#anyway. very interesting writing around this dynamics. i hope there will be more in future chapters so i can update my thoughts etc.

[amelikos]

The writing around Friede and Amethio's dynamics is brilliant for many different reasons, but one of the things I enjoy the most about it is that Amethio gets to act bratty in a way he rarely gets to be around others when he faces Friede (not liking being given orders, etc).

[moomstersnuffer]

I have some crazy conspiracy theories:

I always get this really strange, really disappointed, really let down feeling(depression am i right)when I actually stop and think about the relationship dynamics in Moominvalley. I mean, there are so many people who wholeheartedly believe in and support Snufmin but does anyone realize that if they were made canon, it would likely be more unusual and out of the norm for Moominvalley than it would be for our world of reality?

Let's start with the og crew: Moominpapa(Moomintroll's father), the Joxter(Snufkin's father), and the Muddler(Sniff's father). They were a trio of good friends going on adventures and then you look at their children and see how they too are a trio of good friends(I can't assume for two of them though...)going on adventures. Generally, I feel like Moominpapa and Joxter are the ones talked about the most and that's certainly true of Moomintroll and Snufkin as well, although we do love our Muddler and Sniff.

Then you look at what happened after their adventure days were over. They all got married(well most of them anyways) and found girls to love and had children. That's the norm. That's what's expected. That's their childrens' fate.

In the eyes of the kids who watch the show, Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden are soulmates. They’re the perfect couple. They'll end up like Moominmama and Moominpapa. And hopefully, Sniff and Snufkin will find someone too. I mean, I don't how many of you have even heard of the Snufkin and Alicia ship. I don't like it but that would be the norm...I guess. Sorry I really don't like that ship :/

It's never even implied or mentioned ever but I just feel like the unmentioned norm would be expected from like, everyone.

However, I think there’s more hope for the future now since it's now implied that Sniff doesn't really feel romantic feelings for anyone. I think it's safe to even mention that Snorkmaiden isn't a moomin like Moomintroll's parents both are(I mean it's another difference between generations to pin my delusions to)And despite that weird ship with Alicia, I doubt there's anyone on Snufkin’s radar except Moomintroll.

That brings this whole spiel to an even sadder conspiracy: Snufkin is the only one of the two who harbors romantic feelings.

I can't name certain instances because I have short term memory loss but I think this a very plausible theory. There really isn't a romantic interest for Snufkin in the series unless you count when his own step sis tried to get with him in the anime(like wtf was that?) Anyways, Moomintroll, on the other hand, has Snorkmaiden. My thing is, he either loves Snufkin platonically or he realizes he feels something more but doesn't want to break the social norm and disappoint people.

it's gotta be one of those two and since i'm a shipper I gotta lean toward the latter.

(I actually tried writing a fanfic about this a few months ago but I dropped it temporarily. I think I'll pick it up soon because I did like it I just got insecure lol)

But really all i'm doing here is throwing words in your face because I rewatched some s2-s3 episodes and got mad all over again. So yeah.

That's all I have to say today. I honestly think I say more on this site than I do in real life which is really sad but that's life these days. Nobody around to talk to about this stuff except you guys.

Thanks for reading whoever ended up reading this! I'm sorry if I left you more confused than you were before.

'Night, tumblr

[yeen-meteor]

I want to take a moment to try to express why i appreciate Haru's sadism as an actual serious part of her characterization and not just a funny contrast joke and 'yay girl violence!' don't get me wrong i love me some yay girl violence for the sake of it, but like. i think there's a lot to work with there for genuine drama writing, too, not just comic relief and i want to talk about it! (cw sugimura)

for all of haru's backstory and her life with her father, sure she's rich and has a lot of privileges, but the one thing she completely lacks is any sort of control. Everything about her life is being decided for her, her father has decided on the shape of her entire future, and she can't do anything to change it - she's being raised just for the sake of being outright sold as a sex slave trophy wife to a perverted creep who is certainly too rich and powerful to ever face legal trouble for marital rape. She's going through the motions, enjoying what she can of the life she has while she still has it, completely hopeless in the face of this horrifying future that other people are forcing her into. Her will means nothing, what she wants means nothing.

And then the Phantom Thieves come along, and they give her the power to make her will matter, to fight for her own freedom and happiness. And that power comes in the shape of violence, physically fighting images of all the things and people standing in her way.

But more than that, she starts to feel 'shivers of excitement' when she hears shadows begging and pleading beneath her. She feels what it's like to have something absolutely, pathetically desperate to make her stop, to deny her what she wants - and to bask in the feeling that she doesn't have to listen, she's the strong one, she can shut them the fuck up with an axe through the skull because their will, their selfish desire, their plan for her doesn't matter anymore, her will, Haru's will matters. It's catharsis, it's intoxicating, it's a rich and indulgent feeling of real actual control and the freedom that comes with it, something she's been denied all her life, and it's probably an unhealthy way to get that feeling but who cares? these are just shadows!

And that catharsis and relief and self-assured confidence she gets from that just makes her better able to be her sweetest, kindest, purest self around the people she loves! It doesn't undermine the sweet person she is, it helps it!

And then, she makes the choice to try to cure her father's brain-rotting greed and see if there's anything worth salvaging in his heart. It might not be the best choice, it could certainly be argued about, but it's her choice, it's her will, and she finally, finally feels like she's able to make that mean something-

and Akechi takes the choice away from her, and forces her to live in the future he decided for her.

I think when people write the dynamic between Akechi and Haru, they can sometimes miss the forest for the trees - 'you killed my father', without the underlying 'this was the first time i believed i ever had a choice in my own life, and you took it away from me and fucking crushed it before my eyes'. I've also seen it done very well too, and I love it! but i think a lot of writers are sleeping on the potential a bit, of haru & akechi focused stories, or even of haru as a source of drama and an interesting supporting character in shuake stories. In general, haru's potential for anger, frustration, violent desires and just a need to feel in control of her own life has a lot of potential in drama writing!

Atlus certainly dropped the ball on the akechi and haru dynamic, and kept the sadism thing as mostly comic relief, but Persona canons are all half-realized outlines of good ideas just begging for fic writers to come and actually flesh them out, anyway, so ah well!

all i hope for is that if you're a persona writer that doesn't know what to do with haru or how to use her, or doesn't pay her much mind, maybe this might inspire you or give you a clearer idea of how to write her dramatic side!

