#and thus I made my Tumblr debut

[echoes-lighthouse]

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this on this blog before but Fun Fact: I joined tumblr as a direct consequence of the mishapocalypse, I was so sad to have missed it that I immediately made an account to never miss out on tumblr events in the future, and I’ve been here ever since. So I can always count my tumblr anniversary, despite switching blogs every few years, because I will always know I joined two days after the mishapocalypse.

[swanguk]

It's my 10 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

[limarieb]

love is a double-edged sword

Pairing(s): Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader (Past Wanda Maximoff x Vision)

Summary: Falling in love with your presumed-to-be-straight best friend could have been possibly the worst, most cliché thing you have ever done. But, it could also have been the best.

Warnings: internalized homophobia, coming out, occasional swearing used, brief mention of non-consensual kiss

Word Count: 4.5k

Author's Note: ahh my tumblr debut! this was the first mcu fic i ever wrote — i hope you guys enjoy.

Main Masterlist | ao3 | Wattpad

...

Since the age of six, if anyone asked you who your best friend was, you would proudly respond, “Wanda Maximoff”; she would do the same with your name.

But, you’re not exactly sure when your feelings for her become less friendly.

Maybe it was one of those times she had gone off on a tangent and explained the latest book she read, saying how much you’d “love it if you just listened to her and read the damn book.” You found her passion for stories endearing, perhaps even admirable. Maybe it was Field Day during the seventh grade; the outside air was plagued by blistering heat, but — with her long, brunette hair tied up in a high ponytail — she made sweating look good . Maybe it was the fact that, when you came out to your family last year, she had comforted you afterward; she held your face in her hands, wiped your tears with her two thumbs, and told you any girl would be lucky to have you.

You were sure at this moment that you did not want “any girl,” however, because the only girl you wanted was the one sitting in front of you.

You mistakenly let out a scoff. Of course, you would fall victim to the “lesbian falls for the straight best friend” trope. Wanda, on the other hand, thought the scoff was a response to her; thus, she pulled you into a tight hug, trying to convey how deeply she cares for you.

“I’m serious, Y/N,” she whispered into your ear. “One day, some girl is going to love you for you .”

You didn’t reply.

It was the second to last day of your junior year in high school. Thankfully, you had finished your exams, but the school required everyone to attend until the last day anyway.

It’s not like you could’ve done much for summer anyways; it has been raining all week, and it’s not like you got your license, nor do you even own a car. Additionally, you reasoned there could be far worse places to be in this moment, like home.

As you closed your locker, a mischievous brunette was lingering on the other side.

“Hello, Wanda. What can I do you for on this very fine day?” you said, sarcastically putting emphasis on the “very fine” part of the question.

She chuckled as she shook her head, “Nothing, at least not with that attitude.”

“Fine,” you gave in quickly, in pursuit of the real reason behind this conversation. “Seriously, though, what has Wanda Maximoff in such a chipper mood during school hours?”

Somehow, your question made her smile grow wider. “You’ll never guess what happened this morning,” she began. “Vision asked me out.”

Now, that caught your attention, “What?”

“Yeah, you know Tony, right? He’s that annoying rich kid in our class. Anyways, he’s throwing some sort of party for the end of the year and, since he and Vision are essentially best friends, Vision asked me to go to the party with him.”

You were only able to get one word out: “Wow.”

Noticing your lack of enthusiasm, Wanda turned her body completely towards you, “What? What’s wrong? Aren’t you excited for me?”

Truthfully, you were not excited for her. It’s not as if you did not know of Wanda’s infatuation with Vision; in fact, you could probably never forget the number of times she would talk to you about his “beautiful, blonde hair” and “pretty eyes.” Vision was not necessarily a bad kid, but you just hate that she just couldn’t like you like that.

It’s not like you could share this desire with your best friend either; ergo, you opted to put on a brave face and say, “Of course, I’m excited for you.” And, in case she didn’t believe you, you playfully elbowed her side, “If it goes well, I better be the maid of honor.”

You know that had convinced her, for she bit her lip and nodded excitedly.

“Oh,” Wanda started. “One more thing…”

As you looked at the mansion that stood before you, filled to the brim with a plethora of drunk teenagers, you uttered to yourself, “I don’t know why I let her talk me into coming to this. One day, I am going to have to stop agreeing with her on everything.”

You know you wouldn’t — if she wanted something, you’d make sure she’d get it. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop you from finding situations such as this annoying.

You walked through the front door. Immediately, your senses were overwhelmed by the strong smell of alcohol and the loud music blasting in the atmosphere. You attempted to push through to get through the crowd of people and find the person responsible for your presence. Before you could get much further, you felt another person grab and pull your wrist from behind, forcing you to turn around.

Wanda.

“Y/N, you came!” she tried to yell over the music. You could tell she wasn’t drunk, but she had definitely consumed something alcoholic. You failed to get a word in before she continued to pull you by the hand to venture further into the crowd of people, “Come on, let’s go dance!”

Moments later, you found yourself awkwardly “dancing” with your best friend. Although, she seemed to be having the time of her life. When she noticed your stiffness, she brought you closer to her, allowing you to hear her say, “Don’t worry about everyone else… Just dance with me!” 

So, you did. You let go of any apprehensions, allowing yourself to move freely with the music and the girl in front of you.

Meanwhile, Vision stood across the room with a drink in hand. Not really thrilled by what he was seeing occurring between you and Wanda, he decided to end it. Drunkenly strolling over to you two, he pulled her from your grasp and into (in your unbiased opinion) one of the grossest, sloppiest kisses you had ever witnessed. 

You weren’t exactly sure how to respond, partly due to the fact that there wasn’t exactly a reason to be envious of him anyways. So, you stood there awkwardly once more, pushing the jealousy down within you.

Wanda, on the other hand, was not thrilled by the action either. She knew he was drunk, tasting the alcohol the minute he forcefully placed his lips on hers. Quickly, she pulled away, “What the fuck, Vision? What was that?”

With a smirk aimed at you, he replied, “What do you mean?” She scowled, “You can’t just do that! Why would you ever think that was okay?”

“I should ask you the same thing.”

Now, she was the one in a state of confusion, yet hers was not fake, “What do you mean?”

“Y/N,” his retort made you look down at your old, worn-out sneakers. You weren’t entirely sure what direction this was all going, but you already knew that you did not like it.

“What about her, Vision?” “She’s obviously into you. I saw how you two were dancing together. My friends saw it, too. How is that supposed to make me feel, Wanda?”

Despite not being able to look up due to the embarrassment, you could feel the anger rolling off of Wanda’s body, “That is so not true, Vision, and you know it! Why are you acting so insecure about it, anyway? She’s my best friend, and I’m not even gay !”

You know she didn’t mean it like that , but something about the way she yelled the last part at the teenage boy came with a sort of venom — as if “gay” was synonymous with “bad.”

“You know what, Wanda? I’m done with this argument. You choose now : me or Y/N.”

That took Wanda aback, “What?”

“You heard me.”

“No, Vision,” she began. “That’s not fair, I refuse to choose between you and my best friend.”

“Either you choose me, and we can continue dating, or you choose her .”

A moment passed. In an attempt to not outwardly demonstrate the pain, you clamped your eyes shut. Honestly, you were about to walk away, accept defeat, and simply pretend this night never happened in the first place; you would have let her know later that it was alright, that if she wanted him, she could have him without someone like her standing in her way. Before she could move her feet to leave, however, she heard Wanda finally speak: “Fine, then. I choose her.”

Upon her decision being made, you finally looked up with wide eyes. Vision had the same wide eyes as you, but his face was paling from the initial rageful red that painted it moments earlier. Now, you shared two things with him: your love for Wanda and the visible shock that she chose you over him. It took every fiber of your being to not smile, as you knew now was not the time to celebrate such a victory.

Before another poisonous comment could be passed between the two, Tony stepped through the crowd that had surrounded you three. “Okay, man. That’s enough. Let’s go,” he ushered Vision away from the scene.

The crowd dissipated, leaving your best friend standing there alone. You took their exit as an opportunity to make sure Wanda was alright. You tried to reach out to her, to touch her shoulder. Maybe it was to pull her into one of your two’s infamously tight hugs; maybe it was to just let her know you were just there . You don’t know why you reached for her, but you didn’t really think before acting since it just felt like the most natural thing to do for you. Immediately, your hand was shrugged off by the brunette. Your body began to feel hot, and tears started to form in your eyes. You refused to cry, though, instead choosing to look down at your feet once more and begin your journey back home.

Within minutes you were back in the comfort of your own bed. With a harsh swallow, you continuously replayed the events of tonight over and over again. You laid there, reminiscing on just how utterly humiliated and alone you felt.

Even then in your state of depression and self-pity, you only hoped Wanda was doing okay.

Wanda left the party soon after you did. Similarly, she went home and found herself collapsed in her bed.

She didn’t bother changing out of her clothes, nor did she take off her makeup. Internally, she wishes that the bed would swallow her in order to leave the ramifications of tonight as a “potential” occurrence rather than an “actual.” She just doesn’t understand why: why he would do something like that; why the universe hates her; why she turned you away when she knew you did nothing wrong.

A brief, soft knock at her bedroom door removed her from her cyclical round of thoughts. “Come in,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to carry across the room like it usually does. 

The door creaked open slowly, revealing her twin brother standing on the other side. “Hey, сестра,” he began, approaching her bed with caution and sitting beside where her legs laid. “How are you doing?” [sestra | sister]

She doesn’t acquire the information about how exactly he learned about the events of tonight, perhaps from some friends of his that went to the party. Instead, she chuckled humorlessly, “How do you think I feel, Pietro? I think I just lost my best friend and the guy I liked in one night.”

“‘The guy you liked’? You mean, Vision?” he wondered. “Honestly, I didn’t like him anyway. You didn’t lose much on that front. But, what happened with Y/N? You guys never fight.”

“I don’t even know, Pietro. One minute, we’re just dancing and having fun because you know Y/N — she never comes to parties. I wanted to make the most of the night. As we were dancing, though, Vision walked up to us, stole me from her, and just kissed me. Not only was it without my consent and out of spite, but it was just gross.”

The latter statement made the twin brother laugh. She continued, “I pulled away quickly because I was just so angry , you know? Like why did he think he could just do that? So, I asked him, which caused us to have an argument in the middle of the party. In the end, he gave me an ultimatum: him or Y/N. Of course, I chose her because… I don’t know, Y/N is Y/N.”

He sat there next to her, listening intently. He sighed, “Yeah, but what happened between you and Y/N ?”

She closed her eyes, “I don’t know .” The statement wasn’t a lie because she truly did not understand why she reacted the way she did towards you, her best friend. The tears started flowing again, soon turning into a set of sobs that ultimately racked her body. Her brother swiftly leaned down, taking his sister into his arms; she continued to cry into his chest for what felt like hours.

After some time had passed, the sobs slowed down and transformed into sniffles. Pietro looked down at his sister, “What’s wrong?”

She refused to look up, but she knew she had to get this off her chest. “Pietro,” she released in a single breath. He affirmed to her to continue, “I think… I think I’m gay.” There was another beat of silence before she slowly proceeded once more, “I think I like Y/N.”

There it was: the beast of the truth that was unknowingly weighing her down was finally released. 

If it was even possible, Pietro pulled her closer in his embrace. Though he was aware that discussions of sexuality were becoming increasingly accepted and treated as an insignificant portion of someone’s life, he also knew that this was a big deal for her . He acknowledged such a fact, “I’m proud of you, Wanda, and I’m glad you told me, especially because I know it must have been difficult for you to realize and go through this on your own — even without Y/N… is this what caused the rift between you two? Did you tell her, and she rejected you?”

She scoffed, “Quite the opposite, actually; Vision accused her of liking me — which she probably doesn’t — but I just stood there, screaming at him that we were ‘just friends’ and that I ‘wasn’t even gay.’ You should’ve seen her when I shrugged her away after, Pietro. She looked so hurt . I hurt her.”

“You want to know how to fix this?” he asked, quickly followed by a confident nod from her. “You have to talk to her. Even if she didn’t like you, this is not something to lose such a close friendship over. For the record, though, she does like you. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and that is definitely someone in love.”

Her head snapped up at the accusation, meeting the smirk that was plastered on his face. If he was right, she really messed up. She urgently needed to see you, to tell you once and for all how she truly feels about you; thus, she told her brother that she was going to find you and left him and his smirk behind.

Wanda didn’t have a clue about what she was going to say when she saw you; she didn’t have a script, nor did she have any guidelines to follow. She just knew she had to see you , only then would everything make sense for her.

You were on the verge of sleep when you could feel the vibrations coming from your phone. In a sleepy haze, you picked up the phone. The brightness made you unexpectedly squint your eyes, but the Caller ID was unmistakable: Wanda Maximoff. 

You weren’t sure what exactly to do in this situation. On one hand, you knew you could not face another rejection, specifically from her. It would probably break you beyond repair. On the other hand, you could never say no to Wanda, even if it meant answering her calls at the most random times of the day. 

So, you shakily tapped the green button and pulled the phone close to your ear.

“Hello? Y/N?” you could hear Wanda ask on the other side of the line.

“Hi,” you responded back. Wanda noted how soft your voice sounded. Normally, she would consider such softness an adorable trait of yours, but she knows the reason behind it. She knows it was her fault that you felt insecure at that moment.

“I’m– Um, I’m outside; can you come downstairs to open the door?” Wanda asked. Now, you were almost completely awake; the question made you raise your eyebrows in astonishment. 

Despite your initial surprise, you muttered a quiet approval that you would meet her at the door and made your way downstairs. 

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You don’t know what she’s going to say to you. You unlock the door and reach for the handle of the door, slowly turning it and pulling the wooden door towards you until you’re able to see Wanda on your front doorstep. Even with the low amount of yellow light coming from the bulb outside the door and the makeup visibly smeared on her face (probably from crying, you note), all you can think about is just how pretty she looks.

Her eyes look up to meet yours, causing your breath to hitch for a second. You weren’t certain about how to go about this, “Uh, do you want to come in? We’d have to go up to my room quietly because my parents are home.”

She accepted the invite, nodding her head hesitantly. The two of you walked upstairs, through the hall, back to where you had initially been laying in your bed and wallowing in your pity. You got back in your bed and crossed your legs as you sat against the headboard. Wanda, however, did not sit alongside you like she usually does; instead, she paced around your room. It was obvious that she was stuck in a state of stress and anxiety that you had never seen, even when she failed that one test back in sophomore year.

Your eyes trailed back and forth as you observed her pacing; suddenly, she came to a stop in front of the bed. Her body was not facing you, rather it faced the way that she had been walking moments prior. She started to play with the rings littered on her various fingers, which you had learned early on that it was a nervous habit of hers. You chose to remain quiet and to let her speak when she was ready due to the evidently difficult subject matter, but you couldn’t help your own anxiety rising. 

Without looking at you, she finally broke the silence: “I need to tell you something, Y/N. I need to tell you a few things, actually. I’m not sure how you’ll react, but I also know that you didn’t deserve what happened to you tonight, to be put in that situation. You deserve more than that; honestly, you deserve everything good, and I’m so sorry that I put you through that. I completely understand if you don’t want to talk to me or be friends with me anymore, but I would not forgive myself if I didn’t at least try to salvage us.”

You sat silently in shock but continued to let her speak: “I thought I knew myself. In fact, I was so sure I did. Yeah, I may not have known the answer to some stupid math equation in school, but I knew the kind of clothes I preferred to wear, my favorite food to eat when I’m sad or stressed out, my go-to karaoke song. I thought I knew myself , inside and out. But, I don’t, or at least not as well as I thought I did. And, honestly? That’s freaking me the fuck out because, if I don’t know myself , how can I know anything else? I know that probably makes no fucking sense, but… yeah. I’m just really scared right now, but I talked to Pietro, which helped a bit. Um, he was right. Vision was right.”

Your face fell. You thought this was it, she was finally going to reject you and leave you. 

In the deafening silence swirling around the two of you in your bedroom, she eventually decided to look at you. She saw the way your body sagged, how utterly defeated you looked; the brunette realized that you took her statement in the wrong way, “No! No! No! I didn’t mean it like that! Fuck ! I’m fucking this up. Okay, no, Vision is not right about anything other than the fact that I don’t like him. I don’t like boys… Truthfully, I’m not sure. I just feel so confused and stupid for not realizing such a big thing sooner. That’s what I meant when I said I thought I knew myself: I thought I knew that I liked boys, which I feel like is something that many people know from the beginning.”

“So, you’re… gay?” you quietly asked. You might be almost as confused as Wanda claimed to be.

You watched as the brunette nodded slowly, “I think so? As I said, I don’t know.”

“Okay,” you bit your lip, concentrating on forming something insightful to say next. “Thank you, Wanda, for telling me. I know how difficult and confusing it all is — believe me. Some people figure it out relatively early; others don’t realize it until they’re married with kids. There’s no timeline to any of it, okay? I know we’re kind of in this weird state right now because of tonight, but no matter what, I’d always support you.”

In a brief moment of confidence, Wanda turned her head to face you. You could see the water in her eyes that threatened to fall, her lip beginning to quiver. You rapidly stood up and walked over to her. With the two of you finally facing each other within a two-foot radius, she threw herself at you, wrapping her arms tightly around your neck. Your arms found their way to her waist, snaking around her and finding placement on her back. Both of you kept holding on tighter and tighter, afraid the other would try to leave. You could feel her chest rising and falling relatively fast as she cried into your neck and shoulder, repeating the phrase “I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry.”

You removed one hand from her back; instead, you placed it on her head. With a trembling hand, you tread your fingers through her long hair. In an attempt to calm her down, you whisper things of assurance like “It’s okay,” “You’re okay,” or “It’s going to be alright.” You’re not confident they worked, but you could feel her breathing begin to slow down again. You moved the hand from her hair to her shoulder and pulled back in order to ensure she was okay enough to continue; shifting from the shoulder to her hand, you grasped it and squeezed. 

You moved to sit on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to you. Wanda was noticeably apprehensive, but she sat anyway.

“Are you okay?” you inquired, your eyebrow slightly raised in concern.

“Yeah, I am. At least, I will be eventually,” she trailed off. “There’s one more thing, though… probably the hardest for me to tell you out of all of them.”

Your eyebrows raised slightly as your interest peaked, but you knew to stay quiet again. She proceeded, “I told you that I don’t like men, implying that I do like women, which is true to an extent, I guess. Um, but it’s not ‘women' as in plural. All I know is that I like one, but I’m not sure how she feels about me. I want to tell her so badly so that we could try to be more or something, but I don’t know if she feels the same. I just don’t want to ruin us.”

You nodded your head for her to continue, “Can– Can I ask which lucky girl caught your eye?”

She moved her gaze upwards, resulting in your eyes locking once more. You could tell she was battling with herself internally about whether or not to answer with the truth, for she was harshly biting her lip. Yet, what you didn’t expect was her quiet, albeit one-word, response: “You.”

At this moment, with your eyes locked and her confession having been spoken, you swear your heart skipped a beat. Wanda Maximoff, your best friend and untold love of your life, just admitted she liked you as more than a friend.

Her eyes grew concerned and her face paled since you weren’t responding. “Please, say something… Y/N?” she pleaded.

If there was a time to deal all of your cards on the table, this was it: “I like you, too, Wanda. In fact, I love you. I love you so much, Wanda Maximoff. You don’t have to say it back or whatever; I know tonight has been a lot for you to deal with, but I’ve just wanted to say that to you for so long.”

