tension burns out.

The Raid on Graymalkin is over but not much has changed, Agent Fucko and the O*N*E have stood down, and everyone is moving on. I didn't expect to see a discussion about recent events but I really want one. Serious shit has gone down very recently and all these people should have opinions on that. The X-Men are used to constant drama but still ... it feels like those events didn't matter and the characters feel thinner for it. It's said that the O*N*E visit was 'earlier' yet Beast is standing and relaxed despite being beaten badly. Maybe Xorn is that good a healer.

After a cold open on some kind of space bullshit crashing nearby, we cut to Beast and Jen Starkey running some tests on her mutation. They're on an awkward first name basis after she reminds him but they're getting along well enough. Hank theorises that she's a metamorph of some kind and tests that hypothesis. Flying seems like a risky place to start but I'm not a scientist. Fortunately he's right and she's not a reality warper or something - she grows wings and assumes avian features. Cool. We move on from them as the plot is happening to other people. Nice to see you both, say hi to Magneto for me.

Whatever crashed is making a beeline for Merle, and Scott feels the O*N*E visit has already disrupted the town enough for one day. If it wasn't coming for them he says it would be none of their business, which is understandable. The X-Men have so many red alert crises and threats coming for them that they couldn't operate as traditional superheroes even if they wanted to. I think that might be this book's identity - Cyclops and friends playing whack-a-mole with endless mutant problems. Although, in other books they're expanding the scope. They're fighting one of Cyttorak's kids right now in Amazing Spider-Man, they've agreed to be on call to the Avengers and have an alliance of sorts; though when all the heroes gather for One World Under DOOM the only mutant present is Storm. Maybe they're in space due to this issue, but the degree of connectivity feels inconsistent. That's often been a thing with X-books, except it's been explicitly set up in Avengers so I don't know what to think.

The banter is cute and the ad hoc points system adorable, but it's mood whiplash considering there's been no time skip since the last 3 intense issues. Maybe I'm nitpicking. I've certainly been known to. People who aren't able to decompress after high stress situations often turn to humour to cope. Something I find myself saying with this book a lot is 'I guess we'll see if it's followed up on.' Given the amount of dangling plot threads and character beats I can't help but feel that the book doesn't deserve that grace. I'll come back to that.

Moving on, Scott needs to be captured by alien bounty hunters and this is how it happens. The visitor from space is Scott's deadbeat dad, Corsair. He's here to warn him that he's got a huge battalion after him, but he really doesn't prioritise it. They greet warmly but Scott is suspicious of his motives, an attitude he had in Phoenix but one that's at odds with other recent history. Whatever - Corsair sucks and he deserves to get called out.

Haha! Krakoa callbacks have been pretty inconsistent, but this is definitely a fun one to dredge up. The Starjammers did abandon the New Mutants to Shi'Ar prison for petty reasons and Magik remembers. She interrupts Scott's interrogation and punches the old geezer in the face. Good for her. Space jail sucks and that's dry snitching.

It's interrupted by Beast detecting even more space bullshit with his instruments. A space whale carrying a whole bunch of aliens is rolling up. So that's what the situation is, thanks Corsair.

'For you. They're here for you.' Not hard.

Err, you didn't really say that, Corsair. Sure, you used that word, but there was no sense of urgency when you could have just said 'aliens are coming to get you, Scott Summers, very soon. It's an emergency.' Even after getting angry he talks about himself and deflects. Just fucking tell them what's happening dude. 'They' is vague and you basically wasted your time. He's not even finished blundering.

The X-Men leap into action with Scott assuming the bounty hunters are here for Corsair - a VERY reasonable assumption. That they're actually here for Scott is very strange. I think Scott taking the situation at face value would be correct 99% of the time - Corsair is a dodgy space pirate who's always being chased by bounty hunters whereas Scott is a Shi'Ar ally and on decent terms with the Kree-Skrull empire. As Corsair admits, he has a 2.5 million credit bounty on his head. No idea what the exchange rate is but it sounds like a lot. I wonder if they're still using Mysterium as a currency and store of value.

There's been some big changes in galactic politics recently in response to Jean and Phoenix cruising around. Gladiator freaked out about it and long story short the Galactic Council put Thanos in charge. They shouldn't be able to do that but mind control is probably involved. Hulkling, Wiccan, or Xandra have been strangely absent. Anyway, failing to get across that they're after Scott is such a blunder I have to wonder if it's not a betrayal. Corsair is an idiot, but that makes this an idiot plot. His and Scott's argument ends up being a pointless waste of time - just taking up page space.

Temper scorches the poor whale, lucky it's lobotomized. The X-Men come through a portal onto the whale ship and raise hell. It's always nice to see how effectively the team work together, though we've just had an event full of pointless violence. Scott thinks he's rescuing his dad but he's really charging into a trap. Corsair eventually convinces Quentin to let him into the telepathic group chat and HE STILL YAPS ABOUT IRRELEVANT INFORMATION. Fuck, just tell him they're here for him; Scott doesn't need to know about the economics of interstellar travel right now.

