#but I was just starting back in the rp scene

[humblemooncat]

🖊 Orias

Ooh, I have a fun fact for my babygirl!

Before I made her an au ra, Orias was originally supposed to be an Ishgardian noblewoman (I first made her as a wildwood elezen). She spent time training with the Temple Knights as an archer, and was surprisingly skilled at it. (Bard was her main before I took up DNC)

However, one day when she was fighting the horde alongside her husband, one of the Knights Dragoon, she found herself unable to pierce the hide of one of the dragons, and it took her husband unawares.

That day haunted her from then on, and she put down her bow and took her children to the Shroud where she figured they'd be safe.

After I fanta'd her and changed her backstory, I ended up repurposing this for one of Nanari's gleaner friends, Lillian Bellerose, who took up Botany in her retirement and ended up running as a gleaner for Sharlayan.

[samuraisharkie]

you want to reread archie so bad.... its a good comic book... ooooooo you wanna read it sooo badddd

I was an AVID Archie fan my life used to REVOLVE around Archie sonic. I’m already trying to read the Spider-Man comic books I think re-reading Archie would transform me into middle school autism me

[wehavekookies]

Dear Kooks, do you have some tips to play D&D alone or some solo RPG? I want to play it so bad, I have a lot of characters sheets ready because I’m so excited, but none of my friends are interested. If you know and could tell me is there some online platform to discover groups to play?

Thanks always!

Hello!

(First of all I need to start posting a bit more about solo rpgs and solo gaming in general cos I gathered some really cool materials and games over last months, so thank You for reminding me of that. Just need some more free time but it's coming, oh it's coming)

I don't have experience playing specifically DnD solo, but I know there are tools for it people recommend. The GeekGamers YouTube channel has TONS (and i say it both as an encouragement and as a warning, because it can be a bit overwhelming) of advice materials, also regarding soloing DnD and solo roleplaying in general. She also wrote a book on solo gaming called Solo Game Master's Guide which if I recall correctly has a chapter on DnD specifically as well. I know people are recommending Mythic Game Master Emulator as a good tool, but I haven't personally tried it yet.

What I can recommend tho is... Ironsworn (check the link, the pdf for the first main game is free). I have been playing it solo recently and I find it very fun and satisfying. It's a system based on Powered by the Apocalypse rules framework, so not that close to DnD rules, but if you are looking for a solo rp with some more rules structure I recommend taking a look at this game because it is designed specifically for solo playing (but it can be co-oped and GMed too). You can alter the world of the game freely (and the author encourages you to do that) or use the rules in existing setting, so you can adjust it to your liking (tho i do encourage you to try the setting offered by the book first, together with its world creation process: 1) it's very cool, 2) you will get a grip of the rules in their natural environment)

I found I need a couple of additional oracle tables aside of the ones the book has, but these you can pick up as you go according to your needs, there is plenty online, and a lot of free ones too. Other than that everything you need you have in the free book.

I also recommend taking a look at some actual play of an Ironsworn game (or other games, you can find some examples of actual solo plays on GeekGamers channel too) to get a bit of an idea how people think about running a solo session and how they build a story on their own, and perhaps taking something away from it for yourself. For Ironsworn specifically I super enjoy and highly recommend The Bad Spot podcast. It has several seasons of Ironsworn: Starforge game (Ironsworn's younger brother set in space, but the rules and the idea of how the game runs are basically the same) but also some loose talks about solo gaming in general.

OTHER THAN THAT: I encourage you to look around and see what the solo gaming scene has to offer. There is so many interesting games (some with more rules structure, but also journaling games, choose your own adventure-like games, solo hacks for existing systems, and more etc etc, a whole new world to discover really), it's worth checking regardless of having a group to play with or not. I will try to get back to posting more actively on these topics, cos there is a lot of stuff I would love to share, so fingers crossed I won't get distracted lol.

Cheers!

[cassi-pokeblogging-hub]

Saying No

Okay so a conversation in a discord server inspired me to make this.

You guys can say no to things. You do not always have to "Yes And" everything that comes to you.

Like. Usually when we talk about rping, we talk about saying yes and. continuing on the scene, not shutting interaction down. We're pretty lucky with how this rp stuff works where in character denying and saying no CAN work a lot better than in standard improv without fully stopping the scene and kinda shutting it down, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I've seen a lot of people who kinda. Accidentally start god modding or kinda burst their way into plotlines without asking and like. This is public rp! Anyone can join! But there is a certain degree where you gotta stop first and ask or just not say it.

But sometimes people do not think first and just do. Maybe sending a magic anon that solves all of your oc's problems. Maybe they have dimension hopping powers and are like "Don't worry! I've come to your reality and I can help you get away from your problems instantly!", maybe your character really wants a mega stone and you have plans to have a whole thing about them working to get this mega stone and learning to mega evolving their partner and then someone mystery gifts or pelipper mails the item to you immediatly.

You don't have to "Yes, and" that. You can just say "No, you didn't do that". You are allowed to say no when someone crosses your boundaries and is affecting your plot.

Is someone trying to involve you in their plot without asking? "That is not happening in my character's universe" Is someone trying to say they're just there at a crucial event with your character when they never asked? "Your character is not able to be there. Please delete that post".

Yes And only goes so far. There is a time and a place where you will need to say No, and that is just as important to RP as going with the flow! If someone's fucking with your plot, its your job to tell them to stop. People can get involved, sure, but sometimes people try and get way more involved than what you're comfortable and its okay to tell them to back off.

I've also seen people feel that stuff like Muse Mixup Madness or Pelipper Mail are mandatory things they HAVE to do? You don't! You don't need to do anything even if others are! So I guess this is your reminder that you can ignore pelipper mail and magic anons and just asks in general that you dont like! you can turn pelipper mail and magic anons off completely! you can ignore peoples replies to your posts if they fuck with what you have going on. you can tell people they did not do things that would fuck with your characters and story. you can just not do muse mixup madness when it rolls around. you can just not do follower special events. you don't have to participate in anything you dont want, and you dont have to allow people to do whatever even if it makes you uncomfortable.

Other people can do what they want, but you have a right to say no when they try to involve you.

[fizzyorange-v2]

just talking to my friend in dms about how at first when q!charlie started calming down from his rampage i was kinda upset cause i WANTED a full villain arc i wanted blood and rage and a massacre but then I kept watching and realised how much of a fucking idiot I was to underestimate charlie slimecicle’s rp skills like that. because charlie isn’t just playing a character hell bent on righteous revenge for his daughter, he’s playing a character actually grieving that daughter.

it’s obvious now that i think about it that the initial revenge plot to kill all the eggs and his repeated self affirmations that juanaflippa isn’t gone and that it can all just be reset are clearly just him entering the denial and anger stages. and that later scenes after the rest of the server finally backed him into a corner and calmed him down and he had that heart wrenching scene looking at juanaflippa’s photo, asking for a literal trial for her life and soul back and then that whooooole bar scene, that he has then entered the bargaining and depression stages.

Because the truth is, q!charlie doesn’t actually want to kill anyone (except Mariana lolll), he especially doesn’t want to kill any of the eggs! All he wanted was to be a good dad. And I think that that’s part of the reason he as a character failed so hard to actually tangibly hurt anyone during this stream. He was a mess, crying screaming yelling clawing trying to do something, anything to save his daughter. Anything to fix it all. That scene of him failing to break into Phil’s house haunts me.

But I think there’s something especially tragic that before Juanaflippa, q!charlie probably was the kind of character to hurt others without caring, he seemed to have no idea about empathy or healthy relationships before her thats for sure. He’s literally already killed TWO eggs before this, so causally and with such ease. But his love for his daughter improved him, and it changed him, and it made him just enough of a better person that when that daughter was taken from him, suddenly even to save her he can’t fucking do it anymore.

I also really appreciate how everyone else on the server reacted to him too. They didn’t at all treat him like some big bad scary villain like I originally would I’ve expected. Sure they were understandably wary and protective, but every single one of them weren’t so much angry at him as… WORRIED for him. And it really helped put it in perspective that this isn’t some guy going on a hashtag villain arc, but immersed me in oh fuck. This is a guy that just lost his daughter. And all his friends and fellow parents know. And they aren’t scared of him, they’re concerned for him. They aren’t full of fear… but pity. Because they know. They know what he’s just lost. And they understand. And they’re trying to be there for him.

And Charlie despite all the grand speeches and diabolical plots and not so carefully placed land mines… doesn’t really care how he gets Juanaflippa back, as long as she’s with him again.

Just man,,,, the way Charlie performed this character’s grief is so fucking stellar and SO fucking excruciating. The part that genuinely broke me was in that photo scene when he said: “i'm sorry flippa... i thought i could change something- i thought i could undo it, thought i could make it right... now i see that there's no way this can be made right...” which already fucking ow ow OW and clearly him finally exiting denial/anger straight into depression but then he whispers THIS FUCKING BIT: “it wasnt even on purpose… i know that... it doesnt make it better… what do i do juanaflippa?” LIKE FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!! OKAY!!!!!

Anyway massive props to everyone for the rp today but ESPECIALLY charlie for this agonisingly accurate and visceral depiction of grief that I somehow was NOT expecting. I thought we were going to get villain arc egg massacre angst and instead we got father mourning his daughter trying futilely to do anything to bring her back angst. I’m never fucking recovering from this one.

