#and why i have sometimes felt weird talking about my characters with people because i am just experiencing ocs in a different way

[dallonwrites]

my autistic ass when i would try to explain to my non-autistic writer friends how my ocs don’t just feel like characters/plot devices/narrative tools, they feel like fully fledged people that just live inside my brain who i just have access to for some reason and the stories i write are merely a snapshot into their fully fledged personhood/lives. and that that these feelings don’t mean i’m unaware of my role/agency/responsibility as the writer who has the final say in these characters and how they are written it just means that my writing process feels very intuitive and i can only describe it as “listening” and “getting to know” these people that just live inside my brain in a way that i don’t feel like i can completely elaborate on. and because of this i would actually consider these characters “real” in their own way because the impact and influence they have had on me as a person beyond just my writing is so real and not having them would feel like i’m missing a part of myself 

[lonely--seeker]

I think I'm going insane. Lately my dreams have been so mundane, it wouldn't be weird if I wasn't just a person that has nightmares 80% of the time, so I now my dreams are so hard to distinguish from reality.

I wouldn't be able tell what was real from what not if it wasn't because last night I went to my doctor's appointment and I was handed new glasses by Harvey just to go back home and find out Laois was cooking something in my backyard.

[sugusatosluut]

Megumi Fushiguro and Ino Takuma x female!reader

MDNI✨

Heads up: characters are aged up in this one {18+} Smut, poly, reader has different dynamics with both men, sub!reader, sorta dom megumi, sorta dom Ino. Enjoy!

Megumi and Ino enjoyed your presence. Your calm demeanor and sweet smile reminded them of Utahime in some weird way even though you were her student. It made sense. Your constant efforts to protect them never went unnoticed. They watched you get praised by Nanami and Gojo constantly and to be honest, both of them felt a little jealous. Not because of the praise, but because of how you reacted to it. Gojo’s version of praising you was different than Nanami’s. Gojo would always lean slightly down to your level and get right in your face to tell you things that only the two of you could hear, making you nervous as he smiled at you, his minty breath hitting your face. That always made Megumi itch. He’d always thank you for protecting his students. Nanami on the other hand exchanged his praise in cordial dinners and expressing his gratitude towards you by making small talk and flashing a soft smile, ending in him paying the bill *literally every time*. Both men knew you weren’t materialistic, but wanted to give you something to always remind you of their gratitude, and that was the only way they knew how. You were always thankful.

You’ve known Megumi and Ino for a while.. your relationship with them was extremely private, the only rules were no pda outside of the privacy of your own homes. Megumi and Ino also agreed not to talk about it to anyone else either. The sorcerer world is hard enough being judged by higher ups and classmates alike.

Your relationship with both men were of different worlds. Outside of home, Megumi was very quiet and independent. He sometimes can be found by Itadori or by himself. Rarely he’d be next to you or gojo. It’s just a thing he has. The people closest to him, he’s rarely around. Megumi in private was very passionate and vocal about making you feel good, you’re his princess. His need for you to be on top riding him and to make love to you was very clear. Don’t get me started on after sex cuddles.. you need to be laying on him or under him. No in between. Ino on the other hand, in public he’s always got his eye on you, observing you like Nanami does. He’s always by your side and happy to stay there. He’s very puppy-like. In private, ino was very attentive to your moans. He hates when people outside the relationship touch you. Once Yuuji had given you a hug that lasted a little too long for Ino’s liking, he punished you in private for it, edging you the whole night while he came several times. Megumi and ino took all your social and emotional queues more serious after they further figured out how certain things made you feel.

This one night in particular really had both of them heated.

After a long mission lasted a couple weeks of tracking down and exorcising a special grade curse, you guys checked in with your mentors and shoko. The boys weren’t hurt too badly and you refused to let anyone touch you the whole ride back to Tokyo. It was a traumatic experience, but instead of confiding in your boys, you had become excessively and exceptionally difficult to them. Gojo sat next to you, dropping his blindfold. “You okay?” He asked.

You stared at your feet.

“It’s okay to not be okay sweetheart. Why don’t you let Ino and Megumi take you home huh? Maybe you just need a couple days off to rest. My office is open anytime.” Gojo said playing with some of your long hair.

“I usually don’t agree with Satoru, but Ino and Fushiguro are the most responsible for this task. You clearly need some proper care and your friends are the best people to give that to you. Please, if you understand, just nod love. I know it’s hard to speak and right now it’s hard to understand, but having a scar is better than the latter of your options right now.” Nanami caressed your hands, kneeling in front of you.

You nodded, internally biting your lip.

“Megumi, you guys can head home. Text me when you’re safe.”

Megumi nodded.

At home the boys hopped into the shower with you, washing the stained blood off of your skin carefully.

“Not so hard Fushiguro. She still needs her skin.” Ino hissed at him.

“What do you think I’m doing Ino?” Megumi asked rolling his eyes as he washed your skin.

“Being an idiot.” Ino smirked

Megumi stopped all his motion in a sarcastic manner. It made a small smile and a short giggle come from your soft lips. They both froze in place, looking at eachother with wide eyes.

“D’you hear that?” Ino smirked.

“Little angel’s got her laugh back. There’s that pretty smile.” Megumi sighed in relief.

You leaned into their touch, relieved that you were home safe with them. As they showered off with you, everything that happened felt like a blur.

“Angel, you did such a great job today. Let us spoil you.” Ino suggested.

You nodded your head in agreement, but Megumi decided he wanted to start off. He roughly kissed you and felt you up. It was thrilling. He traveled down to your waist, but since you were all naked anyways, he decided to get right to work. He sucked on your clit roughly, small moans escaping your lips as he made out with your lower ones. “Be more careful out there with us.” He said pausing for a moment. You whined.

“I’m not giving you anymore until you say yes.” Megumi stated at you.

“Fushiguro- come on that’s just cruel!” Ino cried out as you removed his dick from your mouth.

“Yes-mmph” you moaned.

“Yes what?” He said kissing around your puffy clit.

You couldn’t take it anymore, you were about to cave.

“C’mon princess just let him have it. You know he wants it bad.” Ino smirked, grabbing your face.

“Yes daddy.” You sobbed as Megumi finally let you get close on his tongue. The noises were too much for you, too overstimulating as the two men stopped their pace so you could sink down onto Ino first.

“Nice work Fushiguro, you got her all nice and wet for us. There’s no way our precious Angel can’t take us both at the same time.” Ino smiled while caressing your face.

“Calm down Ino, you’re too riled up, you’re gonna end up hurting her.”

“Oh you’re one to talk skin scraper.”

“C’mon, knock it off.”

“You know she likes it a little rough. Why don’t we just give her what she wants?” Ino said.

“Are you stupid? We need to take our time. She’s hurt.” Megumi argued

“Megs- I can take it. I want it. If it hurts too bad I’ll use the safe word.” You pouted at him.

He sighed and both of the men positioned your hole over their throbbing cocks. Megumi was the one that had your legs in the air, so he let Ino slide into you first.

“Fuck- so wet for us baby.” Ino whined.

Ino helped position you up so you could take megumi’s swollen cock as well. The two men bounced you up and down on their hard lengths, making you a moaning whimpering mess.

“God- don’t squeeze me like that.” Megumi grunted between his teeth.

“You trying to make us cum early baby?” Ino smirked at you.

“N-no! Please just keep fucking me!” You screamed out.

They obliged, bouncing you up and down on their lengths, making you their own personal flashlight in that moment. You felt them throb inside you simultaneously.

“M’so close princess.” Megumi panted, biting your neck in places you didn’t even know could feel so good.

Ino’s lips and tongue traveled all over your breasts, latching onto your right nipple. He was careful, only nipping you once or twice. He couldn’t help it.

“God you’re so tight. Isn’t she Fushiguro? She’s perfect.” Ino praised you.

Megumi grabbed your hair, balling it up in his fist as he pulled your head back to him.

“You’re so tight, I think we might cum inside- is that oky with you princess? Do you wanna be filled up with our love?” Megumi groaned in your ear.

“Gah- yes please I want it all.” You screamed out.

The two men continued their pounding on your swollen pussy, you squirted and they came right after, panting hard. You were all filled up, they were all out of breath.

They pulled out and sandwiched you in between them again as they started your aftercare routine. It wasn’t often that you three were able to have moments like this. Even though you were hurt, you still wanted every bit of this with the two of them forever. They kissed your forehead, giving you sweet words and love even though you were falling asleep fast.

“We love you, princess.”