'I came to warn you, son. I'll do so after including as much extraneous information as possible.' Corsair manages to spit it out only after Scott has already realised something is up. The bounty hunters are wearing Ruby Quartz armor (which is pretty cool) and they've got Cyclops surrounded. Seems like Magik could get him out of there pretty easily, or Scott could blow a hole in the floor. Juggernaut, famously, can't be stopped - surely he can take out these chumps.

Only now do we get 'they're after you.' Three words that he could have said at any time, or even thought it at either of the two telepaths present. He even has a ship-to-speeder communicator that he could have used to get to the point. It's necessary to have characters make mistakes and have errors in communication. It's a reliable and relatable source of drama. Filling half the issue with Corsair dropping out of the sky and saying plenty of words that don't advance the plot or characters in a believable way feels like pointless filler. Corsair has had more dialogue than Glob, Xorn, and Ben Liu - all ongoing characters - and all of it served no purpose. You could remove him from this issue without affecting anything. As I said in the intro, stuff happens, but nothing that couldn't be summed up in a few sentences for the next issue.

Now that Corsair has said what he came to say he's wallpaper. Good. Idie and Quentin are looking to support their teammates when fucking Alpha Flight arrive to help (I think?) A Beaubier-less Alpha Flight is not particularly interesting to me, but I like most of them. They all got imprisoned by ORCHIS during Fall of X for supporting mutants. Definitely cool behaviour, and Puck is generally rad (not sure if he's here) but I there's one member who can go fuck himself.

James MacDonald Hudson is the worst. He's ostensibly a hero but he does a lot of reactionary bootlicking. He briefly joined ORCHIS out of fear of mutants but got cold feet when Australia was nearly destroyed. I'll rant about him another time, but woo - Alpha Flight are here to support the X-Men. Maybe the space bullshit will only take up one more issue. It ends there, so we'll find out next time.

Around issue #5 of this run I stated that I was starting to notice the narrative formula. Each issue will focus on a handful of characters while introducing some new crisis, the rest of the team will get a few panels at best, there'll be some action squeezed in somewhere and then it'll end on a cliffhanger. The cumulative effect is that the plot is glacially slow, the characters have one or two defining traits/issues, and most plot points dangle as crisis after crisis gets piled on.

Even the plot points that have been revisited haven't been resolved in any way, like Graymalkin or the ongoing O*N*E cold war. Here's a list of the dangling plot threads and character beats I could think of without rereading.

- 3K and the adult mutants

- Cassandra Nova

- R-LDS

- The Upstarts

- Graymalkin prison

- The O*N*E

- Scott's anxiety attack

- Piper Cobb

- Magik's chess game

- Idie's problems with authority and teamwork

- Magneto. Just Magneto. He's there but has little to say

- The Phoenix

- Beef with Rogue

- King Bedlam's price

Any one of these things would usually be a priority to deal with or at least discuss. I feel like it devalues their importance to just introduce a new problem almost every issue and it makes it harder to get invested in events as they unfold. This issue, for instance - I suspect it'll be resolved next issue and not spoken about again. Or, it will be a drawn out space adventure like the old days and all the Earthly problems will be put on the backburner. Either way it's a problem caused by frontloading all these crises and continually stacking them on top of one another.

There are moments of solid execution and meaningful character work, but when everything is a crisis nothing is. X-Men #11 looks pretty good, as usual, but it's entirely skippable. If you are a big Corsair fan and want 10 pages of him failing a simple task then this book is for you, but if not you can get everything you need from the intro blurb next issue.

[peachjagiya]

Isn’t it abt time we all stop analyzing the romantic lives of ppl we don’t know and never will know and stop trying to desperately find something that probably isn’t there. Every shipping theory anyone has is probably off the mark and reality is probably extremely different than what any of us want or expect. We think we’ve gotten to know these boys, but we only see a minute fraction of their lives. so to jump to the conclusion that tae and jk are in a romantic relationship based on the fact that they hang out a lot and the assumption that random things they own or have done are related to each other is truly ridiculous. These are things that are all easily explained by just being very close friends and anyone who says “friends don’t do xyz” is just bullshitting bc yes they actually do 🙄. Until and unless jk and tae explicitly come out or are seen making out or some shit, stop with the far fetched theories and idiocy.

Ok so I took some screencaps to make this easier to explain.

What you're gonna need to do is go to my profile and top right you'll see this little person:

Tap that guy then you'll get this:

Tap "block" and hopefully that should remove me from your feed. I'm pretty sure this works, I've done it myself.