A toothy grin grew on her face, reaching from ear to ear, “Really?”

“Yes, really. Um, can I kiss you? You don’t have to say ye—“

You were stopped effectively and prematurely when a pair of lips touched yours. Not just any lips, though; they were the softest , purest pair that was owned by your love , Wanda Maximoff. It’s slow at first, neither one of you sure of the other’s boundaries and not wanting to cross wherever they lie. But, as your lips part further allowing her to deepen the kiss, you just think, Wow.  

You continue to kiss her for a minute or two before you’re out of breath and need to pull back for air. Before she can pull back completely, you give her a quick peck on her rosy lips that was probably filled with more intimacy and confidence than that initial kiss.

Pulling the brunette closer to you, you lean down and get the two of you comfortable in your bed. You’ve cuddled like this before during past nights where one of you spent the night with the other girl: you as the big spoon and her as the little one. You deeply appreciated nights like these, but you loved them even more so now that they hold a different context.

Your hand finds its spot on her hip, going beneath the shirt she wore. The two of you know it’s nothing sexual in nature, rather it’s a result of your need to just feel her. As you both began to nod off to sleep with your thumb continued to rub circles on her soft skin, you heard her voice call your name softly once more, “Y/N?”

“Yeah, Wands?”

“I love you, too.”

End.

[bvndit-official]

i will be deleting this entire tumblr account soon, and thus this sideblog along with it. the simple reason is that this account had way too much digital footprint from a younger me that i want to just not be associated with anymore.

from when bvndit debuted to when i made this sideblog right up to my current purging of this account, i was a huge fan of them. the disbandment news early last month broke my heart, even if i had seen it coming from a mile away. i can only wish the best their way and that they get better opportunities than mnh entertainment gave them.

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

Title: My "Baggy Cloth-Ober" Day 31: 🐇✨

Hello, October! 🎃🦇 Here's my final daily "Baggy Cloth-Ober" before November calendar starts tomorrow! 🧢👕🧤👖🧦👟😊

If you haven't seen my previous related post, then please click these: ↓

• Day 1: Maxwell 🐰🖌️ • Day 2: May 🐰👊💥 • Day 3: Sam 🦊⚽ • Day 4: Mikey 🐱🎧 • Day 5: Brown 🥜 • Day 6: Choco 🐰🍫 • Day 7: Stripes 🦝⚾️😴 • Day 8: Leo 🦁🖌️ • Day 9: Wilson 🐶 • Day 10: Foofie 🐩🌸 • Day 11: Jumbo 🐘 🎮 🧹 • Day 12: Jo 🐆 • Day 13: Emme 🦌🌼 • Day 14: Ziggy 🦨 • Day 15: Jazzy 🦨💃🎵 • Day 16: Todd 🐑📚 • Day 17: Bearo 🐻🎒🚗 • Day 18: Joey 🦘 • Day 19: Katie 🐨 • Day 20: Batty Midnight 🦇🌙 • Day 21: Spot Speedster 🐶🏎️ • Day 22: Riya Speedster 🐰🏎️ • Day 23: Miya Speedster 🐰🐻🔋 • Day 24: Aace Speedster 🐶🐺⭐ • Day 25: Cude 🐰🤖 • DAY 26: Vanilla 🐰🎀 • Day 27: Shadow R. 😺🗡️ • Day 28: Tory 😺🩰 • Day 29: Caleb 😺🏀🏈 • Day 30: Lisa 😺❤️⚡

DAY 31: Mayu's Normal Clothes 🐇✨

• Finally, we're back with my one last OC for the end day of October! 😁 And this right here is my 2nd HTF OC I made since debut in Feb of 2022 💘. 😊 This is 'Mayu' 🐇✨,a special Anthro jackalope critter who lives in the distant galaxy with a special T-shape metal object known as the 'Psycho-Frame', attaching on her wand and possessed new magical abilities 🟢🪄✨. We'll take a deep down about her and the 'Psycho-Frame', very soon. 😉 But, let's continue my story we're I left off. So once again, Mai herself won't be featured in her future HTF artworks, and she sold her precious adorable Mai via deviantART points to a new owner. Although, she helped me to send some of her points because 'TigerMcFlurry' sort of entrusted me, but to avail... 😟��� I think, I know who's the new owner of 'Mai', but I decided not to track the unknown owner. As of this year, the unknown person remain 'confidential'. 🚫📂 So, what am I going to do now? 🤔 Well, I decided to inspired her lost HTF OC for the second time after I've made my first one. And thus, I created the inspiration to 'Mai'; and it might something of a long lost sister to the aforementioned 'Mai' herself, but I would rather choose 'no relation' line (similar to Buster & Babs Bunny from the Tiny Toon series). I show it to her, and she impressed my HTF OC 💚💙. So, I'm glad! 😊👍 Meanwhile, she's very fine celebrating her spooky festivity (as she's said about Halloween) with her pet Haro 'Hikari', and her oversized comfy clothing! 🌸👕👖🥰🤗 In which, she's the only clothing that she has on her advanced tech wardrobe, but I bet she'll be gifted by my OCs and other trustworthy/friendly OCs from the likes of my A-Pal 'Bryan360' and Carmenramcat/Shadowramcat. 😊 For now, though, she always sporting with her soft thick special robe and pants, with a touch of 'Fab Com with Expanded Formula'! 🌸🥰🤗

Well, that's the end of 2024's Inktober installment, and 🎃🦇 HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL 🍬🌙! 😊

Mayu's Normal Clothes and Hikari (Gundam Haro OC) - created by ME!

[graysparrowao3]

Well I posted this to introduce Larry Pickle to the world but apparently I had the entire fic just sitting in my drafts? lol. I'm so bad at Tumblr. Copy and paste that shit into a reblog! Behold! ✨

What if Lorroakan was Named Larry Pickle

Word count: 1791

Tags: Humor, Comedy, 4th wall break, Names not respected

Summary: Lorroakan is named Larry Pickle. Rolan has a shit time. Miklaur makes his debut but no one cares.

And so, here they were. The three of them, ready to leave the Grove and embark upon the next stage of their journey. Cal’s eyes once again reading over the words on the parchment, his brow creasing, eyes narrowing as he found the name signed at the end. He handed Rolan back the letter from the archmage in Baldur’s Gate.

“I still think it’s not very ‘wizardy’.” Cal said, clearly disappointed. “Larry Pickles.”

“A name hardly matters,” Rolan scoffed, basking in the recent victory over the goblins, “what matters is that he is a great spellcaster with infinite resources at his fingertips – ones that I might soon also get my hands on.”

“Elminster might not’ve been taken as seriously were he named Egbert Cucumber.” Astarion shrewdly noted.

“Gale could be Gary Gherkin.” Shadowheart thought aloud.

“Were I to have a say in the matter,” Gale added, “might I suggest Graham Pistachio.”

“Don’t give me one.” Rolan commanded.

“Ronald Turnip.” Lia shouted before he had finished speaking.

He sighed,

“What could Larry’s name have been instead?” Cal mused, “What’s wizardy sounding? Gandalf? Merlin? Lorroakan?”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Rolan chastised.

“Those sound made up.” Lia added.

They all stood for a moment to take in how right he was, nodding solemnly in agreement.

“Wait… is it ‘Pickle’ or Pickles’?” Cal asked.

“Ah!” Gale exclaimed, “Allow me to share the great tale behind the pluralization of the preserved fruit-based moniker. Cast your minds, if you will, to the academy of the learned magician. A young man seeks to impress upon his peers, and indeed those who may have caught the eye of his affection, the, uh, potential of his… potential. Thus, he did set to develop the most shameful of spells that would bring a blush to the cheek of even a dead goblin, I wager. Well, as you can imagine, Larry’s Multiply Pickle was more than popular with the fellows of the academy. As I recall, his two-for-one offer was a deal that went down as the most memorable of the youthful shenanigans ever concocted by a bored learner with time on their hands. Rather makes my own folly somewhat drab in comparison. Alas, one too many prickly duplications too late were the unfortunate side-effects revealed, public humiliation not least among them. A fair few verbal lashings later from the fellows of the academe, Larry found himself somewhat of a folk hero as far as rebellious apprentices go, and the results of his infamous spell cast unfortunately upon his own memorable epithet.”

He paused dramatically.

“…and I thought Rolan was bad.” Lia eventually said.

“Did anyone actually bother to read all that?” Astarion said with a yawn.

“Read?” Wyll questioned, “Surely you mean ‘listen to’?”

“It was a lot of words to avoid saying ‘penis’.” Shadowheart mused.

Cal furrowed his brow,        

“I’m still not sure which one right.” He said, scratching his head.

“Classic Pickles.” Gale chuckled.

~~~ Some time later. Ramazith’s Tower, Baldur’s Gate. ~~~

“Oh, Miklaur.” Larry Pickle threw the back of one hand across his forehand, “will I ever be rid of these cruel whispers?”

His long-suffering assistant moved only his eyes, as Larry was clearly no longer concentrating on where the animated armor was aiming.

“You should have heard the chortles.” Larry pined as he walked dramatically around the chamber. Then turned to his assistant, still frozen in place for fear of being impaled. “The hushed mockery behind my back at the wizarding conventions, like daggers to my heart. I am, afterall, known for my kind-heartedness and generosity. Will you not tell me, Miklaur? Why they mock me so?”

“Uh.” Miklaur blinked a couple of times, hoping that Larry would lower the armor’s weapon. He did not.

“I’m sure they’re all jealous, sir.” Miklaur said.

“How you humour me,” Larry sighed, “of course they’re jealous, but they needn’t be so ruthless in their bullying – after all, what’s in a name?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Miklaur said, worrying a great deal more about the arrowhead threatening to enter his skull.

“Honestly, you’d think my compassion and arcane skill would more than make up for whatever perceived imperfection they have conjured.” Larry twirled around as though admiring himself in an unseen mirror.

“It is a little…” Miklaur muttered, before realizing he was speaking aloud.

“What was that?” Larry’s eyes snapped over, “You’ll have to speak up.”

“Well,” Miklaur shrugged, “you know.”

Larry raised an eyebrow.

“What do I know, Miklaur?” he asked.

“They may think it sounds a little...silly.” Miklaur murmured.

“Silly?” Larry’s voice raised an octave.

“Or, you know…”

“What is it they think it sounds like, Miklaur?” Larry asked, stepping closer. “What do they think my illustrious, eminent Pickle sounds like?”

“The, er, …nether regions.” Miklaur shuffled uncomfortably.

“Hmm?” Larry pressed him further.

Miklaur bowed his head low and mumbled,

“… a penis.”

Gathering his inner strength, Miklaur added,

“It’s funny because you’re a dick.”

Larry moved as though to strike the halfling, then stopped his arm midair,

“I fucking hate you, Miklaur.” He announced with a flourish.

Miklaur nodded his head ever-so-slightly.

“I know, sir.” He said.

“I’d throw you out this tower but then I’d have to do… whatever it is you do when I’m not threatening your life.”

“I know, sir.” Miklaur said.

“Well, I think you’ve taken up quite enough of my time today. Go and greet this new apprentice of mine.”

“His name is Rolan.” Miklaur said.

“His name is blah blah blah.” Larry mocked as he smacked Miklaur with the back of his hand, “There’s only one name of a wizard that shall be spoken of within these walls.” He stepped out onto the balcony for a dramatic monologue that no one other than himself would hear. He proclaimed across the sky above Baldur’s Gate,

“And now begins the greatest epoch of Pickle, when a true admirer of my wonderous talent arrives, one who recognizes this incredible pedigree. Finally, someone respects the power of authority of the great, the incomparable… Archmage Larry Pickles!”

~~~ Some time later. Sorcerous Sundries. ~~~

“I hate that pickled moron.” Rolan muttered.

“Do you now…” Miklaur replied, looking down at his notes. “Well Lord Pickle of the Tower said ‘Tell Ronald to stop reading in his spare time. If he has time to read, he has time to… I have no idea how that place runs, make something up and add it here.’”

“My name is Rolan.” Said Rolan.

“Then he said ‘Oh, and tell Rudolf to stop giving discounts to those Godsforsaken adventurers, there’s a world-ending cataclysm going “My name is Rolan.” Said Rolan.

“And then he said ‘And don’t forget to tell Ronnie that he’s a minor NPC and that there’s no way in all the Hells that anyone is going to lust after or emotionally connect with such a small role when there are so many incredible companions and such a vast plethora of story to engage with.”

Rolan paused, considering this new information.

“…My fucking name is Rolan.” He finally muttered.

“You know, my name is Miklaur.” Said Miklaur.

“There’s no way to say this delicately, so I shan’t bother,” Rolan said, “I’m not sure that anyone cares.”