[thefanficmonster]

please please please write something for Mickey altieri I love him sm

You know I love Mr. Altieri and I'm always happy to write for him 😉 Hope you enjoy this set of headcanons darling 💕

~ Lots of love, Vy 💌

Mickey Altieri having a crush on you in college would include:

You told yourself you wouldn't date in college - for many reasons

Obviously, piles of schoolwork and many hours of studying awaited you and you couldn't imagine yourself forfeiting your future and neglecting all that work for a significant other

But also the upcoming four years are exactly the years meant for being wild and you couldn't afford missing out on any of that due to a commitment to another person

But at this point life had rudely taught you that things rarely go as you hope and plan them to

One of the variables you didn't factor into your planning was Mickey fucking Altieri

The sleek bastard

You'd caught his eye from day one - orientation day, to be exact

He was very fond to see you in his film class and with a bit of asking around he found out you too are a film major

He wasted no time pulling out every flirting trick he can ever remember working on you

All to be dismissed and rejected each and every time

But he's a persistent man, well aware of his charm and charisma

"I'm not your type, I get it. How about we start over? Friends?"

"In your dreams, Altieri." You roll your eyes at his poorly disguised attempt at poking through your guard

"How come you know my last name?"

Your eyes widen before you can stop them

You've just exposed your own snooping agenda

You'd be lying if you said you didn't conduct your own research on this man

Sure, he's attractive, fun to be around, charismatic - magnetic, almost

And, contrary to his claim, just your type

But you refuse to give in

That is until you realize that giving him a chance doesn't automatically mean establishing a relationship

Rather a dynamic

One with the potential to be quite fun and exciting at best

Interesting and eventful at worst

So, when he tries one more time, offering you nothing more than his company to a sorority party

You shock him by agreeing, retorting with a time at which you required him to pick you up from your dorm building

And pick you up he does

You roll your eyes at the corny gesture of a bouquet - or the sorry excuse for one he'd picked up on his way across campus

Still, you can't help but find it endearing

"I knew you'd like me eventually" he is getting cocky, reaching even, but as long as he's able to get a laugh out of you he's satisfied

"Don't hold your breath. I just wanted to go to a party."

"Yeah but you could've gone with anyone else. Just admit you like me, hell won't freeze over."

You narrow your eyes at him a part of you regretting the decision to accept his offer while another corner of your brain is looking forward to the evening the two of you are about to have

"Over my dead body"

Little do you know, he could easily get that arranged

But he'd never do that, not to you anyway

"Ten bucks says they disappear to make out an hour into the party." Hallie says, peering over at Sidney as the two observe their friend meet up for something they adamantly claimed wasn't a date

"You're on." Sid agrees, both girls giggling as they get back to getting ready for the party

A party you and Mickey disappear from about forty-five minutes in, earning Hallie ten dollars

The rest is history - history filled with Mickey poking fun at how quickly your resolve crumbled

Because now, four months later, you're celebrating three months of officially dating

This is one of those rare occasions when life works out a lot better than you'd originally planned it

Some things are better off unplanned

The best things in life come as a surprise, after all

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

so I’ve been trying to think of the best way to talk about Skuld’s fate for a while now and I think I’ve finally got it. My feelings about how she could be handled are a bit complicated (maybe even controversial? lol) but I hope I can make myself clear. This is essentially gonna be the post I point to whenever and if ever I need it later in the future. Thanks in advance if you read this!

If for whatever reason it’s confirmed that Skuld isn’t Subject χ and she gets together with Ephemer in canon (which I don’t believe will actually happen, but who knows), I do genuinely think there’d be something incredibly poetic about both of them leaving behind a legacy together.

Skuld as Subject χ is a super intriguing concept that I want to see get played out in canon, and even outside of that possibility, I would really love to just see her go on her own journey, have her own story where she can grapple with the events of khux in her own ways. But as someone who also happens to love her and Eph’s dynamic, I like to indulge in the possibility of them founding Scala together too.

Believe me when I say that I’m very skeptical of Skuld getting the credit and spotlight she deserves given the track record of how female characters are treated in this series. It would break my heart if Skuld got turned into an accessory or got shafted or worst case scenario, is used only to kickstart the Ephy lineage and nothing more outside of that. She deserves good, solid writing no matter what her fate is, I’m sure we can all agree on that at least.

And then there’s also the question of whether or not Nomura would ever establish a canon romantic relationship, and if he even should do that in the first place. I think it would be great, as long as it’s written in such a way that it doesn’t impede on the other types of relationships he’s already established. It could delve into some interesting new territory that can highlight the themes of kh, and make them even stronger and more profound. But you don’t absolutely need romance in order for that to be accomplished, ya feel?

Do I love Skuld and Eph together? Yes. Do I think they should be together (romantically) in canon? Not necessarily. You can both enjoy a ship AND recognize the nuances involved.

But anyway anywaaaaay, long disclaimers aside, these two characters have been through so much together…they witnessed two apocalypses. They’ve suffered the loss of a dear friend at their hands, along with their other friends as a result of horrible circumstances they had no control over. They stayed side by side as their home collapsed around and on them. But they also laughed together. They looked out for each other, stood up for each other. Encouraged and comforted and teased each other so they would smile.

From the very beginning, to the very end, they had each other over and over again. Clinging to hope with incredible resilience. From party members, to friends, to leaders. They’re both wonderful characters who I have no doubt would support each other throughout the rest of their lives, just as they always have.

I’ll be fine if a romance between them doesn’t become canon, in fact I’ll probably be pretty relieved. But I can’t deny that the idea of the two of them being entwined forever, bonded by the tragedies they’ve been through, yet also by all of their happy times and shared memories, is a beautiful thought to me.

Surviving to see the other side and building everything from the ground up again together, and seeing the legacy that follows their love, is a story worth telling, in my opinion. In the end, if that’s a story left to us fans to tell, that’s more than enough for me. We have so much to work with. Regardless of what Nomura and/or the rest of the writing team choose to do, I don’t need them to be a canon couple to enjoy the profound love and care they have for each other.

TL;DR - Whatever happens with Skuld, I’m down for the ride. As long as she’s present, period, I’m here for it. Just…please for the love of god, let her be written well. I miss her so much and I need all these years of loving her character to pay off

[catboygirljoker]

What do Lamia and Xigbar see in each other, personably speaking? Adding this second bit as a clarifier since I'm concerned that just the question alone may come off as snarky no-fun-allowed-ness when I'm genuinely interested. Love learning abt them btw it's like expanded universe lore to me

:3 !!!!!!!!!