[daisybianca]

pairing: charles leclerc x femalereader

summary: you and charles are childhood friends since like... forever?! one day, you're reading one of those books you very much like to read and he gets curious, wondering what it is about. little does he know that you're actually reading literal porn.

warnings: mentions of sexual activities, cursing words

(a/n): i got the main idea from character.ai and @ blairetaylorsversion ! Go check her work out. She's got fluffy, spicy, and also angsty stuff to read about <3

YOU SAT ON the warm beach sand, reading a book, while your friends swam and played in the water. You were so focused on the spicy scene you were reading that you didn't notice Charles leaning over your shoulder, trying to also get a glimpse of the action. When you finally did, you jumped slightly, caught off guard by his presence. A smirk formed on his lips as he saw your face turn slightly red from embarrassment.

"Shit, you scared me, you creep!"

Charles laughed slightly, before saying, "Oops, sorry!"

He looked back down at the book in your hands and raised his eyebrows, looking pretty intrigued.

"What are you reading there?" he asked playfully.

"None of your business." Your tone was sharp.

"Well aren't you a bit sassy today, huh?" he said with a smile.

He leaned back in the beach chair next to yours, keeping his arms crossed and looking back at the book. You could tell by his facial expression that he felt stubborn and was determined to see what you were reading.

"I'm not telling you what I'm reading about."

"Aww really? Why not? You can't make me super interested in something and then deny giving me the details..." he said with a pout.

With that, he tried to reach out and take the book from your hands. When he grabbed it, his hand brushed against yours, causing him to look up at you instantly.

"Hey, quit it, Charles!"

Charles looked up at you with a small smirk. He wasn't giving in that easily.

"I'm not gonna stop until you tell me," he said, trying to look innocent.

He refused to let go of the book and was pulling it back towards his side.

"Oh, come on. Why do you even care?!"

You started to feel a slight flutter in your stomach when he wouldn't let go of the book. He was so close to you and he was being playful, which made you feel weird.

"Well now I care even more because you're not telling me. You're making me more curious," he said, moving his body closer to yours and trying to look over your shoulder to see the book.

"It's a romance book."

Charles's eyes widened instantly. He looked intrigued and excited to find out more.

"So it's about love? Is it a romance? Is it about someone falling in love with someone else? Is it juicy?" he asked quickly, his words blending together.

"Too many questions."

"Oh, please, tell me..." Charles whined playfully.

He pulled the book back towards his side, then leaned his head closer against your shoulder, resting his head on you.

"It's um... very spicy."

Charles's eyes widened again.

"Ooh, spicy, huh? Is it about two characters being in love and doing it?" he asked excitedly, his eyebrows raised.

He pulled the book back towards his side again, putting pressure on it so it wouldn't slide away easily.

"Stop acting so childish. You know my taste in books."

A wide smirk appeared on Charles' lips. "Yes. And i daresay that they are particularly mild compared to what you can do in private."

"Shhhh!" Your eyes widened as you scanned the crowd around you. "Stop it! There are lots of people here."

"What are you scared of?" Charles asked. "The news of you and me having the most perfect sex while we're supposed to be childhood friends isn't really going to make me stop flirting with you in public."

You couldn't help but rolled your eyes. "Oh, come on, Charles! Stop talking that loud! You make me wanna hate you so bad sometimes."

"Apparently, last night wasn't one of those times, right, love?"

[multifandomfanficss]

Don’t Be Embarrassed

Sam Riordan x Reader

Prompt: You take care of Sam and he takes care of you.

Warnings: autistic reader having an autistic meltdown, talk of mental hospitals, mentions of sex, walking in on friends having sex, spoilers for episode 4

A/N: Although there is no smut, because we’re only 4 episodes in and Sam doesn’t have a confirmed age I’m writing this under the assumption that he’s college age 18+. This boy is taking up most of my brain space this week. We don’t have a lot of info on the the character, but this is how I see his vibes. I crossposted this on my ao3 adriansglasses. Also this is my first non Adrian fic in quite sometime! Hope ya’ll enjoy!

You were on your way back from class when you heard yelling coming from down the hallway. You had been hanging out with Sam for the day and left him for two hours to go to class. You rushed to your dorm, quickly fishing out your keys.

“Hey hey hey what’s going on?” You asked him, placing your hands out, waiting to see if he’ll let you touch him.

“It was supposed to be a good day! A good day! But apparently I can’t even fucking do that!” He yells. The Woods had done a toll on him and he was still recovering. He had been doing a lot better lately, but everyone knows healing isn’t linear.

“Sam, it’s okay. You’re okay.” You give him a smile. “You had a good day yesterday and the day before that! It’s okay to have a bad day, Sam.”

“But I was doing so good…” He sounds defeated. You slowly grow closer to him. When he doesn’t back away you place a hand on his shoulder.

“I know and I’m so proud of you, but healing isn’t linear. There’s gonna be bad days. Even people who are… for lack of a better word ‘normal’ have bad days.” You roll your eyes and throw air quotes around the word normal. You didn’t always have the best words to describe what you were thinking, but Sam always knew what you meant. Usually college friendships and relationships formed and moved fast, but even with that Sam was different. You felt like you could be yourself around him in ways you couldn’t be around others.

It felt that way since the beginning. Sure the day you met Sam was overstimulating, rushed, and tense, but after you and your friends convinced him not to kill the doctor that completely ruined his life, you got to know him a little more the next day.

“So what’s your power?” He asks.

“What?”

“Your power. You must be a supe if you go to Godolkin.”

“Oh! Yeah uh…right… It’s stupid.” You sigh, avoiding eye contact. The gravel below your feet comes into detail. You pay attention to the sparkles of the rocks being hit by the sun instead of Sam.

“It can’t be that bad. Just tell me.” You can hear the smile in his voice.

“I uh… I feel like any way I word it will sound weird, but my bodily fluids are like acid, so uh like my tears and spit and stuff. Told you it was weird.”

“No! That’s cool! I’ve seen way worse. You should have seen some of my roommates at my old place.” He jokes. You laugh quietly with him.

“So all of your stuff is acid?” He asks. You nod.

“How do you pee? Do you just like melt toilets every time you piss?” He asks. You laugh.

“No, I guess my body has some way of controlling it, but I don’t know. I haven’t really figured it out consciously.”

“I was gonna say, that would be really cool if you could piss acid. Just like pee on all your enemies. That would be cool as fuck.” He laughs. You don’t know why at the time, but there’s just something so comforting about him.

“That’s gross. You’re sick.” You laugh.

“Oh trust me I know. You don’t go through multiple mental hospitals just being normal.”

You knew he was joking, but the way he said normal struck a cord in you. You didn’t see him as wrong, but you knew what he meant. You often felt… knew… you weren’t normal either.

You were there for Sam just as much as he was for you. It took you a long time to accept his help. It took a while for him to convince you that you weren’t a burden. The first time you had a meltdown in front of him was a very vulnerable moment for you. You hadn’t been that vulnerable with anyone like that in a long time.

“I’m gonna fucking kill them.” You fumed, pacing the room, so blinded by your anger you had forgotten you were with Sam. You had promised him you could watch Waterworld after class because you’d never seen it before and it was his favorite movie.

“She is such a fucking bitch. Why the fuck didn’t she fucking tell me?! She could have put a fucking sock on the door or sent a text or fucking something Jesus fucking Christ! Like I love her, but fuck!” You were beyond angry. After an already overstimulating day and a failed assignment handed back, you were already on edge before you walked in on Jordan and Marie. Now sexiled to the lounge while your roommate finishes with his girlfriend, not caring about your plans at all.

“I fucking told him too! I told him you were coming over!” You say, upset, and quite honestly still in shock, not expecting to see two of your friends fucking on a Tuesday afternoon.

“Maybe they just forgot.” Sam proposes.

“How could she fucking forget what time I come home every fucking Tuesday?!” You huff, sitting down on the couch. You sit in silence before thinking it over.

“No, you’re right… they probably just forgot…” You feel a pit in your stomach and tears starting to well up in your eyes. You try to keep them at bay. You don’t need an acid leak today. “Yeah Jordan totally forgot. Oh fuck. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.” You feel your body crumbling in on itself. You hate getting mad. You were so scared of your own anger. You also felt like Jordan didn’t deserve it. Yeah he could be an ass sometimes, but Jordan was your roommate and your friend.

“Hey what’s going on you look upset- well more upset than you were before… okay maybe not more upset, but a different kind of upset…” Sam’s voice trails off. He wasn’t always the best with words either.

“I just feel so bad.” The tears start to slip down your face.

“Why do you feel bad? You just walked in on two of your friends having sex in your own room. It’s never happened to me, but I think it’s normal to be annoyed.” He sits down next to you. When he gets a closer look at your face he sees the red marks on your cheeks. You were used to the burn by now. You hated crying, but sometimes you couldn’t stop yourself. Sam moves to wipe away some of your tears.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” You ask.

“They used to electrocute me daily at the Woods. This is nothing.”

“I’m sorry.” The ache in your stomach grows. You feel like such a burden.

“Why are you sorry?” He asks.