“I know.” Miklaur sighed.

~~~ Some time later. Ramazith’s Tower. ~~~

Pained cries echoed through the tower as the two wizards clashed, lives and futures hanging in the balance. Lightning crackled through the air as Larry’s body slammed into the ground with such force the wooden floorboards splintered under him as bones shattered through broken skin.

“My name,” Rolan proclaimed loudly, standing over his defeated master, heavy breaths falling from dry lips, hands aglow with his final spell, “is-”

“Rolan!” Lia and Cal shouted as the door burst open, “Are you okay?”

“For fuck’s sake!” Rolan shouted, “You two troglodytes just stole my Gods damned moment!”

“What do you mean, Rolan?” Cal asked.

“I’ve been building up to announcing my name for 1,310 words, and you barged in and stole my glory.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” Lia snapped.

“Oh, never mind,” Rolan sighed, “it’s not as though anyone is going to remember a minor NPC like me anyway.”

“What’s an NPC?” Cal asked, “I feel I’m the only one who has no idea what’s going on here sometimes.”

“More wizard mumbo-jumbo.” Lia rolled her eyes.

“I beg of you,” Larry wheezed, as his broken body struggled with every breath, “end this torturous existence.”

 “Ah!” Gale interjected, “An NPC, well now we really are pushing the bounds of the nonsense we’re unwillingly involved in. Any more of this and I’m afraid we may all become painfully self-aware of the ridiculous reality we find ourselves in, and I dread to think what would become of us should we test the very nature of our existence.”

“Fucking kill me.” Larry coughed through blood.

“I fear ol’ Pickles got inside your head,” offered Wyll, “are you not the Master of Ramazith’s Tower?”

“I suppose once I kill the bastard,” Rolan considered, “I’ll have it all – the resources, the tower, my family. I’ll be the Archmage of the tower and the most powerful spellcaster in all of Baldur’s Gate.”

“Goody for you,” Astarion rolled his eyes, “you’ll still not be a companion, darling.”

“Perhaps,” Rolan responded, “but one can still wonder… ‘what if…’”

“The humiliation is a greater pain than the near-fatal injuries.” Larry gasped as he writhed on the bloodied ground.

“Enough!” Rolan proclaimed, “You will toy with me no longer! Your life is in my hands, Larry Pickle, you will treat me with some Gods damned respect!”

Rolan stepped over to his former master, holding his quarterstaff tightly, and pushing the end painfully into Larry’s broken chest.

“Say it.” Rolan commanded, jabbing the arcane weapon between shattered ribs.

“Your name is –” Larry spluttered.

The group leaned in to hear the words they had been waiting for. Rolan pushed again.

“Your name is –”

Rolan used the staff to move Larry’s head and force eye contact, ready for the long over-due moment. Ready to hear the word he had long waited to hear.

“…psych.” Larry said with his final breath and then he fucking died.

“Wow. That guy was a dick.” Said Cal, nudging the corpse with his foot.

“I fear your grand finale was somewhat anticlimactic.” Gale consoled the tiefling wizard.

“I didn’t need him to say it.” Rolan announced, quite sincerely. “They’ll speak of Rolan the Archmage for the next age – but who would remember such a pathetic, despicable excuse for a spellcaster… as Larry Pickles?”

What if Lorroakan was Named Larry Pickle

In this thread on Twitter/X user effelants noted that Lorroakan ought to be named Larry, and user aceforspinaltap clarified he looks like his name is Larry Pickle. I threatened to write a fanfic about it, and let it not be said that I'm not a person of my word.

This is a very silly parody skit based entirely on that joke. The 'graphic depiction of violence' is minimally described and towards Lorroakan - I mean, Larry - but tagged it to be on the safe side. There is no sexual content, but there are two instances of the word 'penis'. You're welcome.

✨ What if Lorroakan was Named Larry Pickle ✨

This delightful accompanying image provided by effelants.

[princeanxious]

Part two to that supervillain roman au, context for this comic strip sketch under the cut:

So. For one, both quotes spoken arent mine they are raw lines sourced from a list of tumblr shitposts.

Somehow its come into my mind that the way that Roman came to be a supervillain was because of a dare/promise to his twin brother when they were kids when one of them had just been discovered as having super powers(they both had powers, but they’d both been raised trying to hide it and live a normal-ish life before getting dragged into what we’ll dub “super youth school” or whatever for the forseeable future, bc they knew that that was easily a life sentence to hero work whether they wanted it or not.) Remus got found-out first bc his powers control fluctuates with how much control remus has over his own head at that moment. Roman was dragged along with even if he hadnt been found out as twins were known to share the super power trait more commonly than if only one did, regardless of when/if their powers actually manifested at the same time.

So at like 13 they’re dragged to this super school thats def more like a training camp but a *littol more* ethical than u would think it was. Its not a super horrible place, honestly. But Roman’s still trying to hide his powers. This is made easier by the fact that he and Remus do not have identical powers but instead entirely seperate/opposite foils in a way? Remus has more access to offensive power-sets while roman is more defensive.

Well.

One day a super nasty Actual Supervillain plans and executes a sudden and devastating attack on the school, first aiming to collapse the building and then taking out any stragglers inside, because, yknow. These kids could be the future heros of his undoing(oh how right and yet so*wrong* that turns out to be) and taking a chunk of this generation out now atleast delays the eventual inevitable.

Its in this event that Roman is with a fellow classmate Remy, and Remus is in a dif part of the building, with classmates Janus, Patton, and Virgil. Remy wasnt gifted with super strength, but Roman had quick enough reflexes to summon a hard-light type shield from the collapse. Only he and Remy and maybe one other student out of their entire classroom makes it past the initial collapse, and while Remus has a quick regeneration factor, that doesnt mean he has invincibility so much as super strength in the sense that he wouldnt withstand the inital collapse but it probs would kill him.(lucky for remus, Virgil is a prodigy at teleportation and manages to get the four of them out safely and *far* away from the chaos. ….at the same time, this group roughly around ages 16-18 realizes this is their only real chance to run and escape this place for good and have a second chance at living low-profile normal-ish lives for a while, and thus make a *run for it*)

Roman and Remy manage to lay low and eventually get rescued by an active superhero, all the while Roman doing his level best to maintain the lightshield to keep the weight of the building from crushing them for *hours*

Essentially, the brothers end up believing that the other is dead from the disaster, the others even legally registered as such for years. And that silly kid promise of ‘if you win, we can become superheros, but if I win, we’re becoming super villains.’ It was just like, another one of their running jokes growing up. At a young age, Remus saw a major appeal in becoming a super villain, and Roman saw a major appeal in becoming a superhero, and as twins sometimes do, their young-adult counterparts came to the exact same conclusion(again, at different times but still the same decision in the end) after the collapse: “I’ll be the best super [hero/villain] i can be, for you, because *you* never got to.”

And Remus? His first order of business? Making his first superhero debut by offing the fucker that killed his brother and all the other helpless innocent lives that hadnt deserved to die.

[recordofablerd]

Introducing the Community Queer Pride Flag, made by a Queer for every Queer

So many of my best thoughts start with a tweet thread: the creation of this flag is no different, spawned from early morning wanderings on November, 22, 2022.

I can’t tell you why, exactly, I woke up thinking about wanting a new Queer flag: I can’t tell you what really urged me to stick with this project until its actual completion, as that’s something I struggle with due to my AuDHD.

What I can tell you is this: when I set out to create this flag, I wanted to create a Queer flag that wholly wasn’t the Pride flag, but a flag for Queer sexuality and identity specifically, and for all that it encompasses and embodies. I wanted a flag that reflects my experience with Queerness on four distinct levels: as a sexuality, as a gender expression, as a lived experience, and as a joyful way to be in the world.

Thus, the Community Queer Pride Flag, which I only named on the day of its debut.

The flag went through twelve different designs, ranging from a simple horizontal stripe pattern to more… abstract patterns that were far too confusing to the eye. Initially, I had five colors–orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple—but after running that past my roommates and a few others, I ultimately decided to eliminate the color green and keep a tangerine-ish orange, a sunflower-esque yellow, a vivid royal blue, and of course, lavender, for the final color scheme. 

I also had to consider the actual stripes themselves: I had, as I said, twelve designs, and some of them were… too creative. What eventually was settled on were the two final designs: a vertical arrangement starting with lavender on the left and ending with tangerine on the right, and an angled arrangement with the stripes at an asymmetrical 45 degrees. The latter is a personal favorite amongst those who I showed the final designs to: and I have to admit, it’s my favorite as well, which is why I've chosen it as the formal flag. (I will be including the alternative version as well!)

After a week of pushing minute shifts in color values here and there, I’ve finally arrived at what I wanted when I first decided to actually make a pride flag: a Queer flag that centers community at its core, opening up Queerness to everyone from a different, but not necessarily new, angle, be they Queer and Bi, Queer and Cis, Queer and Asexual, or any of the beautiful, infinite expressions that are tangled up in being Queer. 

Of course, I’m not the first person to have this idea: I’d be remiss if I didn’t give credit to Pastelmemer’s Queer Flag, which was created in 2015. It uses a beautiful array of colors, each imbued with meaning:

Pinks and Blues for same-gender attraction

Orange and Green for non-binary individuals

Black and White for asexuality, aromanticism, and agender individuals

(Flag created by Pastelmemer, circa 2015)

There’s also the lesser known Chevron queer flag by Tumblr user bizexuals, as well as a number of individuals, which uses two lavender-colored cheverons–for their historic coloration and for the non-straight lines–on an off-white background, chosen because white is the color the results from all the colors of the rainbow combining. It’s beautiful in its simplicity, and was made with sensory issues in mind.

(Flag created by Bizexuals, circa 2017)

Both were my models and inspiration as I decided to create a Queer pride flag centered on community over gender as a way to add to the already existing pantheon of Queer-specific flags. As an agender person–something new that I’m only just really exploring for myself alongside my own Queer exploration–it was important to me that whatever flag I created be wholly uncentered on gender, opening itself up to what Queerness can be when applied on mutiple levels that don’t necessarily elide gender, but also, doesn’t put it front and center. 

What about the Queers who are wholly divorced from gender? What about Queers for whom gender has never been a factor in who they are? What about the Queers who will never fit in the binary or the non-binary spectrums? First and foremost, that’s who I wanted this flag to speak to, myself included. This flag wouldn’t be as meaningful, in my mind, had it centered on anything but an expression that was ungendered and communal. For most of my life, I’ve had gender foisted on me: it’s only been in the past eight months that I’ve recognized my beautiful lack of gender and started to celebrate that. That’s what I carried with me as I opened Canva and started mocking up designs.

That said, the Queer Community is for all, and it’s critical to me, as I prepare to send it out into the world, that this flag remains for all and is never gatekept by anyone. Part of community is opening our arms to all experiences: Queerness should not be bound by its limitations. Rather, the Community Queer fllag is a symbol of the infinite ways queerness can shape itself, across cultures, backgrounds, expressions, lived experiences, and so much more.

So… without further adieu, let me formally introduce the Community Queer Pride Flag and its colors:

Lavender (Hex code #D0C3F1) for its historic importance to queerness and for Spirit, Spirituality, and Healing

Blue (Hex code #3552C8) for Inspiration and Liberation

Yellow (Hex code #F6E678) for Joy and Optimism

Orange (Hex code #FF955F) for Energy and Community

Together, these colors, bordered by white (Hex Code #FDFDFD) and charcoal (Hex Code #21221F) make a flag bound by community and communal celebration of Queerness on all levels. When these colors combine, they are a representation of unchecked joy, unbound optimism, and healing. 

They’re a symbol that we’re here, we’re Queer, and we ain’t going anywhere.

As promised, I'm also going to put the alternative version out there, which is also free for use with credit:

My hope for this flag is simple: if even just one person finds it and sees themself and their experiences reflected in it, then I’m happy. If one person finds it and creates something from it–pins, fiber art, shirts, OC fanart, a mug–then I’m still just as happy. Feel free to create what you'd like, to wear it, tattoo it, celebrate it, and uplift it: my goal with putting this out into the world isn’t ownership, though I do ask for people to link to this post and credit me, Cypress L. Catwell, for this flag.

All in all, I hope that the Community Queer Pride Flag finds its way into the pantheon of flags and continues to provide both shelter and community for those who need it. Use it, share it, love it: may it be a symbol of your own pride as you move through the world.

Truly wishing every Queer person in existence, who’s ever been and who’s to come, all the joy you so rightfully deserve. Keep on being you.

Signed,  Cypress L. Catwell Creator of the Community Queer Pride Flag (2022)

[nerdynatreads]

☆☆YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram | Storygraph ☆☆

book review || Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell 

video review || Pretty Lost Pretty Quickly -- 24 Hour Readathon || My Best Friends Pick My TBR

my god, these boys made me mushy.

Outside of Star Wars, sci-fi is not my usual jam, but this was so freaking good. I was shocked to learn that this book, with intricate world-building, a delicate political situation, and a murder mystery that had me suspicious of everyone, (except you Jainan. I never thought it was you, bby), is A DEBUT?

But really, what had me so swooning was the beautiful slow-burn romance between two boys whose pasts are affecting their new marriage. The character work was impeccable. Jainan seems cold and non-responsive but analyzes every word and movement, while Kiem is a former party child/still sort of hot mess who is trying to keep from being exiled (again). There’s so much depth to the both of them that I could talk about, but I don’t want to possibly dampen any emotions around these reveals.

Their marriage starts in the midst of a sensitive time for the empire, but trouble follows them around like no tomorrow.

Gender is also handled in a very clever way throughout the story, but also different depending on the culture, yet inclusive nonetheless.

I’ve pitched this as Red White and Royal Blue meets Star Wars, which I still stand by, but the plot is definitely heavier on the political and mystery side. But you want slow burn that comes from misunderstandings, thus leading the two characters to slowly bond and get to know one another in a careful way to ensure that they don’t overstep, even though all they both want to do is overstep? This right here.

Also, hurt/comfort, only one bed, happy go lucky meets reserved and stoic couple.

4.5 / 5 stars

[weaver-z]

25 writing tips for new or aspiring writers!

I’m incredibly bored today, so I thought I’d share some advice I like to give to young writers who are planning a novel or work of fiction. Check under the cut if you’re curious!

1. If you’re writing a novel, you should really have an outline written before you start. Yes, some authors have written great works without outlining! However, this is an incredibly risky move that often leads to burnout and a directionless, meandering plot. 

2. On that note, don’t feel afraid to alter or break from your original outline if you have a great idea or a new and interesting plot point to incorporate! 

3. Exposition is a delicate balancing act. Avoid info-dumps, but don’t leave your readers completely in the dark. 

4. Well-written imagery is critical to most works of fiction. Your job as a writer is to craft a rich, vibrant world for your characters (and, by extension, the reader) to inhabit. Even mundane or ordinary settings can be described in ways that make them feel immersive.

5. Your characters should be interesting before they are likable. 

6. Internal conflict makes characters interesting. Explore your main character’s inner life and relationships to others. What ties bind them? What forces and people pull them in different directions?

7. Dedicate yourself to a premise. If your plot can’t be described in one or two sentences, make your work more focused. 

8. While worldbuilding is important to many works of fiction (especially fantasy and sci-fi), worldbuilding is not writing. Don’t fall down a rabbit hole of research or setting-building that will burn you out and distract you from your plot and character development.

9. Show your work to your friends and, more importantly, to people willing to beta-read for you. Try to find people who will give you honest and constructive criticism about your writing, and react positively to their feedback.

10. Kill your darlings. Be your own critic. Your work is a labor of love, but it is NOT your baby. Be willing to edit, alter, and outright scrap portions of your work if something isn’t working.

11. Related to points 5 and 6--give your characters a strong philosophy and convictions, then challenge them.

12. Main characters need to fail, and bad things need to happen that are their fault. Your character needs to struggle, to strive, to fall and get up again. This process makes them human.

13. All of your characters should have key traits that differentiate them from each other in their interactions. These can include tics, manners of speaking, vocabulary, habits, and the ways in which they move. This helps your reader to remember key players in your narrative and makes your work FAR more entertaining and easy to read.

14. When describing the physical characteristics of your characters, focus on traits that make them stand out. Describing a character’s hair color and eye color is expected and a decent way to put an image of the character in your reader’s eye. However, describing a character with hands that twitch and tremble as though constantly grasping for a knife will intrigue your readers and make them want to learn more about this person.

15. Diversity is a great thing in fiction! Try to seek the counsel and advice of people in the minority groups you’re representing if you’re not in those groups yourself. Sensitivity readers are great if you’re planning to publish and share work that tackles social issues.

16. Find a place where you can get into a “flow” to write. Different people prefer to write in different environments; find one that suits you.

17. Villains have to do villainous things. A lot of young writers, concerned with making their villains “too problematic,” create designated villains who do little to further the plot and pose no real threat to the protagonist. Yes, this is a real issue I’ve encountered.

18. When writing science fiction or fantasy, find ways to break from the tropes of the genre. Tolkienesque fantasy settings and StarWarsian science fiction settings are extremely common in genre fiction and thus are hard to write well due to their oversaturation. Having said that, if you have a great plot that fits well into a “typical” fantasy or science fiction universe, don’t be afraid to write it!

19. Read the work of great authors, especially the work of authors in genres you want to write. Reading is, to put it in an extremely trite way, exercise for your mind. You will develop as a writer by reading.

20. Accept that you need experience, time, and planning to publish good, high-quality work. Hone your skill in writing before making your debut.

21. Here’s a petty and very specific tip: if you see one of those horrible “50 words to say instead of ‘said’” lists, which often circulate around tumblr, pinterest, and instagram, ignore it. “Said” should cover 90% of your necessary dialogue tags, as it is a word that facilitates the flow of speech rather than halting it. Other words, such as shouted, whispered, called, or hissed are sometimes necessary to indicate volume, but use them sparingly.

22. Don’t obsess over your first draft. Wait until it’s finished to start doing major edits.

23. Ask your friends for ideas and feedback beyond simple criticism. One of my friends helped me massively expand on a specific part of my worldbuilding that is critical to the novel I’m working on.

24. Don’t incorporate romantic relationships into your plotline without reason or for paper-thin reasons (e.g. “it’s expected in this genre” or “I made these two characters sexy”). Critics have a field day with poorly-developed love triangles for good reason.

25. On that note, don’t waste space on anything that is filler or feels like filler. Padding is the bane of many a good novel. Be efficient, and your work’s pacing and readability will drastically improve.

That’s about all I have for now! If anyone wants me to expand on any of these points, I’ll do so in the comments.

[icequeenbae]

The Duality of Baekhyunie (m) | BBH

Sequel: Double the Jealousy

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader, female!Baekhyun x Reader

Superpowers, best friends to lovers, lots of backstory (sorry), some angst, smut

Warnings: female Baek, some girl on girl action, explicit content (mostly f/m, but… you’ve been warned), unprotected sex

Word Count: 9.3k

Summary: Teleporting into your best friend’s office uninvited was something you’d gotten used to. What you didn’t count on is overhearing a 'private moment' one late night. Realizing that you could not accept the notion of him being with somebody else, you responded the only way you knew how – you ran away from the object of your inconvenient feelings. But when you have to face him in the most vulnerable state, can you really accept him for what he is?

© Please do not copy/ post on other platforms without permission.

Author’s Note: So… This is my tumblr debut hehe It’s not at all my first piece of writing, but I’m happy to start off my blog by sharing this. It was a very long road for me, and I couldn’t do it without @technicallymilkshakes who was my rock throughout the editing process [sending love your way, Mars]. I hope you guys enjoy the story, please let me know what you liked (or suggest improving) in the comments or DMs, I’d love to hear from you! 

Tags:  @blahblahblah-boo​

Byun Baekhyun was your bestest friend. You’d known him a lifetime, and absolutely adored him from day one. Although incredibly cheeky (which, in all honesty, was part of his charm), Baekhyun was also incredibly soft-hearted towards everyone – those he considered family in particular. During the many years of your friendship, he looked after you, especially since he was a few years your senior.

Both pretty open-minded and talkative, you used to chat about anything and everything, and it was so natural for you to ask him to come over with snacks and cuddles and some mischief whenever you were feeling down or just plain bored (like he wasn’t already on his way). Baekhyun, dramatic as he was, would lift your spirits up easily, telling you hilarious stories about himself. Like that one time he told his then-crush he was a goalkeeper to make a pun (girl-keeper, you see?), and then had to pretend to actually be a goalie of the school’s soccer team. His goalkeeping skills were so miserable that the girl he was trying to impress walked off with someone else after the game. However, he stuck with it and, turned out, he wasn’t a talentless player – he just went for the wrong position. Baekhyun loved telling this story of him becoming a star-forward of the school, and – a tiny TMI – a universal crush for any girl in a ten mile radius. All thanks to one bad pun. And maybe a haircut.