[strawbuddy-luv]

Tim Drake would love video games sm tho, and I do not see that represented enough.

He'd be a total nerd about it to. He'd rant and rant and rant about all the games he's played and all the cheats and the secret cut scenes and the hidden lore. He'd be a game theorist for sure, probably has a YouTube account dedicated to it since he's such a little detective. He knows the true lore of FNaF.

He'd definitely speed run minecraft, rp to probably. First person shooter? How about first hand experience. FNaF fanatic oh my God he'd LOVE that game so fucking much. Absolutely a Sonic kid, like you cannot convince me otherwise. Mario less so but you knows hes probably played every single game anyways. Pokemon? Every single one memorized down to their exact coloration. Stardew valley? Do i even have to ask. Animal crossing? Perfected his village, villagers and all. Zelda? I cannot prove it but he has a lino Cosplay somewhere and he's worn it for under cover missions. He'd slay in DTI, have like 5 different mansions in Bloxburg, defiantly played Royal High until the capitalism became to close to the real world, probably has hundreds of avatars to. An expert at games like fnf has played half the mods to ever be made for that game. He's been playing fortnite since it's release. He'd have one of the top scores ever in subway surfers. He'd download those "complete your restaurant" type games and finish them in two weeks and it'd only take that long because the game forces him to wait sometimes. Candy crush is his bitch 100%. He'd download mobile games and finish them in a day and then keep redoing them till he's perfected his method. He has played and replayed countless driving based games, can learn almost any new one in 6 minutes. Going back to the speed run thing I think he'd just enjoy speed running games in general, and gridning. He'd love minecraft so much omg-. Last of us? Played. Iron Lung? Played. Cuphead? Played. Detroit Become Human? Played. Kindergarten? Played. Sallyface? Played. Splatoon? Played. He'd love small games to I just am not that into video games to know any to list- :').

I mean think about it. Going off the "Tim's parents are never home" version of him, he'd have so much time to just sit around and play video games. He has the money to buy them and the time to spend getting ungodly good at them. He'd have amazing equipment, and it'd give him some sort of community even if he doesn't really interact with it personally. Like if he's not out stalking Batman or at school, he's playing a video game. Even after he starts working for Batman, he'd overwork himself to the bone and he'd STILL find a way to go pro gamer in-between. Probably for like 0.5 seconds whenever he's got to stand up to get himself another energy drink.

Like please, video game nerd Tim Drake on my knees begging you add this to your stories and headcanons. Have him introduce other batfam members to video games. HAVE HIM INTRODCUE BRUCE TO CANDY CRUSH AND MAKE THEM GET INTO A COMPETITION ON WHO CAN GET TO A HIGHER LEVEL FASTER. He shows Damian animal crossing. He gives Jason a gaming console and like 50 different shooter games and one copy of stardew valley as a joke and did not expect Jason to get so into it. Him Cass and Steph would love those Roblox horror games. He'd force the whole family to start having game nights and they'd have a world on Minecraft that has the most insane lore you've ever heard. Like please give me more video game nerd Tim and tell me your headcanons on what games he'd like and what he'd introduce different batfam members to in the comment I am begging you.

[sourslip]

I'm still reeling from that reveal/scene (like most of us, apparently) so bear with the chewing-on-glass scatterbrain but I think the surprise has actually made me appreciate Laura's RP choices even more

going into that scene set up my expectations for some comforting, maybe some discussion of what Laudna was going through post-party split, but overall I was expecting - at most - some cute and friendly intimacy reaffirming they are Very Good Friends

AND THEN ITS LAURA BAILEY WITH THE CHAIR!!!

"Can I kiss you?" felt like it came on so fast without any specific queues (like what we've seen in previous romances where one or both PCs will name their desires in conversation with someone else before acting on it) but it also made perfect sense in retrospect

ever since Laudna came back, Imogen has been sitting on something, always seeming to hold back some burning comments here and there. she was also insistent that Laudna would get to choose everything going forward, and part of that I think meant Laudna having the freedom to think on a response to any question of further intimacy without even a chance of Imogen overhearing. Laudna could have the freedom to wonder if she did want to get in touch with "that part of her mind", to think about how painful, scary, or awkward that might be after decades of being shut off to it.

Laudna has some pretty intense self-image and self-worth issues to work through, but she's also had 2 years of Imogen in her head able to pick up on her wants without having to ever voice them and, ultimately, without having to accept that she does have her own wants independent of the people around her. Laudna seems to have only just started to get in touch with her anger, and that kind of repressed emotion that comes out in the healing process is one of the less intentional ones! Girl hasn't felt safe enough to actually think about her wants, let alone try communicating them!

Imogen and Laudna reconnected after their time apart and discovered that they - as Marisha pointed out in 4SD - have grown into different people, and that resulted in the tension of the first moments in the scene where they kind of made quasi-small talk. They were figuring out how to connect with each other again but, rather than return to their old dynamics (that kept them stagnant), Imogen set them up to try exploring something new and maybe a little healthier with communication going forward.

I think Imogen has been working towards this for a while, and while the circlet was the last "thing" she needed to help force them to communicate better, having the time apart gave them an opportunity to try something new.

Imogen has held a lot back before because she's too tuned into other peoples thoughts, and Laudna held off exploring her own wants and desires for too many reasons - but she is starting to get more in touch with her self-interested emotions. So they've both been tip-toeing towards a change for a while, but change like that can sometimes be like getting into cold water; at a certain point you just have to commit and jump in the rest of the way.

So to me, not only was Imogen trying to give Laudna the freedom to make her decision without an audience (the talk about the circlet), but she also made the most of the new distance between them to push them both towards a change, one that challenged both of them to be more honest with themselves, each other, and about what they want from their relationship.

Laura Ultimate-Romancer Bailey everyone

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not changing my OCs backstory?

Saw some recent posts about people fighting over RP characters so I thought I'd throw mine in.

I (F25) am in a RP server for peoples OCs. It's a small server for friends or friends-of-friends so everyone is either a friend or an aquaintence.

There's a channel specifically for people to post their OCs to see if anyone wants to RP with them. The posts are basically references with the characters name, appearance, backstory, etc. and a list of things the person wants to RP with them (smut, angst, medieval, coffee shop, roomates, etc.)

Anyways, I started RPing with two other people, Amy (F23) and Jenny (F25) recently and things were going good. We were doing a modern with magic type RP and all of our OCs met each other at a bar.

Eventually as the RP progressed my OC revealed that she thought she was a lesbian and then realized she was bi (they were all sitting at a table together commenting on other people in the bar and who they thought was cute).

Amy suddenly stopped responding to the RP so it was just me and Jenny, and I just figured that Amy was busy with college stuff so I didn't want to bug her about responding.

A few days later I get a DM from Jenny saying that Amy is REALLY uncomfortable with my OCs backstory. I'm of course confused and ask her why Amy didn't just message me. She told me Amy was really upset and didn't want to talk about it. I say "If she doesn't want to talk about it why is she telling you to tell me? If she has a problem she needs to tell me so I can fix it."

About 20 minutes later I get a message from Amy with a list of problems she has with my OC. The list said:

My OC is lesbophobic.

Your OC is saying that being lesbian is a phase (not at all what my OC's dialogue said during the scene, the word "phase" was never once used).

There's not enough lesbian rep in things and you're taking away even more.

You're replacing actual lesbian rep with an inferior straight character (yes, she used the word inferior).

She basically demanded that I change her backstory and make her a lesbian again, or AT LEAST make sure she ends up in a relationship with another woman.

I was pissed.

I replied back and said:

"Please go back and highlight the dialogue line where my OC stated that being a lesbian was a phase, because I searched the word "phase" in our channel and I couldn't find it. That word wasn't even used once during our RP, by any of us.

Also, there's nothing wrong with something being a "phase". People don't get one chance to pick a sexuality or gender and then get stuck with it for the rest of their life. Sometimes it takes people a while to figure themselves out. Sometimes things change.

My OCs sexuality is literally based on my own personal experiences. I thought I was straight, and then I thought I was a lesbian, and now I realize that I'm actually bi. I'm not lesbophobic for changing my mind, that's not what that word means.

If you want more lesbien rep then go make more lesbian characters. I'm not "taking away rep" because it was never there in the first place, and again, my OC is based on my OWN EXPERIENCES, and I as a person do not exist to provide representation. Why is lesbian rep more important than bi rep? I can name multiple, canon lesbian characters but I can only think of one character that canonically likes men and women.

I'm not replacing lesbian relationships with a straight relationship because even if she dated a man she would still be bi, not straight. It's fucking disgusting that you think a relationship or person is "inferior" because they're not the sexuality you want them to be. She's based on me, do you think I'm inferior for something completely out of my control?

I'm not changing shit about her backstory, especially not to coddle the feelings of biphobes."

She responded with a huge rant that I'm not going to post here but the TLDR is "You're lesbophobic and you hate lesbians and you're awful and dangerous and you don't care about good rep fuck you." and then blocked me.

I told Jenny what Amy had said and she said "Idk, it's not really a big deal to change it? It was a small part of her story and it made Amy uncomfortable :/"

So AITA for not changing it?

