#and which ones are the faves you haven't met yet

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Dubs' OC Poll

Margot de Havilland (faceclaim: Hedy Lamarr):

Elle [Last Name Redacted] (faceclaim: Elizabeth Taylor)

Paladin Henry Rex (faceclaim: Michael Biehn) and Team X-Ray:

Scribe Gwen Harper (faceclaim: Grace Kelly):

Alice de Havilland (faceclaim: Eleanor Tomlinson)

Houshanou (a.k.a. Courier 6) (faceclaim: Rila Fukushima)

Squire Phoebe Iona Woods, aged 4 (faceclaim: Carrie Henn):

[piastri-lover]

who would have guessed; alex albon

summary: in which you and alex are dropping hints about your relationship, and yet no one seems to be getting the hint

pairing: alex albon x celeb!reader

author's note: i fucking love alex albon and this prompt!! icl i dont know he's so underrated but i enjoyed making this sm xx

INSTAGRAM

yourusername 📍tulum, mexico

liked by pierregasly, zendaya and 17293057 yourusername summer time x view comments

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user1 i love y/n so fucking much

user2 wife

user3 are u kidding i was lit in mexico two days ago and NOW the queen is here -user4 lit flew out this morning i could have met my wife

zendaya having fun? ;)) -yourusername don't know what u mean by that --zendaya ill keep my mouth shut

user5 after 3 months of oppenheimer filming y/n prob needs a break -user6 she slayed as jean though --user5 100%

user7 mexico is my country and i'm so glad u love it liked by yourusername -user7 omg y/n liked my comment im done

user8 whos she with -user9 idk but someone def took that 3rd photo

user10 why is pierre in the queen y/n's likes?? -user11 i bet he forgot to switch accounts and liked without thinking --user12 ariana what are u doing here

~~~

TWITTER

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INSTAGRAM

yourusername 📍tulum, mexico

liked by sydney_sweeney, landonorris and 32017295 others yourusername thank u for the restuarant reccomendation, we loved it xx view comments

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user13 mother is mothering

user14 she's so fit -user15 that scene in oppenheimer changed me as a person

user16 THERES A BOY -user17 omg omg omg this is not a drill

sydney_sweeney y/n... -yourusername ill call u later and fill u in babe

user18 first pierre, now lando -user19 the entire grid is simping for y/n and tbh i don't blame them

user20 the soft launch is beginning -user21 im so ready to analyse every screenshot to try and work this out first

user22 i need that dress

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

alex_albon replied to your story:

alex_albon ur fans are going wild on twt rn

yourusername really?? i haven't checked

alex_albon mhmm like they havent stopped speculating for hours im sure i saw someone ship u with fucking lando

yourusername he is kinda cute...

alex_albon oy

yourusername im kidding we still going out for dinner tonight??

alex_albon yup its me and you, george and carmen and lando lol

yourusername all good

alex_albon pick u up at 8?

yourusername counting down the minutes baby love u x

alex_albon love u more x

~~~

landonorris

liked by pierregasly, charles_leclerc and 4103549 others landonorris my fave couples (im so alone) view comments

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user23 umm

user24 lando babe i dont feel like u were supposed to post this

georgerussell63 he's passed out and i dont know his password idk what to do -user25 george are y/n and alex dating??? --georgerussell63 no lando was just feeling a bit silly

user26 george trying to defend alex and y/n when we obv know they're dating

alex_albon i let him take one photo and ofc he does this -yourusername at least we look cute --alex_albon we always look cute baby

user27 i wasnt sure about alex but look they're so wholesome

user28 im j wondering how tf alexander albon pulled the y/n -user29 me too --user30 like nothing against him but y/n is... well y/n

landonorris wait i thought this was my private

landonorris so so sorry -yourusername ur buying me a drink when we next go out --landonorris done and done ---alex_albon my girl has expensive taste lando u have completely shot urself in the foot

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

yourusername

tagged: alex_albon liked by zendaya, pierregasly and 51294856 othersyourusername lando ruined my softlaunch(🖕🖕) but anyway i kinda love him so be nice xx view comments

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user31 no bc theyre acc cute

user32 i hate to have to share my wife but it would be with him

landonorris ive apologised 1000 times idk what more to do -alex_albon she had the entire thing all planned out but no lando norris had to intervene --yourusername honestly im heartbroken i might need another bottle of champagne... ---landonorris fuck off y/n the last bottle was like £1000

alex_albon leng -yourusername appreciate it bro

alex_albon the last photo❤️❤️❤️-yourusername love u big man

user33 omg i hope we get to see her at a grand prix soon -yourusername im def coming to spa and we'll see after that

williamsracing already saving a seat for u -yourusername i cant wait xx

user34 dont know whether i want to be alex or her

user35 bi awakening -user36 fr

user37 sleeping on the highway tonight -landonorris ill be joining u --user38 landos so real for that

[obliviouskara]

top 5 supergirl episodes?

full disclosure i haven't seen the entirety of supergirl (ive literally only seen like 7 eps & its all season 1) so this list will probably change over time (bc im starting to painstakingly watch the show - imagine slowburn but watching a series) however ive watched like a ridiculous amount of supercorp edits so im going to base my choices on the parts where supercorp exist ha!

5. Season 1 - Red Faced

this would probably be the only none supercorp related yet still somehow my personal fave for a few reasons. i love this scene in particular bc it shows that cat grant cares for kara and what cat says here is very relatable. no matter how harsh cat can be at times, cat was a girl's girl here. she gave an advice which was helpful to both supergirl and kara. she had every right to rip kara viciously apart but instead she took a completely different route. i like the line she says here.

"You really need to figure out what's really bothering you." "You really need to find that anger behind the anger. And you really need to figure out what's really making you mad."

i think this was also the ep where kara acknowledged where some of the anger was coming from. even with zero dialogue and with mel's incredible acting skills she was able to convey so much emotions during that scene where she releases all her anger towards the red tornato. From losing her parents, losing her planet —her home, for losing everything and maybe even angry with her parents for the choices they made for her. it was such an incredible and very emotional scene.

im putting the rest in read more bc of how unnecessarily long this post has become

4. Season 2 - "The Adventures of Supergirl"

this should be easy. this was the first time kara met lena and changed the trajectory of every queer person watching this show and lena first delivered the first of many many questionably fruity (gay) lines fjlkajdla

"You couldn't have fooled me."

also bc of this scene thank you very much

3. Season 2 - "Luthors"

if there is one particular scene that convinced me to even give supergirl the time of day its obvs this one and lena "suspiciously straight" luthor delivered one of the most iconic lines on television in my opinion and now forever engraved in my mind. let's not forget lcorp CEO lena luthor took the time of day to fill catco employee kara danver's office with flowers like it's a regular tuesday but oh well

"now you'll have someone to stand up for you. always" "supergirl might have saved me but kara danvers, you are my hero."

screaming, crying, throwing up

2. Season 2 - "Exodus"

tada! i mean, look at it! how heroic! i also find it funny how grateful and confused lena was that kara danvers was having coffee with supergirl late at night but still

Season 2 - Ace Reporter

so this isnt at all groundbreaking bc honestly, 5 isn't enough and anything that has supercorp will be my favorite even though again i havent seen the rest of supergirl yet but we're ignoring canon so we're ignoring that fact too. i think this was the ep where kara was comforting lean about jack's death. i personally have a love and hate relationship towards this scene for many reasons but im a sucker for supercorp and there was a clip where kara hesitated and looked like she was about to plant a kiss on lena's head but then hugged her instead and i think its beautiful and im a sucker for kara leaning in towards lena

BONUS:

im too lazy to figure out where these clips are from which episode but this. i love every scene and its more like these below are my reasons for watching supergirl and has nothing to do with being my top 5 bwahaha

oh did i mention i also happen to have a weird obsession with superrojas i will not rest until i reach the ep where andrea rojas exist

[flowerakatsuka]

Do you have a fave hesokuri au or skit au and have you kuroba’d them 👀

HI EVAN, THANK YOU SM FOR THE ASK!!! 😊✨

and yes, i do!! a few actually, heh. i've talked a little bit about the youkai & denki mystery aus i have for kuroba before and i really love those, but i think my favorite might actually be their royalty / prince au. which i haven't really talked about before so uh. i hope you don't mind, but i'm gonna use this as a excuse to ramble about it.

i'll put my infodumping under a cut bc it might get long, but here's their designs for the au. 🤭

SO. kuroba comes from a commoner household, but because their grandfather was the royal gardener to the matsuno family and they acted as his apprentice, they've basically lived their entire life on the castle grounds in spite of their status. they've gotten to meet and come to befriend quite a few people of a higher social status than them, the most notable being the 2nd prince of the matsuno royal family, karamatsu.

they first met as children, when karamatsu ran away from his caretakers to hide in the gardens and cry by himself. kuroba had been helping with cleaning up the rose beds that day and stumbled upon him. they've always been the meddling type and can't leave others alone when they're upset so they sat with him and tried to comfort him to the best of their ability, ( even if it was just providing him company and a hand to squeeze while he cried. ) after that, karamatsu became very curious about kuroba and would often visit the gardens in the hopes of spending time with them. the two became very close over time, with him following them around the gardens as they worked and running to them whenever he needed a shoulder to cry on ( which they were always happy to provide. )

they're still very close as adults despite some things changing, like karamatsu adopting a more flashy personality to stand out more amongst his brothers and kuroba taking over their grandfather's role as royal gardener. a lot of the things stayed the same, though.

however, their close friendship starts posing some issues within the royal counsel. one of the princes having such an intimate relationship ( and obvious infatuation ) with a commoner is unsightly in the eyes of the nobility and could make them question the integrity & stability of the crown. so iyami, ( who's a sketchy noble adviser to king matsuzou, ) proposes that karamatsu be engaged to duchess dobusu to help quell the rumors going around about kuroba and him. matsuzou agrees and even though he tries to protest it, kara eventually agrees to go along with it for the sake of his family and kuroba.

when karamatsu tells them the news, kuroba takes it pretty well and congratulates him with a smile... or at least, that's the reaction he gets out of them. in reality, they're fucking devastated because they've been harboring feelings for him for years at that point. they already accepted the fact that they could never be together, but that doesn't make the reality of the situation hurt any less. still, they want to support karamatsu and be happy for them so they're taking the truth about their feelings for him to the grave. ( that's what they planned on doing, at least. )

they slowly drift apart after that ; karamatsu's visits to the gardens become less frequent, kuroba stops personally delivering fresh arrangments to karamatsu's quarters, they barely even greet each other when crossing paths. it doesn't help that iyami got into kuroba's ear, warning them that they should keep their distance from kara to preserve his reputation and not lose their job — which they really can't afford as the main breadwinner for their family. neither of them are happy with how things have changed, but there's not much they can do about it.

as karamatsu and dobusu's engagement party draws closer and kuroba has to help with the decorations, their discontent really bubbles to the surface. one of their noble friends, ( i haven't decided who yet lol, ) finds them crying and tries to comfort them, eventually convincing them to sneak into the party and dance with kara so they at least have one unforgettable memory of him to hold onto. with their help, they manage to do it with their identity hidden behind a mask.