“Because you shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“I don’t have to do anything. I’m here because I want to be.” He smiles.

“But I’m too much. This is too much. You have your own shit to deal with. I’m so fucking sorry, Sam.” You try to hold back more tears. You feel awful.

“Hey, don’t apologize. You’ve done so much for me. You promised you’d always be there for me. Let me return the favor. You’re so kind to everyone, just let me be kind to you.”

“I’m sorry.” You whisper again in a broken voice.

“Why do you keep saying sorry? Are you embarrassed?” He asks. You nod.

“Don’t be embarrassed. Multiple mental hospitals, remember?” He jokes, making a face and pointing to himself. You laugh quietly.

“Just the life of a broken fucking brain.” He laughs, but there’s something sad underneath.

“You know I don’t think you’re a monster right?”

“Why are you bringing that up now?” He asks.

“Well sometimes I think you believe the doctors at the Woods a little too much. I just wanted to make sure you know that I know that you’re trying and you’re a good guy.” You smile.

“For what it’s worth I don’t think you’re a monster either. You think I’m a good guy, but I think you’re the goodest person I know.” He smiles. “Is goodest even a word?” He asks.

“I don’t think so, but I appreciate the compliment.” You smile. You don’t know when it happened, but you start to realize that Sam had successfully distracted you and calmed you from your meltdown. You find his arm around you, as you lean into him on the lounge couch.

“I’m so glad I met you.” He smiles.

“I’m so glad I met you too.”

[olderthannetfic]

Im neither a proshipper nor an anti at this current stage in life, but at one point i was an anti i guess? And I hate it say it, but looking back, I understand why. I don't think I actually gave a fuck about Harmful Fanfic or whatever, it was just a substitute for therapy that i couldn't get at the time (because "literally neurodivergent and a minor" or whatever, but like...actually literally neurodivergent and a minor LOL).

As weird as it sounds like, no one cared about my ACTUAL PAIN, and that made me feel EVEN MORE PAIN, so i took it out on ppl who shipped "abuse", or whatever.

It's so stupid now, as an adult who is mentally better than I was then, but as ridiculous as it was, seeing someone ship an "abusive" ship or a "queer erasing ship" (like a canonically gay character with someone of the other binary gender)...it felt eerily similar to the actual abuse I was facing and the stress that everyone was putting on me to find a boyfriend or ask why my (closeted lesbian) self didn't like any boys.

But it was so much easier to keyboard warrior about how people who ship Bad things are Bad people, than it was to fix any problems in my actual life because...well, the actual problems in my life COULDN'T be fixed. That isn't a learned helplessness thing, there was genuinely nothing I could've done. So pissing off Shippers was, like, a vessel for that, and it *felt* like I was getting to lash out at the same people who were ACTUALLY hurting me, even though that obviously is not the case. Funny thing is, it wasn't actual fandom discourse that made me switch sides, it was getting to learn more about youth liberation movements and stuff, because it was then that I recognized the actual structures that were making me hurt.

I think one silver lining is it's made me more compassionate an adult. While I don't have any defense for the antis who do actual horrendous stuff like doxxing or sending death/rape threats, etc, I do have a lot of defense for the ones who were like me and would just make posts talking about how Wrong it is to ship certain things. I know that not all antis are in the same place that I was once was, and some are just genuinely immature brats, but it's like. . . I get it, you know?

The cycle of abuse/bullying is weird and it's not often a 1:1 "I had an abusive parent so now i'll be an abusive parent", sometimes it's the chronically online stuff like I did. It's also why I'm careful-careful to not engage and to just block or, even try to have a mature discussion if I can, and if the person I'm talking to is just "a little bit annoying" rather than "actual bully doing/sending illegal stuff". A lot of them just want to be heard, I think, and it really makes me sad that this is the way they choose to be heard...but also i get it, because i was that.

--

Yup. We often discuss anti tendencies in this framework.

People want control over their environment when they have none. They want the world to make sense and for there to be simple rules they can follow to Never Mess Up. This is a very common reaction to trauma and also typical of brains that like order and neat boxes and a world full of justice and logic.

The trouble is that a critical mass of "I'm just pointing this out" type posts does tend to make all the other teens with an issue around moral scrupulosity implode. (And let's be real, plenty of the antis themselves are secretly into dark content and are trying to pray the gay kink away.)

I have some sympathy, but I'm still going to tell people they're sealioning when they are and tell them they're flat out wrong about how fantasies work, not sugar coat it because they're probably a delicate teen. There's no need to be excessively mean or treat people as irredeemable, but I also don't like how we talk endlessly about compassion for teen antis and not for teens targeted by antis. It's similar to how there are all those complaints like "Hey, I work hard to manage my mental illness, but all the support seems to go to people who are letting their issues rampage..."

[nhasablogg]

Fine line

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Characters: Morgan, Reid

Anonymous said: Morgan finds out that Gideon used to tickle Reid and Reid misses it so he makes it his mission to tickle him whenever he can?

A/N: Changed it up a lil. Hope you like it!

Words: 1.8k

The things he saw of Reid and Gideon’s relationship Morgan only caught glances of. A familiarity that could be felt through their shared looks and the way Reid would turn toward him when he felt uncertain. Once, just once, had Morgan seen them smile at each other at the same time.

He only saw it once too, and at the time he thought he’d made it up. Rainy. Hot coffee all over his shirt after slipping on leaves just outside of work. His mood so bad even Elle didn’t mess with him that morning upon catching sight of him exiting the elevator. He spent the time he usually spent chatting up his team by pulling paper towel after paper towel out of the dispenser, trying desperately to soak the remaining coffee stain out of his clothes. He would be late. Hotch wasn’t gonna kill him, but he was gonna be annoyed.

“Dammit,” he groaned, throwing the last of the towels in the trash and making his way toward the conference room. Another complaint was just about to leave his lips when he saw them, a glimpse just visible in the slit of the open door. Whatever he’d been about to say died at the tip of his tongue. Horrified, at first, at what he thought they were doing, only it didn’t fully seem real. The way Gideon’s hands moved over Reid’s body didn’t seem sensual at all.

Tickling him, he thought and then immediately questioned it. Had Reid really been curling in on himself just then as Gideon skittered his fingers over his sides? Because only seconds later, as Hotch passed him and entered the room, both of them were perfectly collected.

Reid made a face when he saw him. “What happened to you?” Not a single trace of laughter in his voice, although Morgan was certain - was he? - he’d been giggling.

He shook his head. “I spilled my coffee and have frankly had a terrible morning.”

“Not as bad as Mr Anderson and his family,” Gideon said, maybe too casually, and Morgan forgot all about him possibly tickling their youngest member as he caught the blood on the photographs spread across the table.

He brought it up years later, the two of them sharing a hotel room in a little town in rural Montana. Neither of them were drinking, but the intensity of the case had made them delirious enough that it felt like it. Morgan threw a balled up sock at Reid, who did little about it. “Speaking of Gideon,” he started, having let Reid talk about him without interrupting. He did that sometimes. Morgan never pressed him. “I need some clarity about something from ages ago. Like, pre-Prentiss times.”

“Okay.” He gripped the sock which had landed on his lap. Threw it onto the bed, watched it bounce off and onto the floor. “Go ahead.”

“This is kind of, uh. Weird? To ask, I mean.”

Reid frowned, evidently more on edge now. “What is it?”

“It’s about something I saw. Or I think I saw. And to be fair I’m not sure why it’s stuck with me for this long, but it has.”

“Morgan, you’re scaring me.”

“Did he ever tickle you? Because I swear I once saw him tickling you, but then you were acting all normal only seconds later and I think I want to know more to make sure I’m not going crazy.” For some reason, as he spoke, Morgan could feel that Reid was getting embarrassed and was torn between giving him space by looking away and staring into his soul because he couldn’t comprehend why he would get embarrassed in the first place.

“Oh,” was all he said, and by the time Morgan had made up his mind to stare Reid was glaring a hole into the floor.

Morgan held up his hands. “You don’t have to tell me. Forget I asked, okay?”

“He did that sometimes,” Reid said quietly.

“Tickle you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

He looked up. Eyes locked. “That’s weird, right?”

“Is it?”

“Most people would think so.”

“Do I look like most people to you?”

Reid’s smile was shy. He didn’t elaborate.

Obviously Morgan couldn’t stop thinking about it. Reid being ticklish and Reid trusting someone enough to be vulnerable like that around them. However it had started, whatever the reason, it apparently brought them both enough comfort for it to continue once Reid started in the BAU. There was something precious about that. Precious and heartbreaking. Morgan couldn’t understand why he found it heartbreaking.

“Can I ask you something?”

They were at Reid’s apartment. Morgan couldn’t remember how he started going there, but it was a weekly thing at that point.

“Will I regret it if I say yes?” Reid replied, not looking up from whatever he was looking up on his computer.