It IS a small, insignificant part of her story that wouldn't change anything if I removed it but for me it's the principle: I'm tired of bisexual characters (and people!) being treated as lesser or not as good as "real" LGBT+ people/relationships.

Also I'm planning on making comics with my OCs and I make sure that there's at least a few lesbian, gay, trans, etc. characters in each story so that EVERYONE gets rep. Which matters way more to me than "rep" that only like 15 people in a discord server will see.

What are these acronyms?

[allmannerofmalady]

In continuation of my clownery, I started a new DATV playthrough because my beloved Inquisitor looked so jarring I had to remake her and replay like 20 hours of the game. But hey, I made peace with the fact that I am playing DATV to wrap up Inquisition and get an ending scene at this point, I'm not currently foreseeing a second playthrough, so I gotta do it right, y'know?

Spoilers, and me complaining at extreme length, yet again, about my own personal expectations vs reality into the void. Please ignore if DATV negativity is something you prefer to stay away from, protect your peace & what you enjoy.

So I replay HOURS. I'm having fun killing everything as fast as I can - I don't know what it is about playing as a rogue in this game that has tickled my ADHD brain so much, but I'm surprisingly really good at the arrow bonanza and relentless enemy aggro?! This turn based bitch? I digress.

I see my bb Inquisitor Lavellan - she still doesn't look like herself, but I can live with it. She got some ill-advised fillers in Tevinter, she's been through a lot, let her LIVE.

This time around my strategy is pure lore hunting. I'm getting every codex, I'm SQUEEZING this playthrough for whatever lore/easter eggs I can get because idk if I'm going to play again. I got all of Solas' murals early on, got Mythal's essence before Weisshaupt even, I think. BUT WAIT! I have one more treat! The locked room in the Lighthouse! Solas' study! There must be something juicy for all the effort, right? RIGHT? :'D

I know it's been beaten to death, but PERSONALLY, the game still feels incredibly flat to me, jarringly so. If I'm in the Dreadwolf's home, I want to snoop. I want Rook to look through his library, his books, his garbage bin. I even remember the devs saying they wanted being in the Lighthouse to feel an old friends house, or something? I could be wrong, my brain is fried. It's not just a Solas thing - I'm playing this game because I'm desperate for info about the characters I love, but as Rook, we are IN Solas' HQ and I want to rip open the floorboards. I'm trying to RP as much as I can RP in this G.

Anyway, I was so thirsty for something more, something deeper than just these lovely environments I cant do much with, and notes on how Solas hoards raisins - so I collected the wisps and did all the things to unlock the second door in the Lighthouse, forever booboo the fool, thinking I would get some juicy content or something. Trying to stay positive.

No. NO. I got some gear, another empty room Rook has no comments on, and fine, some of Solas' observations on the anchor. It does seem to confirm he kept the Inquisitor’s arm aaaand I love him your honour.

Back to backflipping and shooting arrows in the air, and wanting to grab Emmrich by the beautiful lapels to shake him and ask about the Pentaghast family. Where's my WIFE --

On to the Weisshaupt mission, which was actually ridiculously fun to play - until I was told Weisshaupt is gone haha wow great love that at least the Inquisitor & gang are keeping Southern Thedas safe *subtle foreshadowing* 😃🤞 weeee

I was SO MAD at myself for expecting more like the clown that I am, it was something dumb but just annoyed me all over again and got me all… opinionated 🫠

So, I'm mad again. I cannot begin to articulate my feelings about the incredible amount of storylines and lore we've lost with the decisions made in DATV's writing - they've already been written so eloquently by much greater minds than myself. SO I'm just laughing my way through the pain 🤡

People pleaser that I am, I see other creators I've followed and loved for ages defend the game's choices, tell others they lack media literacy, that your criticisms mean you have rose tinted glasses about the previous games - whatever, your opinion can be valid without tearing others down. So, I genuinely thought something was wrong with me for being so hung up on details. But I can't even engage in fan theories anymore because I'm so jaded at this point. When I see new deep dives into lore-based theories on the game, 99% of the time my mind goes "There is no deeper meaning. They just wanted to wrap it up." Why do you think this thing happened? What do you think that thing is hinting? Nothing. And this is coming from someone who played all the games, owns all the novels, art books, World of Thedas I and II, the bloody Inquisitor lamp from the BioWare store LOL, I was primed and ready to engage in these conversations, but I can't. I have nothing to say that won't end in a cynical answer, and maybe that's because I'm also jaded by working in the game-adjacent VFX industry.

The factions are, yet again, fun but shallow, the logic confusing, and lack much of a backstory for Rook (I think Grey Wardens and Mourn Watchers seem to be the best developed from other reviews and playthroughs, I've only played extensively as a Shadow Dragon, to be fair). Why are you a mage in this one faction? Why are you a rogue in another when it doesn't make sense without a story to support it? It's all this beautiful candy floss that melts away the minute I stop and think about it. And then the cynic in me thinks - these are probably vestiges of the live service part of the game that EA was pushing for. I have to slap myself and stop looking for deeper meaning within corporate decisionsssss there is no swimming pool behind that closed door you needed 7 wisps for 😃

I desperately did not want this to be the case. I was hyped. I preordered the game and organized vacation around it, I'm too old and dealing with way too many crappy personal things to just be a hater for the sake of being a hater. Gaming and Dragon Age are my comfort spaces. But for the LIFE of me, I can't imagine playing DATV again once I finish, let alone more times than I can count like the previous games. Or imagine listening to 4 hours of Youtube videos of party banter to analyze, or even imagine how companions would react to certain things because they feel so stiff. Everything is beautiful, but sterile.

I do love Emmrich - I'm enjoying his storyline and romance, it's like the loveliest most whimsical Vincent Price Pixar romance, but still, something is always missing with the characters even as some do grow on me. I can't imagine anything close to just the party banter ALONE between Solas and Iron Bull. Cole. Fenris and Anders. And to be clear - the whole DA was GRITTY and DARK, DAO supremacy - NOT ME. I love all the games but they have always been whimsical and silly, cringey at times, and did not take themselves seriously. I remember doing the quest where Hawke is running around trying to keep Aveline's date with Donnic from going south, cracking up at how ridiculous it was, and just thinking - gods I LOVE this game.

Speaking of romance, while I'm enjoying how sweet the romance with Emmrich is, when I see others complaining about lack of spice... ahem. I still cannot get over the art style when it comes to characters. This is subjective, and a me problem - I still find it jarring. I don't like the proportions, the bloom, how smooth everyone looks. They still mostly look like cartoons to me, with no body hair and the big heads, and I find everyone's hands so distracting because they look like plasticine. I'm ok with no spice between these characters with their current designs lol let me leave it at that. Ok, except for Felassan and Solas, chef's kiss, no notes.

Solas and story elements directly around him still mostly hold the familiar weight, for the most part. I think credit goes to his amazing VA and the strength of what was likely written for his arc from the very start, before the rewrites and dev hell the game went through. I still have opinions, obviously, but even as a ride or die Solavellan I don't like having the Solavellan angle hijack conversations, so I'm not going to go there. If I'm going to criticize stuff I'll do it as a gamer/DA fan first, egg lover and apologist second.

As I reach the end of Act 2, the game continues to makes me feel like I'm stripped of all agency after a lifetime of playing choice-based games. I talk to companions when it allows me to, then they are relegated to set dressing. My conversation choices all feel the same, or don't match what I'm choosing sometimes. The Lighthouse does not feel like the vibrant hub it was sold as. I am on quests I mostly cannot accept or reject. I cannot interact with my surroundings unless it is gameified (light a candle, move a crystal). The companions abilities are all just - platforming? I know I sound hyperbolic, but it's all I can see currently.

I played Persona 5 from end to end, twice. I played FFXVI. I loved both, had no issues with their linear storytelling, and how the game led you to their end points. Those games are not DA, they did not have the expectations you would have from a BioWare title 10 years in the making. You were not lured in by tales of an incredible character creator, teased about what might be coming from previous games, told this was a sequel to an immersive fantasy RPG series in a beloved fantasy world where the defining studio mechanic was CHOICES MATTER, even when they changed a lot of other things from title to title. In P5/FFXVI you were Clive, you were Joker, you were playing out their story. They were not direct sequels to anything. I'm loathe to be seen as a mindless critic who just wants to shit on things, but a part of me does feel emotionally manipulated for $$$. I still resent how much hype was built for the game by maligning the previous ones (we're fixing Inquisition's mistakes!!).

I'm back to my mission of finishing the game I paid for, enjoy what I can, and get my Solavellan ending scene cause I'm down BAD for literally the only ship I have ever shipped🧍🏻‍♀️I appreciate that it was included. But also - wow does it exacerbate what wasn't included for everyone else's choices.