things seem to go off without a hitch ; they'll be able to have to moment with karamatsu all for themself and basically no one will be the wiser. that is until they slip up and speak while dancing with him. they start to leave when he almost says their name, but he stops them and gives them the pine-shaped brooch he was wearing before letting them slip away. to make matters worse, iyami sees this all go down.

the events after that are a lot less plotted out, but i imagine some standard historical fantasy romance webtoon bullshit going down. like karamatsu trying to confront kuroba about that night, but them telling him to stop and leave them be. it's be some wild melodrama, which i do kinda live for.

the climax would probably be iyami staging some villainess-esque condemnation event to expose kuroba for sneaking into the party and get them kicked out of the castle. but queen matsuyo and some of the nobles kuroba had befriended come to their rescue. basically, they argue that if there's someone who's willing to be with karamatsu's annoying ass, then why would you force him onto someone else? none of the other nobles want him, please let kuroba have him so they don't have to deal with him. this includes dobusu, who agrees to give the royal family her duchy's support if they break off her engagement with karamatsu and let kuroba take him off her hands. so after getting matsuzou's approval, they live happily ever after theeeeeee end. there's probably other factors that could play into them getting together at the end, but yeah.

anyways thank you for coming to my rambling, i am so sorry it got this long. this is one of the aus i've thought about A LOT so i ended up having a lot to say. 😭

[clubdionysus]

[BAD DECISION #34] Speed Dating

warnings: dating other people rip, 5th muster pied piper jeon jungkook, one my fave ever chapters !! just a really good display of the starluvrs dynamic <3

wc: 5.6k

bd total wc: 540k (ongoing)

AO3 | MASTERLIST | MINORS DNI

The sound of coffee beans whirring through a grinder obscures the conversations of the couples around you; friends catching up on events of the past weekend, mothers checking in with their sons to make sure they're eating well. There's a complex myriad of relationships within these four cramped walls, unrefined wooden beams and exposed brick providing a sanctuary to escape from the cold winds of the changing seasons.

It reminds you of Yoongi's studio; the slightly woody scent bringing back fond memories - all of which are abruptly forgotten about as Seojoon returns to your table, drinks in hand.

"Thank you," you smile appreciatively as he sets them down on the table.

He was a little late meeting you, thanks to his boss staying late in the office.

"Aiming for a promotion," he had said awkwardly when he was excusing himself. "Up to a senior management position. It's looking promising."

And so you hadn't judged him too harshly for his tardiness. Know that punctuality isn't always your strong point at the best of times. Even if it isn't the best impression so early on in your dating history, you'll let it slide.

You're in the heart of the cafe; privacy not required and not particularly desired either.

It's only your second date. You're still just getting to know one another. Expectations are low, and you're thankful for it. With the mess of Jeongguk and how horribly you seem to have overstepped the boundaries of what a friendship should be, you're glad to be in a situation that comes without complications.

Dating, you think, is simple. Or at least, it should be. You get to know a person, and see if you're compatible. If you're not, it's easy to cut your losses - no hard feelings. The difficulty is when people aren't honest, nor upfront about themselves or their intentions.

Which is why, halfway through your date, Seojoon raises one of his brows in response to your honesty, and asks, "You want me to date other people? In front of you?"

"Well, no," you laugh a little, because the way he phrases it is so... accurate. Setting your coffee down, you're pleased to see that he's smiling. Is obviously taking this in good humour. "I promised my friend I'd help him out with speed dating-"

"Why does he wanna speed date?" Seojoon questions curiously. Thinks the concept is a bit old school - and not in a good way. There's a trivial nature to it. He wonders how likely you'll be able to find a decent match from such a forced scenario. "Can't find a girl? Is there something wrong with him?"

"No," you immediately defend Jeongguk. "He's a barman, and like, not a predator, so his chance to meet people kinda like how we met is limited. Also has, like, a weird complex with tinder. Doesn't like it. Wants to meet someone organically."

"Speed dating is just real-life tinder," Seojoon laughs. "It's not organic."

"Maybe not," you admit, a little dismissive in your tone, 'cause he's being difficult. "But it's real life meetings instead of online, so I think it's a little better."

"And you want me to go... why?"

"Well, 'cause I'm gonna go," you tell him. It's already been decided. Your mind is made up. It's not really a case of wanting Seojoon to go, but knowing that inviting him along is the right thing to do. "And like, it will be fun! I'm not actually gonna be taking it seriously - it's just fun."

"Okay..." He sounds sceptical. "And what about the people who are taking it seriously? What if someone falls head over heels in love with you?"

"Well then you'll have to try extra hard to be the one that I leave with," you tease.

You haven't considered the possibility that maybe he'll find someone else he likes more than he likes you - 'cause you don't actually really care. Not yet. It's too early to be invested. Your guard is still up.

There's something Seojoon finds a little thrilling about your flirtation - but as he sighs, you're reminded of the fact he's older than you. Has a couple of years on Seokjin.

Just like your ex used to get bored of your sometimes childish nature, you fear that the same could be said for Seojoon.

Still, no need to write him off so soon.

Selfishly, you also think that distance is needed between you and Jeongguk - and if you're gonna use anyone as a human barricade, then someone as handsome as Seojoon definitely eases the blow a little.

A cold breeze wafts in through the door as customers leave, but the way Seojoon finally smiles and agrees makes you feel all warm.

"Alright, I'll do it," he agrees. It could be fun. You're fun. Perhaps he does need to lighten up a little. You'd met him when he'd been a few too many drinks deep, and knows that his sober self is far more subdued. Fears that you won't like him as much if he doesn't live up to that first impression. "Where is it? When?"

With an oh-so-pleased grin on your lips, you clap your hands together. "You're the best."

"Tell me something I don't know," he flirts, sipping on his coffee with a slight arrogance. His attitude assures you that no one else will steal any attention from him in the shadowy darkness of a speed dating venue.

And yet when you both arrive at a bar a few blocks from Dionysus the following Friday evening, you find yourself constantly looking over your shoulder just in case Jeongguk should appear.

"He should be here," you jitter about a little nervously, checking the time on your phone. 7:53PM. The event starts in just seven minutes.

"Calm down," Seojoon says kindly, rubbing your arm softly. "I'm sure he's just caught in traffic or something like that."

You nod, tucking your phone into your back pocket. Dressed a little casually in a pair of black jeans with a tight, long-sleeved shirt on top, you're not really trying to attract too much attention. Sure, you're just as glittery as always but it's hardly a cry for attention - it's just who you are as a person.

"Oh, here," Seojoon says as his thumb swipes away a little glitter on your cheek.

The touch should make you swoon. Should make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Should have you smitten. Smiling, you fold your arms tightly over your chest.

It didn't make you feel any of those things at all. If anything, quite the opposite.

Perhaps you're being a little pathetic, but your glitter is your warpaint. His preening weakens your defences. Suggests there was something wrong with your choices.

You know that's not what it means at all. You know he was just being kind.

But if you wanted help, you would have asked for it.

"Thanks," you say regardless, because you acknowledge he's being a nice guy. You don't want him to feel like he's not being so, just because of your own insecurities.

"You look nice," he compliments sweetly. "Think everyone here is gonna wanna take you home."

You raise a brow in his direction. Glance around the room, then back to him. There are definitely more women than there are men, but the split isn't too far off. About thirty people, give or take.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? I've already seen, like, four women give you a double-take."

He laughs, shaking his head.

"Maybe they were looking at you. Plus," he sucks a little air between his teeth, then nods to the door. You turn to see what he's looking at. "Just saw at least three groups of women stop their conversations as soon as he walked in. Might have some competition."

It's hard to pinpoint what you notice first.

Part of you thinks it's the dark leather belt around his slim waist; silver buckle a little aged, sitting perfectly just above the flat path of his body that leads to somewhere you know far too well.

A lot of it could be the black shirt draped over his shoulders - a button-down with small golden polka dots dappling the almost sheer fabric. A small amount of chest exposed, silver necklaces sit prettily against a chest that looks like it's in need of some glitter.

Most of it, though, is his pretty brown eyes that somehow look a little menacing in this low light. Typically wide and doe-like, there's a little something different about them.  Desperately, you have to remind yourself not to curse beneath your breath.

Yet when he gets to the concierge table to sign in, his eyes widen like they so often do, and his nerves are shown in the way he nibbles down on his bottom lip. Eyes glancing around the room, he's seeking something out - and when they land on you, they soften entirely.

"Oh," you simply say. "That's Jeongguk."

And suddenly, Seojoon isn't so sure of himself. Knows he's not a bad-looking guy, but Jeongguk is so insanely different from him. It's not a competition. The two of them are incomparable - and that's why you like Seojoon. You don't want to compare.

"That's your friend?" He double-checks. You nod. Shrug, like you don't get the big deal. Of course you do. You have eyes. "A little warning would have been nice!"

You laugh. "What? He's just a guy. No different to any of the other guys here."

"Oh, we both know that's a lie," he laughs.

"Well, what does it matter?" You tease. "Unless you're trying to score with one of the other girls? You already know I'm not gonna be ditching you for him. Nothing to worry about."

There's a little satisfied smirk on Seojoon's face as he says, "Suppose you're right."

Again, it's not like things between you and Seojoon are deep. Feelings haven't formed to the point of actually feeling territorial.

As he makes his way over to you both, Jeongguk hides his discomfort well. Remembers the conversation earlier in the week when you'd told him Seojoon would be coming. Remember how he'd smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah, no. Sure. Go for it. Invite him. Will be fun."

Then he also remembers the way he'd stood in the shower for 45 minutes completely still with absolutely no cognitive thoughts because everything just felt so overwhelming that he just wanted to think of nothing at all - especially not about you with someone else.

Before he reaches you, the host begins to make an announcement. She welcomes back familiar faces, and introduces herself to those of you who are new. Explains how the evening will go.

There's an equal split; 15 men, 15 women. Decided on a coin toss, women will be the ones to move from table to table. Each person has a number. Yours is 23.

Jeongguk is 7, and Seojoon is 15.

You get three minutes at a table to make an impression, and then you're swiftly moved along to the next person; like a human conveyor belt. Which, in a way, you sort of suppose it is.

The dates start off effortlessly. You've a vodka coke to soften the tension.

None of them are anything to write home about. Of course they aren't. Not when they're competing with two of the most handsome men in the whole wide world.

And so, when you finally get to Jeongguk's table, and he looks at you in the way that he does?

Oh, you'll swoon.

There's not really much thought given to the way he smiles when you sit down; front teeth so sweet and bunny-like as his nose scrunches ever so gently. The domineering, slightly intimidating version of your best friend who had entered the establishment at the start of the evening is gone.

"Okay, okay," he shakes his head. Breathes out a nervous breath. Sorts his posture out. Dramatically waves his hand in front of his face as if he's getting ready for a theatrical performance. "Sorry. Hi. Nice to meet you."

You nod right back. Hide the excitement that's bursting through you like the light of a thousand shooting stars. 

His eyes, somehow, seem to be full of them, too. You put it down to the overhead lamps.

Holding your hand out for him to shake, you nod. "Nice to meet you, too. What's your name?"

Oh, it's dumb. So incredibly dumb . 