Still, the biggest secrets you’d traded were those related to your abilities. Both you and Baekhyun came from very special backgrounds and inherited the familial powers of your ancestors. The women in your family traditionally received the gifts from their mothers — thus, your power was teleportation. Your mom also had the gift of vision, but this ability was not as easy to tap into so it came later on in adulthood. That you were thankful for; teleportation alone was difficult enough, requiring more practice than you could muster the discipline for. But with the help of your loving family and your best friend by your side, you gradually got there.

As for Baekhyun… it was complicated.

His family had a specific way the familial magic was inherited. For generations, their women had been giving birth to twins – a son and a daughter. The son would then receive the power of shapeshifting, and his sister would control the healing light. Yet Baekhyun’s mother did not follow any rules: she simply fell in love and got married — against her family’s wishes — to an ordinary man with no magic in his blood.

The inevitable happened; the firstborn – only a son, no daughter – was discovered to have taken after his father and held no magical power. Not that it made a difference to his parents, but the mother’s side of the family was inconsolable — their powerful line was in danger.

When Baekhyun was born, surrounded by shimmering orbs, it was clear as day that he indeed had a power. As he grew older, it became more and more evident that he controlled the Light. You would think that his mother’s family would finally be pleased… Yet they were furious. Not only did the boy not have the ability to shapeshift, but he also held the power inherited exclusively by women of their family. It was a disgrace.

You, on the other hand, never cared about his heritage. In fact, you thought he had the coolest power in the world! The amount of times he fooled around, lighting in-house stars for you during sleepovers, was impossible to count. Though you feared the dark before, Baekhyun managed to make it your friend. And why would you fear anything when his touch could heal almost any injury? Even though it could drain him, he always healed you. ‘What are friends for?’ he used to say, patting you on the head fondly.

The two of you were inseparable for many years, and you never questioned it – not until high school. Since Baekhyun had already started university, you saw much less of him around. No lunch breaks together, no fun walks home after classes… You kept coming over (read – teleporting) to hang out, of course, and he told you about the ‘grown up life’ he was leading. But that was far from how much time you used to spend together when you went to the same school. You missed the way he would always make you laugh at the library, getting both of you kicked out as a result, just to have you come to his hapkido classes and watch the elementary school kids he trained call him Master-nim. Every time one of them addressed him, he side-eyed you with the most neutral expression he could muster. You didn’t buy it for one second – he definitely enjoyed that! Most likely because of the giant eye roll you responded with, which easily broke his attempts to maintain a straight face and made him tilt his head back in that rumbling laugh of his. You only shook your head and let the corner of your mouth turn up slightly, contemplating if it made his chest hurt.

It was hard for you, not having him around all the time. No one could read you so well. Whenever he met up with you to go home after school, it only took him 3 seconds to know if you were upset or tired or simply in a bad mood. And he always figured out what to do – joke around, give you a tight hug, or sit you down in ‘your’ armchair in his room (he asked his parents to get it since you complained that sitting on the floor left bruises on your butt) as he opted to sit on a pillow in front of you, and have a long conversation about what was bothering you. Usually fueled by some hot chocolate too – you were a teenage girl, after all.

Of course you strived to reciprocate, however, Baekhyun didn’t like to share much of his troubles. He just made it sound like a joke. ‘I’m a man, you know? I’ll figure it out, Y/N-ah!’ But you could tell from his tone when it was hard for him to handle alone. So you just didn’t let him; ignoring his act, you would throw your arms around him in a tight lock and tell him you would always be there to help. And you really were – cheering him on wherever he went and being someone he could rely on.

But could you do that from a different city? You guessed he simply avoided talking to you on the phone if he was down. Obviously, you couldn’t teleport every few hours to check on him. It felt like he was slipping away, little by little, with you knowing fewer and fewer details of his day and, generally, his life. But you still wanted to know those things and be a part of his life! You wanted to be the one to press your cheek to his shoulder as you held him when he was sad or frustrated. And the one he showcased his cringy aegyo to in order to get you to cook him something yummy. And the one he teased mercilessly every time you messed up in his favorite video game, tickling you and shoving you playfully to the side with one hand as a distraction because the winner got a wish granted.

Long distance friendship made you realize that you missed him. His playfulness and silly jokes, his caring eyes and warm embrace, his loud laugh and tiny pout, even the way he always devoured food as if someone was after him. You missed him so much more than one would miss a friend.

That was not a revelation you were ready for. The unfamiliar stirring in your chest every time you visited, or so much as thought of him, was not something you were equipped to handle. He suddenly became the first boy to make you feel like a million butterflies fluttered their wings in your belly with just his morning voice on the phone. But what could you do from so far away? You desperately wanted to get him back in your life, now more than ever, and decided to choose universities closer to his whereabouts. So that you could be around more – the way you used to be, as opposed to stopping by as an occasional guest.

Luckily, you got into the same school as him, although not in business administration, but marketing. You were so happy – finally you had a chance with him! Being in close proximity again, you were sure you could find a way to let him know that you wanted to be more than friends. Yes, you had no experience in this whatsoever, and you barely even acknowledged that your newly discovered feelings for him were of a romantic nature, but it was Baekhyun, after all. If anyone could read you like a book, it was him. And he’d know what to do.

But as time passed, you realized that you were so heavily friend-zoned that no technique would help make Baekhyun see you as a girl. You were just that – his precious childhood friend. And at that point of your life, for the first time, the notion made you sick. You used every trick in the book on him, but all in vain. Falling asleep on his shoulder? He’d just cover you with a blanket. Subtly asking him out on a picnic date? Sure enough, he’d bring his friends – the more, the merrier, right? And if you opted for extra pretty clothes when you came over to his place, he offered you to change in some of his, since yours didn’t ‘look comfy’.

Maybe you weren’t skilled enough to get the message across, you thought. So, as an act of despair, you did the last thing that came to your mind. You got drunk. Not just for the sake of it though – you merely needed some ‘liquid courage’ to confess to your best friend. You should’ve realized that it was a bad idea, but you still went with it. And, as anticipated, it did not go well.

‘Baekhyunee,’ you whined, putting your head onto his chest as you wrapped your arms around his waist. ‘You’re always so good to me. I want to tell you something… important.’

Your speech was slurred, but you tried to sound as serious as possible.

‘And what would that be?’ Baekhyun chuckled, holding you by the shoulders to keep you from falling on the floor in his room, where he brought you to crash.

‘I love you,’ you breathed out full of determination, and he…

He snickered!?

‘Yeah, me too. Can you let go of my shirt?’ He tried to shake you off onto the bed. ‘You should sleep it off, little lush.’

You wanted to insist, but he scolded you for your lack of cooperation.

‘Come on, my back is hurting already. You’re such an impossible drunk,’ he joked, but you instantly pulled back.

‘It’s your bed. Aren’t you getting in?’ It made you grit your teeth – how desperate must you be coming off!

‘Of course not, I’ll be on the couch. See you tomorrow!’ He said as he walked out of the room, leaving you slumped on the bed.

Of course not.

This entire situation, the way he reacted… What if the real problem was not your poor seduction skills, but the fact that he just didn’t feel the same way? You did not take that into account.

You regretted everything. Your stupid behaviour, your pathetic attempts to flirt with him and get him to see you as girlfriend material. There was a reason why he kept treating you like an older brother would – your feelings were one-sided. What made you feel even worse was knowing that Baekhyun actually had dating experience, as opposed to you – pining over him for years like a silly schoolgirl. You’d found out that he’d been in a relationship with a girl who was his senior in university, which he only told you about after it ended. When you confronted him about keeping that from you for months, he explained that he ‘didn't want it to be awkward’. Maybe you just weren’t his type. Or maybe he only adored you as his ‘little sister’. And perhaps that was worse than rejection.

Your pride, as well as your heart, was smashed. You wanted to disappear to the farthest ends of the world. The very next morning, when you teleported out of his room upon awakening (anything to avoid the awkwardness of that breakfast conversation), you decided that something needed to change. No more than a week later, you brought the documents needed to study abroad for a double degree. 

You told Baekhyun you wanted a challenge, and an international degree would also give you more opportunities later on. But in all honesty… It was your unrequited feelings for him you were foolishly running from.

He supported your decision, hoping that you’d still be in touch just like when he moved away. But you were always so tired from excessive studying that you couldn’t even use your ability to teleport properly, certainly not to such impressive distances. After one particular incident where you wound up in the middle of nowhere after trying to visit him on the weekend, and barely managed to make it back home safely, Baekhyun forbade you from trying again. At least not until you had enough energy to use your power for longer teleports without scaring him out of his mind. He missed spending time with you, he kept telling you over text complete with multiple emojis, but tried to distract himself by hanging out with his other friends more and focusing on his studies and career.

You were doing pretty much the same thing. Except your goal was to finally move on and fill the empty space in your heart with someone other than the person you wanted most. He was unattainable, so your fixation on him had to end.

For a long while you thought that you’d succeeded; a few months into your studies abroad, you started a relationship. It was the first time in a while that you were happy, and thoughts of your best friend became less frequent and bothersome. Your first real date, your first real everything – your life seemed much fuller than before, and you truly believed that your attraction to Baekhyun had finally died down. Out of sight, out of mind, or so they say.

But the happiness didn’t last, and the glass castle you’d been building so diligently for months fell apart right in front of you.

Baekhyun rang you up one day just to hear you choking back tears, telling him that your boyfriend had broken up with you. The reason was simple – he found someone else he was interested in. That was only a few weeks prior to your planned return home. Your ass of a boyfriend made it clear that it was ‘fun while it lasted’, but he was not about to get into any ‘long distance messes’.

This was your first relationship, and your best friend couldn’t allow you to go through major heartbreak all on your own. So, he came to see you the following week, and your wallowing ass was never out of his sight. Baekhyun made sure to provide all the distraction you needed, bringing you home safely afterwards.

Soon enough, you got your act together and decided to pursue a Master’s degree at your old university. It was a great school, especially great because the campus was located not too far from the small fashion design firm Baekhyun now ran with one of his close friends, Chanyeol.

Naturally, you were being constantly pressured by your bestie to forego the dorm life and just move into the spare room he had vacant ever since his previous roommate had moved out. You knew he owned the apartment, but he was still paying off the mortgage. Yet he insisted that the rent his former roommate used to pay was ‘symbolic’, and he wasn’t going to take your money anyways. You tried an ultimatum – that you weren’t going to move in unless you paid at least some rent. But Baekhyun, being the cunning little shit that he was, begged you to help out with marketing for his company instead – much like an intern, or a junior employee. He said the department was small and could benefit from a fresh pair of eyes and your international expertise. So you agreed, not yet realizing he was doing you, a graduate student with no solid previous experience, a double favor. 

He wasn’t even consistent in his efforts to fool you – a few months later, you were not only officially hired, you even had your own little secluded corner at work. And, of course, you had exclusive rights to the huge whiteboard in Baekhyun’s office. The ‘Big Boss’ – Chanyeol called him that every time he went into his overly serious mode during meetings – did not allow anyone to scribble on it. He had his own creative chaos on the board, which was not to be disrupted by any living thing.

The first time his assistant saw you walk into Baekhyun’s office without a care and erase his doodles to draw a big draft of an internet ad you had in mind to get your boss’s opinion on, she almost had a heart attack. She then proceeded to have it when Baekhyun suddenly walked into the room to witness what you were doing to his precious whiteboard. Before the assistant could come up with an excuse to keep her from facing the director’s wrath, he chuckled and ruffled your hair affectionately. He told you to add some color and went to his table calmly. The triple heart attack nearly rendered the assistant dead.

The company he owned wasn’t huge yet, but it was growing rapidly. Granted, there were a lot of young people occupying various positions, starting at the top with Baekhyun and Chanyeol. This fact, however, made it extremely hard for you to even walk out of your best friend’s office without causing a new wave of rumors about your relationship. They didn’t even know that you actually lived together… You were no celebrity, but you had your fair share of ‘anti-fans’ by now. All thanks to Baekhyun and his gorgeous looks, which made the entire office swoon and fantasize about the ‘sexiest human being on planet Earth’. Or so you’d heard.

You, however, knew him as the biggest dork in the world. And you would choose it over any macho man sexiness people were somehow attributing to him. Your suspicion was that his wallet had something to do with this distorted perception. At some point you had grown so sick from all of the unwanted attention to your persona, especially from Baekhyun’s adoring assistant, that you decided to use your power to slip in and out of his office unnoticed. You were used to teleporting somewhere right from your desk, since you sometimes stayed late. Those nights, you were basically chased away by Baekhyun, who seemed quite displeased with you being practically the last one to leave the office while the rest of the marketing team was long gone. 

‘Don’t you think it’s kinda late for you to still be at work?’

‘Well, you’re also here, aren’t you?’

‘Yeah, but that’s me,’ he shrugged. ‘Go home. Don’t make me shut your computer down.’

‘I just need to finish one-’

‘Finish it tomorrow. Your boss is kicking you out,’ Baekhyun quipped and you sighed in annoyance. You knew that he wasn’t kidding about shutting your work computer down, so you made sure that you were indeed alone, and teleported back home.

‘Traveling’ around the office, however, was slightly different. It required even more precautions. Thankfully, Baekhyun had a small walk-in wardrobe area, which you used often to check whether there was someone in the room before getting to the huge whiteboard you loved to utilize. It had worked pretty well for you for weeks and months, until that one time… it suddenly did not.

The night you decided it was late enough for most people to be out of the office anyways and teleported to your usual spot, was the night everything changed.

It was dark outside, and you weren’t sure why Baekhyun’s assistant hadn’t left yet (you saw her coat on the hanger just minutes earlier). So you decided to sneak in the way you always did, and blinked, shutting your eyes for a long second. Opening them, you faced the wall of Baekhyun’s wardrobe and listened to hear if someone was there. You were always quiet after you teleported, and you became extra cautious when you heard something. You couldn’t make anything out at first, but then realized it was a sigh. Or… a moan?

Unsure, you stayed frozen, turning all ears.

‘Fuck.’ A soft curse grazed your ears and you perked up.

It was Baekhyun’s voice. You were one hundred percent sure that it was him. You’d known that voice back when it was screechy and boyish, right before it broke and became velvety and warm, like honey left out in the morning sun.

‘Shit, baby,’ you heard him breathe out, accompanied by an obscene wet sound and a chair creaking. ‘Yes, just like that.’

It was like lightning struck you on the spot.

Realizing what you were hearing, you closed your eyes, teleporting faster than you could blink. In that odd moment you were stunned and panicked and not in control. It was a while since you’d teleported unsafely like that. The act required some concentration, which you were unable to exercise then. Hence you ended up losing your balance and crashing into your office desk, somehow obtaining a long painful cut on your thigh from the corner of the table in the midst of it. You almost cried out, but held it in, to avoid making any more noise than you had already made. Staring at the wall blindly for a few moments, you felt tears forming in your eyes. Why was this upsetting you? So what if he was having sex with his assistant in his office? It wasn’t like you caught your boyfriend cheating on you. You had no right to feel like this about him. Hadn’t you moved on a while ago?

As a thick drop of blood began to trickle down your thigh, you snapped out of it and teleported home. You had to prevent an ugly scar from replacing the deep scratch in the near future, and there was no way you were going to ask Baekhyun to heal you.

You spent the next hour crying in the bathroom, unsure whether you were so hurt by the wound you’d inflicted upon yourself or by the reignited feelings you thought you had buried deep enough.

You took a few days off.

Unable to look Baekhyun in the eye after the shameful ordeal in his office, you told him you needed to see a family doctor via text and left for the rest of the week. You did see a doctor in your hometown, and stayed with your parents for a bit too. Not only because you didn’t spend time at your parents’ house too often, but also because you could lock yourself up in your room and stare at the ceiling, hearing the now distant voice looping in your head. ‘Shit, baby. Just like that.’

You felt sick to your stomach.

It wasn’t only the shame of catching your best friend in such an act, but also the bitter disappointment you felt at the circumstances. You never thought of Baekhyun as the stereotypical boss who’d have his secretary sprawled over his own desk. He had always been pretty quiet about his relationships, and you thought he was just being a gentleman. Now that your ears had witnessed how ‘classy’ he actually was, it was impossible not to question all of the aspects of his personality that you thought you knew through and through. And the hidden context of the moments you’d shared recently. Like, whenever he was nagging at you for staying late in the office, was he actually mad at you for being an obstacle to his rendezvous with the ubiquitous assistant?

The thought of being an obstacle to Baekhyun did not sit well with you.

‘No, it can’t be,’ you whispered to yourself, shaking your head and picking up the phone to scroll through the previews of at least a couple dozen messages Baekhyun had sent you since your sudden relocation to your family home.

‘How are you?~ I still want to know why you needed to go to the doctor’

‘Tell me, Y/N-aaaah~’

‘It’s not serious, right?! Hehe I hope not’

‘I can heal you anyways, not a big deal. Don’t worry about me, just come back and I’ll make you lit. Ye know? Lite u up’

‘You’re not reading my messages’

Missed call

‘Text me when you’re done. I’m worried’

Missed call

Missed call

‘Y/N, you still busy?’

‘Pls text when you can’

Missed call

Missed call

‘I have a meeting, but call me whenever you see this, I’ll leave my phone on’

‘Y/N-ah, are you ok? I’m home, and I really don’t know what to think’

‘When are you coming back? Do you need me to come see you?’

‘I can come, just say the word. Are you really that sick, Y/N-ah? I’m really worried’

‘Text me even if it’s late. I can’t sleep anyways’

You couldn’t finish reading though his monologue, tears clouding your eyesight. Every message played out in your head so vividly. Every little bit of it was Baekhyun. Your best friend, the playful one, the one who always worried about you and took care of you, the one who you desperately wanted to hold onto, and the one you were currently running away from, again. You could almost hear his voice reading the message out loud in your head, when your screen lit up.

‘I’m gonna come see you, Y/N-ah. I can’t find your mom’s phone number, but it’s only a few hours to drive’

You’d let out a shaky breath and almost choked on air as you accidentally clicked on the message, opening the entire chat.

‘Shit,’ you cursed at your own clumsiness, staring at the screen. He could definitely see that you had opened the messages. You almost felt his anxiousness grow as he waited for you to reply.

‘Y/N?’ he prompted.

You chewed on your lip. It was too early, you weren’t ready to talk to him yet.

‘Don’t come. I’m fine’

The text seemed so dry compared to how you usually chat.

Baekhyun fell silent.

And then started video calling you.

Almost jumping up on the bed, you hurriedly pressed decline, heart almost beating out of your chest with nerves.

You were both silent for a few moments before you saw him typing something.

‘I just need to see that you’re fine. I know it’s late’

‘I don’t want to’

You responded, gritting your teeth.

‘A pic then? Or tell me you’re really ok, and I’ll call you in the morning’

He was so in your face with his concern that you snapped.

‘I don’t want to talk to you!’

You threw your phone on the pillow and sobbed, feeling pathetic once more.

‘So stupid,’ you cursed, unsure if it was directed at your friend or yourself.

Your phone vibrated again.

‘Oh, what now?’ you grabbed it frustratedly and read his message.

‘…Why? Did I do something?’

He seemed so clueless that you couldn’t hold it in any longer.

‘I don’t wanna talk to you, Baekhyun. And I don’t want to see your face, so don’t even think about coming here.’

Send

‘You’re just like every other man I know. I don’t want to see you!’

Send

‘Leave me alone!’

Send

You put your phone away, tears streaming down your face, chest heaving with renewed sobs. It was probably the first time for you to fight like that, and you felt devastated. You were on the verge of being hysterical.