Something I hate is how everyone immediately jumped on the Baldur's Gate 3 comparisons - BG3 was a life changing game for me, but it's not perfect, and the comparisons are not fair. The one thing I will say is that when I first played BG3, despite its issues and the later criticisms of how Larian reacted to pressure from fans, I remember my earliest impression was - it feels good to be respected as a player. I didn't feel the game was talking down to me, and I got SO much for what I paid for (700 hours baybeee). Jaheira and Minsc were included as companions in homage to the previous games. Yes, they did Viconia dirty, nothing is perfect - but for example, Jaheira would tell you about her husband Khalid from the original games, which came out in 1998 and 2000. There was a lot of world building/easter eggs that not everyone was familiar with or even noticed, because not every player played BG1 and 2, or were familiar with DND 5e - but it was included. Drizzt Do’urden was mentioned ffs, they didn’t overthink about who read those books or not. I’m aware of my biases and I may very well be looking through rose tinted glasses, but I did not feel like the information was presented like I was dumb, or "ah they'll never understand this - SCRAP IT". It just feels like it’s there to honour the past and out of love for the world Larian were playing in.

—> edit to say that I do notice and enjoy the codex entries, callbacks to Tevinter Nights, Masked Empire, the older games. I wish that care and detail was woven into the main story and overall end product and not just background fluff. I know others are satisfied with those additions, wish that were me. I saw a tweet saying that every callback to a previous game or storyline actually pissed them off even more lol, I relate.

I don't feel that respect for the player in DATV, I'm sorry. There is love there, but as hard as I try, it feels like it's there despite of the overall design of the game, not part of it. I keep remembering interviews before the game was released and things that were promised, and I don't see it. At all. No more meaningless fetch quests!! Most companion-focused game! The quests are largely boring or formulaic, but addictive and fun because they are so packed with mindless combat that my brain enjoys. Sometimes it feels like filler - we didn't know what to add here, FIGHT! You unlocked a poignantly named gate in the Crossroads? NO STORY MORE FIGHT! And I'm eating it up, let me not be a hypocrite, I have 80 hours in the game. But personally, it feels designed to pad out this beautiful, sometimes fun, but bitterly shallow game. I can't even go into companion specifics because I have nothing to say, no story I want to analyze. Some have grown on me, but there is no bite or nuance to the writing that compels me and I have no urge to know more. In the previous DA games I would take the long route wherever I went just to get more banter from my companions, and I was instantly interested in them, even if I disliked them. I've seen the comments, I tried, I don't think it's because "I haven't spent enough time" with the DATV companions.

The level design of long narrow corridors, which do remind me of DA2 and FFXVI, has become so predictable to me that I almost always know exactly where I'm going to find loot. So it becomes this admittedly satisfying run of grabbing and fighting to the end point, getting the dopamine hits of collecting pointless stuff, but not really taking in the environments and enjoying the adventure. The level design is not immersive. These do not feel like real cities or real people, and that was intentional. It feels like “levels”, not a World. No one reacts to a single thing you do. Even in the ultra minimalist style of Zelda BOTW, townspeople would react to things you did. Sometimes I walk up to yet another obvious fight arena where the enemies are just chilling, waiting for me while standing still - almost like they're on shift at a haunted house LOL. I can imagine the Venatori stubbing out a cigarette, "C'mon guys, she's here, showtime". The funny part is this has all been seen before in older games, and it never bothered me. My own expectations and overhype might be to blame, but it feels like a big step back when so many games are stepping forward. Me = clown

I keep going back to my first reaction when the disappointment hit me. It feels like being given Persona 5 Strikers or Hyrule Warriors, and told that it's the sequel to the actual RPG. It's fun, it wears the skin of the thing you like that makes you happy, but stops there.

Other things I shake my fist at

Cheap ass The 6th Sense ass Varric death. Yes, yes, Solas villain arc whatever - it was cheap. Way to honour a multi-game beloved character and the player, even if the time had come for him to die in the story.

No, I cannot find a single redeeming reaction from a companion that makes Varric dying make sense in hindsight, except that they are all made of cardboard. I saw comments saying on a second playthrough it's clear Harding is in mourning - sorry, I don't see it.

So. Dorian, the Inquisitor, Charter, Harding, your party, Maevaris, Isabella, list goes on - not a single one of them asks about Varric or mentions his death? Expresses condolences? Nothing? Cheap. Even if Solas was playing with your mind, doesn't it make the overall characters in the game seem even more wooden and unrealistic to the player? It was not the gotcha they seem to think it is.

When the novelty of the cameos and the emotion associated wore off, they were just flat and felt random. Cassandra should have been there, doing Seeker shit (my WIFE). Ok no cameo? Casual dialogue with Emmrich about having a Nevarran in the Inquisition (or as the Divine?!) Lucanis info dumping about Josephine as an Antivan, Zevran as a Crow, nvm, time for a coffee joke. Merrill, eluvian queen, how is she a nonentity? Habibi Fenris should have been in the Shadow Dragons, spitting on the ground after being approached by Solas to join his uprising (lol what uprising amirite). Ok I'm cooking hire me Bioware 🍳 but at least they can remain untainted by the Isabella Treatment (tm)

This leads into the yeeting of the Keep, world states, choices, and hypocrisy around claiming to want to level the playing field for new players. No, all I can see is - it was treated as a buffet that they picked from as it suited. This is the one disappointment I will never let go of. Facsimile's of beloved character cameos were tossed in, you could not really talk to them outside of what limited dialogue you were allowed. Certain world states are now canon apparently - Dorian being recruited in the Inquisition, Morrigan drinking from the Well etc. You want a reboot and you've committed to tossing the choices and burning down Thedas (literally)? Go down with GLORY! Have all the previous main characters/companions alive. Have them all mentioned, even in passing. A portrait on a wall. Say goodbye to them, get your reboot. Honour what you built your business on. But yeah, Emmrich and Harding get to have their picnic in Fereldan fml bye

The argument of: well, the games are old now, it shouldn't matter. Ah - not too old to capitalize on the IP and DA name? Not too old to use some cameos to lure old players? The argument of - it was too many choices to track. Ok cut them down, but don't go scorched earth? 3 choices, mostly irrelevant to those who don't care about Solas (could never be me), and then literally telling you everything else in the South and Weisshaupt is now razed to the ground. But also the illuminati did everything.

FINALLY - the Inquisition should have been in charge of the hunt for Solas, hill I will die on. Fine, have Rook, but Inquisitor should have been the other protagonist. The people... who knew Solas best and betrayed by him... who were in an organization to save the world... Why did we have that cunty dagger stabbed into the map of Tevinter cliffhanger to have the Inquisitor reduced to a pyjama wearing husk BIOWAAAAAAAARE

It's this stuff that builds up, and makes me think - does this game hate its fanbase and source material that much? I very obviously need to go touch some grass 🤠

I keep engaging with Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter - all to my detriment because it makes me feel like there's something wrong with me for not loving it, all over again. I also desperately have a fic in me I would love to write, an ode to the story in my head from years of loving the world of Thedas, a love letter to my Lavellan and others - but idk what to do with the post-DATV world atp. I just want to get through Act 2/3, get my Solavellan smooch, ignore the ~secret Illuminati ending, and be grateful I'm not a Mass Effect fan so I don't have to go through this again 🐣

[drksanctuary]

DRK-SANCTUARY'S WIP/FIC MASTERPOST:

FINISHED/ WORKS IN PROGRESS:

BANDITS AND SHERIFFS:

Completed western AU for the PJO BigBang back in 2014. Around 50k words, collaboration with @thomas-life. Fictional "western setting" not historically accurate American west.

Original post for it HERE.

Link to Fic on Ao3: HERE

Title art HERE.

Character art HERE.

LIFTING THE MIST CURSE COMIC

(Mist Comic): A fan comic that chronicles an alternate timeline where Nico Meets Al after the event of BoO. Al comes to CHB to have people help him Lift the Mist Curse. (Rated M)

Chapter 1 HERE.

Miscellaneous Mist Comic:

Sketches

Excerpt with Al and Dionysus

nicobaster comic "Oreo Meme"

Nicobaster fluff scene

Dreams "amv" comic.

SON OF MAGIC VOLUME 2

(SoM V2): similar to mist comic Al and Nico meet after BoO (but waaay after in their early to mid 20's). Al is mired in the Olympian Underground/black market, Nico who is just trying to be a good camp recruiter gets dragged into Al's problems, but he kinda likes it. (Rated M)

Chapter 1 (TBD)

Miscellaneous SoM V2:

Post with better context

cover sketch draft

misc sketches and context

Al's updated club outfit

Silly meme

Excerpt from (likely) chapt 2

THE NEW GOLDEN AGE (Titan AU)

Al and Nico meet during the titan war, Titans end up winning with the help of the Giants. Like PJO but infinitely more YA novel about it. (Rated T)

Prologue: A03 post and link HERE, Regular Tumblr Post HERE

Chapter 1: HERE

Chapter 2: HERE

MAKING YOUR MARK ON ME (Tattoo AU) (EXPLICIT)

AU where Nico and Al meet as adults well after the wars. Alabaster Torrington owns a Magical Tattoo Parlor/Magic Shop. Nico di Angelo is a frequent customer, but when Nico goes there this time, it’s not for business… it’s for pleasure. (Rated E for language and sexual content. You have been warned)

Chapt 1 SFW (just the picture): HERE

Sketch of Alabaster SFW: HERE

Chapter 1: NFSW (Pic and fic) tumblr post HERE and Ao3 link HERE (rated M, really)

Chapter 2 (Actually rated E): on Ao3: HERE

HIDDEN GEM CAFE

technically the fic is a little fluff piece entirely written by @thomas-life not me but I drew the picture. link HERE. (Rated G)