"They call me Tony," he bullshits. You know immediately where his chosen name has come from. You've taken the piss out of his doll collection enough times to be vastly aware of exactly who the figurines are.

"Funny," you smirk, leaning back into the chair. There's a menacing quality to your smile. Jeongguk can't stop himself from smiling, again. "They call me Pepper."

Your knowledge of the intricacies of Tony Stark's various love affairs is limited, but you do know one thing; Pepper Potts is possibly the most important of them all. 

You don't mean to insinuate anything more than an acknowledgement of your importance to Jeongguk, but you also don't know the characters as intricately as he does. Don't know that Jeongguk's mile-a-minute brain is only accelerating even further down his path of being hopelessly infatuated with you.

"So tell me, Pepper, what brings a girl like you to a place like this?" He flirts, keeping up the stupid game a little while longer. There are three minutes on the clock. He's making the most of it. Knows he'll wish you were still in front of him as soon as you depart to the next table.

"Got a magnet in my chest," you tell him, reciting lore he told you once when you'd been wrapped up in his duvet, watching MCU films back to back while he'd been studying. "Think there must be some iron around. Can't help but be drawn to it."

He shrugs. Pretends as if the demonstration of the fact you actively listen to him and his passions isn't the hottest thing in the world. "Is that what you're after then, huh? An Iron Man?"

"Maybe," you flirt. "Happen to know where I could find one, Tony ?"

Oh, it's idiotic - and yet you both enjoy the ridiculousness of it all.

Jeongguk smiles. Looks down. Shakes his head. When he looks back up, he's biting down on his bottom lip, but there's a subtle disappointment in his eyes. He's quiet, as he says, "Everyone else is so boring, B."

"You've not met everyone yet," you remind him, but for some reason, you quite enjoy that it's everyone else. You're not included in that. Still, you don't want to discourage him. "And of course you'll have fun with me. You know me."

The clock by the front of the venue continues to tick on. There's only a minute or so left to go.

"I just had a three-minute conversation about porridge," he deadpans. "And before that? Blisters."

"Blisters?"

"Blisters," he confirms with a sigh. "She said her feet hurt and so I asked why and... yeah. Tangent. She wasn't asking me anything back so I just kept asking her more questions about her blisters. Oh, do you get them often? Do you use the special plasters? Like, fucking hell, B."

You're laughing now, and Jeongguk really wishes you wouldn't - mainly because nobody else has found him this funny all evening, and he hates that it's you he's the most compatible with.

From across the room, Seojoon glances over to the sound of you laughing. Is both pleased and disgruntled when he finds it's Jeongguk you're laughing with.

"She definitely thinks you have a foot fetish, now," you tease him.

His cheeks flame to match the colour of the Coke can beside his glass. He decided against alcohol tonight. Knows it's good for lowering inhibitions, but he doesn't want to meet someone like that. Wants to go in with clarity. With a clear head. No distractions or false sense of attraction.

"Fuck," he curses. "She does, doesn't she? That's why she wasn't asking me anything back."

"Oh, she's so gonna warn everyone about it-"

"Fuck," he really whines now. "You gotta make sure everyone knows I don't have a foot fetish."

"Do I?" You smirk. "And don't you have one? I could have sworn-"

"I don't!"

"Sure."

"Since when have I ever done anything with your feet," he hisses under his breath, glancing around to make sure no one hears him.

You just shrug. "You've kissed them once or twice-"

"Oh, please," he scoffs. "That's just cause they were there and I need to kiss something-"

"And you chose my feet?!"

"And you still came, so is this battle you really wanna fight?"

The buzzer on the clock timer sounds, but you don't want to stand up.

You want to bicker with Jeongguk into the early hours of the morning. Wanna bicker all the way to his bedroom - even if he does end up doing unspeakable things with your feet.

It's this realisation that actually makes you stand up.

Your mind flickers between shamelessly indulging how much you like Jeongguk, and reminding yourself that you're here with someone else. Have forced the poor guy into an evening of speed dating.

'Just helping out a friend' had been your rationale, but as you sit down at the table beside Jeongguk and hear him greet the next potential partner, the tremendous upset that washes over you makes it clear that perhaps you'd wanted to keep tabs, too. Make sure that there really is no one he likes as much as you.

You're starting to sound like her, your brain tells you.

And so you greet your next suitor. He's perfectly pleasant. A little older, but still younger than Seojoon. Works downtown at a bank. Plays football normally on Friday evenings, but bailed to come speed dating.

The conversation is nice - but you're not really focused, 'cause you keep on trying to listen in to Jeongguk's conversation instead.

"Yeah, yeah. Dog person, massively. What about you? Cats? Oh cute, do you have one? Yeah sure I'd love to pet it! Do you have any pictures? What do you mean? Not that kind of cat? What do- oh. Oh."

The giggle you splutter is stunted; out of place in the conversation you're having.

Jeongguk glances over to you, and the suppressed smile on your face as you apologise to your 'date' is as clear as anything.

"Sorry, just heard something from another table," you explain. "It distracted me for a second."

And then Jeongguk is smiling too, cheeks a little pink from embarrassment, but the blood from his face has migrated elsewhere. 

It's his heart that swells, now.

Eventually, half an hour later, miles away from Jeongguk, you find yourself right where you should be: in front of Seojoon.

"Well, well," you greet. "Fancy seeing you here."

He smiles as you sit down. He's the last on the row, thanks to the fact he didn't sign up till much later than you or Jeongguk. Again, you'd have been here with or without his blessing.

"Y'know, I think I've seen you around before," he playfully says.

You nod. "In your dreams, probably."

Okay, so it's cheesy - but you're joking around. Engaging in an innocent flirt, just like you should be.

"Probably," he agrees. Takes a sip on his drink. Whisky on the rocks. "So tell me more about yourself."

Unlike your conversation with Jeongguk, you don't lie. Don't pretend to be anyone but yourself. With other people, you don't have to play make-believe. With Jeongguk, you already know that 'you' is not what he's after, so why even bother?

"What's there to say?" You suppose with a flirtatious smile. "Barista by day, art curator by night."

"Oh, a double life," he enthuses. "Burning the candle at both ends?"

"No." You're not sure why, but the question irks you. You don't let it show. "Just like keeping myself busy. What about you?"

"Mechanical engineer by day, perpetually tired old man by night," he says. There's a charm to his self-deprecation, but it only further exacerbates your differences. The night is when you come alive.

"Look at us," you tease. "Both burning the candle at both ends."

Even though it irked you, you play up to his humour. Years working in customer service, and now having to schmooze people professionally for Tae, it comes fairly easily to you.

Seojoon laughs. Shakes his head. Is warm in his tone as he says, "When I get that promotion you won't need to worry about working."

You laugh too, because it's an absurd thing to say. Just a funny little joke.

It's your third date. Kind of. You're not sure if you can count this as one, but you're gonna. He's speaking in hypotheticals. The promotion is grounded in reality, but the rest of it - particularly the part where you're a permanent fixture in his life - is just lighthearted banter.

"And then what?" you banter back. Just like with Jeongguk, you're playful. Perhaps Seojoon isn't too dissimilar from him, after all. "We'll move to the suburbs and have 2.4 kids? I can clean all day and cook your dinner for you?"

"Well, yeah," he says, his smile still present but a little less intentional. "Maybe not 2.4. I'm thinking three."

You shudder.

The idea of your body going through something as traumatic as pregnancy three times doesn't bear thinking about. You're not maternal. Sure, maybe one day, in the very distant future when you're settled and secure - with your own finances, and your own sense of stability. The whole concept of childbirth terrifies you. Having a family is something you'd like, but fuck . It's another fear to overcome - and a hell of a fear at that.

It's one that you haven't given much thought to lately. 

Of course, when you were head over heels for Seokjin, you thought that maybe your life would look a little bit like that. Could imagine him playing tennis with your child on the weekend. The eldest. A boy, maybe. Or maybe a girl. It didn't really matter what you envisaged. Never really thought about it too hard.

"Oh?" Seojoon questions your immediate reaction. "Not want kids?"

"Well not yet," you laugh. Shrug. Grin as you tease. "Got so much I want to achieve first."

"Such as?" he asks, but his smile isn't really as present as it once was. His eyes look a little stern.

You clear your throat. Sit a little straighter.

"Well, my job for starters. Like, I love what I do, but the curation I was telling you about? The art shows I help out with? I think that's what I really love. That's what I wanna do. I just have no idea how to even properly start."

Working with Taehyung to push his art out has been such a rewarding experience. The feeling you get after a successful art show is unlike any sense of achievement a good day at the cafe could give you.

It's something to be proud of. Yes, it's Taehyung's talent that makes the sales, but it's your networking that gets the right people through the doors. A combined effort.

"But it's fine," Seojoon interrupts before you've really finished your rambling. "I mean it. I wanna work hard so I can provide for my future family. If you and me 'go the distance', then you wouldn't need to work."

You furrow your brows. Look quite affronted. "But I want to work."

"But you wouldn't need to," he insists again, broad shoulders straightening out. There's an air of arrogance to the way he wipes his fingers on a serviette and tosses it down onto the table. "I don't want a partner who's never around. Not if we've got kids."

"So you want a housewife?" You almost accuse.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not if it's her choice," you say defiantly. "But it'll never be my choice."

There's silence between you both. Seojoon's eyes drop, but yours continue to burn into him, affronted by his expectations, and the fact he thought perhaps you would ever shape yourself to fit into his idealised version of a woman.

"Okay, so say you get married," you theorise. It's not playful, now. Not like it was. "Get married, and she gives up everything - house, job, finances. All she does is raise your kids-"

"It's not like I'd be an absent father," he argues, but you don't really care. You're annoyed. There's nothing wrong with a traditional mindset, but you've already had one guy try and push what a woman 'should' be like onto you. You're never gonna let it happen again.

"But you'll be working so hard," you pout. Mock. Project a version of the future that you have no way of accurately predicting. "You'll be in the office all the time, and one thing will lead to another and BAM . Workplace affair-"

"I'd never cheat."

"I've been told that before," you say a little flippantly. "It's life. It happens."

"You're not being fair."

"No, what's not fair is that in the divorce she'll be left with fuck all - just your shitty, snivelly kids. No career, no financial security, no prospects, nothing."

Seojoon grates his jaw a little.

"You're projecting."

"And you're forgetting I'm a woman. I've dated corporate men before. I've heard the horror stories."

"This is literally insane," he laughs. "Like, you're crazy. You can't just assume every man is the same."

"And you can't assume that every woman will be happy with the life you want for them," you laugh right back, disbelief taking hold of your emotions. Scoff. Tut. "So fuckin' backwards."

"Well maybe not every man will be happy with the life you want for them-"

"I don't want my future partner to change their goals or aspirations to suit my needs," you remind him. "I just want them to support my goals, too."

Seojoon frowns. "You're making me sound like an asshole."

You just shrug.

"I don't think I'm making you sound like anything," you sigh. Shake your head. Look down to the dinner table and then back over towards him. "I just..."

There's a realisation floundering around you both; a brief peak into what the future could look like.

And neither of you are happy.

"So... Speed dating is fun," he says sarcastically, trying to inject some humour back into your conversation. He's not a bad guy. He's really not. He just doesn't want the same things that you do.

The buzzer on the clock rings.