Morgan snorted. “Probably.”

“Well, now I’m curious, so ask anyway.”

“Why tickling?”

Reid froze for only a second, invisible to the untrained eye, only Morgan of course was about to get a masters degree in Spencer Reid at that point. He didn’t try to dismiss his curiosity this time. Only waited for Reid to slowly look up, cheeks slightly pink.

“I’m unsure,” he admitted. “I reckon it was something that started when I was young and continued when I got older. He didn’t do it often, mind you. But occasionally.”

Morgan nodded. “Okay, so the origins are uncertain. But why keep it up? Did you enjoy it?”

A deeper pink. “I didn’t dislike it.”

“Not really answering my question, but I can put the pieces together.” He was trying extremely hard not to grin.

Reid looked away, fully red now. “He didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason for when he did it. He just always knew when it was needed.”

“Did he only do it briefly or fully pin you?”

“Only briefly.”

“Do you miss it?”

“More often than I think I realized.” He shook his head. “I started thinking about it when you brought it up last time. I haven’t stopped since.”

Morgan crossed his arms. “I mean, if you ever wanted anyone else to do it.” He trailed off. He knew Reid knew what he meant.

Reid ran a hand over his face. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Seriously. I would be down.”

“I know, Morgan.”

Things became weird after that. Not uncomfortable, necessarily, but Morgan felt like Reid was on edge around him. As if he thought he would just attack him out of nowhere. As if Morgan would ever do that now, knowing what he knew.

He kept thinking about it, though. Reid giggling under his fingers. Reid wanting him to tickle him.

It was safe to say he was going a little crazy.

“Why are you looking at him like that?” Garcia demanded more than once, because apparently Morgan had completely lost his sense of subtlety.

“Like what?” he asked, defensive and aware of it.

“Like you’re obsessed with him or something.” Her voice was softer when she said that. Morgan wondered what she thought. Was too afraid to ask.

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous.” He wasn’t prepared for Reid to be the one to bring it up. “As much as I will hate every second of it, we should probably talk.”

Morgan wasn’t sure why he felt himself flush. “Right. We should.” He turned toward the semi-empty office. “Uh. Conference room?”

“You’ve been avoiding me ever since I admitted to missing it,” Reid said as Morgan closed the door behind them. He looked like he was trying very hard to act nonchalant about it all, but Morgan could see right through him. He was hurt.

“I swear I haven’t. At least not on purpose.”

“You think it’s weird.”

“No-”

“You think I’m weird.”

“The only thing I find weird is my inability to figure out how to navigate this.” He shook his head. “I can’t stop thinking about it and I don’t know how you want me to act.”

Reid blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Morgan ran a hand over his face. “I feel like if I do it you’d get mad at me for trying to replace him, but also pretending I don’t know about it might make you think I don’t care or find it weird - evidently I was right - but look, Reid, I don’t find it weird, okay? I’m just terrified of crossing a boundary here.”

Reid was flushing to the roots of his hair. “Okay. Okay, that makes sense. I’m sorry-”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“You really don’t have to do anything just because he did.”

“But I want to.” It was the first time Morgan admitted it aloud. “I want to do it.”

Reid averted his gaze. “Why?”

“Because I want to see you laugh and squirm.” Morgan’s smile softened. “And because I want to bring you comfort if you need it, or whatever it does for you. And listen, if that was something you only did with him, I’ll respect that.”

“I did that with my mom, too,” he said quietly. “That’s why Gideon did it. And why Ethan did it.”

“Your ex?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if you want one more person to do it for you, I’m here.”

Reid finally, finally, smiled. “I know.” A beat, and, “Thanks.”

The next day, Morgan got to work. They still hadn’t really figured it all out - Reid said not having had to discuss it with anyone before was part of it. Morgan would be damned if he couldn’t figure this out like the ones before him had.

So he watched him.

Reid knew he was watching him, obviously, but life continued. New cases fell on their desks, and after a particularly bad one, when all of them were exhausted and quiet, Morgan wondered if this was the time. If he should sit down next to him on the jet and poke his side. But it didn’t feel right. He felt Reid wouldn’t appreciate it.

He stumbled upon several moments like that during the next few weeks, where the genius could either really need a good laugh or to be comforted, but Morgan couldn’t ever decide if it was the right time. He was starting to feel frustrated himself.

In the end, he just did it. No preamble. No second thoughts. If it was the wrong time, Reid would let him know.

He could tell Reid was stressed and overwhelmed and second guessing himself, and maybe that wasn’t the right time to tickle someone, but Morgan knew how Reid felt about it. That, in the right circumstances, it could make him feel better.

And so he circled his hands around his waist, said, “Cut yourself some slack, pretty boy,” and curled his fingers over skin. Reid jumped, but instead of squirming away he squirmed into him, a gentle laugh Morgan would think of for the next coming weeks slipping out before he could stop it, and Morgan was sure that even if it didn’t help it most definitely didn’t hurt.

That was all he could hope for, really.

[erabu-san]

First of all, I would like to thank you so much for all your support and your kind message !! Thank you so much for being patient with me too !! (you will see, I thanks a lot in this post lol)

Haha tbh I believe that ignoring and move on is a great way too! Yeees when I read this anon ask, I was wondering if they are living somewhere where pale person are oppressed and they are personally in this case and it affects them so badly that they have so much hate in them or they are just being hateful toward poc w/o any explication ? It was a bit uncomfortable And what is appealing with Genshin Impact (for me) is the fact that they use real culture to create their game ; even in the last survey, they ask if we like Natlan's authenticity (weird they only ask abt environment and music, i think they know they have issue with character design bahaha). I learn a lot about persian, algerian, but also chinese and even about french culture ! It is because people recognize themself that they start talking about it. I know there is a lot of controversial topic in Natlan, but because of this, I learn a lot on Hawai'i 's culture too. So yes, even if it is fiction, representation *is* important. And it is because they take inspiration of their culture that there is people who want a better representation, and in my opinion, this is something to not ignore !

About taking well what anon said, thank you so much ! If i can be honest tho, I didn't take it very well neither, or just I don't know how do I really felt at the moment I am an adult but I still hard time to distinguish what is morally okay or not, what is bad and good ? So if someone doesn't tell me they are explicitly a bad person with bad intention, I won't get it haha (ofc I grew up and now I identify my value and morals, but I still questionning if my morals are objectively great or not- yeaaah i was called weird for that, I am aware) Since forever I always try to understand other so I can communicate properly (at least I try), and that's why I am always interested on how does people think, why do they react in this specific way etc etc. Pro, I am patient and can take even the most violent take "well" (all depends. I am still a human) Con, I give free speech to those who have a "bad" take </3 and I apologize for that aaaa

KFSDLFSD I wish to express my angryness sometime but I just don't know if it is really adequate What if I interpret their text in wrong way as they initially try to say ? I wasn't feel offended by what they said, I was just uncomfortable because their opinion is something I consider hateful. and what if i was wrong??? But reading you all's opinion just affirm that's they were indeed rude ! I should stop overthink, life would be easier Maybe next time I have a doubt I will ask my friends's opinion before answering ksdkfsf

Oh my god thank you !!! If i can be honest, I draw Kinich this way because when I draw him w a darker skin for the first time, I thought "Oh !!! he looks so cool !!!!" and seeing a lot of positive comment abt my Kinich just makes me happy so I keep him like this ! And thank you for sharing with me informations !<<333 This is not overstepping at all ! And it is a reciprocate feeling anon ! It might be a bit weird but "angry" is such a complex feeling for me. I feel it but I don't really know how to express it in the most healthy way and it is super frustrating. So... seeing people getting mad at something I also disagree on makes me feel better !! And for this, thank you all !

I SNORT SO HAAAARD Damn Macron you again..........!! I didn't put all ask here but I read them all !! Thank you for sharing with me your opinion and reaction, it is truly interesting (and way more relaxing that the hater anon kskskss) !! and again, your support is truly meaningful for me. You all have sincere gratitude Hope y'all have a great day !! Stay hydrated too <3

[kingdoms-and-empires]

After Dark Review (Zombies!)

I recently had to go travel and read a few works that I never got around to reading but was interested in.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS REVIEW IS DONE BY ME AS A READER AND IS MY OWN OPINION.

This means I will review in accordance to my own tastes, how the game caters to me, and what I feel. Do not take my word as gospel, what I may not be interested in or dislike, may be what YOU are interested and love!!!

@dalekowrites

Synopsis:

A few years from now, in Little Peak, Michigan, a teenager is ready to go to sleep.

While the heavy industry is more active than ever, the effects of global warming are evident, with higher temperatures, dying bees, and animals acting weird.

It has simply been another normal Wednesday, but little do people know that it’s the last day of normality Mother Nature has granted them.