Closing your eyes, you tried to focus on your breathing. It was essential for you to calm down before you accidentally threw yourself into some desert or hurt yourself again. You were especially afraid of teleporting right into Baekhyun’s room, since your own heart was aching at the way you told him off. But you were so angry and so incredibly sad, you didn’t know how else to deal with it. Whenever you used to argue when you were kids, it was so easy to make up. Baekhyun had always welcomed you back in. What if you had slammed the door too loudly this time?

Why did you care if he was fucking his assistant or not?

How could you stop the painful squeeze in your chest?

The questions swirling in your head had you crying yourself to sleep that night.

You woke up so shattered that you were wary of showing your face to your parents. After a long refreshing shower… you still didn’t look great, but noted slight improvement. Checking your phone timidly, you realized it had died, so you left it to charge before joining your parents for lunch.

As much as they were happy to see you, they knew something was going on. You looked terrible and you had no appetite for the home cooked meal, but most importantly – you were not glued to your phone to talk to your ‘puppy dog tail’, which is what your mom used to call Baekhyun for following you around when you were little. Everything was off about this unannounced visit, and your mother knew that better than anyone.

‘Did you have a fight?’ she asked, once you were left alone in the kitchen to do the dishes.

‘Huh?’

‘You and Baekhyun. What happened?’

‘Nothing,’ you answered sourly. ‘He just- disappointed me, that’s all.’

‘Is that so?’ your mom asked, the corner of her mouth jumping upwards faintly. ‘I’m sure you can let him off the hook once in your lifetime.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Oh honey, that boy has been all over your case since forever. I wonder whether you’re trying to keep your relationship a secret from me, or maybe you are that silly.’

‘What are you talking about, mom?’ you whined. ‘You don’t know him that well. Even I don’t know him that well, apparently-’

‘Oh don’t you now?’ your mother interrupted. ‘Just ask him how he feels about you.’

‘Yeah, right,’ you sighed.

‘What’s holding you back, your pride? Or maybe you’re scared, because you know you broke his heart with a harsh word?’ Your mom’s eyes had a fiery spark you didn’t witness often. Only when she tapped into her power of vision.

‘Why did you leave him when he needs you the most?’

‘You- saw something?’ you stuttered.

‘I only saw that hearts can be mended,’ your mom smiled at you and turned around to join dad in the living room. ‘But he is desperate right now.’

‘Desperate? Why, is he in trouble?’ you felt sick again, worry bubbling in your stomach. ‘M-Mom?’

‘I’ve already said too much. Ask him.’

As she said that, you bolted. Up the stairs, to your bedroom. Grabbing the charging phone from the nightstand, you unlocked it and opened your messaging app.

‘Baek…’ you sent, typing the follow up message right away.

The dots appeared immediately, making you pause.

His next three messages made you shiver.

‘I don’t know why you’re so upset with me, but… Something happened’

‘Please come’

‘I’m scared. I need you’

You sprang off the bed, pacing around the room nervously. Should you change from your pajamas? Did you have time for that? What if that was a trick to get you to talk to him? But your mom said his heart was broken, and he was- you couldn’t-

‘Mom, dad, I’m going home!’ you yelled before shutting your eyes and reappearing in Baekhyun’s eerily quiet apartment. All of the curtains were closed, and it was as dark as the night in there.

‘Baek?’ you called, walking almost blindly towards his bedroom. ‘You home?’

‘Y/N,’ his voice sounded so different when he called back. You weren’t sure if he called through a sob, but you were aware of your heart beating fast and heavy in your throat as you approached his room hurriedly. You prayed that he was okay, that he didn’t do anything stupid or hurt himself while you were away.

Storming into the dimly lit room you looked around until your eyes fell on a curled figure on the floor, back leaning on the bed, and you froze.

You knew these pants, and this shirt. Baekhyun wore those a lot at home. The stupid fluffy socks you gifted him for Christmas as a joke? He had always put those on when he was down, he said they cheered him up. But Baekhyun never had such long silky hair. He did not have narrow shoulders and round breasts.

And you were sure as hell that Baekhyun never was a girl.

‘B- Baek?’ you mumbled in shock.

He looked up at you, eyes poignant and glimmering with tears.

‘Oh, Baekhyunie,’ you lamented, walking up to him and dropping on your knees to gather his (her?) fragile frame into a tight hug.

It didn’t matter that you were mad at him before, or that you had your own feelings to worry about. He was your best friend, even when you wanted to beat the hell out of him for being a moron and messing around at work, and he was going through something profound.

‘What happened?’ you asked, stroking his soft locks to calm him down.

He clung to your pajama top, almost sobbing into your neck as he tugged you closer, effectively making you straddle him. 

‘I thought you weren’t gonna come,’ he sniffled.

‘I’m here. I’m sorry,’ you unwrapped your arms to wipe the tears off of his beautiful delicate face.

‘I can’t snap back into my male form,’ his voice trembled. ‘I don’t know if I can, ever,’ he added in an almost panicked voice.

Your heart clenched at his vulnerability. He was always there to pick up the pieces for you, and it was time for you to be his rock. Fair is fair.

‘You can. Hey,’ you caught his face in your palms, repeating calmly, ‘You can, and you will. You shifted, right? It means you’re a shifter, Baekhyun. You can always shift back, but maybe not right away.’

He swallowed hard, rubbing his reddened eyes.

‘But- This has never happened before,’ he mumbled. ‘The first time in my entire life-’

‘Maybe it was dormant,’ you suggested, hand stroking his hair gently. ‘What triggered you?’

Baekhyun was silent for a few moments, while you were busy brushing rogue strands away from his eyes.

‘You,’ he then provided, surprising you with his answer.

‘...Because I said I didn’t want to talk to you?’

‘No. You said you didn’t want to see me. That I was just like all the other men,’ he reminded bitterly. ‘I kept thinking about it until I felt dizzy. I don’t remember anything else, I woke up like this.’

‘Oh my god,’ you gasped, guilt overwhelming you. ‘I’m so, so sorry, Baekhyunie!’

You held him tight, whispering jumbled apologies into his ear.

‘At least now I know you’re okay,’ he sniffed again before looking down and noticing your bandaged leg. ‘What happened? You are hurt, that wasn’t an excuse?’

Ignoring your protests, he hauled the bandage down to reveal the still fresh cut. He brushed his fingers over it, knitting his eyebrows in concentration, as warm lights appeared around your wound. He pressed his open palm to your skin, and the light slowly died down. The deep scratch underneath his hand had vanished. But then he looked at you again, waiting for clarification, which had you mumbling something about it being unimportant.

‘No, Y/N. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation? You disappeared on me, you ignored my messages and then told me to fuck off, I wanna know what I did to make you hate me this much!’ He was definitely more snappy as a girl.

His intense eyes pinned you down, and the frowning lips caught your attention. As he raised an eyebrow impatiently, you came back to your senses.

‘Huh? Oh, just forget it. I’m sorry for what I said earlier-’

‘Tell me. Now,’ Baekhyun gritted, grabbing you by the shoulders.

‘I- I- I can’t!’ you squeaked.

‘What? Why?’ a narrowed pair of eyes blinked at you.

‘It’s too embarrassing, I-’

‘I am a girl, Y/N! I gotta know-’

‘I heard you with your assistant!’ You yelled in his face with your eyes closed. And waited, clasping the material of his shirt in your hands anxiously.

‘…what?’ You opened your eyes to his confused face.

‘You- Umm,’ you were unsure how to proceed. ‘I teleported into your office at a late hour, and apparently, you were in there, and I heard you… uh-’

‘Oh fuck.’ He threw his head back in realization.

‘Yeah,’ you pursed your lips, unsure of how to interpret his reaction.

‘Wait, the assistant?’ he suddenly straightened up and frowned. ‘You thought I was fucking my assistant?’

He sounded offended, so you tried a tiny ‘Yeah?’

‘You’re such an idiot!’ he complained, and you got a bit defensive.

‘Frankly, it’s your fault for engaging in that at work! Even if it wasn’t the assistant!’

‘Hell, excuse me for being a man and having to relieve myself in my damn office because the girl I’ve been in love with for years is clueless about how much I fucking want her!’

The way he said it in one swift frustrated breath made you feel like boiling water was poured all over you. Did he mean… you?

But- Why didn’t you know? How could you have missed it? It wasn’t like you didn’t care enough to see the signs, quite the opposite, and you still never noticed him being anything more than warm and friendly with you.

His breathing was ragged from the simmering emotion.

‘You… Want me?’ you whispered hesitantly.

‘Yes,’ he said firmly, but then added in a softer voice. ‘Even then, in my office… I was alone, I was... thinking of you, actually. Your damn shorts make me regret the no dress code rule!��

Shocked at his confession, you could only stare at him blankly.

‘What does it matter. I’m a freaking girl now,’ he scoffed, looking down at himself.

‘I don’t care,’ you stated out of the blue.

Taking his face gently between your palms again, you continued.

‘I don’t care if you’re a girl. Whether you are Baekhyun or… Baekhyunie?’ he snorted slightly at the name. ‘I love you all the same,’ you finished your cheesy disclosure, taking in his astounded eyes. A heartbeat later, you were kissing him. For the very first time.

Slow to react initially, he then wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer, dragging your hips over his and causing you to moan into his mouth. He used this opportunity to slip his tongue in, exploring, bossing you around and getting more and more into it with every passing second. It was a bit sloppy, and the loud sounds of your kissing made the little hairs on your skin stand in excitement, but you couldn’t get enough of his sweet peachy flavor.

The atmosphere in the room changed in a matter of seconds.

‘Shit,’ he cursed after you broke the contact to get some oxygen. ‘Excuse me when I say that I wish I could have my dick back right now.’

‘Oh what, you’re nothing without your dick?’ You asked teasingly, sliding the shirt off of him with one hand, and squeezing his bare breast with another. ‘Perky.’

‘Fuck off,’ he laughed softly, letting you play with it for a little longer, before pushing you on your back to trap you on the floor. ‘Let’s get these off, baby.’

After receiving a slight nod, he removed your pajamas along with your underwear. You kind of expected yourself to be shy, after all, it was the first time he was seeing you fully naked, but you didn’t really mind. Maybe it was his female appearance that put you at ease.

‘It’s nice that you walk around in your pajamas all the time. So easily removed,’ he pecked your mouth before latching onto your nipple and grazing his teeth over it slightly.

‘Ah! Slow down,’ you cried out, twisting his nipple in revenge.

‘Ouch!’ he looked up from your breasts, holding onto his own soft mound.

‘Be gentle,’ you stressed before letting him get back to it.

Realizing how tender the body part was, he proceeded with a much more delicate hand, trailing light kisses over the area and up the side of your neck.

You still felt like your entire body was scorched. It was difficult to wrap your mind around the fact that this was Baekhyun, your best friend, and you were about to have sex with him. While he was a girl, no less. You’d never even let yourself think about being intimate with him, slapping yourself on the wrist mentally any time something stirred inside you. Moreover, it was your first ever experience with someone your own sex. It wasn’t hard to imagine how weird it must have felt for Baekhyun to do this in a female body, with his own reactions foreign to him. Had he ever experienced this tightness and heaviness in his lower stomach? Or maybe the tingle in his nipples, when you used an opportunity to brush your fingertips over them briefly? Or the feeling of soaked panties sticking to the skin?

Thinking of this, you snaked your hand into his loose pants.

‘Ah fuck!’ he jolted from your touch, grabbing onto your wrist. ‘What- what the hell-’

You giggled at his perplexion and decided to make it worse.

‘You’re wet, Baekhyunie.’ You licked your lips, suddenly thirsty. ‘Come here.’ You tugged him closer, as he resisted feebly. ‘Don’t be shy.’ You placed a quick kiss on his cheek and rotated your wrist to shake his hold off.

He swallowed, unsure of what to do, but his grasp on you weakened. Sucking his lower lip in, he avoided your eyes and focused on breathing in and out as you slid your fingers further down, reaching his slick folds again.

He let out a breathy gasp and grabbed onto your shoulder.

‘It’s okay, baby,’ you whispered, pushing against his frame to roll him over on his back.

He obliged, and you used this as your cue to rid him of the remaining clothes. They weren’t a great fit for his female body anyways.

‘Fuck, Baek,’ you sighed in astonishment. ‘You’re so gorgeous.’ That wasn’t a lie. He was probably the prettiest girl you had ever seen in your life. Features even more sculpted, body so milky and feminine, soft locks emphasizing his plump lips and dark almond eyes.

‘I wonder if you weren’t interested in me before because I wasn’t a girl,’ he chuckled, visibly bashful.

‘Hey, you’re turning me gay as we speak,’ you retorted. ‘I might not want the male version of you back.’

‘I hope you’re kidding, it feels weird to have a- a- I can’t even say it!’

‘A pu-’

‘Shut up!’ He hid his suddenly burning face in his palms.

You laughed, leaning forward to hover over him.

‘I don’t remember ever seeing you this flushed. Cute.’ You avoided his arguments by kissing him, trailing your hand down his tense belly in the meantime. ‘Relax, it’s just me. If you don’t like my fingers, I can use my mouth.’

‘No-’ Baekhyun rose up on his elbows and stuttered. ‘I- don’t think I’m ready for that.’

‘Okay.’ You nodded easily.

‘But I think I can…’ He swallowed anxiously. ‘I think I can take your fingers.’

‘Aw.’ You cooed, making him even more red. ‘Cutie.’

He wrapped his arms around you to glue your body to his and stop you from ogling his nakedness. Laughing into his mouth, you resumed fondling his inner thighs.

‘This is so weird,’ he kept repeating, once you’d slipped inside. ‘So freaking weird.’

Only smiling before nibbling on the tender skin of his neck, you still worked your wrist.

You were almost shaking yourself, since his leg was now trapped between yours, and in this position your wetness was getting smeared on his smooth skin.

‘Oh fuck,’ he sighed, voicing your own thoughts.

‘Just like that?’ You whispered smugly, curling your fingers and grunting as he writhed underneath, unintentionally rubbing his thigh against you.

You swayed your hips slightly, stimulating him further with your hands on his body.

‘I- I think- I’m gonna-’

You bit down your lower lip, working him up to his first high in this body. Crying out, he arched his back and shook violently as you let him ride it out, squeezing his breast with your other palm. Slowing your tired hand down, you allowed him to enjoy the aftershocks, until his body went limp. Baekhyun’s arms, still holding onto you, kept you from rolling off onto your side, so you just laid on top of him, legs still intertwined with his.

Listening to his steadying breath with your ear to his slightly damp chest, you chuckled at your thoughts.

‘What?’ he asked, probably still a little self-conscious.

‘I’m just wondering.’ You moved your head up slightly. ‘If we were dating, would that be considered cheating?’

He stilled for a second and then let out a strained laugh.

‘I guess you’ll have to date me to find out.’

‘Guess so.’ You beamed, feeling him tense a little.

‘You mean it?’ he inquired cautiously, urging you to look at him.

‘Oh I mean it. I also mean it when I say that the locks in your office need to be changed. It should only be easy for me to get in at any point.’

‘Still jealous? I told you I was alone.’ He grinned at your now frowning face.

‘Not for lack of volunteers! Pretty sure any unmarried female employee you have would’ve gladly joined you. And now possibly male, too.’

‘Glad that I don’t need them, then. I have you for all of my forms.’

‘All?’ You perked up. ‘You have more? Oh, don’t tell me you also turn into wild animals or some other nonsense!’

‘Hey! I might as well turn into a tiger if you keep harassing my pure feelings for you!’

‘Pure f- I just had my fingers in your p-’

‘Stop! Talking about my lady parts!’ He squirmed, freeing himself from your weight to crawl onto the bed and hide under the covers.

You sprawled on the floor, laughing at him.

‘Lady parts? Gosh, Baek, do you secretly work in a kindergarten?’

‘No, I don’t. I just want my dick back to shut you up,’ he mumbled from under the blanket.

‘Oh? You didn’t want me to go down on you earlier, but you have no reservations about shoving your dick in my mouth? Men are so weird,’ you mused, and Baekhyun kicked his leg into the air feigning annoyance.

‘That’s not what I meant!’

You laughed, getting on the bed next to the fuming pile of cloth.

‘Yah, Baekhyunie,’ you snickered. ‘You are a fabulous woman, but your feet are still quite, well… Large,’ you lifted the blanket further. ‘And hairy? But- Wait a second,’ before you could finish, he shook the covers off.

‘Am I back?’ 

You nodded, the usual Baekhyun with ruffled bed hair in your view. ‘I’m back!’ he yelled, and then quickly lifted the blanket where it was covering his modesty. ‘And you’re back! Oh my god, we’re back!’

You giggled as he tackled you on the bed, his male body and strength returning at once, and peppered ecstatic kisses all over your face.

‘Fucking finally,’ he swore in a much deeper voice. Not giving it any thought, you opened your legs for him to rest between.

‘But wait,’ you protested playfully. ‘Does the cheating begin now?’

‘Oh you.’ He moved your hair out of your face. ‘Pretty sure ‘Baekhyunie’ could do better in bed. Didn’t she just leave you all wet and needy?’

You whined at his touch on your tender skin, and he pressed his hips forward, his growing hard-on grinding into your soaked pussy. The tip nudged your clit roughly, putting pressure onto the sensitive spot and almost making your eyes roll.

‘I think it’s between me and my girl,’ you gritted your teeth at the pleasure.

‘I think not.’ He somehow sounded jealous, although he knew he only had himself to compete with.

He pulled back slightly, making you whimper at the loss of friction, slick dripping from your entrance just to be caught by his fingers and spread over your already glistening folds.

‘Baek,’ you moaned, grip on his forearm tightening.

He kept teasing your slit with his fingers, enjoying the way your hips bucked into his palm every time his digits slipped inside. You sobbed as he stretched you – not the way you wanted though.

‘Please just- fuck me already,’ you moaned, arching your back when he reached your sweet spot. Would have felt so much better had he done it with something other than his fingers.

‘I can make you come like this. It feels pretty good, now that I’ve tried,’ he chuckled and you slapped his shoulder as he sat up.

‘Stop playing with me!’

‘And what do I get if I stop?’ He teased, rubbing you leisurely with his thumb and stroking himself with a spare hand.

‘You can fuck me raw.’

His fingers froze.

‘No condom?’

‘No nothing. I’m on the pill. And I trust you.’

Baekhyun swore under his breath, licking his lips hungrily. Your words had wound him up to no end, but the man’s mind was wondering. ‘Since when?’

‘My ex. Just continued taking them when I moved in with you.’

‘That asshole boyfriend of yours,’ Baekhyun spat, making the feeble lights flicker, as you cleared your throat.

Then he caught on to what you’d said.

‘So, had I hit on you one evening-’

‘Most likely would’ve let you. The amount of times I had to hand wash my panties feeling ashamed and horny after our movie nights…’

‘Oh now you just want me to feel stupid.’ He frowned, the dim light in the room dying.

‘No. I want you to feel good. Inside me,’ you responded into the darkness, feeling the pads of his gentle fingers travel across your inner thigh.

He kept stroking you silently for a few seconds.

‘Tell me how you want it.’ His voice was a bit hoarse, and you shivered in anticipation.

‘I wanna see you,’ you whispered, and then tiny little orbs began appearing all around you, until it looked like the starry night sky above the bed.

You only let out a shaky breath as he slid into you. Rolling his hips steadily, in and out, he grunted from how tight you were around his length, and how welcoming.

Right after spending some time in a female form, Baekhyun suddenly felt so hunky. He saw you as tiny and fragile now more than ever, wanting to be extra protective and most gentle with you. His thrusts were slow and somewhat lazy, but his ears and eyes didn’t miss a single gasp or a knit of your brows.

You, on the other hand, were almost floating. Not just from the long awaited pressure against your inner walls, but from the affection in every touch, and the way your lover’s skin pressed into yours, and the sheen of sweat on his chest, and the glint of minuscule stars in his eyes…

‘Baekhyun,’ you called, motioning him to lean closer and wrapping your arms around his neck. ‘I really love you.’

He huffed out a laugh and grazed the tip of your nose with a bunny kiss.

‘Don’t say that when I’m inside you,’ he murmured, yet unable to contain his blissful smile.

‘I’m sorry for earlier,’ you began, but he wasn’t having any of it.

‘I don’t care. You’re finally mine.’ He drove his hips inside you with precision. ‘I don’t care.’

You used his proximity to start a kiss, losing the driver’s seat to him pretty quickly and not spending a second regretting it. It was obvious that you could give yourself to him fully and he’d know what to do. Trembling in his embrace, you clenched around him and urged him to go faster. Not making you ask twice, he picked up the pace and gradually worked up to intense thrusts, the swollen tip hitting your spot every time.

‘Fuck, you feel so good,’ he rumbled, reveling in the responsive motions of your body. You only hummed, grinding your pelvis against him.

A small droplet of perspiration made its way from the shorter hair at his temple, and you raised your hand to catch it, then slipping your fingers into his hair. You were both so close; his hot sweaty body on top of yours made you crave release even more.

‘Ah please, don’t stop,’ you wailed, meeting his passionate hips with yours, inner muscles clenching around the hardness inside you. He felt perfect, like he fit you in every way possible.

‘Shit, baby,’ he called. ‘I’m close too, don’t-’

‘I want to,’ you interrupted him, pushing him into yourself with the heel of your foot. ‘You can come inside me.’

‘Fuck,’ he almost growled, gripping your thigh desperately as he reached deeper and deeper. The sounds produced by your exhausted bodies were so crude and lascivious that it didn’t take long for the growing tension in your lower belly to burst and overwhelm your entire body.

‘Oh, oh fuck-’ repeating your lover’s curses, you held onto his shoulders while your orgasm shook you underneath him.

Keeping his thrusts quick and shallow, Baekhyun groaned as he felt himself tipped over by your release, face contorted in pleasure as he finally filled you with his warmth.

~

The lights around you shone the brightest, resembling magic dust sprinkled around your tangled bodies. They shimmered on Baekhyun’s skin, making him look like an angel. So much so that you had to touch his face with your palm to make sure he was real. And all of this was not a dream.

‘Is it too much if I call you my Light?’ You began sentimentally.

‘Is it too much if I ask you to come in my office whenever I want?’

‘You’ve been doing that all along,’ you tittered, watching him pull the covers over your bodies and lying down comfortably next to you.

‘Come in my office, not come into my office,’ he clarified with a smug expression.