Your time is up.

Not just for you and Seojoon; but for everyone.

Fates need to be sealed in brown envelopes.

Leaning against a coffee table, you skim over the second-date slip from the organisers. 

On it, is a table listing out every person you dated tonight with a small picture to remind you of them. All you need to do is scribble a big fat cross next to the people you wish to date again.

You put a thick cross in the box next to Seojoon's name, because it feels like that's what you're supposed to do. Hover over the empty box beside Jeon Jeongguk, and hesitate. Half think that you should put a cross in there, too.

If you were to see him on tinder, you'd probably give him a super-like, because it's funny, and what friends do - but this seems a bit more serious than a swipe. So you leave it empty.

Like a black hole, the empty space feels wrong.

But filling it would also be wrong. 

Slip handed back into the event hosts, you go to mingle with the ladies. There's an awkward divide, the men on one side of the bar, women on the other.

"So," a woman not much older than yourself nudges your arm. "Who tickled your fancy?"

You hesitate. Remember that there is a right answer and a wrong answer. "Number 15. Seojoon."

"Ohh, yeah he was dishy," she swoons. "Bit too stiff for me, though."

Laughing at her observation, she isn't wrong. "So who did you go for?"

"Number 7. I forget his name but I don't think it matters - half the women here seem to have put him down!"

When she smiles, there's a radiance to her. She's unjaded. Doesn't seem to harbour the resentment of failed relationships, nor the fracture marks of a broken heart. Someone like her would be good for Jeongguk.

You cast your eyes over to where he's talking to some guy who barely even managed to get you interested in him. Everyone else seems pale in comparison to your best friend. Glancing at Seojoon, you feel guilty. You're the one who insisted that he come tonight, and yet you've spent the entire time running laps in your own heart trying to run away from the undeniable feelings you have for Jeongguk. It's all so fucked.

The only thing that gives you even a little bit of comfort is the fact that you know, for a fact, that you and Seojoon won't work. You'll waste no more of his time.

Eventually, the organisers return. Each attendee is given a small brown envelope with the details of mutual matches in them. If you both chose one another, you'll be invited to stay for a second date - this time without the timer. Everyone else will be given a drinks voucher for the bar on the floor below - either to drown their sorrows or give them a little Dutch courage to try again.

Again, the women congregate. Excitedly open their envelopes. You hold back a little. Part of you doesn't want to see a fate you've sealed, knowing full well that you intend on ending things with Seojoon.

And yet, from across the group, you hear a gasp. "I matched! With 15!"

Fucking ouch.

You twist around to see Seojoon smiling at his sheet of paper, then glancing over - presumably to her, but catching you first. He does, at least, look apologetic. Tilts his head for you to come over.

And so you do.

"Look," he sighs. Offers a smile. "We both know after that conversation that this isn't right for us."

Scrunching your face up a little, you nod. Feel relieved, more than anything. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he says as he lightly nudges your shoulder. "One of the girls here went to my college, so it was kinda nice talking about it with her."

"Makes sense," you accept, relieved that it's working out in the way that it is. "For the record, though, you were my only choice."

"Oh give over," he laughs, only to realise you're being deadly serious. He looks utterly confused. "Not even your friend? Jeongguk?"

Shaking your head, you shrug. Laugh. "I'm trying to help him find a date."

"Okay?" Seojoon questions. "Is that not what a partner should be? A friend?"

"Stop," you smile. "You'll put ideas in my head - and everyone knows ideas are a dangerous thing for a girl like me."

Looking down at you with a smile you know could steal hearts, just not yours, Seojoon agrees. "For what it's worth, I think you'll achieve everything you want to achieve."

You aren't so sure, but you thank him regardless. Encourage him to retrieve his match and head off for a real date. Tell him not to be a stranger, but realistically know that it's all he'll ever really be to you now.

From across the room, Jeongguk looks at you with a perplexed frown. You're running your thumb beneath the lip of the envelope to check the contents. You've no possible matches, not now your only one has chosen someone else.

You scan the room for your best friend and are surprised to see that he's alone. Holding up your empty envelope, you just shrug.

He reciprocates. Holds up his equally empty envelope, and then mouths, "me too."

Tilting his head to the side, Jeongguk doesn't really understand how you both ended up without a single reciprocated interest, even if the science is glaringly obvious.

You didn't put anyone other than Seojoon.

And Jeongguk didn't put anyone other than you.

Though he's too far away for you to hear, you can read his lips as he smiles and says, "Should we go?"

Glancing behind you one last time, the girl who had been speaking to you earlier catches your attention.

"So?" she asks excitedly. Though her matches came up empty - much like everyone else who chose your best friend - she's still pleased for everyone who got a match. She does seem to have forgotten the part where you told her you'd only written down Seojoon's number, but she's been asking everyone the same question. Is bound to have let a few details slip her mind. "Get a match?"

You smile a little, and then simply say, "Yeah. I think I might have."

There are whispers as you head over to Jeongguk. Gossip. Speculations. Why you? Why not them?

And the answer is simple: How would he ever choose someone else?

"So I know this bar," Jeongguk grins as you come within earshot.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm, it's just around the corner. Called Dionysus. I hear they have, like, a super hot bartender."

"Yeonjun?" You question. "He's a bit young for me."

"Sorry, let me rephrase," Jeongguk enthrals, hand on the small of your back as he guides you out of the venue. "A super hot bar manager ."

"Oh shit, you know, it's funny," you banter back. "I hear he's gonna put my drinks on his tab all night?"

You're a sneaky little bitch. He'll give you that much. 

And he'll also give you exactly what you want.

"I think you heard correctly, B."

A small hum of delight escapes your lips as Jeongguk loops his arm around your shoulders. Naturally, your arm wraps around his waist.

"Well, in that case, what are we waiting for?" You giggle. "Let's go get fucked up."

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

I'm back to talk a bit more about Teddy! (I love that you call him that, lol. Also, thank you for answering my questions!) Since I haven't read UT yet, and there's isn't much about Theodred's character in LOTR books, would you happen to know (or maybe even share some of your own headcanons) what kind of person he was? Passionate and somewhat hotheaded like Eomer? A bit more levelheaded? Really tall, or a bit on a shorter side? I know he was a strong and skilled warrior, but apart from that, I know almost nothing and I'd very much like to 😀 Thank you so much!

UT is definitely the best source for everything we know about Théodred as a person, so let’s start there and work our way forward!

What’s straight-up stated in UT: Théodred was a “vigorous” man, “devoted to the king” and “high in his affections.” He “remained steadfast” in his loyalties to Théoden and Éomer despite Gríma’s best efforts to turn them against each other.

What we can infer from UT: He was an excellent leader – his men are “well trained” and execute maneuvers in “good order.” He was INCREDIBLY brave – even after realizing that Saruman’s forces at the Fords were coming for him personally, he stood his motherfucking ground and went down fighting. He was beloved – Grimbold and Elfhelm nearly died rather than allow Saruman’s forces to carry his body away. He was strong – he took a fatal wound (likely from an axe) but hung on long enough to give last words to his men at the end of the battle. And he had an amazing sense of duty and love for his family – those last words were a request to be left at the Fords long enough to see his cherished cousin Éomer arrive and take up the defense of Rohan in his place.

What I believe to be true of him (i.e., my HC):

–Growing up in a house without other kids and with a busy father, he spent a lot of his early years alone or with his Aunt Théodwyn. He gravitated to solitary activities as a result. He liked reading, for example (Rohan’s royal family was literate!), and he got a love of plants from his aunt. He thought using the sun, some water and his own hands to bring beautiful flowers to life was the closest thing to magic that he’d ever experience.

–His best friend was Boromir, who he met on visits to his grandmother’s family in Gondor. They bonded over the shared pressures of being an heir and the shared loss of a mom, and they remained friends their whole lives, which ended within 24 hours of each other 😭. (I love a good Borodred romance fic as well, though that’s not my personal HC!)

–He was unafraid to challenge tradition. He accepted duty that was for the good of Rohan, but resisted anything that only worked to control him as a person. That’s why he was still unmarried in his 40s. He wouldn’t marry for expediency or for an heir; he held out for love and was just as happy for the crown to pass to Éomer’s line after his own death. He also tried to advocate for others in the royal family (*cough* Éowyn) who felt constrained by tradition.

–He was much calmer and more measured than Éomer. Part of that is age (Éomer was 13 years younger), and part of it was in their natures. Théodred was born a little introspective and thoughtful, whereas Éomer has canonical hotheads (i.e. Éomund) in his genes.

–It’s v. important to me that Théodred had joy in his life since otherwise it’s pretty tragic. I gave him a fiancee, Eadlin, who loved him FIERCELY and made him very happy, and I also gave him a dog – the kind that looks huge and scary but is actually a big goofball – because dogs are the absolute best and all my faves have them.

Now I risk blabbering on at even further length, so I’ll stop there. But thank you for asking about him! ♥️♥️♥️ Teddy is one of my absolute FAVORITES, and I love to both talk and hear about him!

[elluendifad]

Hi!! Could you talk a little about what following Tolkien elven religion is like for you? (Only if you want, of course.)

I'm a very newly awakened elf and I've just started reading the silmarillion. I haven't even gotten that far yet, but already it's the most connected I've felt to any religious system/religious lore before. I'm considering practicing Elvish religion, but idk. I feel a little strange saying I want to practice a religion from a work of fiction, y'know? (Please don't take this as me saying your beliefs are strange— I think they're incredibly cool. This is very much just a me thing.)

Anyway, I guess my question is something along the lines of How did you realize this was the religion for you/What do you believe wrt Tolkiens work being or not being fiction?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and doubly so if you choose to answer! Have a nice timezone :))

Alatulya, welcome kin! this one is a little long so there is a break. i also accidentally hit publish early, so we will see how editing it works lol.

table of contents: 1. my personal history and variety of practitioners 2. dealing with fictional mythology + my fave paper on this 3. specifics of tolk elven religion

Eldarin religion has been my primary religion (buddhism and my eclectic animistic witchcraft also there and co piloting) for seven years. I have been working with other eldar on our own group experience of this religion for two or a bit more years. I have taken a bit of priestly service role of collecting and organizing materials and keeping track of the calendar, which we call Loa and which assigns different holidays and themes in order throughout the year. i suspect this role is agreeable and natural for me as minya, but that anyone could do it. the degree of demand differs depending on the person, and i would say that much of my time is set to thinking of or practicing our religion. others have less involvement, and some of us feel our cosmology and philosophy is more cultural than religious the way humans might think being a member of a religious group should be. as for my own journey of getting here, i have been otherkin for most of my life and many years of that was 'generally a nature spirit type thing.' which became 'an elf but i am not sure what kind.' which then became 'oh god… am i one of those hoity toity tolkien elves?' bc there is a cultural expectation among elfkin that tolk elves are more dour and care what color clothes you wear or something… turns out that is not true! or, at least, i have not met these grim arbiters of what is becoming of the firstborn! reading the silm and other texts in the legendarium to fill in what i had absorbed from the hobbit and lotr (books and movies) was the lightbulb in the dim cellar. i use a mixed spiritual and psychological theory of origin and function for my several theriotypes and elven kintype, and this experience filled in some gaps i had just been sitting with. i personally feel that i am living one continuous eldarin life--awoken at cuivienen among the minyar, lived and died, spent my time in mandos, and was reembodied here. my sense of memory is dim, and i generally assume that is just a sign that memory is not necessarily important for this part of my life the way it was in arda. it is a great honor to live this life and to find other eldar and folks of all kindreds to share my love of life with. it was natural to transition from my magic and religious work with nature spirits to a cosmology centered on the legendarium-some of the spirits i still work and live with admit they are maiar, others are not maiar and are of the many kinds of spirit and sprite that entered into ea after its foundation to explore. our working relationships and the techniques i use for magic have stayed much the same. so how i do it is just one example in a variety.