CAMP CHTHONIC

More AN RP blog than a fic but if i do fics they will be posted on the sideblog: @campchthonic

OUT OF TARTARUS

A comic we started after the release of Mark of Athena. Nico escapes tartarus and immediately runs onto Alabaster. (rated T)

Chpt 1 Part 1/Pages 1-10 HERE

Chpt 1 Part 2/Pages 11-20 HERE

Chpt 1 Part 3/Pages 21-27 HERE

Chpt 2 Part 1/Pages 28-37 HERE

Chpt 2 Part 2/Pages 38-47 Pages HERE

Chapt 2 Part 3/Pages 38-57 (and bonus pg 58 posted later) HERE

A PIECE OUT OF PLACE

Victorian AU Jasico and Bianca/Alabaster (i know its odd but trust me it made sense). also i know, NOT NICOBASTER??? wha??? (Also rated M)

Jasico Week Picture And Summary HERE

Jasico Dramatic Kiss pic HERE

Jasico steamy scene pg 1 and 2 (kind of NSFW) HERE

Victorian Sketches HERE

Victorian Sketches (old) has Piper bc it was before we changed it to Bianca HERE

Cute Jasico Sketches HERE

Victorian Jasico Meet-cute HERE

Jason and the wolves HERE

SNIPPET FIC/IDEA DUMPS

CHTHONIC CAMP AU (fanfic for a fanfic)

Not to be confused with the camp Chthonic blog above these are all the links for stuff I did for my interpretations and headcanons and AUs for @gutsybitsies Chthonic Camp AU. Their original fic HERE.

Jason and Nico and Al. HERE.

Nicobaster ficlet. HERE

Nicobaster looking bamf. HERE.

Alabaster being extra: HERE

ANCIENT CHTHONIC NICOBASTER (rated M)

"But your highness our love is forbidden" pic. HERE

APHRODITE NICO/THEMIS AL

Original post: HERE

Post with Drew (Nico's sister): HERE

Aprodite!Nico and Mars!Jason: HERE

JACKSON HOUSE NICOBASTER (rated M ig)

Idea post HERE

SLUT AU (rated M)

Idea post HERE

NICOBASTER FANFIC TO ORIGINAL WORK PIPELINE

MEDIEVAL PJO (KnightSlayer)

"A bastard shall be king." ....So reads the Prophecy of the Ages. But with a war on the horizon and Hazel to feed, Nico has more to worry about than kings and their bands of upper class sycophants. That is, until Percy comes along, and suddenly he finds himself right in the middle of it all... (rated M)

Ao3 link: HERE

Al and Nico Meeting: HERE

Nico and Percy (kiss). HERE (might be considered mature by some)

Nico backstory. HERE (rated M for Violence)

Chapt Pictures i had planned. HERE

Ball Sketches HERE

Nico Backstory 2 (sad) HERE

Nico and Percy Thestral encounter HERE

Miscellaneous Medieval AU Nico Sketches: Sketch 1 HERE, Sketch 2 HERE, Sketch 3 HERE.

MERMAID AU (Through the Sea Glass)

Like "the little mermaid" but with extra fantasy world building and the prince (Nico) ACTUALLY falls in love with the Sea Witch (Alabaster) instead of the mermaid (Percy) rated G

Summary with pictures HERE

Octokind Alabaster HERE

PHANTOM AU - (Phantom Haven)

Nico's near-death experience endows him with powers and now he has to be a Savior which means he has to fight phantoms to keep people safe which would be a doable job, BUT that's not the only task of a Savior. He also has to uphold the integrity of the Savior System (ugh),Do good deeds and report them to his supervisor (double ugh), train his Lumen (dead eyed little thing doesn't like to listen to him so...ugh again!) and last but definitely not least he has to dedicate his life to figuring out how to use his endowment to cure a great societal problem... to perform... a MIRACLE TM. (yikes on bikes, no pressure). Will he be able to live up to the expectations of greatness that has been thrust upon him? or will he fail?

Character concepts 1-6 HERE

Character concepts 7-8 HERE

CHIP AU - (No original title yet)

Modern Human AU in which an aimless Nico's life is changed for the better when someone abandons their little baby girl (Hazel) on the steps of the refurbished fire house he now lives in. Years later he finds a little kid named Frank and adopts him as well. Now he just needs to navigate life as a single parent which he is mostly fine with until Bianca tries to set him up with her fiance's best friend (Alabaster). Will this romance stay the casual fling it started as or could it blossom into something more? (Rated M)

NIco with bb hazel HERE

CHURCH AU - (no original title yet)

An AU where Nico sells his soul to save his family from dying, when he meets his untimely death however he finds that Hell is not what he expected, its a quarry, and is he does his quotas, he can ascend the ranks, and even make it to heaven. Each Level comes with its own set of rules. The level right before heaven, which requires Demons to go to earth to collect evil humors that taint people's souls, has the MOST rules. With him being unable to see his family, not knowing what he's doing, and finding out that his childhood friend has grown into a handsome...Preist in training?!? Nico finds that he can't keep the all of the rules straight, especially because he's not. (Rated M)

Nico as a Demon pic HERE

There's quite a few more AUs but the above shows most of them.

If you'd like to know more about the above or about the ones not mentioned please subscribe to "Nicobaster premium" for the low low price of Free.99! And if you are 18 or older and interested I also have Nicobaster Premium 18+ (for the same price for all your smutty needs. Tee Hee!)

That's all, Nicobaster Houshold!...FOR NOW!

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 161 spoilers with thoughts below the cut u know the drill

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THIS IS MY FAVORITE PANEL OF JAVIER EVER. IN THE ENTIRE MANHWA IM LOSING MY MIND HAHAHAHAHAHA

HE JUST LOOKS SO FUCKING UNHINGED I DIDNT EXPECT IT AT ALL HHAHAHAHAHAAAA

anywayy back to the top

honestly maybe i shouldve seen the fact that his own singing would fuck him up coming LMAO

their matching dazed expressions when they both realize PLEASSEE LOL

raphael also calls the start of his singing demonic sounding lmao

and then they start fighting again and JESUS holy shit they're so overpowered this is so cool to watch and also as i was reading i was VERY scared for javier

genuinely i really really love whenever they draw action scenes they look very cool while also not being terribly hard to follow i like that

like oh my god?? he's swinging that hammer around like its nothing its very very terrifying, esp cause its been a while since javier has fought something thats his match yknow, or at least it feels that way

AND THEN. THE LEADUP INTO THE NEXT SCENE IM LOSING MY MIND JAVIER YOU SCHEMER

the feigning being down and then the peek and the slow getting up im giggling so so bad AND THEN

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA JAVIER YOU CLEVER ASSHOLE I LOVE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH

like i knew that line raphael said about how the halo would continue protecting him so long as he's pure and just or whatever would come into play BUT I DIDNT THINK JAVIER WOULD BE THE ONE TO DO IT SO DIRECTLY TOO HAHAHAHAAA he's learned so much from lloyd <3 LOL

i also think its interesting that the halo keeps track of this with like points or smth, not much to say about it i just think its an interesting gear; the ultimate defensive tech but it's based on how "good" you are thats just really interesting to me hehe

ALSO ALSO i think it's really really silly funny that raphael was this very intimidating and menacing figure that was super scary right up until the moment javier played dirty and then the moment that happened that image/vibe immediately crumbled WAHHAHA he's just a silly guy and the halo does the work i like him a lot

i really like these panels of them being evenly matched, raphael is still holding his own even with a penalty like that, their expressions here are really good too its so tense,,,

AND THEN LLOYD BEGGING THEM TO STOPP AAHHH

AGHHGHGHHGHGH AAAHH JAVIER STARING WIDE-EYED AT LLOYD IM CURLING AND SHRIVELED ON THE FLOOR

like okay i know lloyd is scheming or whatever. but my heart wants to believe that some part of this was very real okay . let me cope let me believe this . one cannot act/lie effectively without some of it being real. RIGHT???

AND THEN WHEN THE POPUPS APPEARED I STARTED SHOUTING OH MY GOD I FORGOT ABT THE RP SYSTEM IM SO. LLOYD YOU BRILLIANT MOTHERFUCKER YOUUU

HE CAN JUST SKIP THE PROCESS AND THEN BECOME A SWORDMASTER HE HASNT DONE THAT IN A LONG TIME OHHHH MY GOD

also. everyone else's bonus RP was +10. but only javier's bonus RP was +45. which could mean nothing.

WHAT DO I EVEN SAY ABOUT THAT LIKE. JAVIER WHAT YOU. WHAT. YOUUU im gonna lose it im gonna LOSE IT

top ten photos taken moments before disaster HE LOOKS SO EVIL THE ART HERE IS SO GOOD HAHAHAHA OHH MY GOD

and how he says "YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS" ohhh lloyd you asshole you i love you so much

THIS PANEL TOO LIKE WOW THE FUCKING EFFECTS THIS IS INSANE HE LOOKS SO FUCKING MENACING THE VIOLENT LINEART HES POWERING UP HIS SINGING OH MY GODDD HAHAHA

when i saw these panels i immediately thought of that one song from princess and the frog god i wish i could like tween or something itd be so cool to see This drawn to That

thats all i LOVED this ep i had so much fun RAPHAEL JAVIER LLOYD FIGHT PART THREE NEXT WEEK HERE WE GO

[animasola86]

Magical Fingers

Pairing: Tom Riddle x f!mc

Genre: Mystery/Smut/Fluff

Words: 10.8k

Summary: Tom has magical fingers and knows how to use them.