"it's like expanded universe lore to me" is such high praise—thats really how i imagine lamias story! like the eventual fic is gonna be as canon-compliant as possible, at least until the end of the story in 3/ReMind—"this is what was happening just off camera left during the Kingdom Hearts™ series" sorta vibes. also similar in that the fic is definitely darker and more mature than the main KH games, but—hopefully—still feels like it could plausibly take place in the KH universe. anyway!

for Lamia, Xigbar is one of the few people he can safely unmask around. Lamia is autistic and has to put a concerted effort into not coming across as rude or mean to most people, but if he fucks up around Xigbar, Xigbar's just like "lmao tell me how you really feel" and doesnt take it personally. Xigbar is a confrontational asshole who breaks social rules on purpose, and Lamia finds him refreshing and easier to deal with than most people, even in the early stages of them knowing each other when their dynamic is still pretty adversarial.

as they get closer, Lamia finds that Xigbar is one of the few people who don't treat him with either revulsion or pity. like, Lamia's kind of off-putting to most people—partly because of the autism rudeness and general awkwardness, and partly because many people can sense the darkness in his heart and are unsettled by it, whether or not they know it's because of a curse and outside his control. even his own friends kinda treat him like a sick stray cat that they need to take care of or a project person they need to Fix. but Xigbar treats Lamia like a whole person, and doesn't coddle or belittle him. Lamia can trust Xigbar to not to try to override his agency or boundaries to help him—not something he can say about everyone!

and Xigbar sees Lamia as...a vision of goodness he can actually respect and understand. Xigbar recognizes that he and Lamia are very similar—they're both pragmatic, cynical, even at times ruthless; theyre not bright-eyed idealists, theyre not bleeding heart altruists. they're also both very traumatized lmao. Xigbar has been so worn down by his grand role that his personhood is down to emergency power, life support systems only—he cannot imagine living long after his mission is done, and fuck everything else besides. he kind of expects Lamia to be the same way, after all the shit they've been through. but somehow, Lamia still clings to some hope for the future in a shaking, white-knuckled fist. they have an understandable misanthropic streak, but they still try their best to treat people well, and still feel a basic moral imperative to care for and protect people.

Xigbar knows he cant write it off as just a cope or naivete. he has to recognize it as strength. it's a kind of strength he had, once—or at least a kind of strength he once tried to attain.

also like they each think the other is a smokeshow lmao. theyre really attracted to each other on a physical and personal level. the life affirming power of He Get My Penits Hord cannot be denied

[elizabethshaw]

hm. thinking thoughts

under the cut for spoiler reasons:

this is literally just me writing stuff up in no real order so there is probably not all that much coherence to it. ah well

loved how unsettling it was having something wrong with the tardis! the tardis (in the tv show at least) is usually the one guaranteed safe place in any given dr who episode and so to have it suddenly a threat like that felt genuinely unnerving

the time window sequence was cool. really liked the fuzzy, there-but-not-quite-there visual effects

i also loved the monologue/prophecy/whatever, built things up very nicely and idk. i just vibed with it. i have more to say but the words are not coming to me right now

"and standing on high is the Mother and Father and Other of them all" i haven't even read lungbarrow but them saying "other" here immediately got my attention lmao

for an episode called "the legend of ruby sunday", it felt like (particularly in the last third of the story), there was remarkably little actual focus on ruby. while i do genuinely like her as a companion, i do feel like she's been one of the biggest casualties of the shift to a shorter series length with less time for "filler" episodes - we simply haven't had the time to get to know her on a deeper level, and i was hoping, given the title, that this story would do something to rectify that a bit. and then it didn't.

saying that, i did appreciate them giving her some more scenes with her mum this episode, i think she has a really nice dynamic with her family and we haven't seen enough of it since the christmas special imo

no trickster :( he got a mention at least but i was hoping he'd be the villain ngl

i have watched pyramids of mars once, four years ago, and barely remember the plot (my main memories of that episode are sarah with a gun ngl), probably going to have to rewatch it before next week. dailymotion you may have to be my saviour once again

not entirely sure how i feel about sutekh as the main villain. this is at least in part because my memories of pyramids of mars are hazy as anything, but i'm just... undecided. to its credit, the episode itself actually did a good job of getting me very excited about the reveal while i was watching, but as an overall thing? i don't know yet. i think i'm going to have to wait until i've watched the finale next week to form a full opinion

i reckon he must have hitched himself onto the tardis around/during "wild blue yonder" though - this is the first time where the tardis starts making The Noises, and is also the first time susan twist turns up, and that can't be a coincidence, especially given that, as previously established, it was likely fourteen's salt trick in this episode that let the toymaker back into the universe

i rewatched "the church on ruby road" earlier this week bc i figured it'd be a good shout and i hadn't watched it since broadcast, and during that i felt like mrs flood was maybe a "retired" companion, possibly a future companion (maybe of a future doctor) that we haven't met yet. after this ep though, i'm not so sure. she seems at least aware of sutekh in some way, and also seems potentially antagonistic, but i'm not sure she's actually directly linked to him. i'm fairly sure as well rtd said at some point she's more of a mystery for later series so. hm. it'll be interesting to see what more we get of her in part two

i can't shake the feeling that they are going to do something with susan further down the line. there have been more mentions of her in this series than in basically the rest of new who put together and i can't help but think that this must be for a reason even if susan twist wasn't her

anyway the real mystery for me: what is the vlinx. i have been thinking about this on and off since december. what is it. how did it get into unit to begin with. i need answers

[sxcret-garden]

4 & 23 for the meta writer asks please! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) (@igbylicious)

aaa thank you you two for sending something in!! i hope it's okay i put together your asks into one post for... obvious reasons :')

i'm doing okay, i hope you guys are doing well too!!! <3

23. What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

Not sure how far back into childhood I should go here, because i've literally been making up my own stories for as long as I can remember... so I think I'll go with the one that's stuck with me all the way until now! It's basically an original idea set in a dystopian future and follows a bunch of adolescents as they rise up against "the system" (yes I know that sounds awfully familiar to the ateez stans here but I had this idea back in like 2015 so if anything they stole from me-) and I did write the full story once but I'm really not happy with how it turned out, plus I want to make a bunch of changes to the story and the characters, so at one point I really hope I manage to write that whole thing again^^

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

(technically three people asked me about this now, so i'm very tempted to put three scenes here but.... i think the post will get way too long then ajskdfjödlask unless of course... someone asks nicely...? 👉👈 anyway, the scene is under the cut~)

“It can happen,” Yeosang assures you, while the alarm goes off, shaking the whole table as it vibrates, and Wooyoung immediately grabs it and gets up. You’re glad he’s at least being useful in that regard - otherwise you’re not sure why Yeosang brought his friend from an entirely different major along to your café date of hell.

“He insisted,” your teammate tells you upon posing your question. “Actually I don’t know why I brought him either.”