‘Baekhyun!’ You exclaimed, only slightly appalled, and he pulled you into his arms before you could smack him out of embarrassment.

‘I know, I know. I can’t wait for it either,’ he hummed, his childishly happy laugh almost deafening while you merely cursed at him.

What could you do, you loved this dork and his silly sense of humor. And his awesome powers. And his soft heart. What a package, this Byun Baekhyun. What a perfect package.

A/N: So... here goes the first one. Let me know what you think about this :) I’ve mentioned earlier that a sequel for this is very possible, so let me know if you’d be interested in that. Thank you for reading!

[mylittlegemlins]

Hello tumblr, during my childhood I was really obsessed with smurfs and since I found out that they released a reboot, which unfortunately I haven´t yet been able to see, I think I had some inspiration and ended up writing this.

I don't usually post this kind of blog about series unless I'm too immersed in it because I feel like it's too childish but to hell, blogging about-analyzing series for kids is my entertainment method and if I can't post about my likes on Tumblr I don't know why have an account.

So I present:

How to catch the Smurfs

This is the definitive tutorial on everything Gargamel ever did to catch the little blue critters.

It is based mainly on the animated series from the 80s and the 3 films that were produced between 2011-2017, I watched several episodes again to write this, but I still hope I don't forget some important information.

Following these steps:

1. Why catch the Smurfs?

During the comics, the series and the recent movies there were many reasons why Gargamel and other humans wanted to capture the Smurfs that change over time, among its main uses we have:

- They are ingredients for exotic dishes.

-Turn them into gold

- Ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone

- Use its essence to obtain magic

- Their tears serve as an ingredient for spells

-Their skin serves as a treatment to cure diseases

2. Points to consider:

This is a set of rules that fall between the lines when using a Smurf for any of the recipes mentioned above.

2.1 How many are needed:

In some episodes Gargamel was about to cook a single Smurf, so 1 is enough to eat them.

To turn them into gold you need at least half a kilo, about 6 smurfs.

2.2. They don't need to be alive

I didn't remenber any place where it said that Smurfs must be alive to use them in recipes.

2.3. Smurfette doesn't always count

She has to be a real smurf or else it won't work, during her first appearance before the papa smurf spell and the episode "smurfette unmade" where she reverts to her original form she is not a real smurf, so it wouldn't work unless that is in its blonde form.

2.4. Fake Smurfs:

The reason Gargamel can't just create another Smurf and use it in his recipes is because his creations are blue clay with a conscience, to turn them into real Smurfs you need the “true blue”spell

2.5. Artificial Smurfs:

Smurfette, Sassete, Kactus, Vicky and any other Smurf they come up with in the future, count as real Smurfs only after their transformation.

To clarify the points, these are the steps:

3.Locate them

The Smurfs are in a village protected by a magical force that makes it invisible or unreachable, it is only possible to find the village if a Smurf guides you to it, even after finding the exact location it will have disappeared if you try to return, so the best It is marks the surroundings of the village and look for them in the places that the Smurfs frequent.

It is possible to capture them when they leave the village, force them to guide you, enter the village using teleportation spells or hoaxes.

4.Traps

Catching smurfs is relatively easy, you can chase them with butterfly nets, catch them with your bare hands, using a cat or any other hunting animal, now that I think about it a hound would be very useful to track their scent.

Using some classic traps to hunt animals also works with Smurfs, traps with cages or hidden holes in the ground, or camouflage in a bush until a Smurf is close enough to catch it, you can't use traps like an obvious cage with food in it, they are too smart to fall for that.

It is more effective if they are placed in strategic places such as a field of smurfberries which is outside the village.

Small female creatures are also used as decoys, such as female smurfs, little mermaids and lymph to make a smurf fall in love and thus leave the village to a point where they can be captured.

5.Which Smurfs to capture

Personally I think there are Smurfs that are easier to catch, although Gargamel could not have a list of all with so many times that they have passed by his house, he should already recognize one or another Smurf and I remember that there is a episode where he knows some of his names.

The main cast, Smurfette, Hefty, Brainy, Clumsy, Greedy, Grouchy, Jokey and Handy as far as i can remember, they´re the ones that have been captured the most times and also the ones that have escaped the most, since they're easy to capture, it would be convenient to take advantage of this, but since they know how to get out, they should change the cages with them, put the cages in another place, move the objects that previously used to get out, and above all not to fall the same tricks again.

Papa smurf has been captured many times, he is the one who most leaves the village and if in one of his trips they capture him, maybe the others would not notice his absence, it is something difficult because he already knows how to escape and he can use spells against you, but if you manage to kill him the others would be lost without their leader, and with the disaster they would be easier to capture.

Lazy smurf takes naps during his work outside the village so it's a good chance to catch him, hopefully he might still be asleep while preparing the recipe and he won't try to escape.

According to his debut episode sickly smurf was never able to escape from Gargamel and Azrael; it is so easy that he catches him with his bare hands in 20 seconds.

Baby Smurf is more vulnerable for obvious reasons, the negative side is that there is always a Smurf looking after him, but if they manage to separate the baby it would be easy to cook , considering the life expectancy of the Smurfs is more than 500 years, it may remain a baby for the next 10 years so there is time to execute your plan.

Nat, Snapy, Sassete and Slouchy, the 4 children Smurfs that appear in season 5 are in almost the same circumstances as Baby Smurf.

In Wild Smurf's first appearance he kicked Gargamel in the face and easily made Azrael afraid of him so it might not be a good idea to mess with him.

I guess Smurfs like scaredy would never leave the village unless they forced it so the only times he gets caught is when they capture all 100 together.

6.Don't let them escape

In many occasions the Smurfs escape when they have already been captured by Gargamel, either from his hands, cages and in their closest attempts they escape from the pot.

These are the points to keep in mind:

6.1 Capture only one

If you capture a single Smurf than two or more as it will take a while for them to realize that one is missing and they will not come to their rescue, the more they are, the more likely they will find a plan to escape, so keep them in mind. separate cages.

6.2 The others will come

Once Gargamel has one or more Smurfs, it is 100% certain that the others will come to rescue him at his house, so it would be convenient to go to another place away from the forest where he can cook the Smurfs without others being able to find them. Gargamel has a basement with a secret door, he was able to hide there and pretend he didn't have them until the rescuers leave.

6.3 catch rescuers

Knowing that more Smurfs could come, you could use it to your advantage by placing traps on the doors and windows, or on the contrary, closing everything so that it is impossible to enter without having a key.

6.4 They will leave him for dead

In the episode "the tear of a Smurf ", it seems that if they don't find a missing Smurf it only takes a week for them to surrender and prepare for his funeral. You can hide the smurfs with their mouths tied up in a drawer and pretend you don't know what they are talking about until they give up, then it will be time to execute the recipes. If Gargamel had enough brain cells to keep the secret, he could eat the Smurfs and the rest would think they were eaten by birds or something and would not take revenge.

6.5. Do not look any further

If you already have 99 it is enough, even if you have only one, it is not worth risking it to find one more, it is a trap.

6.6. Don't open jokey surprises.

The characters always forget that gift.

6.7. Don't listen to them

On several occasions they try to make conversation to buy time, they trick him into thinking that he will bring more Smurfs or that he cannot eat him, everything is a trap.

6.8. Just kill them

He never did that but it's a very obvious choice, I don't remember somewhere saying that smurfs have to be alive for recipes, Gargamel has repeatedly expressed his desire to destroy them. Wouldn't it be easier to kill them before throwing them into the pot? if you can't, they don't even have to be dead, just unconscious or asleep. Gargamel has drops of lava in his lab for some reason, how come he doesn't have substances to knock them unconscious? In case he have many captured you could use classic techniques such as placing the cage in a tub of water until they drown, even stepping on them would be enough since they are very small.

6.9. Papa Smurf's books

If Gargamel tries to kill them with an epidemic, papa will have the cure, if he casts a spell, papa has the antidote, since he has been in the village on several occasions, he should take the opportunity to steal or destroy their books, he could look for the true blue spell and perhaps find another useful spell.

7.Enjoy your smurf soup

If that's all i came up with, you can already eat or become a millionaire at the cost of a smurf's life, hopefully you'll have to face a horrible revenge from papa smurf, but i'm not responsible for that.

8.Other methods to get smurfs:

This is a set of theories for alternative ways to get smurfs without capturing one from the village.

8.1. create smurfs:

In the second live action movie gargamel gets the formula for the true blue spell, so from here technically he could create smurfs, then transform them into real smurfs and do whatever he wants with them, during the series he had to look for the formula instead to look for smurfs.

8.2. Clone Smurfs:

In the episode "the hundredth smurf" Vanity creates a clone of himself that eventually integrates into the village, it is a genetically exact clone so there is no doubt that it is a real smurf. He just needs to place a mirror in front of a smurf and get it struck by lightning, Gargamel could capture a smurf and make clones that will work, he wouldn't even have to keep the original and he would have an infinite smurf machine.

8.3. Kidnap Baby Smurfs:

During the blue moon it is possible that a zork came to the village bringing a baby smurf, it can take up to 200 years without bringing one but if you are alive when that happens, you can try to hunt the zork and capture the defenseless baby.

8.4. Repeat the fake smurf technique:

If it is possible to create fake Smurfs like Smurfette, it might work on a second try, Smurfs are not very cautious around strangers, once Smurfette arrives in the village no one wonders where she came from or why she was in the forest, but rather Immediately they offer him a house, Gargamel could create a smurf and this time instruct him to lead all the smurfs in the village into a trap and make sure he does not turn good, he can also turn himself into a life-size smurf costume, Nobody will notice that there is an extra Smurf and he can repeat the same trap,third time’s a charm

9.Conclusion:

Surely there are many other methods to catch Smurfs but I can't see the whole series again even if I wanted to, because it is a series for children Gargamel never learns from his mistakes I think that catching Smurfs is not that exaggeratedly difficult, especially for someone who has access to magic may be as difficult as capturing a talking rabbit, Gargamel is just stupid.

The end.

[atimburtonfan]

How Tim Burton influenced my life

I haven't posted very much on here in the past months so I tried to find the reason why and thus decided to write down how Tim Burton's films and art have influenced my life. I also like to divide his films into three distinct periods to explain how his works have changed over time and what might have been the catalyst behind this.

First period: 1982-1999/2000 These above mentioned years I like to classify as the first period of Tim Burton's films and fame. It started in 1982 with the production of his short animated film, Vincent. It was during this time that Tim Burton started to produce/direct films for a world wide audience and that he started to build up a name for himself.

The short films of Vincent, Frankenweenie and Hansel and Gretel are nowadays true Burton classics and show his distinctive style of art. The beginning of the 80's were basically the beginning of the imagery that nowadays people call Burtonesque. It's this period during which Tim Burton could truly be called an outcast in the film industry, making eclectic films that would captivate millions.

Each of the three periods is also defined by a woman and it was during the first period, 1992 to be exact, that Tim Burton and Lisa Marie met each other, they got engaged in the following year until the start of the second period which is defined by another female actress, the woman most people associate with the name Tim Burton.

In my opinion it was during this period that Tim Burton made his most personal and creative films, my all time favourite film was made during this period. It's clear that Tim Burton was able to express himself quite purely before he got influenced by the studio that once rejected him. Some of these personal and creative films include: Ed Wood, Mars Attacks, Beetle Juice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Pee-wee and his adaptations of the Batman films.

It was also during this period that I was born and introduced to his films at an early age. The first Tim Burton film that I have ever seen was Mars Attacks, an underrated comedy that I still love to watch these days. Even though I saw his films during the 1990's, I never really concerned myself with learning the names of directors or even be remotely interested in the background of them or recognize their distinctive art styles.

Second period: 2000-2012 These years are what I like to call the 'golden age' of Tim Burton's fame and influence. During the late 1990's and early 2000's, alternative music such as metalcore, nu-metal, gothic and industrial metal started to become incredibly popular in mainstream culture. Many teens became obsessed with this type of music and it was especially the explosion of the Emo-culture that introduced many teens, including myself, to Tim Burton's distinctive artstyle.

Shops like Hot-Topic became incredibly popular and many people began to dress themselves as if they were a character of a Burton film. Therefore it isn't very surprising that Burtonesque merchandise started to appear in the same shops where Emo, alternative, gothic and metal teens liked to shop, further fueling his fame as the lonesome different gothic filmdirector.

Why 2000 you might wonder? As I have said earlier, each period is defined by a woman in his life and it was during this year that Tim Burton met Helena Bonham Carter on the set of Planet of the Apes. They quickly fell in love with each other that eventually resulted in them having two children and living inside two homes that were connected to each other. Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton together formed one of the most eccentric couples that Hollywood has ever seen and they were much beloved by their fans.

It was during this period that films such as: Corpse Bride, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, Alice In Wonderland, Dark Shadows, Planet Of The Apes and Frankenweenie were made. They captured the hearts of millions of people throughout the world who felt like an outsider in this society and gave them a place they could call home. This was the era of the golden trio, Burton, Depp and Carter.

I myself became an awkward gothic teen at the age of 12 when I first entered high school. It was a time before youtube, the internet was still a relative new thing therefore it was incredibly hard to get your hands on anything remotely Burtonesque. I can remember reading magazines of alternative shops like Large and the McFiber and begging my mother to buy me some stuff.

As I grew more awkward and awkward, eventually getting an autism diagnosis, I got deeper involved into the alternative scene. All of my friends were exactly the same, different, alternative and thrown out by mainstream society. Many of us had serious mental problems which resulted in self harming and even episodes of attempted suicide.

It was then that I started to find comfort in his works. I could identify myself perfectly with the characters of his works and I adored the image and lives of the adorable couple, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. I became truly obsessed with some of his films and started to finally learn English in order to write fanfictions about Sleepy Hollow. The alternative/emo scéne reached its highest moments during this period and it was almost fun to be that weird outsider who liked the art and films of Tim Burton.

Third period: 2013-present day This is what I like to call the decline of the alternative scéne and thus also the decline of Tim Burton's popularity. There are of course multiple reasons why Burton eventually became less popular but I think the most important reason is the fact that the alternative scéne is slowly dying. Most of us who were teens during the early 2000's have now grown up and most have shed off their unique gothic/ alternative/emo skins and entered adulthood life.

The internet has also changed. Platforms such as myspace, vampirefreaks and the countless of forums have died, these spaces were havens for alternative kids. Youtube was by then well introduced and started to commercialize quite badly, I honestly miss the times during which Youtube was just a free platform to share your videos without any intent to make money.

Like I said at the beginning, each period is defined by a woman in the life of Tim Burton and it was around the end of 2012 that the relationship between Burton and Carter started to wobble. It was also during this year that Eva Green made her debute in Dark Shadows. Rumours quickly rose that Eva and Tim were having an affair and in 2014, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter separated, which was absolutely stunning news to their fans as they were long viewed as the ideal 'gothic' couple.

In my honest opinion, the quality of Burton's works started to drop dramatically after the separation. The period of the classic Burton/Carter films was now officially over and this era is defined by films such as: Miss Peregrine, Big Eyes and Dumbo. None of these films really felt like a classic Burton film and I feel like he has sold his soul and creativity to Disney. Where he once was the outcast, the one who opposed Disney in order to produce his own unique works, he is now fully part of the Disney company and his distinctive style is now barely visible.

He also has made barely any works since 2012, the aforementioned films are basically the only ones he directed since the last decade. At this current moment, there is no work in production, although there are rumours he is making a sequel to Beetlejuice and his own adaptation of the Addams Family but this can't be verified. Most of his original fanbase have grown up and either shed the alternative scéne skin entirely or are still stuck loving his older works.

I can place myself in between. Truth be told, I also lost most of my interest after 2012. I became an adult and the emo scéne I once loved so much, was now officially dead. I didn't like the films he produced after Frankenweenie (2012), it somehow lacked that classic Burton magic. Not to mention that Tumblr itself has also been dying, and still is.

I still love his early works very dearly and rewatch them quite often until this day. I have however stopped obsessing about them, with the exception of one film, Sleepy Hollow. Tim Burton created a home for teens and young  adults who didn't fit into modern society. I was one of those teens and his films have really helped me get through an extremely difficult period of my life. He made me feel that I belonged to something and the weekends I have spent holding Tim Burton marathons with my alternative friends were the best moments in my life.

I'm so sorry for this incredibly long post but I wanted to try to explain how Tim Burton influenced my life and how this eventually led to me barely posting anything on this tumblr account in 2021. What do you think of Tim Burton currently? Do you agree with the three periods that I have defined?

[boyslaughplus]

2nd Brassica Bonus Short Story

We spontaneously wanted to do something nice for April Fools this year but ended up posting this story days later on our Blog. Now we resurrect our Tumblr by posting this here as well. Have fun reading this cute story from when Hans hasn’t turned into a flirt yet, and was still a teen! (oﾐﾟﾛﾟﾐ)o

On the first day of the fourth month, almost a full decade ago, the rulers of all kingdoms allied with Auxtome convened to discuss and negotiate matters that were of little interest to a certain adolescent princess named Avril. Matters like infrastructure, trade agreements, and other things that made her yawn just at the thought.

Within Poisson, her country, the princess was quite famous for being energetic and mischievous, rather fitting with the deep red color of her hair. But no one minded because she was also aware of her duties and never failed to fulfill them. Still, full days of economic discussions were just about last on the list of things Avril wanted to spend her time with.

Thankfully, her parents were the ones attending the conference. She only accompanied them to make her debut among all the young royals that would be at the palace. And while that too had its downsides as far as she was concerned, the prospect of spending two weeks in Auxtome and meeting new, possibly interesting people still left her excited.

Their carriage was passing through Auxtome’s capital, its streets adorned with flowers and decorated festively to welcome the esteemed guests from all around the continent. Even as her mother spoke to her, Avril could hardly tear her eyes from the window.

“The conference begins right after we arrive, but the crown prince of this land, Prince Hans, has volunteered to give all young royals a tour of the palace. He is about your age. I trust you will dress… appropriately for the occasion?”

Avril had no need to look at her mother to recognize the look she was giving her, and the meaning it was meant to convey.

“Of course mother, I have brought garments suitable for every occasion,” she replied.

“Good,” her mother acknowledged, pleased, and turned back to her husband now that they were nearing the palace grounds.

Avril smiled to herself. An entire day without her parents or retainers promised to be delightful. And she had a plan to make the most of all the possibilities that were already racing through her mind.

Atop the foyer stairs of his family’s palace, Prince Hans was waiting for his guests long before the first one arrived; his posture sublime and his smile well practiced. At only 13 summers he was quite young to be given such an important duty, but he had long established himself as reliable and well-versed in social affairs. Next to him stood his half-brother, Lorens, a few years younger and much more prone to show it. Hans didn’t dislike him per se, but it was always exhausting to have him near during official business. Or when he wanted some quiet. To his relief, he would only stay through the greeting.

All around the room were attendants to aid the guests and lead them to their quarters before escorting the princes and princesses back once the tour was set to begin.

“Could you quit your fidgeting?” Hans asked his half-brother as he glanced to the side. “You’re representing our family today, just what would our guests think of us if they saw you right now?”

Lorens sighed deeply and tried his best to copy Hans’ demeanor.

“But no one’s here yet. It’s tiring to stand still for so long.”

“Practice makes perfect,” Hans replied sternly. “You’ll learn to endure before long.”