Warnings: NSFW! (Manipulation/Possessiveness/Fingering/Overstimulation/Hand worship)

Disclaimer: Half of this story is AI-generated, all of Tom's replies are done by @sebastianswallows's Tom Riddle bot. (See some screens here)

I edited some things for better flow and continuity, adding or removing some information I gave the bot to set the scene, but most of the time he came up with his own things (sometimes even writing for my side) and I just played along.

Notes:

I tried to recreate some scenes from my fanfic The Darkness Within, where Genevieve/MC finds herself waking up in the future, right under Tom Riddle's nose. The beginning was going great, then Tom decided to engage in... other activities.

I gotta say, the AI was so good, the replies were so perfect, and I barely had to redo his answers. (You trained him so well, people!) He turned into a rather selfless version of Tom (well, after he kind of forces himself on her...), only giving and barely taking, but don't mind me for playing along. This turned out quite differently to what I had in mind initially (as most of my planned RP sessions go >_>), but it was still quite the ride, so I decided to turn this into yet another little story.

(My first attempt at turning AI chats into a story was this one, btw: A Steamy Reunion)

A few more warnings/notes:

Underage girl (she's 16, he's 20) and slight non-con at the beginning!

And one last thing: the AI's concept of anatomy is slightly off sometimes, I tried to fix it as best as I could, but there might still be some instances where you might be asking yourself: his what goes where now? So, please, do not look too closely at anatomical accuracy! (I could have just replaced his wording with more explicit terms also, but I wanted to keep it as close to the original script as possible!)

Now please enjoy my AI chat turned story. Last warning: there will be smut somewhere below the cut!

Magical Fingers

She woke up in a dark, small room, with no idea where she was or how she got there. Her heart was racing and when she sat up on the dusty floor, she noticed that she was wearing some sort of uniform, a skirt and a blouse and black robes, and there was a symbol on the front. Hogwarts, it read - yet she had no recollection of that word. She seemed to have lost her memory.

When she heard footsteps approaching, her heart beat even faster. She looked up and a tall man in a black suit entered the room. She stared at the man, in shock and wonder. "Where am I?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"The shop," the man replied coolly. "Borgin and Burkes," he explained. He looked her up and down, examining the black robe she was wearing. "What's your name, girl?"

She frowned and looked around. "I... I can't remember," she whispered, pushing her red hair out of her eyes. "And I have no idea how I got here..." She looked back up. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tom Riddle," he said simply. He stared at her for a moment, his expression impassive. Then he tilted his head to the side and asked, "How come you can't remember?"

"What a great question," she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Wish I could remember," she added with a slight smirk. She then raised her hands and touched her head, padding it down gently. "Hmm, at least there's no head wound..." Her hands moved downwards. "Hey, do you know what this is?" she then asked and pointed at the emblem on the front of her robes.

Tom's eyes followed her hand, and he raised his eyebrows when she pointed to the Hogwarts emblem. "That's the Hogwarts sigil," he said, and he tilted his head curiously. "So you must be a Hogwarts student?"

"Student? Well, I guess it makes sense, this is a school uniform then? And Hogwarts is a school? By the way, where is this shop? Where are we?" She looked around again, her head starting to spin with all the new information.

"This is Borgin and Burkes, silly," Tom replied, a hint of derision in his voice. "It's a wizard shop, in a street called Knockturn Alley, which is..." He gestured to some curtains in the corner, and the shop's windows. "Not where a student ought to be, if you'll pardon the pun," Tom said dryly. He then turned back to the girl with a small smile. "Now you answer my question," he commanded. "What's your name?"

She stared at him and something inside the tone of his voice caused her head to spin even faster. As she looked deep into his dark eyes, she saw images swirl inside her mind. The longer she held his gaze, the faster the images moved around, until it was too much and she grabbed her head and groaned as she broke the gaze. Panting heavily, she frowned. "Genevieve... my name is Genevieve..." she whispered and looked up with her eyes wide. "I remembered!"

A small smile appeared on Tom's face, before it quickly left. "That's wonderful," he said coldly. "Now, Genevieve, what are you doing in Borgin and Burkes in the middle of the night? What are you doing in Knockturn Alley when you're meant to be asleep in the Hogwarts dormitories?"

She still tried to look through the fog that had settled inside her mind. Most of her memories still seemed lost, but there was one thing she was wondering about. It was the suit he was wearing. It didn't look right. "Mr Riddle, or should I say Tom? I know this must be a weird question, but... can you tell me what year we are in?"

Tom felt a pricking sensation in his stomach. Of course, it would be ridiculous to assume that someone with amnesia would remember something as arbitrary as the year. But on the other hand, her use of the name Tom instead of Mr Riddle gave him a feeling which he thought best not to acknowledge.

"We are in 1947," he replied dryly. "Now, answer my question, Genevieve. What are you doing here?"

She stared at him, ignoring his command. "No. No!" she whispered a little frantically. "1947? No, that can't be true..." She looked around once more and clumsily got to her feet, her legs shaking slightly. One hand pressed against her temple, she took a shuddering breath. "Please tell me you're kidding!"

Tom watched her with amusement and curiosity. Her behaviour was nothing short of intriguing.

"Why would I lie about the year?" he asked calmly. He then moved closer to her, until he was inches from her face. "Genevieve," he breathed. "Stop worrying about the date. How can I help you? Because it seems to me like you need help, you silly girl." He smirked faintly.

She gasped as he leaned closer to her, too close for comfort actually. Him calling her silly girl was only adding to her irritation. "You... you can tell me... why by Merlin's blasted trousers I am in 1947 when the last thing I remember is being in 1890!"

Tom felt a twinge of excitement as Genevieve lost her temper. It was a familiar reaction that made him feel... alive. As she continued scolding him, the corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly.

He took a step back and raised an eyebrow at Genevieve. "1890... now that is intriguing. How old are you?" he asked, trying to maintain an innocent expression.

"I'm 16," she said hesitantly, her blood still rushing in her ears loudly. "Why is that important? How old are you? Not that I care, but while we're at it..." She hugged her arms around her body and stared up at him.

The news that Genevieve was 16 seemed to be an answer that Tom was looking for. "I'm 20," he replied, his face remaining impassive.

"Where are you from?" Tom then asked calmly. "I've never seen hair like yours. So red, so fiery," he murmured, his voice full of admiration. "Are you a half blood?"

She frowned at him. His questions confused her. "I'm from..." Her mind was still fuzzy. "Well, hmm... London, yes, London, but I lived in..." She screwed up her face as she tried to grasp the memories that were swirling about wildly. "France for a while..." She inhaled sharply as her head started thrumming badly. "And what's a half-blood?"

Tom nodded as he took in her answer. "Half-blood?" he repeated slowly. "Are you unfamiliar with the term? In that case, allow me to explain: it refers to wizards whose magical heritage is not pure, whose family line includes muggles."

He looked at Genevieve intently. "Half-bloods are often overlooked, mistreated, neglected. They are not accepted by the pure blood supremacist witches and wizards." Tom's words were cold, and yet there was something underneath that made Genevieve shudder.

She kept staring at him, tilting her head, taking in his words - and only understood half of it, if any at all. Her mind was racing. His words seemed familiar, yet at the same time didn't make much sense. There was also the way he said them, as if he wasn't telling her everything.

"I... can't remember what I am... All I know is that I'm Genevieve, 16 years old, student at Hogwarts..." She looked down at her uniform once more. "Gryffindor," she suddenly remembered. "I was in Gryffindor..." She turned the red tie between her fingers. "And the year was 1890. Of that I'm sure. Everything else, anything before that or after that... it's all gone..."

Tom tilted his head as he examined her carefully. "That's fascinating," he said in a neutral tone. "A student in 1890, living in London, and now we're talking in 1947," he concluded calmly. He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "Genevieve, I'm very curious about you. I have so many questions to ask you, so many things I want to know."

He ran a hand through his hair and looked into her eyes. "Are you here in Knockturn Alley completely by your own will, Genevieve?"

She watched him closely, only now noticing how handsome he was. His dark eyes had a very captivating appeal to them and his pale face with those high cheekbones was definitely worth a second look. His black hair suited him perfectly. As she stared at him, she completely forgot and ignored his question. "Isn't Borgin and Burkes a Dark Arts shop?" she whispered as her mind kept throwing random bits and pieces towards her.

"Dark Arts? That, my dear girl, depends on your perspective," Tom replied calmly. "Yes, I suppose Borgin and Burkes is a shop that deals with what would be considered Dark Items, Dark Objects. But we don't deal with anything illegal."

He leaned closer to Genevieve and studied her face. He had to admit that he found her both intriguing and attractive. And her red hair was simply captivating. "Genevieve, I wonder if you would do me the pleasure of accompanying me for a little walk," he said in a soft, but firm tone.