“Excuse me?!” Wooyoung exclaims in offense as he returns with your order, having heard his friend’s reply. But Yeosang is quick to wave it off.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” To your surprise his loud friend merely sits down while eyeing him with a doubtful expression, but he doesn’t say anything more to that. Finding yourself more fascinated than anything else by their dynamic, you shake your head eventually and redirect your attention to the screen in front of you. 

“I’ll send you the parts so we can go over them together,” you announce as you’re already dropping the files into your kakao chat with Yeosang, the familiar tone coming from the speakers of his laptop signaling an incoming message that tells you he received them quickly. Wooyoung leans in, nosily looking at the files his friend is opening.

“Looks good… if you ignore the formatting,” Yeosang shades, making you chuckle, and Wooyoung lets you hear a loud “Hey!”

“You didn’t do yours any better!” he teases Yeosang, attempting to pinch his side but his friend evades the attack. 

“Personal space,” he just remarks, pushing Wooyoung away with his flat palm against his cheek. Once again you find yourself fascinated by their cartoonish behaviour most of all, but you don’t comment on what just unfolded in front of your eyes. “And also, mine doesn’t look very interesting, but at least it has the correct formatting.”

“Yeah, this professor doesn’t really have an eye for aesthetics,” you add, grinning yet unhappy about the way the paper you were supposed to put together looks overly sterile. “But I guess that’s what science wants.”

“Well, the contents are what matters,” Yeosang adds, this time not defending himself when Wooyoung throws an arm around his shoulders, but you can tell he’s not happy about the pda. With curious eyes he leans in, skimming through the text on Yeosang’s screen, and you give him an annoyed sigh. You really just want to finish this damn project already, before it consumes any more of your nerves. 

“Oh. Sorry,” Wooyoung grins as he notices your distress, moving away from the computer as he straightens his back, and you’re not sure what to make of his reaction. Telling yourself to focus on the problem at hand instead of him, you begin pasting the text into one collective document, while Yeosang starts reading through everything in search of any possible errors.

“Looks good,” he eventually announces, and you agree, having joined him in proofreading everything. 

“You two sure are fast,” Wooyoung comments, and he shoots you a gaze filled with mischief.

“This is the tenth time we read through these, so…” you explain.

“I see… Yeosang here told me about how horrible the others were to work with,” the guy sitting next to your classmate continues.

“You’re also horrible to work with, and you’re not even a part of this,” Yeosang mutters under his breath, causing you to chuckle, and Wooyoung immediately complains.

not @ me putting a wall of text in here, but I'm just really proud of how the bickering between Yeosang and Wooyoung turned out here hehe plus it was a lot of fun to write too^^ this is probably still one of my fav scenes from this fic, and it doesn't even have the guy it's about in it :')

(this is from chapter 3 of my jongho fic btw^^)

[acacia-may]

Acacia, I shall be hitting you with a whole fruit salad.

I’m sorry but I do want to ask all of these. So please, take your time answering. 😅

🍒, 🍊, 🍑, 🍐, and 🍈?

Aww thank you so much, Erika! I really appreciate it. There's no need to apologize. I'd love to answer these for you. Thank you so much for sending them in. 🥰

🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

I'm sure this will come as no surprise to you but I love to write brother relationships, especially in that sweet spot of they love each other deeply but the relationship between them is strained usually by external and/or internal forces and/or breakdowns in communication driving a wedge between them that makes it difficult to express how much they really care about each other. It's such a fascinating dynamic to me (I honestly don't know why, but I'm always so compelled by these kind of deeply loving but deeply broken relationships where you're looking at these fictional siblings and you just know how much they truly love each other but they just can't communicate that and can't overcome whatever it is that's tearing them apart.

(I'm going to ramble just a little bit here so please excuse me) For instance, you've got Finral and Langris who are driven apart by their own wounds & insecurities but also because they were pitted against each other by their parents and kind of had to see each other as adversaries in order to survive in their abusive home. Whereas Sanemi pushed his brother away to try to protect him and lashed out when Genya misunderstood and tried to prove himself by doing the exact thing his brother was trying to protect him from. Hero and Kel both pushed each other away because they were afraid of hurting each other. And don't even get me started about Kai and Sei because that is just... (I'm cutting myself off)

Anyway, the one underpinning thread here is that there is obviously real love between these siblings underneath all of that pain, strain, and brokeness in the relationship and therefore is a hope that they can overcome these obstacles and build a healthy bond with each other (whether that's again or, in some cases, for the first time). Even I have my limits though and there are some relationships that are clearly unhealthy and unsalvageable. When it's clear that their really is no mutual respect here and/or no potential for change or real love then I'm out. But those ones that are more nuanced where the relationship is just strained rather than permanently broken, I personally am very compelled by those and have a lot of hope of them being repaired. That's probably my favorite kind of relationship to write about.

I also love writing about platonic Male-Female friendships because I feel like those are criminally underrated.

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

Gordon. I'm so sorry Gordon! He was honestly one of my favorite characters when I was watching and reading Black Clover, but he's just so hard for me to write that I've never really been able to do as much with him as I would've liked. I have half a story written from his POV for the Early Black Bulls Series but it was such a struggle that I just never finished it. I also considered making up an OC for him to marry in the future around the same time I was creating Lorelei for Henry (because he just seems like such a domestic type who'd be happy to settle down & have a family one day. Just such a loving Papa). But not a lot came of that. I name dropped his daughter (who is adopted) in one of my fics, but yeah...I really dropped the ball on poor Gordon. He deserves more love.

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

My sister and I make jokes all the time about (a well-adjusted) Langris sort of "adopting" all the high-stress, overachieving perfectionist kiddos we tend to adopt ourselves from other media and becoming kind of father figure to them and trying to help them --convince them it's okay to have fun and that they don't have to be perfect all the time and try to "earn" love (usually with Finesse's help and/or by begging Vanessa to intervene because he has no idea what he's doing). And the kids really look up to him and think he's super cool. We call them the "Langris Squad." It's a little hard to explain but kind of wholesome in my mind.

🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

...that House Vaude Drama needs a resolution. I think especially for me (because I'm a biased Langris-sympathizer) something I always try to include in fics is just trying to kind of explain why in the world he is acting the way he is and is (weirdly enough) sort of helping Finral best him. It's strange from the outside (I have a lot of headcanons about it), so I really like to dive into Langris' emotions, thoughts, and motivations about what's going on there since it was really abrupt and glossed over in the actual canon. Also, again, I like to resolve this mess when I can. (Not always in the same way because there are multiple resolutions which would be fine, but I don't really care for the way it has been handled in the canon).