2. i will answer first on dealing with the fictional aspect and wrestling with the nature of constructed or pop culture or modern mythology spirituality-the individual beliefs differ there, too!

for my part, i do not think the legendarium is a factual history of this actual world we currently live in. i do think jrrt was channeling something, and may or may not have been kin himself of arda reembodied here.

i think ea, like most faerie realms, is both here and not here and you have to open yourself up and step into it. once most people have experienced the enchantment of an otherworld, they are never fully able to drop the sense of it. i do feel that the legendarium makes a suitable mythopoetic 'history' for powers and themes that apply to both this world and ea and where they overlap, and that the legendarium becomes more historically factual the closer you move into ea and the further you go from current earth.

there is a lovely paper that i surely have annoyed everyone with titled the tolkien spiritual milieu by Markus Altena Davidsen of the university of leiden that really gets into the anatomy of constructed religion and what is present in certain medias that lends itself to that anatomy, which he calls 'religious affordances' in the text. it details a number of groups of many varied beliefs in the tolkien spiritual sphere, some active and some long gone, and i feel that it is a great way to expand one's vocabulary and mental concept of constructed religion and the wide variety that is possible in such constructions. the pdf is available from the university website here

if you check out mr davidsen's other published papers on that website, there are several others also relevant to fiction sourced mythology and spirituality including some by other authors.

3. that being said, there are religious affordances for the eldar in the texts, but not necessarily enough for a fully fleshed out practice as is prepared and given to new members of various world religions. it will take a bit of crafting, but we elves do love to craft! most of us blend legendarium cosmology and philosophy with practices or philosophies we are previously familiar with, like neopaganism or judaism or etc etc.

we have developed some structure in the forms of: a multiply layered observational calendar for the six seasons, eight holidays, twelve months, and seven days of the week; the fourteen valar and several named maiar associated with certain valar; the panentheistic experience of the creator Eru; and the use of witchcraft, meditation, devotional or worship activity, enchantments, glamor, and arts like music poetry painting crochet etc.

most of us practice our own personal flavor by ourselves, and group rituals or ensorcelments are rare at the moment. we are all exploring, and i would be thrilled to hear about your own explorations and what calls to you!

sooo… basically i have a worship and work relationship with our gods and supportive spirits, and give observation on the schedule of the loa. i have daily practices, like offering of beverage an thanks or an oil anointment of my body, and then weekly practices like an eruhini veneration and well wishes for the dead. and monthly practices on the full and dark moon, which is focused on the vala of that month, where i usually do spellwork for the constellation. there are holidays at the start of each season and at the solstices, where i will sometimes do magic for the group but is usually about the personal journey. the one time another elf was physically with me i did do some small rituals including that elda. my herbalism work is inherently religious to me and i also count both learning and practicing herbalism as a devotional activity, same with going on walks or drumming.

i invite you very earnestly to reach out any time and through any means you are comfortable with, and i wish you a very blessed full moon of winds. hantanyel ar namarie!

[fuckentoastybitch]

My VN List!

I'm listing them according to ones I've played and ones I plan to play (as well as brief notes about either my opinion on the game or why I'm interested in them, formatted like this.)

This is for my own personal collection tbh, I just need to put them all in one place.

A. Have played:

The Arcana. Played since I was 16, all time favourite and Julian is my husband. This game shaped my interest for fantasy settings and magic. BUT! As a long time fan I must warn new players that trying to get the full experience for this game is difficult because of its coin system. The only reason I manage to keep playing for years is because I literally take a year's worth of breaks in between routes and logged in every. Single. Day. to collect coins and keys. It's literally been 6 years and I still haven't 100% the game yet cause I simply didn't have that kind of energy and time to do that anymore, but I still love the characters very deeply till now.

Blooming Panic. Second all time fave. Fell for Quest first, fell for Toasty hardest, for some reason is obsessed with xyx. I've revolved my entire personality around BP since 2023.

ERROR 143. Fun! Micah is technically not my type but I really like the general aesthetic and humor of the game. Iirc there are still more content to come to the game so I am very excitedly and patiently waiting.

3 Seasons. This was short and sweet. I think what I liked the most about this was the unique character designs, especially Rye and Briar's. I heard the dev's are working on more content on the current LI's + Briar's route, I'm really excited for those.

Our Life: Beginning & Always. Our life was INCREDIBLE, to put it simply. The entire game and story was very well thought out that it even made me reflect on my own life at each phase along the game. It gave me a really strong sense of nostalgia and reminded me of my own feelings during every change I had experienced. I actually wanted to make a whole post about OLBA but I got busy and already forgot everything I wanted to say, ehe. I still have to play the DLC and get the remaining locked CGs though.

Assignment Due: Project Blue. THIS GAME IS ADORABLE. I already made a blog post about what I like about it and I will again emphasis on how this game felt like it was made specifically for me. I love Asher so much aaaaa. I heard rei, the dev is working on another game for Eden, I'm looking forward for that, too.

Coffee Talk. Coffee talk was so so good! I need to play more non-romance VNs too cause this was so enjoyable in terms of its storytelling, setting, gameplay and design. Every character had such a nice story that tied up nicely, even the MC who's supposed to be just an observer throughout the entire thing. Also the cozy vibes and music is a 10/10 would recommend.

A Date with Death. This one's so cute too! I played only one route last year and just picked it up again recently. I have only one route left to finish and the new DLC!. Anyways yes the Grim Reaper is very babygirl I can attest to it.

seekL. THIS IS SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD. If you didn't see the one week phase where I basically went insanely obsessed with seekL, you missed out. Hacker man save me.. save me.. hackerman..

B. Want to play:

Lost in Limbo. Really pretty art and interesting concept. The theme seems very fantasy/magic centric which really pulls me in. But this game is still a WIP iirc

When The Night Comes. Technically I'm currently playing this one, but only the intro and hadn't touched the game in months cause I've been busy. Again, the fantasy setting caught my interest aaand I just met Ezra but I already love him. Will continue this as soon as I can!

Infinite Blue. I've played the demo! Very mysmes reminiscent lol. The game looked very cute so far and Brooklyn reminded me that I'll never run away from my old man liker allegations. It's already out so I def gotta play it soon.

Coffee Talk Episode 2. Don't really need an explanation for this one except that the new characters I've seen so far looks really cool.

Tavern Talk. D&D inspired Coffee Talk! If it's not obvious already, I LOVE fantasy settings so even though I've never played D&D, it is right up my alley and I wish I could play it someday. I've been eyeing the production of this game for a while so I'm really excited that it's finally out!

Obscura. This one looks really REALLY cool but I haven't actually read into what it's actually about. The art alone looks good enough to get my attention. Really curious about it, I hope I'll play it soon.

Intertwine. Just from looking at the 2023 Otome Jam entries overall I thought this one looked most visually appealing to me. I love the color scheme, and the aesthetic reminds of the string of fate myth (that probably is the theme)

DATA BR<3ACH. I'm usually not a fan of cyberpunk setting but this one seemed pretty intriguing to me visually!

Innerlog. By Jenny V Pham! I enjoyed Error 143 so I have no doubt I'll enjoy this one too.

Andromeda Six. My impression of this one is "space D&D" lol. I can't believe I haven't played this one yet.

TOUCHSTARVED. I can NOT believe only the demo is out cause the quality looks like it should've been a long existing popular franchise. One thing I'm a little hesitant about playing this game is because it's goth themed and in case you haven't noticed, a lot of the media I like have a softer, more pastel aesthetic. lol. But that's a personal preference and yet I definitely need to play it sometime soon.

Cupid's Chatroom. There's really not much to say. Pink aesthetic? Mysterious chatsim that appeared out of nowhere? My cup of tea 100%

Na Daoine Maithe. I've played the demo of this one and it is sooo interesting. I like myths but I've never really read into Gaelic ones. The art is so pretty and the story so far is very intriguing. I can't wait for the full game.

Swiped!: Double Shots of Love. FINALLY AN INDIE VN WITH OLDER MALE LOVE INTERESTS DFKJFDSJKD I played the demo, it was really really cute! The professor LI was made to call me out lol

Wake Me Up If You Need Me. A game made by rice! Someone who I've seen around in the fandom and who's really talented at making songs and audios. I had no idea they made a game but I just found it recently and I have to play it.

Keyframes. It looks really good but I'm interested mostly cause I found out Charlatean (Toasty's VA) is in this kjsdhfgkjd

Rekindle. I follow the lovely artist that's creating it and the DEMO IS OUT!. I saw one (1) art of Jules and he is EXACTLY my type so I'm already looking forward to this game.

Our Life: Now & Forever. Baxter's OL game! I already loved Cove's so I'm really really interested in this version of the game. Plus, I actually really like the autumn aesthetic compared to Cove's beachy style.

Hummingbird's Crown. Has a very interesting premise: a time loop mystery. I'm definitely interested in this one for its story potential rather than the romance, I love me a good mystery.

Aaand that's it. Thankfully "( – ⌓ – )

There's actually a few more that I added in my twitter bookmarks but those are relatively new and I haven't decided if I really want to play them yet. I'm following the devs though so that interest might grow over time. These lists are long enough as they are already, haha.

[sarcasticmothwrites]

20 question for writers tag game

tagged by @alexandia03

1. Total number of ao3 works?

54

2. Total ao3 word count

233,997.

3. Fandoms I've written in

On the AO3: Empyrean, Repo! the Genetic Opera, Xiaolin Showdown, and a bunch of one-offs for Yuletide or other collection/prompt fics.

Pre-AO3, I've written FFVII, FFVIII, Hellsing (how I met my spouse), GI Joe, Babylon 5. Buffy/Angel. X-Men, X-Files. Probably others I'm not thinking about, I've been writing fanfic since before I knew that other people did it and by that I'm talking 1988.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Unspoken History - Based on the 2010 film, Scott Pilgrim/Wallace Wells. Written for @copperfirebird

At Lunchtime, in the Wilderness - Calvin & Hobbes + Where the Wild Things Are, Gen. Also written for @copperfirebird.

Time and Time Again and Again and Again and Again - Xiaolin Showdown, Chase Young/Jack Spicer. Written *with* @copperfirebird, just for variety.

A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste - Repo! the Genetic Opera, Graverobber/Nathan Wallace. Written for a request meme.

Sketchbook - The Empyrean, Violet & Brennan, Naolin/Brennan. The most recent of my top five by a LOT, this was my first posted Empyrean fic.

5. Do I respond to comments?

Not unless they ask a question or something similar. I'm not good at writing comments.