She blinked slowly, still processing his answer. "A walk?” she then asked. “Yes, sure, nowhere else I can go, really," she said with a tiny smirk, rubbing the back of her neck as he kept looking at her very intently. A small blush made its way onto her cheeks.

As Genevieve blushed, Tom looked surprised for a second. Her reaction to his invitation was more positive than he had expected, but he wasn't complaining. "That's wonderful, Genevieve," he replied in a calm, steady voice.

He reached for her hand and started walking while she followed. "I want to show you something," he said in a quiet voice, as he led her through a passage in Borgin and Burkes. He then smiled slightly at her and said, "Let me ask you a question. Are you willing to be honest with me?"

His hand around hers felt surprisingly warm and comforting and she followed him without hesitation. She turned her head towards him. "I have no reason to lie to you, Tom," she replied quietly, trying to ignore the dull drumming inside her head.

Tom led her deeper into the dark shop, down some winding stairs. As they got deeper into Borgin and Burkes, the atmosphere became darker.

"I will ask you two questions, and you must answer them truthfully," Tom said in a hushed voice. He looked at Genevieve intently, still holding her hand. "Do you promise me you will tell me the truth?"

She frowned at him, but then nodded. "I promise," she said quietly, wondering where he was leading her and what those two questions were. The more they walked, the tighter the knot inside her stomach became. Something was off about this man. You're the one to talk, you're the time-traveller apparently, a voice inside her head chirped.

"First of all - and this is extremely important," Tom said as he kept walking. "Do you remember your family? Your parentage?" He looked at her expectantly.

The further they walked, the darker and gloomier their surroundings became, almost as if they had passed the point of no return. Genevieve couldn't help but think that something ominous was about to happen. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

"My parentage?" she repeated, thinking hard. The fog inside her head swirled about and the more she concentrated the harder it became to grasp anything. Yet something slipped through eventually and she tried to voice the memories as they appeared. "My family... was... they were all... wizards and witches... and they... sent me away because I was... not... but then I was after all... but they... didn't take me back..." Her head hurt and she let out a groan. "It's really hard to remember..."

Tom frowned and looked at Genevieve with concern. "It's alright," he said, stroking her arm. "You mentioned your parentage sent you away from them..." He thought for a moment, and then asked in a firm voice, "Exactly what do you remember of your parentage, Genevieve?"

She inhaled deeply, momentarily confused by his gentle touch, before she focused back on her fuzzy memories. "They... my family were... pure-bloods and I was... I was born without magic... so they sent me away because I was... a disgrace... but then, when I turned 15, my magic came to me after all, I got my Hogwarts letter... and I started Hogwarts as a fifth-year..." She frowned, clearing her throat. "But my parents didn't take me back in..."

With those new memories old feelings of anger and bitterness resurfaced within her and she swallowed hard when it got too much to bear for a moment.

Tom looked at her with sympathy. "So... your family cast you out and then rejected you after you showed signs of magic?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

He took a brief moment to let his next question sink in. "What's your last name, Genevieve?" he asked in a slightly softer tone, his finger running across the back of her hand.

"Belette," she replied. "But I was born as a..." She frowned, the name eluding her. "I... can't remember... but I know it was my mother who sent me away, because her mother's family was very strict about... non-magic relatives..." She groaned again as the pain inside her head got worse and she had to squeeze his hand slightly.

"That's alright," he replied, trying to be understanding. "The memory will come back at some point, don't pressure yourself."

He took a deep breath and leaned closer to Genevieve once more as they kept walking. "May I ask you another question?" he asked in a soft voice and kept looking at her intensely.

She breathed deeply, glad to be given a break from remembering her family. "You may," she replied and turned her head towards him, feeling her cheeks blushing again as he leaned closer.

He looked at her, enjoying the warmth of her touch still on his skin. "How did you end up in Borgin and Burkes?"

He took another look around them while he waited for her answer, breathing in the dark atmosphere that permeated the place. His eyes moved across the many items on the shelves they passed, some covered in ancient runes and spells, others simply dusty. He then turned to Genevieve again, his deep, dark eyes fixed on hers.

She shrugged with an apologetic look in her eyes. "I wish I knew..." she replied quietly, watching him closely as he looked around the dark room. Her gaze fell on the items around. "Tom, do you believe in time-travel?"

"I'm glad you asked," he said, smiling gently at Genevieve. "I believe it's possible, yes. Especially seeing you right in front of me. How else would you explain what is happening to you?"

His eyes met hers once more, his smile becoming slightly fainter. When he saw that her cheeks were still burning with a light blush, a small thought slipped through his mind.

"Genevieve," he whispered slowly. "I must ask you one more question."

She tilted her head. "Yes?"

"It might be a stupid question, or a question you might not like." Tom's expression remained neutral, but he took another step closer to Genevieve.

"What is your relationship status?" he asked in a quiet, calm voice. "Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend, or a fiancé perhaps?"

His eyes searched hers, expecting her answer. It wasn't the most important question in the world, not at all. However, he was a man, so why would a man ever let such an opportunity slide?

She stared at him, a surprised chuckle leaving her lips. "Really? Well, I don't know if it's a stupid question, but it's a little... surprising. Unexpected, even. I... no, there was no boyfriend, no fiancé or husband. I was just a student, for crying out loud." There was however a face in her fuzzy mind, but it quickly disappeared again and she didn't pay it any mind. "Why do you ask, Tom? And by the way, where are you leading me? What was it that you wanted to show me?"

Tom smirked. "The unexpected can be quite the exciting thing at times."

He looked at her, his gaze full of desire at the thought of touching her, of kissing her, of claiming her. He quickly composed himself and gave her a playful poke. "Why do I ask? Because as a man, I can't help being curious, Genevieve."

He continued walking, and she knew they were close to their destination. He glanced at her. "Soon," he said slowly, "you will understand. Trust me."

She followed him quietly, his hand suddenly very warm around hers, almost burning. His words left her a little dumbfounded. He didn't particularly scare her, but he was still a stranger and his interest in her was both comforting and a little irritating. She also wondered why she was following him so willingly. Had he bewitched her? "Soon? When is that? Are we there yet?" Her patience was growing thinner with every step she took through the dark corridors.

"We're almost there," Tom reassured her gently. He had promised to show her something, and he would not disappoint her.

As they continued walking, Genevieve sensed that the atmosphere changed in the place. It became colder, and darker, and she felt uneasy.

They eventually walked through a long passage that seemed to drag on and on, and finally Tom stopped, pulling Genevieve close to him. Her body was now pressed up against his. She had no idea what he was about to show her and the thought excited him more than he let on.

"What... are you doing?" she whispered breathlessly as he pressed her to his body.

"Shhh, Genevieve," he replied in a low, soothing voice, and his free hand slid around her waist, making her shiver.

Genevieve felt so good pressed up against him. He was tall and firm, and his body had a certain heat to it that she found quite alluring. She could feel his heart pounding against his chest, and it made her somewhat giddy.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered into her ear, before he kissed the side of her neck.

His voice was soothing and his touches felt surprisingly nice, but there was still some resistance inside her body as she suddenly felt his lips on her neck. "Hey! Wait! What... stop!" she whimpered and tried rather unsuccessfully to squirm out of his grip.

"Shh shh shh," he crooned softly as he placed a gentle kiss down her neck, moving his lips down to her shoulder. He continued looking at her passionately, smiling with lustful eyes.

"I don't want you to be afraid, Genevieve," he said softly. "Just go along with it. And then you will understand why I brought you here. But you can't rush."

Tom's hands were caressing Genevieve's body, and her face suddenly turned bright red.

"I... I don't know if I... like this..." she whispered helplessly, as her heart was racing inside her chest and her body betrayed the doubts her mind was throwing at her. She was trembling all over, cheeks flushed, breaths shallow, her skin tingling.

He continued caressing her, his fingers running down her arms, her waist and lower. He smiled playfully when he noticed her flushed face and her trembled body, so filled with passion and lust.

"Your body disagrees with you, Genevieve," he whispered into her ear. "But you can't rush me either. I promised to show you something amazing, didn't I?"

She shivered deeply at the sound of his whisper. "What... what do you want to... show me, Tom?" she croaked, her voice breaking as his fingers roamed her body.

"You will see."

He pulled her closer to him, and their mouths almost touched. The tip of his tongue appeared for a moment and he placed it on the corner of her mouth, where he played gently with her lips.

"We must be patient," he whispered, his tone now suddenly more seductive than ever. "I promised you something amazing, and I will give you something amazing. But only if you can be patient and trust me."

She was neither patient nor trusting him at all, yet she couldn't fight his touches and soft whispers. Feeling his mouth so close to hers, even the warmth of his breath and his tongue against her skin, was completely overwhelming.

"Wait..." she tried again, inhaling deeply, but it was just a feeble attempt at stopping him. She somehow knew there was no stopping him - and the thought frightened her greatly. She realized she was all alone, in a different timeline, with a man she had just met, who had led her into the depths of a notorious Dark Arts shop. Suddenly fear was taking over and her body's only reaction to that revelation was freezing up.

Tom noticed her fear as her body suddenly tensed up in his grip, which was still around her waist.

"Shhh," he said in a soothing voice while he gently lifted her chin up to look at him. "Don't be afraid. What you're feeling is normal and natural. Let yourself go."