Another one that comes to mind is the aftermath of the Golden Dawn losing so much of their squad in the fight against Zenon. I know that was a while ago, but it still irks me that we didn't get to see a whole of them grieving and trying to rebuild. Yuno had a really great and heart-wrenching moment about it in the Spade Arc when he tapped into his grief to motivate him during his rematch against Zenon, but I feel like there's a lot of untapped potential there, especially for Mimosa who unlocks such a powerful healing ability that she could use to save other people during the Spade Arc but couldn't use to save her own squad mates. I can't imagine how hard that is for her, and I was actually so frustrated this got glossed over that I wrote a story about it called "For What It's Worth" which unfortunately I think was written in the time before Tumblr and never made it over here. Maybe I'll cross post it, if you (or anyone else is interested)?

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

From Black Clover, Langris. Hands down. He was not always (and I detested him at first), but he's definitely the character I find most interesting now. I just want him and Finral to repair their brotherly relationship so much! It's what I have wanted most out of Black Clover for a very long time. I also really enjoy his friendship with Yuno and especially with Lady Finesse.

I have way too many headcanons about him, but I think the biggest one that comes up the most and has the most bearing over how I write his character is that Langris loves so much more intensely and deeply than he is given credit for. He struggles to be vulnerable and doesn't open his heart to too many people, but when he does, he will love forever and will be willing to make great sacrifices for what is best for that person and what will make them happy.

My most strongly held Langris headcanon is that it is the love that he has for Finesse that has led him to try to help Finral take over House Vaude. I flip-flop a lot over whether it is a romantic or platonic love, but regardless, I am convinced that however you want to qualify that, Langris loves her and is so concerned with her happiness that he would willingly give up what's he has worked for his entire life, his sense of purpose, and, really, his own sense of identity (in a way) just in the off chance that Finesse would be happy. And even more than that...would be happy without him. This is not a sacrifice to get the girl. This is a purely selfless action. He knows if he does this, he will lose everything and they will never be together, but he doesn't care because what he wants more than all of that is for Finesse to be happy and he doesn't think he can be the one to make her happy, so that's why he counts himself out.

[aruanimess]

Asked this a few days ago, but you mentioned you were very busy at that time so I figured I'd try one more time, hope that's alright!

I've been thinking about Armin & Reiner lately, specifically after he finds out about Armin & Annie. I like the idea of Reiner being like Armin's big, teasing brother-in-law. Although if it's in canon that would have to be *after* the unholy amounts of tension that comes with seeing your little-sister figure dating the little bastard who indirectly/unwittingly killed your boyfriend. That said, I think he'd understand that Armin was just like them, and his actions are nearly the same as theirs; especially after finding out that Armin's grandpa was indirectly killed because of him too. They would eventually reach an understanding and have a silent mutual respect. I could see Annie maybe leaving the room for a while, and trying his best to be less of a stranger, Reiner asks about what Armin's reading, he's a bit surprised at his interest but happily obliges. Then Annie comes back to her boy enthusiastically info-dumping to Reiner, who's nodding and pretending he understands lol.

As for BECK, I don't imagine we'll be seeing them interact in a positive light anytime soon, so I'd like to hear some of your headcanons for them or little scenarios/interactions they might get into! Be it post-canon or in the future of BECK or whatever.

Hello, anon!

Um, I didn’t receive any ask so perhaps Tumblr ate it? It’s been eating likes and reblogs from my posts lately, making them invisible to me, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the same has been happening with asks as well. Anyway, I’m glad you chose to send another one because otherwise I might have never seen it.

Reiner and Armin have the potential to have an extremely rich and nuanced dynamic. Sadly, we don’t see them interact much at all in canon, but I truly believe that they can develop a quite complicated bond. Of course, as you mentioned, there’s the Bertolt issue that they’d have to get over, which would be by no means easy. I don’t think Reiner would blame Armin for Bert’s death though, even without being reminded that he’s personally responsible for upending Armin’s life in return. Post timeskip Reiner seems much more keen in (rightfully) holding himself accountable over how awful the Paradis operation went than doling out blame. Still, it’s a major hurdle to get over, and I can imagine him being awkward around Armin even if he doesn’t hate him for it. 

I love the idea of Reiner trying to reach out and establish a connection! Armin would probably be too apprehensive to make the first move. After all, Reiner might not blame him for what happened with Bertolt, but he blames HIMSELF for what happened with Bertolt. I’ve even written a small headcanon with this particular scenario and the potential challenges their relationship might face. 

Now in BECK, we see Reiner have this initial “older brother” instinct with Armin in Chapter 8, where the potential for an actual romantic relationship with Annie was almost unimaginable in his mind, but now that he’s aware that this is not the case… yeah, he’s not exactly ecstatic over it. The thing is I fully 100% believe that his frustration with their relationship (which we’re going to see more of in upcoming chapters) comes from a place of concern, for both Annie and Armin. He doesn’t see anything but pain in their future and he’s trying to prevent this from happening, which makes him come across as controlling. 

Even so, we will see that he still acts differently around Annie than he does around Armin. In his mind, Armin is a small innocent bean in need of protection (yes, this is incredibly condescending) not unlike his fave boy ever Bertolt, while Annie is a toughened Warrior who can hear it like it is. So… I wouldn’t completely write out the possibility of positive interactions between the two 😉

[magicstormfrostfire]

I'm in pain right now, and it's your fault. I'm reading Rose Drops, which is amazing, but I'm four chapters in and already on the verge of tears...

Anyways, I was wondering how you get inspiration for these fics? I love how you write and I just can't go without knowing the source of these wonderful ideas.

Lol sorry about that; honestly that's what I was hoping for though! Since that happens so early in the story, I wanted to show that that kind of thing happening isn't always 'the end' of a tale. It can lead to so much more.

As for inspiration....hm. Well, I've always been a storyteller; I used to make tons of comics in highschool and college, though I never showed them to anyone.

I can at the very least say that Rose Drops i wrote during a very difficult time in my life. I was homeless, couchsurfing, jobless, and my cat, who was my closest friend, died. there were so many things I was losing and leaving behind. Sonic has always been a comfort for me since I was a child, so I wrote a story about change and loss to cope with my own, and my hopes for a brighter future.

As for Blizzard Bedfellows, that one was a mix of talking to friends on Discord about Sonadow, and experimenting with the Boom universe for fun. Also i just really wanted to make a sonadow hibernation fic for the winter!