After Dark is a scientifically accurate apocalyptic horror. You’re tired of zombies rising from the ground for no reason? You don’t believe in ghosts? Glittering vampires aren’t for you? Then you have to try one of the three different stories that unfold in After Dark.

When a global pandemic starts to transform people into dangerous monsters, which path will you choose? Will you fight for humanity? Will you stay for your family? Or will you run away in search of a better future?

Review:

The Good: Why does every IF Zombie game have the authors kill themselves in the coding department? This is in the good section, so it isnt a bad thing, though sometimes I worry for the sanity of the author lol. Anyways, After Dark is ambitious! Here are some of the things the author implemented:

Three different routes with three completely different stories. (1 is being worked on right now, the other two have not yet been implemented yet as far as I know)

A phone with a social network, gallery for the ROs, a newsletter, and a weather forecast app... of which you need to charge without it being annoying thankfully!

Characters remember what you talk about and will bring it up in future conversations, so you cant be two faced lol

A romance autonomy system that you can switch on that allows ROs to flirt with you!

Random encounters to encourage re-playability.

An inventory system.

A weather system, that can be prepped for using the weather app on your phone.

Hourly progression system, there are only a set amount of hours in a day that you can use to do things without affecting you.

Discoverable side stories.

A private journal that keeps track of stuff for you. Kinda Elder Scrolls coded and i jive with it haha

And crazy enough, there's more. The above sounds complicated and overwhelming, but it isnt for the reader somehow. The author was able to integrate all the above without it feeling intrusive or annoying.

As for the story itself, remember this is currently one route. The writing is well done, it isnt overly flowery or super descriptive to the point of walls of text. Instead it gets to the point effectively and without losing points.

It made me want to read more, and that is exactly what we readers look for as we scour the IF space for more stories.

ABBY

I really like Abby. She's the preggo lady you can find, and I love the humanity she brings to the story. She does some things thatll make you go:

All of the characters feel grounded and not tropey if that makes any sense. And the dynamics of the group can change with the MC's input, or lack of it.

And then food. Holy shit, the need for food actually felt immersive lmao, whenever id find a snack or something id snatch that mfer up

The Bad:

I would like more zombies. The characters, the narrative, and the plot works well. But I'm worried of being presented with more human on human conflict/drama instead of the undead, and to that I recommend the author to introduce more scenes where we can see the horror, eeriness, and sadness that such an apocalypses would induce. Make a scene where the player is being chased by the undead because of a fuck up, it can be MC's or one of the characters to create tension or drama and it can even make an RO moment occur. Or a scene where you can enter a school, or one of the FEMA camps and see the aftermath of an incident where the zombies break in or someone infected got in. Of course, the author is steadily updating, and what I just said may very will be in the cards of a future update! But I do think something involving the zombies should occur sooner than later, as the beginning scene with the parent and the chaos, horror, and tension of the scene still stayed with me, and i was hoping to reach those emotional heights again while playing!

The Ugly:

Other than a few gender variable errors of the ROs and the regular grammar mistakes found in any IF, the biggest issue i had was with presentation. I'd recommend the author to clean up the spacing between paragraphs in the future when they have time alongside the new update.

The Aftermath:

Zombie IFs just don't seem to miss. Almost all are able to land within the "good" category whenever one releases, and this has the potential to land right in the "Chef's Kiss" tier. I'd recommend this game to anyone craving a zombie IF, and im excited to see this develop more in the future! The characters are grounded, flawed but not annoyingly, and capable. The story is plausible, and the narrative makes sense. Honestly? I want more and I want it now!

[blossomthepinkbunny]

Charlie as an underdeveloped character

One thing I was genuinely dissapointed by when watching Hazbin Hotel was that they never cared to dive into Charlie's Morality more.

I feel like a lot of people can agree that Charlie felt very flat/sidelined in a show she was supposed to be the main character of and I think that that's because they ran out of Character Moments for her. Her Backstory is pretty much just infodumped at the start so there's nothing you can really explore there (except for her relationship with her parents ig but they only really brought that up and resolved it in one episode). Alastor has the mystery behind him of what his goals really are, Angel Dust has his arc about standing up to his abuser, Vaggie has her dramatic backstory reveal thing and Sir pentious gets focus as the one real guest at the hotel and with his goal to be redeemed.

Charlie really has no conflict at all, which is weird since the whole plot is that her idea is relentlessly mocked and never succeeds until the end. But she doesn't have a personal conflict. All the issues she faces come from the ignorance of the people around her who don't support her, but never from who she is. She never has to change. They try to hint at this with her being possibly invasive and not respecting boundaries in the Angel Dust and Valentino episode. But the episode doesn't focus on her and Angel as they talk it out and she realizes how she might have to change as well (from how I remember it). It focuses on Husk and Angel's relationship instead.

I feel like the easiest route they could've taken for her character was that of a moral dilemma. Charlie believes in second chances and being able to change demons and her opposite is Adam, who doesn't think demons should be redeemed and should just be killed instead. But it's never specified if Charlie truly believes everyone deserves a second chance or if there are restrictions to that. Adam sings a song in the first episode and explaines his reasoning for why he believes demons shouldn't be saved, which is that they had their chance to be good and didn't choose it and now they can't expect another one (I guess the real reason is that he's just an asshole who doesn't care but that's because Vivzepop can't write Villains so I'll just pretend like that's his real reason).

The problem is that Adam is presented as fully in the wrong and I just don't agree with that. I'm not saying he's right with killing random demons of course but the show never takes the time to consider that sometimes people go to hell because they are actually terrible and have done inexcusable things. Like yeah, someone who had an addicition or a mental health problem while they were alive obviously doesn't deserve eternal suffering without any chance for redeemability, but we know that those aren't the only people that go to hell (in the pilot it's literally confirmed that real life criminals like Jeffrey Dahmer are also down there).

The show blatanly shows us characters like Valentino who are shown to do irredeemable things and be purely evil.

My question is just if Charlie would also look at someone like Valentino and say: "Yeah they deserve to be saved and get a second chance". She obviously thinks Valentino sucks, which we see in the Episode were she meets him.

So like, what would she have done if in the second episode someone like him stood at their door and wanted to be redeemed instead of Sir Pentious. Does she draw a line? Or would she have really heard him out? Her morality with this "everybody deserves a second chance" attitude is so underexplored even though it would have been the perfect place to develop her more. If they had confronted her with an actually tough situation, where she is presented with a truly terrible person, they could've had two interesting ways to take her character.

She could've accepted the person and with that she'd have taken her role a fully 'good' saviour for the demons. Someone who is truly without judgement, or atleast believes that there is good in everyone that just has to be brought out. Which would've also given room to think about if people like that are even inherently good, if they can 'excuse' the actions of terrible people and still want to help them. This would have made her a very extreme character in her believes, but something coherent and definitive is actually something Charlie desperately needs for her characterization.

The other way would've had her reject the person and with that she would have to face the idea that maybe Adam isn't fully wrong. In that situation she would have found herself in a similar position to the Angels in heaven, where she basically is the one deciding over what's acceptable and what isn't. This could lead to her having a moral dilemma. Is she even a good person if she's deciding what's moral and what isn't? Can she just be okay with making exceptions to her idea to protect her people? Does she even want to view EVERY demon as her family? Or does she think there are some demons that maybe deserve death?

I'm just really dissapointed that the show takes such an interesting idea and such a difficult topic and then just does nothing with it. What we view as bad and good and which people we judge harder than others will always depend on social norms and the situation. It's a topic with no real right and wrong answer because there are so many things to consider. But this moral grey conflict that is literally one of the MAIN CONFLICTS in Hazbin Hotel is so incredibly underwritten, that it's not even funny.

Instead of acknowledging the difficulty of the subject Hazbin does what it does best and takes the easy route with seemingly clear right and wrong sides. This is especially stupid, since morally grey characters are supposed to be the point of the show. Like there are these demons who have done bad things and who aren't perfect, but that doesn't make them bad people. Its about revealing that a person has layers (which the writing doesn't). This is also a big point in Helluva Boss, where characters like Blitzø or Stolas who mess up repeatedly, are supposed to be shown as still having interests, aspirations, and good things to them.

The easy route which is taken constantly in both shows however makes it so that Charlie is completely in the right and anyone who criticises her is one of the evil people who try to ruin her plan, just like Adam. Who's also such a straw man for anyone who even dares to bring any objection to Charlies ideas, because everyone who does is apparently a hypocrite who just doesn't understand her and would rather side with genocide (I wonder were Vivzepop takes her inspiration from).

Charlies writing was just really dissapointing with almost never any reflection being done on her part. She doesn't have really striking moments, discussions or ideas to her in a show she's supposed to lead. That's just an issue that comes with Vivzepop never really putting as much work into her female characters, even tough they would desperately need it.