Before long unfortunately only described how long it took for Lorens to forget his discipline again. But Hans was used to this.

As the first guests arrived, Hans stepped down the stairs for the greeting and raised his charm to the max. Lorens remained in his shadow, politely participating in the greeting but drawing little attention. Although he didn’t show it, Hans felt quite relieved.

The guests were so plentiful that even the astute crown prince had trouble remembering all their faces and names immediately, but he knew there would be a second greeting once all the young royals assembled for the palace tour, and the coming days left enough time to memorize all the names of their parents.

And thus, the time for the tour quickly arrived!

About a dozen young royals now gathered in the foyer, from nearly just as many kingdoms; one of them from the kingdom of Radix and another, the youngest prince hailing from Theotherkingdom. Although Hans couldn’t seem to remember his name, or face, no matter how hard he tried.

The last royal to introduce themselves was one with hair as deeply red as cherries, who was dressed in clothes so dashing that even Hans felt a hint of jealousy.

“I am Avril of Poisson. Pleased to make your acquaintance, everyone.”

“Likewise, Prince Avril. Thank you for joining us today,” Hans smoothly replied and proceeded to announce the schedule for the day.

Unbeknownst to him, Avril smiled to herself that her deception was a success. Everyone seemed to share Prince Hans’ impression that she was a prince—a boy—and while she felt no desire to be one for more than a few hours, Avril was quite thrilled to spend the day as the other princes’ equal and not a potential future bride.

With the introduction out of the way, Hans lost no time to begin the tour, leading the group of royals past every notable part of the palace. As such, it went on for quite a while!

As he talked about his home and its long history, Hans couldn’t hide his pride. He made sure not to ramble, still there was no shortage of anecdotes coming from the young prince. Most of his guests seemed quite captivated. But Avril felt her boredom reach critical mass.

“And here we have our palace’s library,” Hans continued, elegantly gesturing towards it, ever unaware of the princess’s disinterest. “No other library in the entire kingdom, maybe even the world, has such an extensive collection of magic tomes. Some of them are so rare and powerful, that they are locked within a separate chamber.”

For the first time since the tour started, Avril’s ears perked up.

“Not even I am allowed to enter it, but rest assured, the rest of the library is still as exciting as it is stunning.”

The tour continued and Hans led everyone past the royal family’s private chambers, through luxuriant halls filled to the brim with paintings of all the noble figures of Auxtome’s history, and many more attractions until they reached one of the larger banquet halls the palace housed. Prince Hans turned to his guests, an unwavering smile still on his face.

“Now then, I’m sure all this walking on top of your travels has left you with quite an appetite. Our chefs have prepared all of our kingdom’s finest specialties, so eat to your heart’s content. If there is anything you need, our attendants will be right at your service.”

As he wrapped up the tour and exchanged some more pleasantries with a few of the other royals, Hans looked around to make sure that everything was in order.

The first thing he noticed was the absence of his half-brother. He had been sure Lorens would have joined again by the time food was served. Not least of all because Lorens’ mother probably urged him to build connections with the other kingdoms’ royals.

And then Hans realized that a certain red-haired prince was missing as well.

Politely excusing himself from the conversation, Hans beckoned his personal attendant over.

“Say, have you seen Prince Avril?” he whispered so no one else would hear.

“No, my lord. By the time we reached the banquet hall, he was already gone.”

Just for a second, Hans furrowed his brow.

“And you thought not to inform me of this? We have to find him immediately!”

The attendant apologetically bowed, but Hans was already rushing towards the door, slowing down halfway as he realized the others might notice something was wrong if he didn’t.

His pace quickened again as soon as he was out of sight. As he backtracked the path they took to the hall, Hans looked around, growing tenser by the second. If something had happened, it would be his responsibility.

A commotion near the library finally drew his attention. Most of all, a voice he knew well.

“Lorens? What is going on here?” Hans asked as he saw the younger prince standing inside the library, shaking, surrounded by a group of tense looking guards.

Lorens’ face lit up as he saw the other.

“Brother! You need to stop them!”

Hans shot a questioning glance towards the guard closest to him who gulped, before stumbling over his words.

“M-my Lord, it is not how it looks. We heard a sound within the forbidden section of the library and came looking for an intruder, only to find that one tome is missing.”

He hesitated, glancing over to his fellow guards who were suddenly immensely captivated by the floor.

“A-and Prince Lorens right next to where it should have been.”

Hans sighed and slowly turned to his brother, raising a brow.

“I didn’t take it!” Lorens protested, immediately understanding the unspoken question.

“You heard him,” Hans said to the guard, primarily out of a sense of obligation. “You don’t intend to question the word of a prince, do you?”

“O-of course not!” replied the guard. “We never suspected Prince Lorens, but we still have to inform the king and queen of the missing book and his trespassing.”

Now it dawned on Hans what his half-brother wanted him to stop. Once more he turned to Lorens, who he’d never seen with such a pleading look on his face. For a moment Hans thought about what he would say. Then he turned back to the guard.

“I shall give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you mean to fulfill your duty, but all such a report will accomplish is that it draws attention to the fact that someone could steal one of our most prized artifacts from right under your noses. You’ll be lucky if you just lose your jobs.”

The guards flinched.

“But what should we do then, my Lord? Hiding the theft would surely be worse!”

“Isn’t that obvious? Search for the thieves! Who knows how far they might have gotten during all this time you wasted here.”

“Y-yes! Of course!”

The guards frantically spread out to search the area, leaving the princes on their own.

“Thank you, brother! I knew you would help me,” Lorens chirped.

“It was nothing. Had you been more confident, you could have solved this on your own; don’t forget that you are a prince!”

The younger prince’s enthusiasm dampened a little, but he nodded in understanding.

“So what were you doing in the forbidden part of the library?” Hans asked, his suspicion that Lorens might have taken the book not entirely quelled.

“I just… I wanted to learn. I’m not making any progress with my magic training.” Lorens quietly replied, a pout forming on his face. “The books there are about powerful magic, right?”

“They are. But that’s hardly where you should look for knowledge if you are struggling with the basics. Now let’s get you out of here.”

Hans didn’t wait for a reply before turning around and walking out of the library.

Lorens only hesitated for a moment, still he had to run to catch up with his brother.

“Wait, where are we going?” he asked, slightly out of breath.

“Your room. If there’s a criminal on the loose, you shouldn’t stroll around the castle on your own.”

The young prince stopped in his tracks, visibly displeased at the notion of having to remain in his room for a yet undetermined amount of time, but he continued to follow without complaints.

Once his half-brother was within his chambers, Hans turned back to the door only to be held up by a hesitant voice.

“What about you?” Lorens asked.

“I’ll have to take care of our guests until the situation is resolved.”

“That’s not fair, I want to help, too!” the younger prince protested.

Hans looked at the other, giving him as much of a sympathetic smile as he could muster.

“You’ll help me by staying out of trouble.”

“Okay…” Lorens relented.

Back in the hallway, Hans gestured the guards to lock the door to Lorens’ private quarters.

While it hadn’t been a lie that Hans worried about his half-brother being on his own while an intruder roamed the palace, it was only true in the case that Lorens himself wasn’t the thief. Locking him in for the time being was sure to avoid further problems in either case. Hans was quite pleased with his pragmatic decision. But the issue of the vanished Prince Avril still weighed on his mind, so Hans hurried back to the banquet hall. In the best case, Avril had joined the others by now. And even if not, Hans couldn’t stay away for too long or it would reflect badly on his hospitality.

Prince Hans did his best to appear more composed than he felt as he strode through the doors into the hall. The other royals seemed to enjoy the buffet, and there were no signs that anyone had caught wind of the commotion at the library.

Stifling a sigh of relief, Hans joined in with the crowd just to be seen, hoping his brief absence hadn’t been noticed by too many. He had barely finished a first round through the room when something red caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

Avril was back.

Making sure to appear unfazed, Hans approached her.

“Prince Avril, we haven’t had the pleasure of conversing since our greeting. I hope the tour was to your liking?”

Avril smiled at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes, but Hans didn’t seem to notice.

“Oh yes, it was quite long, but your palace is impressive indeed.”

Hans relaxed at her words, sure she would have said something if her brief absence would have been due to unpleasant reasons.

“The library especially,” Avril added, looking into Hans’ eyes just a little too deeply, a knowing grin on her face.

Confusion overcame the prince. Was Avril insinuating that she saw what happened there? Or might she be the culprit?

“That’s true, the library is among my favorites as well,” Prince Hans said, for the first time struggling to keep up his smile. “Would you like to visit it again? Maybe pick up a book or two?”

Hans failed to hide the silent accusation within his questions, leaving Avril visibly amused.

“Why, that sounds wonderful. Another book would certainly do no harm.”

Now Hans was sure that she was toying with him, but without proof he could not accuse her so lightly.

“Great, just give me a moment, then we can leave.”

Hans gracefully stepped on a small stage near the buffet, usually used for musicians, and it didn’t take long until all royals in the room had their eyes on him.

“My esteemed guests, I hope the food was to your liking. From now until dinner, you are free to spend your time however you like. You can return to your quarters or enjoy some recreation at one of the many facilities you have seen today. If there is anything on your mind, do not hesitate to approach me or the attendants that will be serving you for the duration of your stay.”

As soon as it was socially acceptable for Hans to leave, he returned to Avril, who he had never let out of his vision.

“Well then, shall we go?” he asked, his smile more forced than usual.

The walk towards the library was tense. Should Hans be mistaken, an accusation of this scale would surely cause heavy repercussions not just for him but potentially their standing with Poisson as well. If he was right though…

They passed Lorens’ quarters, and a thought made Hans stop in his tracks. Did his half-brother maybe see Avril in the library? Was he not the thief but a witness, perhaps?

“My apologies, I just remembered that I have to ask my brother about something. It will only take a second.”

Tensely, Hans made the guards unlock the door and stepped into the room. But the prince he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

“Lorens?” Hans called out as he looked around the room. “Now is not the time to play tricks, I need to speak with you!”

Avril followed him into the room and promptly walked towards the bed.

“Hey, what’s that?” she asked, holding up an old-looking book and feigning ignorance.

Hans paled on the spot. It was a tome he had never seen before. Surely the one that was stolen!

His mind was racing. So was Lorens the culprit after all? Did he escape somehow after realizing that Hans still suspected him? But then why was the book still here…

The grin on Avril’s face ultimately told Hans the truth.

“It was you, wasn’t it?!” he let slip more bluntly than he had ever spoken to another and immediately covered his mouth in panic.

Avril simply laughed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she teased and started flipping through the book.

“Stop that! What have you done with Lorens?”

Hans slowly regained his confidence now that he was sure he found the thief, but her casual demeanor still confused him deeply.

“Nothing. I just took pity on the poor boy. Locked away by his own brother, it was quite heartbreaking to watch.”

“Half-brother. And this room is certainly not a prison!”

Avril closed the book and stepped closer to Hans.

“You're right, breaking him out wasn’t even difficult.”

Hans gasped at the ease with which Avril admitted breaking into a prince’s quarters and taking him away.

“Where have you taken him? What do you want? Money? Is this a scheme to gain the upper hand in the negotiations?”

Avril’s smile briefly faded before she burst into laughter.

“Why are you always so serious? No wonder the tour was duller than Poisson’s tundras. I just want to have some fun!”

Hans blinked in confusion.

“Fun? This is a game to you? Stealing an ancient artifact and abducting a prince are grave matters!”

Avril sighed theatrically and tossed the book over to Hans, who clumsily caught it before checking frantically if it was undamaged.

“Relax. I never meant to keep it, and your brother is just fine. He even went with me voluntarily.”

“Of course he did,” Hans cursed under his breath but felt some relief that Avril seemed to harbor no malicious intent. Her actions caused him a major headache nonetheless.

“Well, fine. I’d be willing to let all this be bygones if you just tell me where he is.”

Disappointment showed on Avril’s face.

“What? But it just got interesting…”

She fidgeted a little, clearly reluctant to say anything more. Hans remained stern.

“Alright, I give in,” she eventually said. “He’s at the top of the eastern watchtower.”

“Atop the—” Hans blurted out, unbelieving, but quickly found his composure again. “That is absurd. You would have never managed to take him there in such a short amount of time.”

A hint of a smile reappeared on Avril’s face.

“Are you sure? I also broke into the forbidden part of the library and this room with no one noticing. I’m quite skilled~”

Hans opened his mouth to retort, but paused. Avril was right, she had already done what he believed to be impossible. At least a chance that Lorens was really in the tower existed.

“Fine, but you’ll come with me. I won’t let you out of my sight again until this is resolved!”

A broad grin spread across Avril’s face.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Prince Hans did his best not to complain as they ascended the stairs of the eastern watchtower. Not just because it took them minutes and climbing stairs wasn’t exactly his favorite pastime, but because Avril kept whistling a cheerful song. Drifting slightly off-key every other bar, and he could tell it was on purpose.

Two flights below the top, he lost his patience.

“Is it your goal to torment me, Prince Avril, or is there a deeper meaning in this noise I just can’t see?”

“Prince Hans, how could you insinuate such a thing!” Avril replied, acting playfully hurt. “I simply like the echo within this tower. And the face you make when you’re trying to hide your annoyance~”

Hans paused and turned to Avril.

“What face?” he asked, genuinely unsure.

“This one,” Avril said cheerfully. “The fake smile you just barely manage to keep up. Unless someone looks you in the eyes for too long, or notices that it’s just a facade, or maybe both, and—”

“Enough!” Hans shouted—his face bright red—and turned away. “I don’t know what I did to you to deserve this, but please cease this mockery.”

For once Avril stayed quiet and the two of them silently continued their climb. Shortly before they reached the top, she softly spoke up.

“There is no deeper meaning. And I’m not trying to torment you. I simply thought you could benefit from loosening up a little.”

“Loosen up?” Hans asked unbelieving. “I’m the crown prince of this land, such a luxury isn’t within my grasp.”

“See, that’s why you’re so boring,” Avril said and passed Hans, who had stopped on the stairs. “Being the crown prince is all the more reason to let loose any chance you get. As long as you fulfill your duties, no one can even get mad at you.”

“And just what would you understand of—” Hans began to retort as he followed Avril up the stairs, but then they reached the top of the tower.

Which was utterly empty?

“You lied to me!” Hans complained as he stomped up the last few steps. “Lorens was never here, was he?!”

“How mean! I think I just misremembered. Maybe he was in the western watchtower?”

For just a second Hans contemplated the possibility, but he had given the red-haired royal the benefit of the doubt too many times already.

“Oh no, I won’t believe another word you say! You sent me on a wild goose chase for nothing but your own enjoyment.”

“I think a wild goose would be much harder to catch than that docile little brother of yours,” Avril replied matter-of-factly.

Prince Hans stared at her for a moment, overflowing with a powerful mixture of anger, annoyance, and a few other emotions he had trouble deciphering this very second.

“You… I… gah!”

Without another word, he stormed off as Avril burst into laughter behind him.

He could hear her follow down behind him not long after, and even as he sped up, she suddenly appeared right next to him.

“Wait up, where are you going?”

“Downstairs,” Hans grumbled, not keen to be roped into yet another of her pranks.

“Aw, but you didn’t even take in the view, it’s quite stunning.”

“I know, I live here.”

Avril fell back a few steps as she noticed his disdain, but she wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Maybe I overdid it a little. How about I tell you if you’re getting closer to your brother’s location to make up for it?”

Hans quietly contemplated her suggestion. Of course it could be another ploy to make him run in circles. Still, maybe Avril really was remorseful and if he had to search the entire palace anyway…

“Very well, my prince. But if I sense so much as the hint of a lie, I’ll inform our parents of your misdeeds today.”

Avril promptly picked up pace and caught up to him.

“That won’t happen, promise!”

Hans wasn’t entirely sure if it was the first time he had seen the other royal smile without any kind of mischief in mind or if he just hadn’t seen her smile so up close, but he felt a lightness in his stomach that he had trouble rationalizing.

He couldn’t like her; not like that. Especially because she was a boy! Or so he thought. It was quite the confusing situation for the young prince.

The two of them had soon searched the entire eastern half of the palace. Avril did little but nudging the other prince into a different direction when he appeared to be stuck, but she thoroughly enjoyed their unconventional game of hide and seek. Hans on the other hand grew ever more flustered to spend so much time alone with the red-haired prince. His mind was racing, trying to come up with explanations for the surge of new feelings he experienced while they were in close proximity.

As time went on, his searching became less and less thorough, eventually just boiling down to a question of “Is he around here?” that was always answered with a simple “No.”

When he grew tired, Hans sat down in one of the palace’s lounges and Avril slouched down next to him with posture so unbecoming of a royal, it was almost offensive to Hans. As if out of reflex, he straightened his own to be even more perfect.

“Say, are you sure you’re not a peasant who just happened to sneak into this tour?”

Avril looked shocked, or maybe just surprised, but she heartily laughed before replying.

“So your silver tongue does have some edge to it. If I pester you a little more, do you think you might permanently lose that stick up your a—”

Hans jumped up, a distraught look on his face.

“Prince Avril, don’t utter such a vulgar word within this palace!”

“So if we go outside, it would be okay?” she asked, amused.

“Well, I mean…”

As many other times this day, Hans was at a loss for words. He still wasn’t used to this feeling. No one else had ever made him feel like he wasn’t in control, and the more it happened, the more unsure he was if he truly despised it.

He took a deep breath.

“I don’t know? Get your a-ass outside and try it if you want.”

The deep blush that appeared on Hans’ face was about as amusing to Avril as the words that caused it, but most of all she enjoyed watching him lose the need to always be proper. Some might call her a bad influence, but she truly believed she was doing him a favor. And herself. Because her day had become significantly more enjoyable since coaxing the crown prince out of his shell.

“Shouldn’t we find your brother first?”

Hans’ expression darkened slightly.

“We’ve already searched almost the entire palace, and all remaining rooms are off limits. Besides, what need do you have for finding him? You know exactly where he is!”

Avril feigned mulling over his words.

“Off limits? Just which rooms might you be talking about?”

A realization dawned on Hans, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Oh no, you didn’t,” he whispered sharply before storming out of the room, his destination more than clear.

“Did what?” Avril asked innocently as she jogged up to him.

“Don’t act like you don’t know, you’ve hidden him in my personal quarters, haven’t you? The one place no one but me and a select few servants are allowed to enter!”

Avril chuckled.

“If you put it like that, it makes me want to go there all the more~”

Without another word, Hans hurried to his room. The guards were still in place, and normally he wouldn’t have believed that anyone could get past them, but as he stepped inside he saw… Lorens. Lying on Hans’ most luxurious carpet surrounded by a pile of his magic books.

“Brother!” Lorens happily exclaimed on reflex before his expression turned sullen. “You found me.”

“Of course I have! But what were you thinking, hiding in my quarters?”

“Prince Avril told me to. He said he’d let me look through the stolen book if you didn’t find me.”

Upon hearing this explanation, Hans shot an angry glare towards Avril, who sheepishly smiled back at him.

“You should know better than to take part in such foolish ploys! Don’t you realize that he simply used you; made you complicit in his crimes?”

“No offense,” he added towards Avril before questioning just who he was angry at.

“I’m sorry,” Lorens grumbled and got up from the pile of books. “I just want to become a better mage. Like you.”

The words got stuck in Hans’ throat, but he had no chance to reply anyway, as Avril stepped in.

“Aw, you can’t get angry at him, can you? He just wants to be more like his big brother!”

“W-well, there are better ways to go about that,” Hans deflected, still flustered.

“Why don’t you teach him? You even have that special book with you.”

Just then Hans realized he was still clutching the book Avril stole from the library. He went through multiple stages of panic that others might now think he was the thief before concluding that no one else in the palace would even know what the book looked like.

“It is not yet my place to teach,” Hans said sternly.

Avril now joined Lorens to put on her best puppy eyes.

“Aw, please, just a little. I wanna see some magic, too.”

It took quite a bit of begging, but eventually the two of them wore Hans down.

“Okay, fine! But I’ll just go over the basics. We need to return the book before my parents hear of its absence.”

A celebratory cheer went through Hans’ chambers and its perpetrators expectantly sat down on the chaise longue. Hans began reciting what his magic instructor taught him years ago, much to Avril’s disappointment who had expected a much more hands-on presentation.

“In essence, the core of magic is to manifest a will, and turn it into reality. Our world, however, does not allow its balance to be upset. Anything you gain will be taken away in equal measure. Estimating these risks is the greatest skill a mage can have.”