Equinox is sort of a mix of my fascination with vampires, werewolves, dark romance, blood and gore; stories I wrote a lot in highschool and are still fun. But I also thought Silver and Scourge would make an interesting dynamic and MAN do I enjoy writing them together. Equinox is a guilty pleasure in a way.

Lastly, Heavenly Bodies is from my Cardigan AU; where everyone is in their 30s-50s and just being cozy. I was inspired by Scragony's 'Vampire Husband' on webtoons. A comic about an immortal vampire and his elderly human wife. A very cute and cozy story. Sonic and Shadow kind of mimic that; an immortal hedgehog and his crunchy husband lol.

I have another idea mulling around in my head from a dream I had, which im tentatively calling Fractured AU. though nothing is concrete yet. Essentially Sonic Shadow and Silver go missing, and pieces of their personalities are copied and split and/or fused into sentient beings. Amy and the others try to find all the copies to solve the mystery of the hedgehog's disappearances.

And a Host Club AU that I made 2 years ago, thay is REALLY not put together beyond a rough draft lmao (it was originally a template for a Silver/Scourge fic, but I ended up going the Werehog route and made Equinox) the host club AU is technically centered around BlazeAmy, Sonilver, and Scourge/Vanilla, among other ships I like...but its so rough, man. I dont even talk about it because its not a full idea lol

In any case, im rambling, but I thought id that the opportunity to talk about all my ideas since you asked! It also gives a rough frame of things im working on for the future too. I hope you have fun reading Rose Drops! ^.^

[myinterestsvary-writes]

Rereading this, I can see how this might seem to degrade Haruhi, no matter how unintentionally because supposedly all the Host Club men are attracted to women and Haruhi is a genuine person. It says more about her than anything that she bags so much attention. I understand why people like her, I was just thinking of it from a realism? standpoint. How likely is it that a group of boys fall for the same girl like that, but honestly…

They’re friends for a reason. Please read anyways.

I can not be the only one who thinks it is crazy that every single one of the host club besides Hani and maybe Mori (but he was strongly considered to be the endgame choice at a point) had feelings/fallen in love with Haruhi. I’ve never been in gender imbalanced friend groups, so I don’t know how truthful this is to reality for a lot of people, but I’d think that relates back to the subconscious notion I’ve seen some men use in reference to the opposite sex when the meeting isn’t happenstance/casual or pre-puberty of, “if I find you sexually attractive, I’m willing to be friends with you.” There must be - I hope there is - men who don’t think that way and really just enjoy another person’s company regardless of sex and determines friendship off of that, but that’s what I think when I see the Host Club so willingly accept her as their “secret princess” knowing that most of them fall in love with her. It kind of temporarily taints their friendships, you know?

Warning: ship biases below

Tamaki and Haruhi were never friends, no matter how much Tamaki wanted to be along with her father figure (which negatively impacted their romantic development, as referenced later on), they were begrudged acquaintances who slowly over time on both sides come to understand, respect and admire each other based on multiple, deep conversations and observed actions that spoke to their individual cores and that translated into falling in love as there was attraction there. That’s how the author distinguished between him and everyone else as viable love interests. Plus, it was their dynamic that was most intriguing in terms of writing and development as their characters’ growth directly happens because of each other.

The twins became friends with her the moment she stopped keeping to herself and was forced to join their club. They weren’t really friends at first because there was still a prejudice against her and despite her natural charm and admirable traits, they could still rationalize that she’s more than likely just another person not apart of their small world. They soon found her interesting because she was quickly able to tell them apart, as the only person able to do this so quickly. It’s actually revealed later on that Tamaki knew for a while how to as well, but it took him longer because he’s dumb, it also took quite some time for the twins to open up to him, their friendships with him are just very different from their relationship with Haruhi. I definitely understand why they would develop feelings for her as they’re adolescents who are still developing their identities, constantly around an attractive, inspiring girl their age. The thing is however, being as oblivious as she is, Haruhi can’t see them as anyone other than her dear friends because that’s the established relationship she had with them for so long that she grew most comfortable with. There’s also a strong likelihood that since Haruhi’s not “awakened” by the time the twins’ feelings come in full force, she just doesn’t find them significantly attractive…yet. There’s always the future, but I doubt that they’ll pursue her even then in favour of their friendship.

Kyoya is a bit more tricky. He’s the reason why I’m making this post after all. Haruhi believes that if he can’t gain anything from the action, he won’t do it. That is for the most part a true characteristic of Kyoya’s, which is why he finds her so interesting and likeable. She’s able to show the audience that Kyoya does in fact have a heart even without self-interest, but for the most part is self interested as an aspiring businessman. Haruhi doesn’t know his background nor family all too well, so she doesn’t know truly that he’s so resentful because of them. Maybe that would change her perception of him further, maybe that would put him more in her mind as she grew more conscious in wanting to help him, but I truly doubt Kyoya would let her go any further in that pursuit when he’s so successful at playing his father on his own in the succession crisis anyway. Plus, as shown with Hikaru and Kaoru trying to help Hikaru win Haruhi over, and her favouring Kaoru over him, Haruhi doesn’t find Hikaru’s darkness pleasant nor attractive but she does accept it as part of both Hikaru and Kyoya’s personalities. They’re her dear friends. It’s possible that Kyoya had developed some feelings for her - as hinted at in the beach episode - but I highly doubt that it developed into a deep romantic love as suppressing those feelings tend to smother them akin to a flame.

Kyoya is in love with Tamaki. Not that you can’t be in love with multiple people at once, but he’s the one who had the most significant presence in his life, who had the most notable influence over him. Who he called precious. I just…have never seen any indication of romantic feelings for Haruhi and Hani and Mori are great observers but I don’t believe them when it comes to Kyoya. They’re more than likely just ignorant on homosexual subtext lmao

[aftokrator-official]

B, C, F, and G to start~?

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

Man, so many! I am very suggestible when it comes to ships and my friends are talented so it is very easy to draw me into things 😂 Some examples off the top of my head, mostly MP100 and World Trigger:

Minori/Mob, which i hadn't really thought about until Mis put it in my head and now they're married with children in my endgame headcanons

Hatori/Minegishi - that one's your fault hehe

KaiKashi

SuwaKaza

ToriHyu

Not from anyone I know personally, but various Pixiv artists and doujinshi sold me on TachiNino

....I feel like at least half of my watori ships are Mis's fault now that I'm thinking about it hahaha

(honorable mention to jinyuu as well, since it was in my mind when I started the series from Mis talking about them - i feel like it's very likely I would have started shipping them independently anyway, bc the dynamic is Very Good, but Mis made it inevitable ksdjfskd)

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

YuuOsa and TachiJin come to mind... I LOVE both as platonic relationships, but I just... don't see Osamu or Tachikawa as someone Yuuma or Jin would be attracted to, respectively? And top Yuuma just isn't it for me. (I do actually own a single OsaYuu doujin... because the art was gorgeous and it had post-body-recovery Yuuma with his missing limbs and eye, which I am always down for, lmao.)