6. What has the angstiest ending?

I'm not sure if this is "of the top five" or "of the 54 pieces I've posted on the AO3," but I'm going to go with the latter because the former has angst but not really in the ending. So.

Angstiest ending is Dear Alex, a Yuletide fic I wrote for @copperfirebird. A Wrinkle in Time is one of his very favorite books, and this is Kate and Alex Murray figuring out how to be a married couple again. It made me cry, writing it.

7. What has the happiest ending?

It might be New Year's Welcome, which is FFVIII Seifer/Squall/Rinoa and is about finding a home and a place when you thought you'd lost everything.

8. Have I received hate?

Nope. Possibly because I've mostly stayed in very small fandoms.

9. Do I write smut? And what kind?

Yes, I do. If I had to describe it, I would call it lyrical smut, where it's about the flow of the words and the feeling more than the specifics.

10. Do I write crossovers?

One of my top 5s is a crossover, in fact, but it's not something I do very often.

11. Have I ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah, back in the ff.net days, and it was a very weird feeling.

12. Have I ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have I ever co-written a fic?

Many. @copperfirebird and I are partners in life and fiction.

14. What is my all-time fave ship?

I can tell you who my favorite child is (I only have one) but I could not possibly pick my favorite ship. I would have a hard time picking a favorite ship in any given fandom.

I love relationships between people whose feelings are bigger than their abilities to communicate it, but who find understanding in the silences; people who are drawn together despite all the reasons that they should not be; and people who are deeply loyal to one another.

15. A WIP I'll never finish

The Future Waits Without Us was supposed to be a large multi-part story that I wrote two pieces of.

Probably Came Too Far To Die because I have one mostly-written chapter I haven't published yet and then I have no idea what I'm doing. I have never known what I was doing with this fic, but I didn't let it stop me.

16. Writing strengths?

Lyrical prose. Three-part clauses. Emotionally complex characters. Witty banter.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Plot. Too bad that's, like, an extremely important part of story building.

18. Do I like foreign language dialogue?

This is a weird question. I don't have any problems with other people writing in multiple languages. There are bilingual characters who should use multiple languages. I'm more prone to things like, "This sentence is written in the common tongue," he said in Tyrrish.

19. First fandom I wrote for?

Dragonriders of Pern when I was in 7th grade.

20. Favourite fic I've written?

It's hard to pick one, but there are two fics that I'm always breathlessly startled I was able to write. Both of them were Yuletide requests, and I know Yuletide's coming around again when I start getting kudos for these.

The first one is In Two Bodies, Alexander and Hephaestian, inspired by Mary Renault's Alexander Trilogy. If you were wondering what I meant by "lyrical smut," this one's an excellent example.

The second one is Finding Zihuatanejo, inspired by the beautiful Stephen King short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." It really feels like I got the narrator's voice down perfectly.

tagging: Anybody who hasn't done it yet

[theresattrpgforthat]

hi there! do you have any recommendations for what to check out in the TTRPGS for trans rights Florida bundle? there's so many of them I don't know where to start

THEME: Mint’s Faves from the Florida Trans Rights Bundle

Damn, you beat me to the punch! I’m very excited to talk about these recommendations, hold onto your hats!

Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware that both Wanderhome and Thirsty Sword Lesbians are good games. I agree with you, they are good games and you should play them. I figured I’d shed a light on some games that are not the two games that are consistently brought up every single time someone mentions this bundle. If you haven't yet bought the Florida Trans Rights bundle, you can buy it here!

Eco-Mofos, by David Blandy.

ECO-MOFOS!! is a mid-future ecopunk ruin-delving survival game, as player characters (PCs or Punks) seek a safe homestead to start a new community, Weirdhope not Grimdark.

Around two hundred years ago, everything went to shit. The wealthy, who created this mess, fucked off to Mars while the lucky ones hid in vast underground bunkers. We were left to fend for ourselves on the surface, eeking out an existence in the broken world they left behind, searching for remnants of a past world to help us survive, searching for a place to call home.

Play a group of misfits who have found each other in the wastes and ruins of the fallen world. The past is just a hazy legend, the story scattered over thousands of usb sticks and servers, but the future is there to be written.

Blandy has niche ideas that slap, including Lost Eons, Lunar Echos and this game. Eco Mofos is designed to run off of the same rules as games like Into the Odd and Cairn, two rules-light OSR systems that get you to the table fast and force players to think creatively. There’s an Adventure Template also available for folks who want to make their own adventures, and a game jam that’s going on right now as well, so you’re really primed for a maelstrom of content if you get into this game!

18XX Dreams, by Deep Light Games.

THE DREAM REALM WELCOMES YOU: This land has always been here, visited by some, forgotten by many. Something changed. An increasing number of people have been waking with fantastical ideas and feelings. Now, dreams are becoming more solid: books, paintings, scores… 

The barrier is thinner. Some are trapped here, some search for what they can’t reach elsewhere, some just roam, exploring and helping others. What meaning is hidden in your dreams?

DREAMS is a 24XX microgame. See more at jasontocci.itch.io/2400 or make your own using the SRD. 

This is a quick game, only 4 pages long, and is deeply surreal. Each 24XX game uses the same basic rules - roll a d6 for most things, with bigger and smaller dice for skills and hindrances - but the creators of these games usually find one or two special rules to make the game unique. This one includes Emotions that can feed into player Traumas, changing the worlds the characters travel through and affecting a character’s arc. There’s also steps for creating maps, which are common in OSR games, although less common in 24XX (which is odd, considering it was birthed from OSR). 

My favourite thing about these 24XX games is the roll tables provided for the GMs, giving quick ideas for plots and encounters, making this game runnable with little to no prep.

A Diner at the End, by Bammax Games.

You find yourself seated at a table among a group of people you have never met before, in a place that feels…familiar. You have never been here, and yet the atmosphere is comforting, disarming. It feels a bit like home.

A Diner at the End is a collaborative, improvisational storytelling game that invites at least two players to share the experiences, dreams, and regrets of characters whose time has been spent. Players take on the personas of people across space and time, using a standard deck of playing cards as a means to guide their characters' conversations and reflections.

This game celebrates the lives we lead—in all of their joys and sorrows—and challenges players to find contentment in the limited time afforded to us all.

Getting this game as part of the bundle doesn’t just get you the game, it also gets you the Menu Print version, which can be really handy as it provides you with character ideas. The game itself uses a deck of cards to prompt players to recall their memories prior to their death, holding onto a card that may be the last memory they carry with them onwards. This game has the potential to be deeply emotional, and yet the entire game fits on one page. 

To Care is to Cairn, by Kai Medina.

Our town is changing. 

We are left with artifacts that hold us to the past. They seem to betray history by breaking, altering, and growing beyond a generation. This is not a betrayal. We do not expect the past to hold such power over the present, and we forget that the present accounts for history just the same. Rubbish will always forge itself into a monument, and we will always be a part of that.

To Care is to Cairn is a world-building tabletop roleplaying game that carries players through a civilization of their making, from a bird's eye view of once everyday objects. Artifacts will become part of a tapestry to a community's developing history, using real world archaeological influence. This 40 page game can be played as its own one-off session, or as a tool to add complexity to approaching established campaigns.

This game is inspired by The Quiet Year, which I also adore. It is perfect for combining with a longer campaign - if you want to create your own world for Thirsty Sword Lesbians, this would be an excellent way to do it! You’ll track a number of events and brainstorm how they affect artifacts over the course of time using a deck of cards.

Also… you can play this game as a precursor to my game Mischief by Moonlight, a game about artifacts trapped in museums, and the small gods that inhabit them. 

Bump in the Dark, by jexjthomas.

It's 1994 in the region of the fictional Ontonagon Peninsula known as "Iron Country," a belt of mining towns barely clinging to life. These towns are surrounded on all sides by the Sylvan Wilds, a forest known for old-growth pines and strange happenings. All of Iron Country seems to be teeming with the supernatural, a fact those in power would like to conceal.

You are a hunter, and you’ve promised to keep regular people safe from the horrors in the darkness. Will you stand strong with your found family and community or will you sacrifice yourself to spare the ones you love? Will you be lost trying to find solace wherever you can?

Thrilling, gritty, and utterly human, Bump in the Dark is a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of people who’ve dedicated their lives to hunting and dealing with monsters. There are gruesome attacks, tense investigations, nasty cryptids, nefarious factions, powerful demons, action-packed showdowns, and regular folk caught in the middle.

I’m a little bit feral about Forged in the Dark games, I love how focused they are and how they can cycle between moments of intense action and downtime periods where characters can explore more personal storylines. What makes this even better is the inspiration it takes from the Redacted Materials system of External Containment Bureau, in that the players will use clues to help figure out what exactly they’re up against.

I also fucking love monster games. 

Games in this bundle that I’ve recommended in the past

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths, by Lucian Khan.

Europa Base, by a grumpy little critter.

No Sacrifice Without Blood, by hyphenartist.

Gubat Banwa by makapatag.

[your-sweet-cookies]

🌈💻🌼🎙️📚🎀🥇📌🏆

𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑻-𝑶𝑼𝑻𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑨𝑾𝑬𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺.

🌈 ― aesthetically pleasing blog

@prosopagn0sis - I always adored how Softie designed the layout of its blogs (be it its main or its RP blog), so it's definitely an ace when it comes to aesthetically pleasing blogs!

@kuinaoflight - There's something about how Elle knows how to choose the best quotes or images to adorn her Kuina RP blog with, that makes it simply amazing! This, along with the calming color pallet she's chosen for the background and text, make her blog a delight to look at and explore!

@hinataxsunshine - I always found Adrian's blog to be one of the nicest/cutest blogs ever! It just has something about it that speaks innocence and serenity, which fits perfectly the vibe of his OC, Hinata.

💻 ― excellent writing

@niragixpsych - Although she doesn't think her writing is any good if you ask her, Psych's talent in writing surpasses most expectations with the amount of thought and care she puts into every interaction. It's a true delight and pleasure to write with her and her blog is one I'll always recommend with the utmost happiness!

@aggwaseon - I love their writing because it's very versatile and detailed. You can tell the Mun puts a lot of effort into their threads, and even if lately they haven't been very active, I can guarantee you that this Mun right here knows precisely what they are doing and they are doing it with passion, dedication and care!

@kuinaoflight - Her talent at both writing Kuina as a character and stories in general is amazing! I always loved reading her threads and the amazingly well crafted answers to the RP memes that make even the most common of prompts feel uniquely written and personalized to the person who sent them. Looking forward to continuing reading Elle's amazing work and see how she'll continue improving even further! <3

@hoodedchishiya - There's a reason why this blog is my all time favorite Chishiya and that's because Alex's writing is usually 1000000/10, both when it comes to writing our favorite snarky cookie addict blonde and storytelling in general. I swear man, if I hear you say one more time that your writing sucks, Imma make it one of my to do list priorities to remind you daily that your writing is beyond excellent!

@artsspi - I really enjoy writing with them because they put a lot of thought and effort into each of their OCs and the threads we write together. I'm always looking forward to reading your replies!

@officerconners - The Mun does an excellent job at portraying Drake and every interaction is fun and captivating to read! They know how to write anything, from silly stuff to the most serious of action packed moments full of suspense!