I know that only the first season is out so far, but I highly doubt thay they'll bring up a discussion like this in s2. Especially since Adam is dead now and the Angels will probably try to work more with the demons, after Sir Pentious' redemtion and the reveal of the exterminations to them. Also the Vees, Lillith and Alastor will be more of focus from what we can assume by the ending scenes.

I just don’t like that Viv can take interesting conflicts and write them to be completely one-dimensional and boring.

[twilightprince101]

Let's be careful before labeling Wally or Home as "The Villain" of Welcome Home

Or anyone for that matter imo

Listen, I can completely understand why people would go to that conclusion. "So Below" and the eerie vibe that Wally gives off in his obsession don't exactly give either a flattering light (I know there are also the art pieces on Clown's personal blog, but I'm not counting anything that hasn't been officially released yet)

But whenever someone labels a character who is acting weird as "the villain," it puts a bad taste in my mouth. At the end of the day, characters in fiction are real people with motivations, so labeling one as "evil" or "the villain" can sometimes erase that complexity. And after the most recent update, we know that Wally has A Lot of very, very complicated feelings about the situation.

Before I get into that though, I wanna point out something that Clown himself has said describes the brand of horror that "Welcome Home" gives off to themselves personally. Click here for the link to the post.

Before I get into that though, I wanna point out something that Clown himself has said describes the brand of horror that "Welcome Home" gives off to themselves personally. Click here for the link to the post.

"My home doesn't feel like home anymore."

That line sticks to me pretty hard. There's a pervasive feeling of unfamiliarity, unreality, that exists in the core of the story itself.

I think we see, firsthand, Wally experiencing this in the latest updates. In all of the hidden Bug/Answer secret videos, we see a familiar pattern. We get some sort of scene of two other characters talking, a scene in whatever universe they call home, until at the very end one of the characters addresses Wally (who was apparently there the whole time) and the video glitches out.

A key part that not a lot of people seem to realize though is that these videos are from Wally's perspective. See the above picture with Wally's hands. In every scene, Wally is present and was supposedly taking part in an activity (in the above one, helping Poppy with knitting), before the video started playing.

Whenever I saw these videos I had that same feeling that something felt. Different. The interactions felt like scenes you would see in the animated/cartoony aesthetic we'd see from the various art pieces, it doesn't feel like it's "on set/TV" to me. They're moreso just intimate glimpses into their lives. But they're shot in the real world, and that feels. Wrong.

This is very likely the same feeling that Wally's having in that moment. "My home doesn't FEEL like home." It's like he's disassociating, having a brief episode of that unreality feeling. Those bouts of strangeness don't go away until, like clockwork, someone says his name and the video ends, snapping him out of it.

Do other people in the neighborhood also feel the same way? Maybe, but we don't know. What we do know is that Wally, whether or not he tries to explain this to others, feels isolated by this sensation. "My neighbors are only neighborly until they know I'm different in a way they can see."

The only other person he likely shares this feeling with? I'd take a guess that it's Home. Nearly every time Home has been featured, Wally has been there, close. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the only physical puppets/props we’ve seen of the cast are Wally and Home.

According to this post by @eldritchravens, Home is the only other person who talks directly to Us, the viewers. That's probably why they're so close, because they're the only ones who can truly confide in each other about this.

"So does that mean Home is manipulating Wally?"

Again, I really don't think that's the case. I don't wanna call people villains quite yet. Besides, we see (or well, hear) Home and Barnaby have a conversation together, and from how Barnaby reacts it's fairly casual.

This shared feeling is likely why Wally is so obsessed with us, including the Restoration Employee. They seem to be sharing a similar sensation to Wally's bouts of unreality, in the fact that it seems they're the ONLY one who doesn't remember Welcome Home being a thing. They seem to be one of the few things that Wally (and maybe even Home) consider to be "Real." Hence their obsession with "seeing" us.

"Isn't this Wally or Home manipulating the Employee though?"

Maybe, I don't know. We don't really know much of what's going on right now, we're only getting glimpses. For all we know this could be a side-effect of Wally/Home trying to reach out. For the time being though, I want to keep my own expectations in check. I'm choosing not to label Wally, Home, The Restoration Team or anyone as a "villain" until something definitive comes up.

It is very, very likely that Wally is going to be doing something more dangerous later down the line (or maybe even is doing so now). But if he's doing anything, I get the feeling it's more out of desperation. He wants something to quell this feeling inside of him, this pervasive sense of unreality, and to connect with something he feels is "real." And, for better or for worse, that thing is us.

This whole thing isn't to bash on people for speculation or theorycrafting, I personally think speculation is very healthy! But it's still important to remember what the core of this story is going to be. We're only seeing the very start of the story right now, and we don't know what'll happen down the line. It's useful to keep that core idea at the center of our speculation so we can have reasonable expectations going forward.

As for me? This doesn't feel like a story with villains. I don't think he'll pull a Monika from DDLC and start gaining a kill count, but if something does happen to the rest of the cast, my money is that it'll happen completely by accident, and he'll regret it. Hard.

[mafuluzx]

Can I have a one shot of any of the ninjas x male!reader? The reader looks incredibly intimidating but when the reader gets talked to it just turns out he's shy , has a soft voice, and is just overall kind hearted? (reader basically just puts up an intimidating look with a straight face to avoid conversations)

Of courseeeeee! Hmmm, If you say any character, I'm not sure if you prefer a female character or a male character, so... I'mma just pick Jay cause he's cool.

I rarely refer to the reader as 'you', I often use (y/n) to get a more storybook like feel to my stories, to but one was in desperate need of the change.

Jay x male reader

Season 4 episode 1

Your biggest Fan

(y/n) (l/n), the tallest, scariest Elemental Master by far. Even the tough Karlof or the intimidating Shade avoided even stepping close to him.

And (y/n) (l/n), is in fact, you.

You liked your solitude, so it was fine for now. The ferry was packed, and the pressures of a large crowd, when the only way to escape was to jump in the ocean, sounded less than pleasant.

You kept taking glances around though, you had seen the ninja on the docks before everyone had gotten on the boat. But after accidentally locking eyes with the blue ninja of all people, you decided to instead keep your distance. He was probably intimidated by you anyway.

Most people took one good look at you and though: Nope! nope, nope, nope and nope! Sometimes a short glance was enough to have the same results.

That's exactly why you never made any friends. You didn't know exactly why you seemed so scary to the others. Alone your expression wasn't intimidating enough to scare anyone. Maybe it was the combination of the expression, the way you stayed quiet to avoid stuttering, and maybe something else.

But for some reason, he wasn't scared.

"I'm Jay, the Master of Lightning. I don't wanna be rude or anything, but... are you a bad guy? Like a villain?" You were way too scared to answer him. You barely even turned your head towards him, and gave him a glance.

Though you couldn't see it, this was the exact intimidating expression that kept you away from other people.

"That's it! That look! You're planning something. Something evil. Epic, but evil!"

You tried to keep your face neutral, though inside, your heart was pounding. Not because Jay’s weird accusations made you uncomfortable. Well, they were weird, but you were fine with it.

The actually reason was that Jay is, and had always been your favorite ninja. The way his energy just wouldn't die down, and how he could make even the darkest situations seem a little brighter. He was the exact opposite of you, and maybe that’s what made him so magnetic to you.

"I'm not… planning anything," you muttered, barely even hearing your own voice from under the sea breeze.

Jay blinked, before giving you an awkward smile. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

You cleared your throat, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. "I'm not planning anything," you repeated, slightly louder before you went right back to muttering "I just… don't talk much."

"So... you're just shy?" (y/n) thought about it, before giving Jay a nod, hoping he'd drop the topic.

But of course, Jay being Jay, didn't let it go. Instead he grinned like a child.

"That's adorable!" Jay chuckled, leaning against the ferry railing.

Your heart skipped a beat, and you nearly choked on your own breath. Adorable? Jay thought you were adorable? You were supposed to be the tough, quiet one, definitely not adorable. But strangely, it made you happy.

"W-What?" You stammered, eyes wide.

Jay laughed, clearly enjoying your reaction. "You’ve got this whole 'I'm tough, don't talk to me' face on, you even glared at me back at the dock! But you're actually just a shy guy. I mean, how can anyone not think that's adorable?"

You could feel your face getting hotter by the second, and for a moment, you felt like hiding everything. Your face, your voice, the way you couldn't just be normal around him. But then, Jay's laughter softened, and when you dared to look up at him, his grin was still there, but there was a warmth in his eyes too, something that made your stomach do a little flip.

"Hey, don’t worry," Jay said, leaning against the railing again, "It's al-" Unfortunately, Jay was cut off by another ninja calling over to you and him.