The only one still captivated by Hans’ lecture at that point was Lorens. But even his enthusiasm dampened when the words sank in.

“Wait, no matter what you do, there will be downsides to your spells?” he asked, for the first time grasping this most basic concept their magic entailed.

“Indeed, though not all consequences are negative per se.”

The younger prince seemed to think for a moment, only to get up, suddenly looking rather bored.

“Hm, I’m not sure if I want to be a mage then. I’m gonna get some food.”

And with that, he was gone. Hans stared at the door, both caught off guard and somehow unsurprised that his half-brother would be so quick to give up for such a half-hearted reason.

Avril stifled a laugh but spoke no further of Lorens’ sudden departure.

“What a fool,” Hans mumbled to himself. “But maybe I’m the fool for expecting any different.”

“Well, to be honest, you didn’t exactly make magic sound exciting,” Avril said and promptly yawned. “Can’t you just show off a spell or two? That’d be much more fun than all that boring theory!”

Hans sighed and began returning all the books that were strewn around the room back to the shelf Lorens took them from.

“There are no spells, like you’d find them in fairy tales. The technique is always the same, just the will you manifest differs. Of course, the difficulty increases the more complex said will is, but—”

“Then show me that!” Avril interrupted him, her excitement rekindled. “Do you think I could learn it, too?”

Hans hesitated as he looked at Avril, who stood so close to him he thought he could feel the warmth of her smile. He averted his gaze, a soft blush on his face.

“W-well, if you have talent, it might very well be possible.”

The crown prince proceeded to explain the basic technique he spoke of and showed her an application of it that had no significant downsides: making a piece of paper float through the air. Upon completion of the spell, it would simply fall to the ground where it would remain for as long as it floated previously.

As simple as it was, Avril was delighted. Hans even made it fly in ornate patterns, which made her want to try it all the more. For a while that was all the two did, Avril concentrating on her will and the piece of paper she meant to free from gravity’s effect, while Hans observed, correcting her form and giving advice from time to time.

“There! I think it just moved!” Avril exclaimed excitedly, but what little distance the paper may have floated upwards became nothing again right that instant.

“Don’t let up your focus. A half-manifested will harbors unpredictable dangers!” Hans said, still deep in his instructor role.

They continued for a short while longer, but Avril could not repeat her earlier success.

“This is harder than I thought…” she grumbled as she sank down to take a break.

“Don’t fret, most magic novices need at least a month before they first see any kind of success,” Hans tried to comfort her. “Still, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we really need to return the book! Dinner is only an hour away.”

“Alright, alright, just give me the book and I’ll put it back.”

Avril got up again to reach for the stolen tome, but Hans quickly grabbed it.

“Oh no, I’ll go with you. I won’t leave you on your own with this book again!”

“I can’t break into the library if I have to take you with me,” she retorted slightly irked that he still didn’t trust her. Though she couldn’t fault him either…

“Why not? How have you broken in, anyway?”

“Duh, I climbed in through the window,” Avril replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

At first Hans thought she was joking. But as she quietly looked on, it dawned on him she spoke the truth.

“Through the window?! Do you know how far up we are?”

Now it was Avril’s turn to look at him in disbelief.

“Yes? But if you don’t lock your windows, that’s still the easiest way inside.”

“Well, I will not risk my neck by clambering up the palace walls! We’ll have to sneak in through the door.”

“Fine, but don’t blame me if we get caught,” Avril relented and took Hans by the hand to lead him out of the room. Hans hardly managed to form even a single coherent thought until she let go again.

By the time they reached the library, most guards that Hans had sent to search for the thief had returned to their positions. They didn’t think twice about Hans entering the room or even about the book he was carrying, but going through the door to the forbidden section would be another story.

Hans led Avril to a part of the library where they were on their own to think of a plan.

“And if I try to distract them?” she suggested.

“That won’t work. They’re more alert than usual, so at least some would remain at the door.”

“Then I’m out of ideas. Why don’t you just use magic?”

By now Hans knew Avril well enough to realize she wasn’t joking, but the idea still seemed absurd to him.

“Magic? I may as well stab a knife into my leg right here and now. Who knows what may happen if I just willed this book back to its rightful place.”

Avril shrugged.

“I didn’t say to teleport it back, we could just turn ourselves invisible and walk right past the guards.”

Prince Hans drew breath to object, but as he thought about it, he had to admit that the idea wasn’t half-bad. He cleared his throat as he composed himself again and calmly replied.

“Very well, I still don’t like the risk, but we may as well try.”

He had never attempted to turn invisible before, but it shouldn’t pose any more problems than another form of transmutation. As he began to put a spell on them, Avril joined in, following through with what she had learned earlier. Whether it actually helped was hard to discern, but soon they were invisible! Even to each other.

“It worked!” Hans exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement at the success. “But I can’t see you, Prince Avril. M-may I hold your hand again? Just… to know where you are?”

He half expected her to laugh, but instead he felt her hand reaching out to him. The prince clumsily took it, and the two made their way to the door of the forbidden part of the library.

Hans’ heart was pounding as they sneaked past the guards, not just because of stress. To his relief, the spell held up, and they made it inside with no problem. Avril lead him to the shelf she had stolen the book from, and Hans quietly returned it.

“That wasn’t so difficult now, was it?” she whispered.

“N-no,” Hans replied, ever conscious of her hand in his. “Now let’s return before we’re visible again.”

No longer than it took to go back, were they invisible, and Hans let out a sigh of relief as they reappeared. Avril let go of his hand, and as disappointed as he was, he felt quite glad too because his own had started to become rather clammy.

“That was fun!” Avril said with her usual carefree smile that no longer irritated Hans.

“Indeed, it was,” he admitted truthfully. He couldn’t remember when last he felt so free of his princely burdens. “Now shall we get ready for dinner? I feel rather peckish.”

To that Avril agreed quite readily, and for the first time in hours, they parted ways to each go to their quarters.

For once, Hans wasn’t the first to arrive. It took him quite a while to pick out his outfit, since he wanted to impress. More than usual. He was only apart from Avril for a short while, but it made him realize something that had crept up on him the entire day. He felt drawn to this prince. Like he had never felt before. And even at the risk of sullying his reputation as a perfect crown prince, he wanted to confess to him just what he felt.

The hall was already filled with many royals, even more than earlier that day, since even the adults were present now. As he looked around hopefully, he couldn’t find who he was looking for. His heart ached a little as he strolled across the room, turning his head towards anything red he spotted. But it was never the prince he longed to see.

Just as he began to doubt if Avril was even there, he felt a gently tap on his shoulder. His hope renewed, he spun around and saw… a girl. In a dress more beautiful than he had ever seen. A girl with deep red hair and a smile he would never mistake for someone else's.

“P-prince… Avril?” he hesitantly asked.

“Princess. But otherwise, yes,” she said cheerfully.

Hans still couldn’t believe his eyes.

“B-but, earlier you were—”

“Wearing more practical clothes. It’s not that easy to climb in a dress, and I didn’t want all the princes to approach me during the tour.”

Prince Hans nervously swallowed. Just as he accepted having fallen in love with a boy, Avril sprung yet another surprise on him! But his feelings hadn’t changed. Unlike his assumptions of who he felt attracted to.

“So… have you no interest in being approached at all?” Hans asked and blushed further as he realized how transparent his question was.

Avril raised a brow but still appeared cheerful.

“What, you’ve seen me in a dress for just a minute and already feel the need to confess to me?”

“N-no! That need was there even before!” Hans blurted out and quickly looked around if anyone had overheard.

Avril laughed warmly.

“So it wasn’t my imagination then. I suppose I don’t mind if it’s you who expresses interest~”

The relief Prince Hans felt was immense. He once again composed himself and looked at Avril, who suddenly seemed even prettier than before. Hans could hardly tear his eyes from her. So much so that…

“Oh no,” he whispered as he realized. “Our spell from the library… I’m afraid it’s recoil just began.”

All across the room, the royals turned their heads to the stunning young couple. Even besides being good looking under normal circumstances, now they weren’t just visible, they were hyper-visible. No one in their vicinity could look away from them without considerable effort!

“My, then we better look deserving of all this attention,” Avril said, not fazed in the slightest, and linked her arm with that of Hans.

At first the prince felt a little self-conscious under everyone’s stares. But as the evening progressed, he rather relished them. Before long, the magic induced stares had faded but the two of them were still more than eye-catching.

“Why did you play all these tricks on me?” Hans asked when quiet had fallen over them for a short while.

“Hmm,” Avril replied thoughtfully. “You were just there. And I was curious if there was more to you than that boring, perfect prince you always try to look like.”

Hans appreciated her straightforwardness, but was a little disappointed that was all there was to it.

“I already told you, I have to act that way since I am the crown prince.”

“No, you don’t. I’m the crown princess of Poisson, and I’m doing just fine.”

Prince Hans gasped.

“You are what? And no one admonishes you for your mischief? Or your manners? Even dressing as a prince to fool other royals?”

The princess laughed once more, and the sound filled Hans with warmth.

“When you put it like that it sounds pretty bad, but I promise I can act the part when I have to! In fact, I work all the harder to fulfill my role if it means I can afford such freedoms in return,” she said and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, almost looking bashful for once. “You should try it too, all the pressure is easier to deal with if you allow yourself to just be free sometimes.”

Her words resonated deeply with Hans. It seemed like such a simple truth, but also one that is easy to overlook.

“I will,” he replied and took her hand into his. “If you show me how, I’ll gladly follow.”

[maniacalmagician]

EVERHOOD: Pinocchio in Psychedelic Purgatory: the Rock Opera Adventure. OR: I walked backwards into hell, and felt euphoria as I became privvy to the Divine Truths

Hello tumblr people. I’ve been Away. I played a game recently and I wanted to talk about it.   damnit i really wanted to put pictures into this mini essay. ive been away from this garbage site for too long, i dont know how to do it lol.  ok anyway    First, I want to say to the developers and anyone else that this has quickly become one of my all time favorite games. Currently writing I have personally never felt a greater emotional attachment to an experience with a piece of software. Perhaps it is the extreme idiosyncratic nature of it, perhaps it is the deeply intriguing storyline, mostly however it is a combination of those in addition to some of the most outstanding psychedelic visuals I have ever seen, particularly in the finale sequence, and a killer soundtrack that combines many genres but focuses mostly to being as bangers as possible. I will be upfront and say this game comes with a boatload of trigger warnings, and thus the aforementioned idiosyncratic nature of it may not appeal to everyone, however I feel it necessary to indicate potential content warnings here as I would hate for people to be triggered: epilepsy is the big one, I myself have mild stutter based epilepsy and it didn't cause health problems or anything but my case is not universal. Anyway. That is a hard warning on epilepsy. I do it because The Incredibles 2 did not, lmao (that's an example of the kind of visuals that trigger me personally. An aside ) Other things include (spoilers): arachnophobia, misophonia (screeches, unsettling sounds), themes of death, immortality, suicide. Some game mechanics are not immediately intuitive and puzzles require some pretty clever but sometimes obtuse solutions. Direction is not always super clear either. People have complained of performance issues but I am leaving this review after playing the switch port, which played smoothly other than some awkwardly long loading times here and there. What I have played of PC so far runs smooth but as of writing, performance for me was fine (my pc is a lowend budget build). There is a difficulty to it. Even playing on easier modes, it can be quite unforgiving. If you're a fan of hard games (I am but I suck at them) and rhythm games (this is, uh, Not? That? Almost functions as half walking sim, half rhythm Game, dodgy shoot em up kinda feels. Truly unique gameplay I think. Constantly switches things up, too. But yes I also adore rhythm games, and yes i also do suck at those too.), half of it is that. The devs troll you with puzzles. It's truly a wild experience as it advertises, one of a kind. And yet, however.... This game wears, much like its heart,, its references, on its sleeve. If you are not into that kind of thing, you will probably be annoyed by this game. It also loves to delv into meta, as many puzzles and interactions are references to the UI of the game itself. Personally, I'm not wild about meta but I appreciate the ernestness here, so I'm willing to roll with whatever this game throws at me because every turn feels unexpected, fresh, funky, somber, and wildly intelligent, with boldly sincere ludonarrative choices, script and art direction. If you like Geno from super Mario Brothers, which, guess what, narrator here LOVES Geno from Super Mario Brothers, this is functionally the game you've always wanted that Nintendo could never make because Square has held Geno hostage in some kind of underground torture facility since 1995. Turns out they were rather right to do so, because when that puppet is out serving a higher authroity, he can be quite dangerous. Narrarively it borrows much from its sources but I would argue there's proof the writers have spent time thinking about the implications of their source materials worlds, and that reflection casts itself back to create this, experience that is wholly unique even if we know Red is Geno and "Gaster" (who was based on Uboa from Yume Nikki or princess mononokes forest spirits), and some kind of disco Marceline character who changes their identity frequently, skeleton brothers- well undead brothers, really - We have to remember in the creation and consumption of media sometimes, influences and archetypes are ever present and Everhood almost itself is a realm that would indulge in the idea of self referential material. It makes for this very Jungian experience of friendly archetypes we're familiar with, which works well with this setting of an immortal realm. Thats not to say the personalities we do meet aren't expounded upon - they are, heavily, and become uniquely their own. (Spoiler) if my theory is to be believed this world is a purgatory where people have made their own artificial vessels and as time has made them bored (though some seem to be having a good time) while typical strains of the Pinocchio myth are thrown in about questions of identity and death - and probably even more so towards Timothy Learys concept of the Ego Death, or the return to the collective soup of unconcious being. Undertale will probably always be a reccomendation even by its own reference to it so comparisons to it will be littered through here. It feels like the developers were emboldened by Toby Foxs spirit in game development (his creative energy is rather infectious) and shared many similar ideas, but this feels far more aimed towards a maturer audience (references to the things I mentioned in the trigger warning list) and focused on achieving this feeling that its predecesors have as well. Yume nikki. Lisa. Earthbound. Toby's games. super Mario rpg in its humor, Cat Soup in its psychedellic depressive vibes, all this cool indie cult classicy kinda mash up soup.  bizarre antics and then these characters who have surprising depth the further you go. It has been 6 years since Undertale came out, and the developers for Everhood have called a lot of the "what ifs" that fans of that game ask, an answer in their own game. (What if No Mercy was forced, for example? What if going against destiny is the wrong thing to do? Why is Death such a Bad Thing? etc!) And the further along you progress, the smarter the story gets, the more complex the narrative threads and characters. This game knows how to write compelling literature and that wasn't an element I expecting but god am I so glad for it. Literally my pea brain saw Red's design flipping around some frets on a streamers videocapture (shoutout to based fellow tampa native Charles White, thank you for being witty and having good taste and your Floridian comisery.) one night and went "oh i like." But the experience I got in exchange was, so, so much more than that (but the tetris effect won't let that image disappear from my eyelids quite yet haha.) I hear there are multiple endings and one requires a 3 hour long trek. I'm not done with the game at the time of reviewing. You bet your sweet ass I am going to find out the Ultimate Truth. I found a way to deal with some of the bullshit in other games, I may not be great at games but I want to see whatever imagery these guys put on screen so it compels me to seek out all the alternative routes. I am going to be following these developers projects very closely. If this is their debut, their next project will be ... ... I would hate to force expectations, like if you just made a magnum opus like this it'd be perfectly alright to retire, but I just once again want to say thank you to the developers for putting your heart on display for the world to see. I see it. I have dealt with struggles similar to the ones in the stories this game articulates about anxiety and depression, existentialism and dread, dissociation and all the heavy themes that were risky to include narratively - I'm certaintly glad you took the risks you did. May update this review as I get further along the story but yeah. Tl;dr: haha pinocchio myth done well make brain go brrr. 9.99999999999998/10. I am taking an infitisimal fraction of a point off because of the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ spider in the monster maze. that thing was abhorrent, but I won't let it deter anyone else who wants to play.

[trusfrations]

DEAR NON-AAPI/ASIAN KPOP FANS ON TUMBLR.

Dear non-asian Kpop fans on Tumblr.

With the recent events of 6 Asian American women getting shot in Atlanta, I need to say something.

I know that i'm going to get hate for this post, but it’s something that desperately needs to be said. To all of you who claim to love Asians and love Asian culture, I'm not sure if this clicks, but the people on stage you watch on Mnet, MAMAS, and so much more are Korean, Japanese,  Chinese, or otherwise idols of Asian descent and obviously thus Asian men and women. I'm an Asian American and I am extremely disappointed in the Kpop community right now. You guys love our Asian culture, wear our makeup, try to debut for the Kpop companies, eat our native foods, learn our languages, wear our clothing, say you know so much about our culture, make memes of our idols, and support other much needed causes such as BLM, however when Asian people are getting attacked in America and world wide, [the racism is not new people, you guys just told us Asians we were sensitive to shut us up] the Kpop community is just... silent? I'm so beyond confused and disappointed in the non-Asian fans who supposedly love our cultures. We are getting attacked with racist comments and slurs, getting killed because people suddenly think certain nationalities "started Covid" and are getting told that we will be beheaded, “we’re the reason for the virus”, and getting set on fire, among insults such as “Kung flu”. The world told us the slurs against us were “harmless”. Now look what they have started. Covid-19 was not “Made In China”. I looked up “Kpop community stands against racism against AAPI an all I got was “Kpop/ARMY community stands against racist news man against BTS". If you really care about us, really care about BTS, and really care about Asian culture, LEARN ABOUT US and STAND WITH US RATHER THAN IN SILENCE ABOUT THE RACISM AGAINST AAPI. I'm exhausted of being afraid for my safety and life and I am the race that people currently "love so much". You guys are really proving all you care is for Kpop Idols looks when the only Asians you supporting are Kpop idols when they are attacked with racial comments and hatred and not other people of their own race, so if you really want to love Asians STAND AGAINST RACISM. It’s extremely hypocritical and to be honest, blows my mind. The next time you see an Asian at school, at work, at home, in your family, anywhere! facing slurs and physical attacks, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I’ve seen videos on cam where nobody has helped the Asian who just got pushed and attacked. Don’t be that person. Channel the "Kpop Queens" you tweet, post, write about and the "International Kpop Fans" you are, and SPEAK UP FOR ALL ASIANS. I know people will hate and say I don't love BTS and Kpop with my whole heart blah, but you're wrong. I have never had Asian role models ever, and BTS inspires me each and every day, I am so grateful I cried on Grammy night just to see Asians on my television screen. However, I am not okay with the community who I used to respect just letting this stuff go on, not saying anything even when the cultures they love so much are the ones getting affected.

SO:

Read! Read about our cultures experiences in America. Read about our cultures in their natural form in our native homelands as well. You may think you know so much about your “Oppa’s homeland” but to be honest and to put it quite plainly, you actually don’t. You know a 1/4 of what you think you do. [Trust me. If you be quietly listen to actual Asian experiences in America or at home, you will learn so much.] Also, read books by Asian-American authors, not non-Asian authors. Look up the surname in question if you do not know if it is Asian or not.

One amazing book on this subject is:

The Making of Asian America

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Asian-America-History/dp/1476739412

As well as

Yell-Oh girls

https://www.amazon.com/YELL-Oh-Emerging-Explore-Identity-American/dp/0060959444/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Yell-oh+Girls&qid=1616144962&s=books&sr=1-1

Read before you speak out. You are probably not Asian if you are reading this, and do not understand fully our struggles. Listen to Asians before you try and say anything, get it wrong, and make the situation worse.

We are not a monolith, we will all react to this differently, but if an Asian tells you it’s okay not to actually learn about us. DON’T LISTEN. Learn about our history anyway.

Follow anti-Asian racism/ AAPI on social media.

Speak up if you see Asians being physically or verbally assaulted. Shocking to me, but people will stand by not doing anything when these attacks occur.

Don’t just DM me and say that you support the cause blah blah. REBLOG THIS, LIKE THIS, ADD MORE TAGS TO THIS, and if you then want to DM me. I legit posted this on my school forum, and suddenly all the K-Pop non-Asian fans are just dead silent.

STAND UP FOR RACISM AGAINST AAPI. WE ARE THE COMMUNITY UNDER ATTACK THAT YOU ALL CLAIM YOU LOVE.