🌼 ― creative headcanons

@niragixpsych - I always love reading Psych's rendition of Niragi and the headcannons she comes up with, they are very unique and interesting, especially since they add an extra layer of depth and complexity to NIragi's character, while also showcasing his human side.

@triggerhappymilitant - Nyx's headcannons about Niragi are another one of my faves when it comes to headcannons about Niragi. They are always interesting to read and I feel like she always manages to showcase Niragi's utmost essence in her own rendition of the character and its background!

@hoodedchishiya - If you want a fresh and unique version of Chishiya, this is the blog to seek. Again, just like his talent for writing in general, this man's creativity when it comes to reimagining Chishiya in a very unique, yet true to the core essence of the character, is baffling! I told you, I could listen to you ramble all day about your ideas and hcs about Chishiya and I wouldn't grow bored!

🎙️ ― great to talk to

@daikichixkarube - Karube's Mun is one of the most adorable and fun to talk to people I've ever met! I love talking to her on a daily basis and she always knows how to lift my mood or make me laugh! So she will always be one of my favorite people to talk to and one of my bestest of friends!

@niragixpsych - She's very supportive and I can count on her to always be there for me! When I'm sad, Psych will lift my spirits up; when I am stuck with a dilemma, she'll do her best to give me some suggestions and help the best she can; and her friendly talks full of affection will always warm my heart! I love you, don't you ever forget that!

@kuinaoflight - Full of life, sunshine and with the golden heart of an angel, Elle is a delight to talk with! She knows how to make a conversation fun, how to cheer you up or fuel your creative juices with her ingenuity! I especially love our fun conversations on our favorite TV shows and the funny things we come up with sometimes, like back when we put together a compilation of cat gifs and memes relating to the AiB characters!

@hoodedchishiya - We've had our differences and ups and downs, but once we got to know each other better, he's really a great conversation partner! Even if we don't talk much (and maybe sometimes I probably end up annoying him), he never fails to make me laugh, smile or feel better if I am upset. So no matter what other's might say, you are actually a great friend to have and a great person to talk to!

@twentyfourhourtitts and @hinataxsunshine - I put those two together because they are like siblings to me and I love our little funny conversations (which I really miss sometimes when our group chat falls silent for days on end).

@lillyontheborder - She's a new addition to my friends group, but I can assure anyone that Lilly is a great friend and a great person to talk to! She knows to listen to you and she will do her best to help!

@risa-of-spades - Risa has always been a great listener and supportive pillar of our community and for that I feel like I owe her an endless amount of gratitude and appreciation! She's always there to show her love and support to each and every one of us and if someone needs a shoulder to lean on, they can always count on her for that, as she'll never shun anyone away!

@officerconners - This Mun is a ray of sunshine and delight to talk to! Plus, they know how to give good advice when you need it! A great friend and an amazing conversations partner!

📚 ― nice threads to read

@niragixpsych, @aggwaseon, @artsspi, @triggerhappymilitant, @hoodedchishiya, @kuinaoflight, @officerconners - Mostly for the reasons stated above + some have really funny threads too along with the more serious threads in nature.

🎀 ― all-around kind person

Everyone mentioned previously. uwu Love you all! 💗

🥇 ― well-developed oc

I feel like everyone in this community that writes OCs do an amazing job in writing their characters, so it would be impossible to tag every single one of them. But even so, know that the AiB RP community has some of the greatest well-crafted original characters you'll ever meet!

📌 ― a staple on the dash

Everyone I mentioned thus far are staples on my dash and I wouldn't have it any other way!

🏆 ― 10/10 blog, would recommend

Again, everyone I mentioned above are a 10/10 in my book: great people with great hearts, amazing talents, outstanding writing skills and are infinity/10 friends! And I want you all to know that I love each and every one of you! Never forget that! <3

[italeean]

Kyaaa! I wanted to join the event! Happy for your milestone! Just use y/n, I'm a male (I'm introverted, passionate with drawing, gaming, traveling, and photography. Tbh I really wanted to have a proper handsome male friend lol (yes I'm gay in a conservative country, so I haven't come out yet and most of my friends are girls, because I'm too shy to make friends with handsome/cool/popular guys (but I really wanted to secretly lol, that's why I used tumblr to "create my fantasy" *sob*)) I'm a lee, prefers platonic (with a hint of romantic), and I wanted to be match with male characters hehe~ The fandom is... Haikyuu!!

Not really into feet/palm tickles :3 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Helloooo 😸 thank you so much for participating in the event! I matched you up with one of my faves, and I hadn't written about him in a long time, so it was really fun for me! I hope you'll enjoy it, too! ❤️🍡 *some dango to eat while enjoying my work*

🔮 For this event, your match-up is... AKAASHI

🔮 Why did I choose him for you?

• Did you say "handsome" in your request??? Just... look at him • He's a very caring and nurturing person, so I think he would be the perfect friend for you • I can see you having quiet hangouts... like... you have your fun but without being all over the place • He'd probably bring you along to his volleyball practice at Fukurodani, which means you'd meet Bokuto (WAAAH LUCKY YOU-) • After a while, Bokuto would start messing with you, even by tickling you, but Akaashi would always keep an eye on the situation, ready to rescue you if the need comes • He also watches over you because je enjoys your carefree laughter... he could probably write a collection of poems about it • He would probably have to fight his own shyness to ask you out, and it would probably surprise you how flustered he can get despite his calm and collected behavior • He would be super interested in watching all your photography works and drawings, and he'd probably give you a honest review as well • I see him as a fan of cuddly tickles, bedtime tickles or wake-up tickles... I can honestly picture you and him in any kind of cozy scenario, but that doesn't mean he's against playful tickles • Akaashi probably likes being taken care of. You know, he's the responsible one in the team, so it would be nice for him to have someone to pamper and cuddle him a little sometimes • He'd be into gaming with you, and he probably learned a thing or two from Kenma so you'll have a big challenge if you play against him • As an introvert, he understands how tiring it can be to have interactions sometimes, so he'd be super patient and supportive all the time... he's honestly an angel!

🔮 Tickle scenario

"EEK!! Akaashi nooo yohou meanie..!" You squeaked as two fingers jabbed your sides, making you jump and mess up the photo you were taking. "You should stop being so ticklish if you want me to stop." The setter smirked smugly. "And how am I supposed to do that, huh?" You pouted and crossed your arms.

Akaashi chuckled and kissed your forehead. "You probably can't... and I like it that way." Him and you were very close friends, so him kissing your forehead wasn't something so unusual, although lately you had started feeling some sort of tension whenever you two were being affectionate with each other.

You had to thank Yuki, Fukurodani's volleyball team manager, for introducing him to you. Akaashi was making a presentation for his history class about a nearby shrine and he wanted a nice photo of it for the first slide, so the manager, who was friends with you, immediately thought of you and got you two in touch.

You were immediately amazed by Akaashi demeanor, his quiet personality, his responsible and sensible attitude, his introverted-yet-kind demeanor... and you had to admit, he was pretty handsome. Little did you know that the ravenhead admired you a lot as well... But he was a year older than you, so you would've never met without Yuki.

Thank you, Yuki... and thank you, history class...

That day you wanted to take some pictures just for fun and show them to the next reunion of the photography club, and you invited Akaashi to accompany you... but that day he was clearly feeling mischievous because he randomly attacked you with tickles whenever he had the chance. A jab to your sides, a poke to your ribs, a squeeze to your hips, a scribble under your arms... And all of that while you were trying to take pictures!

Eventually you managed to photograph everything you wanted, so you put your equipment away and spread out a big blanket for you and Akaashi to sit on while munching on some delicious onigiri.

"So... what's up with you today?" You inquired while taking another bite of that tasty treat. "What do you mean?" The ravenhead asked back with an expression that made you sure he knew what you meant. "You've been distracted me the whole time..!" You whined not without a bit of embarrassment.

"Distracted..? Oh, you meant tickled! Was it really so distracting?" He asked again, with the clear intention to tease. "Yes..!" You pulled out your digital camera, "Look at these pics! They're all blurry..!" You scolded him with no genuine anger in your voice.

"But I like this blurry style... maybe you'll create a new trend~" Akaashi suggested, unable to hold back some snickers. "I'll show you a new trend!" You yelled while putting away your camera, and then pounced on him... but alas, he was stronger than you, which you should've known since you were in the photography club and he was in a sports club.

He effortlessly wrapped you up in a hug, with your back touching his chest, and started squeezing you left side while the other hand kept both of your own pinned to your chest. "What where you trying to do, huh?" He teased while attacking your poor side with no mercy. "Ihihi wantehehed toho gehehehet revehehehengeee" You talked back between your giggles. "Getting revenge when you're this ticklish? I thought you knew better..." Your senpai tsk-ed while going to town on your helpless tummy.

"Ihihi dihihidn't thihihink yohou werehehe thihihis strohohong..!" You complained without consideration that your word choice wasn't exactly ideal, consideration your situation.

"Are you calling me weak? Let's see how you like this then!" His hand reached your death spot and tickled it with no mercy, never letting you get used to the sensation. "BAHAHAHAHA NOHOHOOO AKAHAHAASHI STAHAHAHAP!!!" As soon as he heard the word 'stop' coming out of your mouth, he stopped and handed you some water, then you two enjoyed the rest of that relaxing afternoon together.

In the evening, the setter walked you home, and even gave you a forehead kiss as a goodbye, but you didn't expect him stopping you by grabbing the sleeve of your shirt, with a faint blush on his handsome face.

"So... I was wondering... are you free for a coffee tomorrow... not as friends..?"

[themyscirah]

Jess? Or Hal? For the ask game (And if you've done both of them, just pick your favorite super)

I haven't done either yet! I'll do Hal in this post and maybe Jess in another after this

Tw for canonical past suicide for later in the post (skip the story idea section)

First impression:

My real first encounter with him was probably as a guest appearance within Green Lanterns, but the first book I read with him was GL/GA. I don't remember too much of what I thought of him there, it was probably more of a general "oh he seems cool I guess" kind of neutral/positive attitude. By the time I read a Hal comic I'd already met Simon, Jess, and Jo so he wasn't a contender for the spot of my favorite lantern. I never fully finished GL/GA though bc I had the book on loan

Impression now:

Mixed. There are some Hal moments I genuinely do love and like, but tbh he can get on my nerves very easily. Of the Earth lanterns he's either my least or next to least favorite (which doesn't mean I don't like him!) but he's also like the "main character" of GL so I get annoyed when I feel like other GLs are being ignored in favor of Hal.

Favorite moment:

With that said there are sooooooo many Hal moments I just love. He's very much a character made by specific moments for me (rather than a general appreciation of who he is overall). Some Swishy fave contenders include his "Avenge me" internal monologue when he fights Mongul in GL (1990) #46, and OFC the Emerald Twilight arc a few issues later. Also in the very first issue of that book, where he jumps off a cliff in front of some campers (waiting until the last moment before using his ring) was an important moment for me in reading Hal, because it was the first time I went "oh! This guy is crazy!"