If you find you're being held at gunpoint to read this content, you could try calling whatever emergency number is relevant to your country:

Alternatively, you can get this stuff at plenty of stores:

Hope this is helpful ♥️

[semageon]

listen if I sneak into Mob with a big trenchcoat and stuff them all into my pockets I can give them all happier endings-

[vaguely-concerned]

little detail I've picked up on: lucanis seems to like it when rook is smart. not in an academically minded way, necessarily, but when they're clever/analytical and clear-eyed about the practical realities of a matter and able to sort out the bullshit. most immediate example that comes to mind is of course when rook points out to illario that zara physically can't have made it back to vyrantium yet by conventional means in the café scene (where they're also backing what lucanis is trying to say, so the approval there makes extra sense), but it pops up in several other places too where rook cuts through to the heart of a problem with that kind of thinking. his and davrin's approval often overlap, but davrin seems to like it when rook is resolute and practical (and kind but don't tell anyone that sssh <3 ilu davrin), where I get the sense that lucanis gets that extra little thrill when they're also clever. in another contrast emmrich likes it when you're curious and openminded and kind (a lot like solas in da:i really) -- more like a life-long earnest academic *would* think about and value learning and knowledge in terms of a process and way of thinking rather than the results that come out of it -- while i think lucanis kind of likes it (and possibly gets a little ah frisson out of it depending on your relationship with him lol) when your mind is a knife. which I think is really neat. also tracks perfectly with him liking both viago and neve too haha. he clearly enjoys the Thinkers of the world.

[metanarrates]

Hello. Sorry if this a stupid question u can ignore if u want.

How can someone get better at media analysis? Besides obviously reading a lot.

Im asking this bc im in a point where im aware of my own lack of tools to analyze stories, but i don't know where to get them or how to get better in general. How did you learn to analyze media? There's any specific book, essay, author, etc that you recommend? Somewhere to start?

I'm asking you because you are genuinely the person who has the best takes on this site. Thank you for you work!

it sounds like a cop-out answer but it's always felt like a skill I acquired mostly thru reading a ton, and by paying a lot of attention in high school literature classes. because of that I can't promise that I'm necessarily equipped to be a good teacher or that i know good resources. HOWEVER! let me run some potential advice to you based on the shit i get a lot of mileage out of

first off, a lot of literary analysis is about pattern recognition! not just pattern recognition in-text, but out-of-text as well. how does this work relate to its genre? real-world history? does it have parallels between real-life situations? that kind of thing.

which is a big concept to just describe off the bat, so let me break it down further!

in literature, there is the concept of something called literary devices - they are some of the basic building blocks in how a story is delivered mechanically and via subtext. have you ever heard of a motif? that is a literary device. it's a pattern established in the text in order to further the storytelling! and here is a list of a ton of common literary devices - I'd recommend reading the article. it breaks down a lot of commonly used ones in prose and poetry and explains their usage.

personally, I don't find all the literary devices I've learned about in school to be the most useful to my analytical hobbies online. motifs, themes, and metaphors are useful and dissecting them can bring a lot to the table, but a lot of other devices are mostly like fun bonus trivia for me to notice when reading. however, memorizing those terms and trying to notice them in the things you read does have a distinct benefit - it encourages you to start noticing patterns, and to start thinking of the mechanical way a story is built. sure, thinking about how the prose is constructed might not help you understand the story much more, but it does make you start thinking about how things like prose contribute to the greater feeling of a piece, or how the formatting of a piece contributes to its overall narrative. you'll start developing this habit of picking out little things about a text, which is useful.

other forms of in-text pattern recognition can be about things like characterization! how does a character react to a certain situation? is it consistent with how they usually behave? what might that tell you about how they think? do they have tells that show when they're not being trustworthy? does their viewpoint always match what is happening on screen? what ideas do they have about how the world works? how are they influenced by other people in their lives? by social contexts that might exist? by situations that have affected them? (on that note, how do situations affect other situations?)

another one is just straight-up noticing themes in a work. is there a certain idea that keeps getting brought up? what is the work trying to say about that idea? if it's being brought up often, it's probably worth paying attention to!

that goes for any pattern, actually. if you notice something, it's worth thinking about why it might be there. try considering things like potential subtext, or what a technique might be trying to convey to a reader. even if you can't explain why every element of a text is there, you'll often gain something by trying to think about why something exists in a story.