Azuma with his kids, especially Miwa/Koarai/Okudera - I just can't imagine him not being incredibly scrupulous about maintaining healthy boundaries with the teenagers under his care, and the alternate character interpretation of "predatory Azuma" that i've seen in a lot of the azumiwa/etc content is... extremely Not For Me.

It's not a huge ship, and basically nonexistent on the eng side of fandom, but Hyrein/Osamu still baffles me. Like, Osamu-fuckers chase ur bliss, etc, but Hyrein had SO LITTLE to say about Osamu personally compared to other Border agents he fought (Izumi, obviously, but even Miwa and Karasuma) that I just cannot imagine Osamu leaving any impression on him at all, let alone the obsessive villain/hero ship that has apparently spawned more doujins than haiizu no i'm not salty leave me alone

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

HMMM this is a really hard one to quantify since there are some fandoms that I tend to return to periodically, and often have like... one primary fixation but several running in the background that can still Activate me periodically. The longest individual fixations tend to be around 1.5-2 years (Transformers, Star Trek, Promare, and MP100 all reached that point) - but there are comfort fandoms that I circle back to repeatedly that have been in my life for decades (Star Trek and Pokemon are a couple of the major ones, and Ar Tonelico is a more recent example that hasn't quite hit a decade yet but shows no signs of going anywhere). And while MOST of my fic/art consumption and creative output is in Watori right now, I still would say I'm in MP100 fandom to some extent - I still buy shimateru/Claw-centric doujins when I see them, a lot of my friends are still active in the fandom, and I've got shimateru WIPs I hope to circle back to eventually. OTOH I don't really see myself returning to writing for Promare and don't currently have any interest in my older Star Trek WIPs, but I still like to rewatch both of them, I have no intention of selling any of the Promare merch that is in every room of my house, and I still love going to the Trek con in Vegas every couple of years and have some future cosplay plans... And you can still absolutely activate those parts of my brain if you talk to me about the Dominion or Kraylio, hahaha. It's very nebulous but I kind of like it this way! I like still feeling connected to my fandoms even after the intense hyperfixation phase has faded.

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

I always have one or two Big Fav Ships in any given fandom, but I've always been a multishipper also, so "true" OTPs are a little rarer. I remember Ishihime in Bleach being one of the first non-canon ships I felt pretty strongly about, and disliking Ichihime as a result, but I also liked Ulquihime a lot, so... lmao. The first truly exclusive OTP I can remember might actually be Han'Gerrel/Zaal'Koris from the original Mass Effect trilogy, which was incidentally also the beginning of my shift from primarily-het shipper to primarily-gay shipper hahah.

I think in my mind, something qualifies as an OTP if it's like... the True Ending in my mind, even when I also enjoy other ships. Like- in MP100, Shimazaki and Teru just Are Together, even though I also sometimes enjoy other ships involving them like touishima, shimamine, riteru etc - those other ships just always are "relationship history" or "alternate timeline" in my head, and I never really imagine them long-term in the same way.

[pyuffxiv]

Hi, I've been scrolling through your blog and I really like your style, it's so dynamic!! I was wondering: Is there any Randi lore you'd be willing to share? Her family tree has me curious, and I love hearing about other ppl's WoLs :D But no worries if not! Hope you have a great day ^^

Gosh reading this makes me so happy ;w; I love when people take an interest on my OCs, it's no problem at all!! Also, thank you for enjoying my artstyle, it means a lot!! ;w;/

There is SO MUCH Randi lore i've talked about on my ffxiv twitter and not mentioned here, so i'm gonna try to keep this short and sweet!

Here's some info on her bio and in the "others" tab you can find a chronology of her life up to A Realm Reborn! More under the cut.

As for her family tree, it's pretty convoluted but long story short, her dad was an Ishgardian noble and Randi's parents were expecting him to be the heir to his family, noble grandparents decided against it due to his poor financial handling, mom and dad stole what they could get their hands on from his treasury, changed their surnames, and ran off with it to the Cieldalaes. They procceeded to make every single bad financial decision, which led to Randi growing up poor. They became fishermen and their bad treatment to their eldest daughter + forcing her to work for them/not attend school during her childhood made her run from home with her little brother Alm, and the rest is detailed on her chronology on the link i provided above. Randi's mother, Ivanne, had an older brother, Brunaux, who had also ran from home to become a sky pirate a few years before the whole stealing ordeal went down. He came back after she had already gone, and was able to make up with their parents before their passing. He's part of the Redbills, and he and Randi were able to figure out they're family by pure coincidence! He's the one who gifted her his redbill scarf, and she considers him her only family.

About Randi! She's loud and rowdy, surprisingly charismatic and a warm presence in any room. Not particularly careful or refined, has an awful stealth and believes in fate to an extent. Enjoys the company of others and more often than not you'll find her the loudest voice in a bar, surronded by ordinary people and drinking alongside them, but she also takes her time to be alone and can be found at the top of the Agrius whenever she needs some silence. She's not as honest as she presents herself to be, and more willing to lend an ear than to voice her own troubles. But most of all, she's incapable of staying in a single place for long; at the end of the journey, when all is well, the road calls and she will follow.

Also! She did get to learn a bit when traveling with Alm, but her reading and writing skills are ATROCIOUS and she feels self-conscious everytime she has to peruse books for scion purposes; even more so around Alphinaud and Alisaie, so young and yet miles ahead of her. She's a slow, finger under the line you're reading, mouthing the letters as you read kind of reader. As a last fun fact, she did learn some dragonspeak from Midgarsormr! She used to take the moments she'd go up the Agrius to practice some with him, before the Omega raids happened. Knows enough to even speak a very broken, human adapted version of it, which started a widespread belief in Ishgard that she's part dragon and commands them :)c

Anyways if you got this far! Thank you for taking an interest on my babygirl and props to you for reading all that! More to come in the future 🫡

[starsarefire824]

Hello again! Can I just say you're the best madwheeler fic author I've come across so far. You characterization is wonderful and you're starting to make me a team platonic and/or romantic madwheeler fan from simply how you write them (which is saying something cuz I'm hardcore Byler). You're very talented and I hope you write more for madwheeler in the future considering there's so little fic of them interacting. Also, your latest chapter of the Pact was amazing and therapuetic. Thank you for sharing your beautiful fic idea.