"Jay! What are you doing, you can't just wander off like that." Kai, the one who had called over to you, jogged over, his tone half-scolding, half-exasperated. Behind him were Cole, Lloyd, and Sensei Garmadon. None of them seemed even half as annoyed as Kai did, just confused.

Meanwhile you felt angry. So angry that you, on purpose for once, gave Kai a glare.

Immediately Kai froze, though he didn't seem scared, just taken back.

"Jay, who the hell are you hanging around with?" Kai huffed at Jay as his eyes scanned you up and down, not in an insulting way, but as if he was sizing you up.

Jay huffed right back, "Don't be rude! This is..." Then he trailed off, before turning back to you as you wiped the glare off your face faster then lightning.

"What is your name, anyway?"

"...(y/n)," You quietly said, a bit nervous because there were more people around. Jay smiled, before whipping back to face Kai.

"This is (y/n)!" He declared, giving Kai a smile that just screamed 'I'm proud of myself!' It was as if introducing you like you were a gold medal, showing you off in glee.

Kai raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by Jay's theatrics, though his gaze relaxed a bit. "Okay... and how do you know him?"

Jay opened his mouth to reply but faltered, clearly realizing that he barely knew anything about you beyond the few words exchanged moments ago. He glanced over at you, looking a little sheepish, before giving Kai the same awkward smile he had given you before.

"Uh, well, we actually just met, but-" Jay started, but Kai cut him off with a skeptical look.

"You mean you just started talking to some random guy?" Kai crossed his arms, looking concerned once more.

Lloyd, who had stayed back with Cole, approached you with a polite smile to calm down the situation. "It's nice to meet you, (y/n). Don’t mind Kai, he's just annoyed." He shot Kai a glance before adding with a slight smirk, "Unlike Jay, he hasn't gotten any new friends."

You gave a small nod, still feeling a little out of place with all their attention on you. But Lloyd’s calm demeanor eased some of the tension that had built up.

Cole, who had also been quiet up until now, finally spoke. "I think I saw you by yourself, back on the docks?" His tone was mindful and careful, he didn't want to seem rude either.

You nodded again, wishing they would stop looking at you so intently. With Jay you hadn't felt this uncomfortable. Probably 'cause these three were also careful about how they came across, while Jay didn't seem to care about that.

"He’s not some 'random guy,'" Jay jumped back into the conversation, also jumping over and hugging one of your arms tightly.

"I mean, sure, we’ve only talked for a few minutes, but come on, he's adorable! He's super shy, but nice. And I bet he's stronger than he looks." Jay spoke enthusiasticly, as Lloyd looked (y/n) up and down.

"Well he looks strong to begin with-" But he was cut off by Jay turning back to you again. "And you're an Elemental Master, right?"

"Obviously..." Kai muttered, though he was left ignored.

All the ninja were looking at you now, and the pressure of their stares felt heavier than before. Your throat tightened slightly as you debated whether to tell them

You swallowed, then nodded slowly. "Yeah... I am," you said quietly, your voice barely audible. "The Master of (Anything you want!)."

"See! A pretty powerful element, right?" Jay asked the others, who nodded, except for Kai.

Jay noticed how stubborn Kai was being, and turned to whisper into your ear.

"Kai might not like you, but I think you're great!"

Jay hadn't even asked you to be his friend yet, but you knew, no matter what, you couldn't say no to the Master of Lightning.

[hyenafu]

I know this might seem like a bit of a random question, but what are some criticisms of Slightly Damned you can't stand, and what are some you think are at least somewhat valid? I only ask because I do have a few problems with the comic (not really gonna go into here because I don't want to come off as too critical obviously) but I feel like some of the more noteworthy ones have been too long established to just change it altogether, and the best one can do is make something better from its foundation (which I must say, you've done a really good job at ^^)

The complaints that I think are the most unfair are by bigots who think my comic is only getting more inclusive because I'm pandering to wokeness or whatever. These people are also the most likely to misgender me and have no idea what they're talking about. They just can't stand the bare minimum of gay and are often hypocritical, using fallacies as the basis of their arguments. It's tempting to want to argue back, but when has that ever worked on the internet? I think the most valid complaint is that the pacing of the comic is too slow. Sure. Not much I can do about that one. My comic alone doesn't pay all my bills. If I focus exclusively on work, I get depressed, so I have to goof off sometimes. I'm just one person. I don't have a team. I'm doing the best I can already. Another valid complaint is that people don't like my blend of humor and drama. Sometimes readers find it inappropriate or jarring. It's valid because I recognize it as a difference of opinion and understand why they feel that way. But I don't care. I like my weird mix of goofy faces and drama. I sometimes make jokes during periods of great stress in real life. I love all the wacky faces and over-the-top cartoon action among dire circumstances in comics like One Piece and Usagi Yojimbo. Like, it's just my style, man I don't seek out unsolicited advice about my comic. Some people may think that's snobbish of me, but the truth is, very little of what you find that way is actually valuable.

"And as to those critics, she said that she’s managed to do something that might make us all better off- she doesn’t read the comment sections. In perhaps the most roundabout poignant part of the talk, she likened receiving feedback about her work as being like consuming food. She would take a pie from someone she knew and trusted but compared taking unsolicited barbs from strangers as “licking a handle on the subway.” She used to pay very close attention to that kind of critique because she felt that it somehow would make her a better creator but ultimately decided that it was only toxic." - I HAVE SEEN OLIVIA JAIMES, THE CARTOONIST BEHIND THE NEW NANCY, by Rocko Jerome (2018)

Besides the outright hateful sentiments, a lot of unsolicited criticism can be categorized as "I don't like this story because it didn't do what I wanted it to do." Which is fine. I do the same thing when I try to process stories and talk to my friends about them.

But I don't get in the author's face to tell them I think they did a bad job. At the end of the day, no matter how crap I think someone's story might be, I'm not psychic. I don't really know if they did exactly what they set out to do. For example, people have never stopped giving me crap about the death of certain characters. But their whining has only made my convictions stronger. I don't like when other stories don't take deaths seriously, with a real sense of permanence and grief that is not easily solved. To someone else, seeing that character be alive might have solved all sorts of problems they had-- but that's not my story. I've had someone tell me that the focus on Buwaro and Kieri's mushy romance is too distracting to the main story. I don't think that person knew that a large part of why I started making this comic in the first place was as a vehicle for my OTP. I also want to make said vehicle entertaining and worthwhile. If I didn't succeed for that person, that's fine. But don't tell me that half the reason I made the comic is distracting from it. What do they know about what I want? What do you really know about what the author wanted to achieve? That isn't to say that my comic is immune to scrutiny. Of course it has problems; every story has problems, depending on your perspective and the basis by which it's getting judged. I've solicited and received thoughtful criticism and helpful advice from teachers, my advisor, my friends, and from reading/watching tutorials. Some I agreed with, others I chose to ignore. Sometimes it just took a while for me to come around. I hope I never stop learning and improving. Like you said, I have to keep working with the foundation I already set. But I don't feel trapped by it; my creativity is being challenged in new ways. I have a lot of playing pieces and now I get to see what kinds of connections I can make between them with my older, more experienced (both good and bad) mind. Since Slightly Damned is a story serialized over a long period of time, a certain amount of it is made up as I go along. I do have plans and goals, of course, but I'm also discovering this world alongside my readers.

[vitanithepure]

You need to stop treating fictional charcters like real people. Because at the end of the day Gale is not real and no harm comes to him, no matter who says what about him.

I am very well aware of this fact, thank you. I might be crazy, but not that looney.

With this out of the way:

You do realize though, that fictional characters don't exist in a vacuum, right? They are not based on a real person but have real person characteristics. Why do you think people cling this much to fictional characters? Mostly because they see something of themselves in them, because they share some of those experiences with them.

It's funny in a tragic way Gale suffers from what most real people do in real life - he makes goofy things, he smiles, cracks jokes and thus people don't care to look any deeper to see a person that is willing to let himself go and just die at the first opportunity given.

And ulimately, each person that felt close to his character because of this angle was just told "yeah, him sacraficing himself is the best option for him to give back to the world". Fuck that.

Also all the "weird" real life people who talk to much, know too much, cannot find a way to act in a conventional way sometimes? Yeah, screw their experiences as well, they "annoy the fuck out of everyone, haha".

Even a meaningles mechanic of giving him magic trash you find all over the place was turned into a joke. I got bullied to the point of deleting my post criticizing just that all those months ago, so I'm unwilling to discuss this again. I dealt with it by blocking all the obnoxious boot jokes.

You don't see the same disdain thrown at other fictional characters in this game. Nobody makes light of Astarion's or Karlach's trauma, nobody disputes if Shadowheart is suffering.

And you sure as hell don't see the developers that MADE the characters throw one of them constantly under the bus like Gale. It's mind boggling that some of them genuinely seem to hate their own creation this much. It's like they have no idea what that character even stands for.