^ sometimes the answer to that question is not always "because it's intentional" or even "because it was a good choice for the storytelling." authors frequently make choices that suck shit (I am a known complainer about choices that suck shit.) that's also worth thinking about. english classes won't encourage this line of thinking, because they're trying to get you to approach texts with intentional thought instead of writing them off. I appreciate that goal, genuinely, but I do think it hampers people's enthusiasm for analysis if they're not also being encouraged to analyze why they think something doesn't work well in a story. sometimes something sucks and it makes new students mad if they're not allowed to talk about it sucking! I'll get into that later - knowing how and why something doesn't work is also a valuable skill. being an informed and analytical hater will get you far in life.

so that's in-work literary analysis. id also recommend annotating your pages/pdfs or keeping a notebook if you want to close-read a work. keeping track of your thoughts while reading even if they're not "clever" or whatever encourages you to pay attention to a text and to draw patterns. it's very useful!

now, for out-of-work literary analysis! it's worth synthesizing something within its context. what social settings did this work come from? was it commenting on something in real life? is it responding to some aspects of history or current events? how does it relate to its genre? does it deviate from genre trends, commentate on them, or overall conform to its genre? where did the literary techniques it's using come from - does it have any big stylistic influences? is it referencing any other texts?

and if you don't know the answer to a bunch of these questions and want to know, RESEARCH IS YOUR FRIEND! look up historical events and social movements if you're reading a work from a place or time you're not familiar with. if you don't know much about a genre, look into what are considered common genre elements! see if you can find anyone talking about artistic movements, or read the texts that a work might be referencing! all of these things will give you a far more holistic view of a work.

as for your own personal reaction to & understanding of a work... so I've given the advice before that it's good to think about your own personal reactions to a story, and what you enjoy or dislike about it. while this is true that a lot of this is a baseline jumping-off point on how I personally conduct analysis, it's incomplete advice. you should not just be thinking about what you enjoy or dislike - you should also be thinking about why it works or doesn't work for you. if you've gotten a better grasp on story mechanics by practicing the types of pattern recognition i recognized above, you can start digging into how those storytelling techniques have affected you. did you enjoy this part of a story? what made it work well? what techniques built tension, or delivered well on conflict? what about if you thought it sucked? what aspects of storytelling might have failed?

sometimes the answer to this is highly subjective and personal. I'm slightly romance-averse because I am aromantic, so a lot of romance plots will simply bore me or actively annoy me. I try not to let that personal taste factor too much into serious critiques, though of course I will talk about why I find something boring and lament it wasn't done better lol. we're only human. just be aware of those personal taste quirks and factor them into analysis because it will help you be a bit more objective lol

but if it's not fully influenced by personal taste, you should get in the habit of building little theses about why a story affected you in a certain way. for example, "I felt bored and tired at this point in a plot, which may be due to poor pacing & handling of conflict." or "I felt excited at this point in the plot, because established tensions continued to get more complex and captured my interest." or "I liked this plot point because it iterated on an established theme in a way that brought interesting angles to how the story handled the theme." again, it's just a good way to think about how and why storytelling functions.

uh let's see what else. analysis is a collaborative activity! you can learn a lot from seeing how other people analyze! if you enjoy something a lot, try looking into scholarly articles on it, or youtube videos, or essays online! develop opinions also about how THOSE articles and essays etc conduct analysis, and why you might think those analyses are correct or incorrect! sometimes analyses suck shit and developing a counterargument will help you think harder about the topic in question! think about audience reactions and how those are created by the text! talk to friends! send asks to meta blogs you really like maybe sometimes

find angles of analysis that interest and excite you! if you're interested in feminist lenses on a work, or racial lenses, or philosophical lenses, look into how people conduct those sort of analyses on other works. (eg. search feminist analysis of hamlet, or something similar so you can learn how that style of analysis generally functions) and then try applying those lenses to the story you're looking at. a lot of analysts have a toolkit of lenses they tend to cycle through when approaching a new text - it might not be a bad idea to acquire a few favored lenses of your own.

also, most of my advice is literary advice, since you can broadly apply many skills you learn in literary analysis to any other form of storytelling, but if you're looking at another medium, like a game or cartoon, maybe look up some stuff about things like ludonarrative storytelling or visual storytelling! familiarizing yourself with the specific techniques common to a certain medium will only help you get better at understanding what you're seeing.

above all else, approach everything with intellectual curiosity and sincerity. even if you're sincerely curious about why something sucks, letting yourself gain information and potentially learning something new or being humbled in the process will help you grow. it's okay to not have all the answers, or to just be flat-out wrong sometimes. continuing to practice is a valuable intellectual pursuit even if it can mean feeling a tad stupid sometimes. don't be scared to ask questions. get comfortable sometimes with the fact that the answer you'll arrive at after a lot of thought and effort will be "I don't fully know." sometimes you don't know and that can be valuable in its own right!

thank you for the ask, and I hope you find this helpful!

[bookshelfdreams]

fr if "this is no longer the queer joy show" for you, idk what to tell you. maybe next time try engaging with the actual story instead of the version of it you made up in your head

[nwarrior777]

"fat!amputee!fem!laios" bro just make an OC instead. that's no longer laios

well i made one

this oc and laios inspecting each others bodies in ways which i am afraid person bitching about jpegs can't handle