P.S. I hope this isn't an annoying ask for you. Sometimes I feel I come off as too forward/strong, but I just really vibe with your writing style. Please let me know if you want me to chill out and I'll fall back.

Hi Foodie!!! First of all you are never annoying! Your little notes make me smile and I honestly really appreciate it. <3

It really is a high compliment so thank you SO much! Madwheeler content (platonic or romantic, whatever floats whoevers boat) is severely lacking! I was actually upset by how little fics there are! I am also mainly a byler, but their dynamic has always interested in me, and so the idea of them being thrown together kind of against their will seemed like such an interesting concept! The fact that my writing could ever open you up to a new ship, platonic or otherwise, makes me ridiculously happy! I would love to continue writing for them along with Byler! It has been fun to branch out and try new things with all these characters. It was a much needed change of pace for me, and actually gave me the little push I needed to update Slant of Light as well. So it's been good all around!

I'm glad you liked the new chapter of The Pact! I liked the idea of them maybe not getting all the words out that they eventually need to, but at least, just being there helped Max find some calm! Also, Mike sort of putting himself out there as far as apologizing, which he tends to do for the people he loves.

Anyway, it's been lovely to get to know you and I appreciate all the love from the bottom of my heart.

[tinygameroom]

Interactive Fiction to Look Out For On Itch.io

itch.io is a trove of interactive fiction games, visual novels, and kinetic novels of all types, and I’ve run into a good handful that I think are worth highlighting (and playing again myself!)

Many of these I haven’t finished yet due to the sheer amount of content or because I went for the ending I wanted straight away, but I’d love to finish them thoroughly and perhaps review some of them in the future. 

A couple notes! First, it’s been a while since I’ve played some of these games, and some of them I haven’t seen all of the paths. I try to give warnings where needed, but my warnings might not be complete as I don’t know absolutely everything in each game. Please check the games’ pages and look after yourself!

Secondly, many of these are available free, and some are for sale at a low minimum price, but I encourage you to supporter the writers, artists, composers and developers in any way you can, whether that’s giving them a follow, donating, or just leaving a nice comment. Supporting indie creators is a huge part of what this blog is about so give back to those who create things you love! Now let’s get into the list!

Visual Novels:

Hikeback is a horror visual novel about hitchhiking, time loops, and murder. It gives a lot of incentive to keep playing and replaying, as the story advances almost every time you start again, with new choices and details being revealed as it all unravels. This game is incredibly engaging and beautifully written, and lives up to the promise of time loops and meta game mechanics. I recommend this for anyone who wants a good spooky, existential story. Be warned of loud noises, jumpscares, glitch effects, blood and violence, abuse, and themes of self harm, suicide, and depression. The itch.io pge has a list of content warnings as well as a full spoilery breakdown of warnings if you need them. You can find Hikeback on itch.io here!

Nothing to Say is a Visual Novel dating sim where you go on a date with Zoe, a girl you really like. The only problem is you’re very, very nervous. In this smart little game, you’ll be limited in how many letters you can use to express yourself, and you’ll have to unlock further dialogue options by getting to know Zoe, being honest with her, and being cute together. You’ll only earn letters from dialogue options once, encouraging you to explore more dialogue each playthrough until you get all the options to fully tell Zoe how you feel. Nothing to Say is playable here on itch.io!

Text-Interactive:

The Three-Body Problem is a queer romance interactive fiction about celestial witches living in a dark, magical wood when they encounter a young stranger. It features a nonbinary character, a potential polyamorous relationship, and healthy dom/sub dynamics. I found this story sweet and charming, with likable characters and pretty, easy to follow story writing. The Three-Body Problem deals with themes of abuse in a compassionate manner, and is in large part about healing and finding people with whom you are safe. I recommend it for anyone wanting a nice queer romance read with fantasy elements. Watch out for themes of abuse and sexual themes. You can purchase The Three-Body Problem on itch.io here for $5 or play a free mobile version from Wattpad!

Raik is a deeply Scottish fantasy melded with reality. You play as a young woman dealing with anxiety and stress trying to make it through her day, while a fantasy world unravels around her. This story has layers, and all of it is beautiful. The portrayal of anxiety is poignant and real, and the writing is gorgeous. I don’t want to say anything else to spoil it, but this game is fantastic. I recommend for anyone who likes to daydream. Please be warned of themes of anxiety, stress, and panic attacks as well as some fantasy violence. You can buy Raik here on itch.io for 3 GDP (or more! Please support the author!)

Space Frog! (I saw a lunar eclipse) is a story of a frog in space. He’s a frog and he’s in space! This is a cute, short interactive fiction with low stakes, no worries, just cute adventures of a frog in space. You can direct frog as he travels and learn more about him. It has adorable illustrations and clickable text that reveals extra flavor information. I recommend to anybody looking for a smile. You can play Space Frog here on itch.io and also download a zine of the game for $2 or more!

Floor is a text-interactive game about lying on the floor. You can lie on the floor, and you can get off the floor. What you do next is up to you! This is a short game with no real stakes, just real life boredom and activities. It may evoke feelings of loneliness or disappointment, but you can also just have some hummus. Floor can be played here on itch.io!

Apple Spice Pancakes is another short game about making pancakes with your sweetie! It’s entirely wholesome and adorable. The game text is all dialogue - the dialogue you read is from your partner, and your choices are your real-time responses to them. You can help them design your perfect breakfast while being disgustingly cute. Apple Spice Pancakes is available here on itch.io!

A Witch’s Word is a romantic text game where you have made a deal with a witch, offering her your firstborn. The only problem is you don’t have a child. Or a partner. The witch is here to help. Explore three potential relationships as your witch continues to introduce you to new sweethearts, trying to find someone who you are willing to love and who is willing to give up your child. And if you don’t want any of these people the witch offers you... maybe play the game anyway. See what can happen. A Witch’s Word is available here on itch.io!

Other:

Novena is an interactive poem! It’s a pixel art game that you navigate around, interacting with parts of the environment to read through the poem, which is about the ocean, and wishes, and expectations. And compassion. It has absolutely stunning visuals and music, and the poem makes me cry each time. Be warned of some really heavy feelings, but it will do its best to comfort you. The poem takes about five minutes to read and is here on itch.io waiting for you.

I hope a few of these games are of interest to you and that I’ve inspired you to support these great indie developers! If you wanna support me and see more articles and reviews on indie games, or encourage me as I learn to make my own, you can follow me here and on itch.io and support me with donations on ko-fi! Please reblog if you like this article, since tumblr will make it very hard to find with all these links. Have a great day and play some good games!