Idea for a story:

An exploration of the fact that Hal literally killed himself on panel in GL (2011) #19. Because like what the hell, why did this happen and then NO ONE EVER TALKED ABOUT IT. (This is insane to me). I think I'd probably revisit it in a dream sequence, maaaybe doing a rewrite/reimagining of his Knight Terrors issue (which I have NOT read lol) to kind of address that and talk about his mental state and things that had an impact on that, stuff like his parents, the Guardians, PARALLAX. Basically it'd be Hal and the ghost of Tomar-Re just talking about how he is not okay. A pretty heavy response to a pretty heavy topic.

Unpopular opinion:

I'm going to be so real here like 95% of my Hal opinions are unpopular bc its just me talking about how I think he's overrated. Like we're bros ig but still. Overrated.

Like I LIKE him but I'm annoyed at him like 80% of the time bc DC is always putting out a mid story focusing on him while ignoring my faves WHO ARE SO COOL AND DESERVE STORIES 😤💔😭

I guess one beyond that is I'm not a fan of his friendship with Barry. Maybe this is just because I haven't read anything where they're like... interesting? But I just don't get the hype. ESPECIALLY compared to his relationship with Oliver which is absolutely insane in comparison. Like why are we talking abt Barry rn when OLLIE LITERALLY SHOT HAL AND HAL RESSURECTED OLLIE. like guys. Guys. Are you seeing this shit.

Favorite relationship:

Like ship wise? I'm not a huge Halcarol fan personally but I do think they're kind of the epitome of "you're perfect for each other. Never involve anyone else in what you have going on," kind of messy drama-filled relationship with a lot of history.

I also really like halollie and their relationship but not in like a "they should date" way or anything like that. Like they're bros to me who emotionally have a whole complicated little thing going on like idk

Within the lanterns I think the frenemy whatever thing Guy and Hal do is SO funny. I love especially the beginning of GL (1990) where Guy just in his free time shows up to ruin Hal's life while Hal is just so sick and done and mad about it. Peak comedy, Guy never change

Fave headcanon:

Do I have any headcanons about Hal? Not really. I try to think about him as little as possible (kidding). No um I'd say I don't really have any, and if I did they'd probably be really basic or smth like that he cries watching both Top Gun movies.

[huntinglove]

Peaches, pond, and moonlight for the selfship game!

Hi hi!! Thank you so much for the ask!! I'll answer these for my current faves!!

Peaches - How did you and your F/O meet?

I met Charlie because of a blind date! The app we were both using was really strict about not sharing your personal information through the chats, so we agreed to meet up and talk face to face! I was actually using the app to find some friends, because I had just moved into town, but... I'm glad we went a step further.

I ended up being a few minutes late and when I got there he was nowhere to be seen, I thought he had left so I went to a cafe to relax instead. I'm not sure how he found me, but he ended up buying me a slice of cake and sending me a note, apologizing for being late! I decided to join him in his booth and have our date anyways!

He was absolutely sweet and adorable all the way throughout it all and we even shared the slice of cake while we got to know each other! I caved and ended up telling him that I was already in love with him afterwards, he was blushing and smiling so hard he ended up passing out because of what I said (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

I met Alma when I was staying on campus during the night! I had to finish and submit an assignment to one of my professors, so I ended up staying there until a little bit over two in the morning... When I went to take the elevator so I could go home, the thing got stuck and I guess Alma heard me calling for help and decided to give me a hand!

When they approached me I was... Terrified! They crawled out of the elevator's walls like something straight out of a horror movie, I think it made me black out for a second...

Once I woke up again, they were very kind and patient and we talked for a good while, just getting to know each other! They gave me some tips about my essay's hypothesis, I helped them pick a name for themselves because they didn't remember the one from when they were alive and they even told me about how they passed away...

They decided to help me out because I was nice to them, so they lowered the elevator to the ground floor and opened the doors so I could leave! We kept in close contact after that, both because I started staying late more often and because I took a job as the campus' night guard!

I met Mychael on the day I went looking for my missing cat... I guess I was a bit unprepared because I didn't think it'd take as long as it did, I forgot to pack water and food before I went into the woods. I also remember stepping in a circle of mushrooms and passing out because of the spores.

When I woke up, I was in a cozy looking cabin, laying in bed and covered by a soft blanket. My body couldn't move at all, and that's when Mychie showed up! He gave me some medicinal tea to help me regain movement and relax, asked if I was okay and was very kind and caring overall.

I don't know why, but I swear I thought he was a cosplayer when I first looked at him... I didn't mind it when he told me that he wasn't human, especially with how adorable he looks!

Pond - How do you get along with your F/O’s friends?

Charlie is quite shy and struggles a bit with befriending people, so I haven't met any of his friends yet, but we spend most of our time with one another anyways! I'm sure we'll get along great when we get to know each other though, anyone who's kind to him already has my trust!

Alma says they were always a loner, plus there aren't any other ghosts in the building... They say that other than being their partner, I'm also their best friend! Which is an absolute honor to me, of course!!

Mychael has an easier time befriending animals because they're not as judgemental as humans. It took quite some time for him to believe that I wasn't scared or upset by his appearance when we first met...

He jokes about his only friends being his lovely little hens in his backyard! They're all so adorable that I can't even blame him, I even got to hold and pet Sunny for a good while!

While it seems like my darlings have a certain.. pattern... I can confidently say that my friends absolutely adore them! They always have such kind things to say whenever we hang out together or when I bring them up in conversation!!

Moonlight - Freebie! Say anything you’d like about your F/O

Charlie gives the best hugs, even if he won't ever admit it himself! He holds me in a way that doesn't feel underwhelming or suffocating, it's like I was made to be in his arms, and he was made to be in his!

When we haven't been around each other for a while, he'll just hug me while we're sitting down and gently away side to side for comfort and reassurance, it's very nice!!

Alma really likes to feed my body and play with my hair whenever they possess me, though they have a rough time asking for it. They enjoy being able to experience actual bodily sensations again, and I'm more than happy to lend myself to them to help them achieve that!

Mychael is an incredibly fast learner, teaching him my first language has been very fun and easy! He has an easier time with writing and reading, compared to speech, which is absolutely understandable. He also has a lovely singing voice and I always catch him humming our favorite songs when he's working on chores or knitting!

[soggypotatoes]

nobody tagged me but i'm doing it anyway

Favorite RotE book: fool's fate, like everyone else said, because it's GOOD.. the pacing, the tying together of the last two trilogies.. also, i really like glaciers. i first read this 10 years ago, before the series was finished, and this book stuck in my head the most. i have bad memory for media retention so tbh the main thing i remember was all the descriptions of their hike across the glacier and the outislands, but i just really liked that!! you never see that kind of biome, really, much less in fantasy. it's a very clever, heart-wrenching, addictive book to read, and the one i'd most like to reread. also, the resolution from The Quarrel, which upsets me.

Top three favorite characters: I literally have a tattoo of the Fool lmao. so obvs he's my fave. I reeeeally really like Bee, I relate to her a lot. I'm not counting Fitz here bc he's obviously fave because I've lived in his head so much. My other favourite... maybe Paragon, actually. Paragon is very special to me.

Top Three Least Favorite Characters: TATS, god I hated Tats. I haven't actually finished the series yet, still in Fool's Quest, but Lant really upsets me - I had teachers exactly like that, who treated me like shit for no reason. Maybe he'll get better, idk. I'm not sure about others - obviously there are dirtbags, but I like reading about them, as awful as they are. They're interesting!!! Maybe Regal, because he upset me more than the other villains lol

Favorite Ship (of the floating kind): Paragon obvs

Top Three Favorite Ships (of the people kind): If fitz/fool doesn't count.. uhhh... Chivalry/Burrich? even tho we obvs don't see them interact at all. i like the vibe

Would you rather be Witted or Skilled? witted, is this even a question, the skill sounds like a nightmare

If you were Witted, what animal would you bond with? that is soooo hard... either a snake (specifically a woma python) or a great white shark. bonding to a shark would be hard, especially a fuckoff big one like that, but scuba diving is my favourite activity so. and, i've had a recurring dream since childhood about having a great white shark best friend who i get to hug. they're so huggable!!! it'd make me sad being bonded to one though because they'd be off swimming around the world, and i like to be comfortable in one place. we'd have a special kind of relationship, i think.

Would you rather live in the Outislands, the Mountain Kingdom, the Six Duchies, Bingtown, The Rain Wilds, Kelsingra, Jamaillia, The Pirate Isles, or the Fool's Homeland? rain wilds might be the worst option here but. rain wilds. it's the place i felt the most jealousy at the thought of living in, because god... big trees, man... we don't really have them in australia so i've never seen a Big Tree irl. i like the idea of climbing up and down the trees, gently swinging treehouses... ugh. the people, though... so much prejudice and politics. i'm not there for the people :/

How were you introduced to the books? my ex lol, and two friends who were into it. this was like 10 years ago. i also met robin hobb, before i'd read any of them. i got her to sign page 69 of the book i was reading then (one of the witcher books) cause i'm an idiot.

Share a quote you love: my brain is short circuiting. i don't have access to it right now, but my friend wrote the paragraph where fitz holds the fool at the end of fool's fate on the top of my window, which i found much later and had a breakdown over. the 'i have never felt less of a man that i did so' quote. fuck that

[jkrockin]

I'M NOT COPYING ALL THOSE EMOJIS JUST ANSWER AS MANY AS YOU CAN FROM THE MEME

One last round on that fanfiction emoji ask game, featuring all the emojis nobody else specifically asked for! 

😐 What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

Finding a balance between purple prose and prose that’s too pared back is a constant, harrowing struggle. Sometimes I’ll write a thing and feel okay about it in the moment, and then come back to it later and cringe— usually because I’ve swung too purple, because while I am a huge wanker, I also find being a huge wanker really embarrassing? You’d think I’d pick one.

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

Hahahaha, that’s a crowded field. I think at this point my Terror space clone AU where Francis is a technician on an isolated mining outpost on an asteroid and James Fitzjames is an incorrect series clone with a two-year lifespan and they speedrun enemies to lovers to space criminals trying to get access to clone stabilisation technology might be dead in the water, unfortunately. Dead in the vacuum of space? One of those.

✏️ Do you write every day?

Ehhhhhh I try to. Mixed results.

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

Fuck, I hope not. I'd say "taking fucking geological ages to update things", but I don't actually enjoy doing that, it just sort of happens.

🌙  What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

My real golden hours are 4:30 PM in the office when the rest of my team have left but there are enough other people around that I need to look busy, and 2 AM, alone, lit solely by LED lights and ill-advised midnight coffee.

👨‍👧‍👧 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic?

Just, like, on the street? No. In the workplace? Also no. Nerds I have met under nerdy circumstances? Sometimes.

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

I haven't actually written any OFMD fic at all, but I think Stede Bonnet and I could have a good time together. (My phone tried to autocorrect that to "Stress Bonney", which is I think what's going to happen if Anne Bonny does turn up in S2.)

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

I read a bunch of shit about hydroponics and algae-based CO² scrubbing that ended up absolutely nowhere in the actual text of the same bright patient stars.

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

Detailed, witty, horny.

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

I have many, many comfort fics, but I recently came back to the thoroughly excellent Algolagnia, by Xela.

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

FANFICTION IS NOT A CRIME!! But probably the Phantom/Raoul noncon gunplay fic.