I didn't expect to hear that from the owner and a fucking lead writer in a company, they should know better than to act as any random person on the internet lke this.

[nezoriy]

List of "normal" things that always baffled me as a person on the aro/ace spectrum:

Disclaimer: A lot of this is based on the feelings and perception of my teenage self when I started to feel people around me were weird but didn't have the language or concept yet to understand what was wrong. So, give me a break if it sounds edgy sometimes. I don’t have the energy to sugarcoat every statement so it doesn’t offend anyone. If you're part of the mainstream and feel attacked by a random dude on the internet questioning things you find "normal," maybe ask yourself why you’re upset instead of coming for me.

1. "Love at first sight."

Even as a kid, this felt like a scam. I get friendship, and I can imagine love developing out of it. But for that, you need to know the person. You can't know someone instantly. So how on earth is this supposed to work? (The answer is, most ppl can feel sexual attraction instantaneously and it gets sold as love for the kids.)

2. Finding someone "attractive" = you’d like to fuck them.

I honestly was like 20something when I realized that actually yes, when ppl talk about someone, even celebs, being "attractive," they do mean they’d like to have sex with them and not just compliment them on their looks.

Like, I can honestly say that many of my friends, Cate Blanchett, and Hugh Jackman are "attractive." But to me, that’s like talking about a painting. Like, sure, Singer Sargent's Madame X is "attractive," but no one's trying to, uh, get it on with the painting… right?

3. The whole concept of dating (to find a romantic partner.)

So, you’re telling me people meet up specifically to see if they might develop feelings for each other when they don't have those feelings yet? 

Like, what even makes you say yes to a date if you don't know a person at all? (The answer is: once again, sexual attraction, obviously.) 

On the other hand, if you’re already friends with someone and just wanna see where it goes, why bring the flowers and fancy dinners into the equation?

4. Why people (especially women) would even risk sex back when it could have had major consequences for them

The list includes (but isn’t limited to):

Women before reliable contraception in societies where an unplanned pregnancy could be socially catastrophic;

Brothel visitors once STDs were known;

(Here’s the tricky one bc I myself kinda feel guilty for not being empathetic enough) gay people, especially men, in times and places where they could literally be imprisoned or executed for having sex

I need to be very clear here, this isn’t about moral superiority as I'm not feeling any, it’s about survival. Like, if sex could legit mess up your life, why not just… not do it? 

Yeah it's basically rip to “fallen” women but I’m different.

5. The culture of one-night stands, cruising, club hookups, etc.

This is still a bit uncomfortable in my head because this is a very prominent part of gay culture specifically, and I’ve always felt incredibly disconnected from it. But I can't edit it out.

Okay, so someone’s hot. I can maybe get that there’s a spark. But if you don’t know them… what if they open their mouth mid-action and reveal they voted for trump? Instant deal-breaker, my genitals are shriveling in terror.

6. The need to have a partner / actively searching for one.

I give it to you, if you vibe with someone, getting into a relationship may make sense. But actually, putting in effort to find one? For what? There’s so much other cool stuff in life!

7. "I haven’t had sex in five minutes/a month/half a year 😱😭" / jokes about dry spells.

Do you actually keep track of the timelines? So what if you haven’t? I get it, orgasm is great and all, but your hand still works, right? Why do you need another person for that? 

8. Imagining yourself in place of a person/character in sex scenes.

This mostly applies to fanfics but also “regular” porn. Even if the scene is hot, I don’t picture myself as any of the characters involved. Even if I'm aroused, I like it precisely for the characters in a specific scenario, I would only be a third wheel there. 

9. Sexual fantasies with yourself as a participant.

I really don't want to imagine myself in any sexual scenarios, neither with fictional characters nor with real people, even if I might have a crush on them. 

10. Cheating in relationships/marriage.

I’m not even talking about the moral aspect of breaking trust/violating the negotiated agreements; it’s the fact that someone "just couldn’t help themselves," “accidentally” had sex. Like, you’re willing to break an agreement, feel all the guilt, and go all secret agent-level to hide the thing because you… what, couldn’t keep it in your pants?

11. Extreme jealousy over sex.

Alongside the last point, I don’t really get why people make such a big deal about someone sleeping with someone else. Sure, it’s not cool to break agreements, and it’s a valid reason to re-evaluate the relationship. But just because they hooked up with someone else? Why is it such a dramatic deal?

(Spoiler alert: I’ve grown up to be poly now, who’s surprised xD)

12. The sexualization of women in media, ads, and the outrage from cishet guys about female characters wearing realistic armor instead of metal bikinis in their games now.

What do you mean, people actually like this and it works on them? Do people actually appreciate having half-naked women in their media? Seriously?

13. The priority of romantic relationships over friendships and every other kind of relationship.

From "got a partner, disappeared for two months from their friend group" to the whole idea that romance is inherently more "serious" or "important" than friendship. Why? Who made that a rule?

Okay, that’s it off the top of my head. Might add something later. 

[capseycartwright]

hiiiiiiii lorna it’s only weird if you make it weird if u want<3

a throwback to quarantine era because there's just not enough of it u know?

Eddie Diaz is a grown man. He probably shouldn’t need to clarify that, but he is a grown man – and as a grown man of thirty-something years of age, he shouldn’t be feeling so weird about sharing a bed with his best friend.

Except he might be having a panic attack of some kind.

“Eddie,” Buck huffed, squirming as he got settled on the left side of his California King. He looked laidback, and comfortable – which was to be expected, Eddie supposed, given this was Buck’s bed, and Buck’s home. Eddie had always struggled with comfort, and he relied on being in his own space to find that comfort: and now, he was here, in Buck’s loft, sharing the relatively small space with three other people, and he wasn’t sure when he’d actually be able to go home to his own house, to his son.

“Buck,” Eddie mimicked, trying to use sarcasm to cover up his nervousness.

He didn’t know why he was being so weird.

(He did –

His slowly changing feelings toward Buck were something Eddie didn’t have the mental – or emotional – capacity to deal with just yet, and then the world went mad, and they were in lockdown and there was a killer virus spreading through the world, and now Eddie was having to face sharing a bed with his best friend who he might – maybe – have some less than platonic feelings toward, and –

He was being weird about it.)

“You have to get in bed if you’re going to sleep,” Buck hummed, folding his arms across his chest. He was wearing pyjamas, a garish cartoon character printed on the front of the grey material.

“I just – is it weird?” Eddie hopped from left, to right, the cool wood of Buck’s bedroom floor cold under his bare feet. But he’s not an animal – he wasn’t going to sleep with socks on and face the cripplingly domestic task of finding the socks he would inevitably kick off during the night under the weight of the shared duvet.

“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” Buck shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of sharing a bed with Eddie for the foreseeable future.

“I snore,” Eddie offered.

“I talk in my sleep,” Buck countered. “I kick sometimes, too – so sorry in advance to your shins. Any other arguments to make?”

Nightmares, Eddie wanted to say –

Sometimes, he woke up screaming and he couldn’t remember why: and other times, he woke up screaming and the why felt terrifyingly vivid: it was Afghanistan, it was watching Shannon die, it was losing Christopher and that constant fear that Eddie wasn’t a good enough father, it was watching the ladder truck up and the weight of it crush Buck while Eddie screamed Buck’s name until his lungs burned.

“I’m a restless sleeper,” he finally settled on a more measured set of words: because admitting to the fact that his sleep was plagued by nightmares and insomnia felt as though it wasn’t something he could talk about right now – and maybe wasn’t the right moment, either, given the tension that had crept into every corner of Buck’s loft as the four of them wondered how long they might have to live like this: crushed in like sardines, desperate to protect their families from a virus they didn’t know enough about yet.

Buck grinned. “I’m a deep sleeper,” he countered. “So, we’re a perfect match.”

Eddie couldn’t argue anymore, and so he nodded, padding the final few metres to the right side of Buck’s bed, tugging his side of the duvet free, sliding in, the cotton of Buck’s sheets soft under his skin. Buck’s bed was big, sure, but they were two relatively big guys – so Buck’s shoulder was pressed to his, as Eddie tried to get settled.

“It’ll be okay,” Buck reassured, his voice quiet, quiet enough to make sure that Hen, and Chimney couldn’t hear from downstairs. Those words were for Eddie, and Eddie alone.

Eddie appreciated it so much he could cry.

“How do you know that?” he wasn’t great, at voicing his fears, but Buck had always made him feel comfortable enough to admit to some of those dark thoughts running a marathon inside of his head.

“Because,” Buck nudged Eddie’s shoulder, the faint outline of his smile in the dim light of the loft all the reassurance that Eddie had ever needed to get through the worst days of his life. “It always is, when you and I have anything to do with it.”

And yeah –

Maybe Buck was right.

send me a 'there was only one bed' prompt