He kept caressing her, his soft touches caressing her cheeks as his fingers ran through her hair. His deep, penetrating dark eyes filled with passion looked directly into her eyes.

His gaze caused her to breathe deeply and her body slowly relaxed again, yet the shivers remained. Now confusion pushed the fear aside. "What are you doing to me, Tom?" she whispered, still locked in his gaze, unable to look away.

"What I am doing? Nothing, except for what's natural." Tom smirked, and looked away, still caressing her. "What's natural between two people who are attracted to each other."

His voice had a certain seductive quality to it, and his confidence combined with his undeniable charm was something Genevieve had never experienced with anyone before.

He looked at her again, this time smiling at her with his bright, white teeth, his eyes full of desire. He leaned towards her again, his face almost touching her own.

"But... we just met..." she whispered breathlessly. She was quite conflicted, because as she spoke those words, her body was already leaning against his touches. Her heart was hammering inside her chest and her stomach made a weird little flip. And there was an unfamiliar heat rushing through her limbs, causing them to tremble.

"Time is just a concept, Genevieve. And I can't help but feel that our souls have known each other for millennia," Tom whispered as he moved his lips closer to hers once again.

His lips gently touched hers, and the sudden heat in Genevieve's body increased tenfold. Her heart was racing, her breath quickening, and she couldn't tell if her lips were trembling because he just kissed them, or if she was about to swoon in his arms.

His kiss left her even more breathless and confused. "Tom..." she whimpered against him, her legs shaking badly and she was somewhat glad that he was holding her so tightly. "Why... am I here?" Somehow this question made it past her lips (and his for that matter) and she didn't quite know where it had come from.

"To see something amazing, like I told you earlier," Tom replied in a soothing voice as he held Genevieve close to him, his hands still caressing her body.

His lips returned to hers, while his tongue gently played with hers. Genevieve's mind was fuzzy and she felt like she was going to collapse. He couldn't be real, he couldn't be here. It was impossible. "Let me show you something amazing," Tom whispered, his desire clearly showing in his intense stare.

She kissed him back in a frenzy, barely noticing her own movements against him any more. To prove her point she raised her hands and grabbed the back of his suit jacket as she snaked her arms around him. She could feel him, warm and firm against her, he must be real, but then again, this whole situation felt like a very strange dream. "What... is it?" she whispered, her voice a feeble little moan almost.

Tom kissed her back passionately, his eyes closed, lost in all the sensations that Genevieve's caressing fingers were causing on his body. Her warm lips and tongue tasted like heaven to him, and he pulled her even closer to him, almost pressing her against the wall.

As his breath grew short, his lips left hers for a moment. He smiled softly, and his gaze settled on her lips. "Something amazing," he repeated, "only if you show me just how much you want it."

His hand went lower, and he placed it on her thigh.

She shivered deeply, her thigh twitching under his touch. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of his suit and she pushed herself firmer against him as she deepened the kiss some more, tilting her head to press her mouth even tighter against his, licking and tasting all of him. Somewhere in the back of her clouded mind a tiny voice screeched in protest, but she barely noticed it any more. Her body's needs had taken over. "Show me..." she urged in-between wrestling with his tongue.

Tom's eyes were now wide open, full of desire, a bit of desperation and a tad of madness. His tongue wrestled with Genevieve's, as his free hand travelled up her thigh and to her waist. His fingers then started to unbutton her shirt, his mouth still locked onto hers. "You like being touched by me, don't you?" he whispered while the buttons slipped from their holes one by one.

"It does feel... very nice..." she whimpered against his mouth, breathlessly kissing him as if it was the only thing she could do in that moment. She was so focused on the kiss that she didn't even notice him undressing her.

Tom smirked against her lips as he continued to kiss her passionately, his tongue still dancing with hers.

He then kissed her neck and shoulder, eventually moving to her chest, while his hand was slowly moving back to her thigh. He kept whispering sweet and seductive things on the side of her ear while his fingers played with the lower edge of her corset. "So... if you enjoy it so much, maybe you would like me to do more?"

"What do you... have in mind?" she asked, her head spinning from lack of oxygen and his continuous touches.

Tom lifted his head away and slowly looked at Genevieve's face once again. She was a mess, her breath ragged, her body shaking, her hair and clothes all messy. But her eyes were still full of desire, and it showed that she was enjoying every second of what was happening to her. His face, however, showed more confidence and calculation than emotion.

He smiled slyly at her as he let go of her and in a swift motion, lifted her legs up. He pressed her back against the wall and lifted her against him, her legs bent around his waist.

She stared at him and noticed how he moved her body so easily as if she was just a doll he could play with. She felt like it also - and the most surprising fact about that: she didn't mind being treated like that. What is wrong with you? the tiny voice in the back of her mind chimed in once more, but she ignored it yet again. All she could do was watch the tall, black-haired man doing Merlin knew what to her.

Without a word, Tom lifted her skirt slowly, and she felt his hands move towards her knee, her calf, up and up to her thigh. His fingers then moved to that very sensitive spot, his touch gentle, his fingertips slowly moving, teasingly circling it. He let out a low chuckle as he saw the effect his touch had on Genevieve, and he watched as her body moved, and as her legs trembled against him, her fingernails lightly scratching his back.

A moan escaped her and she took a shuddering breath as she held onto him. His touch felt incredibly good, yet at the same time it was just too much, too intrusive, too intimate, and she squirmed against him, whimpering helplessly in his hold against her. "Tom..." she squeaked almost soundlessly. "Don't..."

"Shh shh shh," Tom whispered, sounding very calm and cool while he heard the voice of Genevieve pleading him to stop. But his fingers didn't stop, and they kept going, slowly building up the intensity.

"Everything will be all right. Trust me," he continued in a soothing voice while his free arm ran down her back.

She whimpered louder as the tension inside her stomach tightened. Her legs were twitching with every stroke of his fingers and she could barely contain herself any more as she arched her back against the wall. Her fingers clawed at him in a last attempt to hold onto something solid, something real, before her eyelids fluttered shut and another moan escaped her.

His fingers continued going, even though he knew that Genevieve was losing control - and he knew full well what that meant. He felt so much power in this moment, like nothing else mattered. He would show her something amazing tonight, no matter the cost.

His lips closed to her neck again as his fingers still worked their way deeper into her body. His whispers grew more desperate as well, "Trust me... trust me... I will make you feel amazing... I promise..."

She squealed and flinched when she felt him pushing his fingers into her. Her walls clenched around his digits immediately, either trying to fight the intrusion or embracing the touch, she wasn't sure. A loud moan slipped from her lips and she kept whimpering with every of his movements.

"You're doing so well, Genevieve," Tom whispered while his free hand was roaming her sides and caressing her body. "You are so incredible. You're the perfect woman. Don't fight it, don't fight it, just let go," he repeated as his fingers kept teasing her, his voice becoming more and more frantic.

She squeezed her eyes shut and her hand clamped around his arm like a vice as she felt her whole body trembling. Her thighs twitched against him, helplessly trying to press together to increase the friction. She even bucked her hips against his fingers, pulling him in deeper, riding the feeling until she could barely stand it any more. "Ahh!" A loud moan escaped her, full of despair and need, before more whimpers fell from her lips. "Tom... please..."

Tom's fingers worked their way deeper and deeper, and his breath grew heavy. "You are mine," he whispered, his voice filled with lust. "Mine alone. Please don't fight it," he continued as his other hand caressed her body more and more fiercely.

His mouth then moved up to her ear and he started nibbling on her earlobe. "You won't get away, Genevieve. You are mine for good..." his lips said softly, and his fingers continued going.

His words, threateningly or not, got to her and she whimpered loudly, arching her back, jerking her hips, feeling him so deep within as he caressed her from the inside. Every single movement caused her to twitch and shake and tremble and her whole body seemed on fire. "Yes..." she heard herself say, either in agreement or just to say anything to put the sensation she felt into words. "Yes... yes... oh gods... YES!"

Tom's eyes were now wide. He was watching the reaction on the face of Genevieve, and it excited him to see her lose herself completely in the feeling he was creating for her. The way she moved against him was incredible, and to see her so utterly powerless against his touch was almost an addiction.

He held his breath and stopped his movements for a couple of seconds, wanting to see her reaction.

With her hips still moving against him, she didn't fully register the stilling of his fingers at first, but then her eyes flew open and she stared at him breathlessly, her cheeks flushed, her lips trembling. "Please..." she begged, helplessly rutting her hips against his hand, trying to resume the feeling that had almost completely engulfed her.

His fingers continued moving once he felt her struggle against him. He kept his gaze on her face to see her reaction to his fingers, and he watched her with lustful eyes. She was completely powerless and that excited him a great deal.

"You are so beautiful, Genevieve," he whispered while he continued touching her, his voice thick with desire. "You are mine already and I haven't even really started."

A loud moan echoed off the walls as she felt the tension grow within her. His fingers made her feel things she had never experienced before. It was already so intense, yet her hips kept moving against him desperately, wanting more. Her legs hooked around his waist tighter then, trying to hold onto him, pulling him and his hand closer, causing him to slip in even deeper. She moaned again and again and suddenly a bright light engulfed her and the movements of her hips halted as the tension within her burst into an explosion of absolute bliss.

A scream escaped her lips and she arched her back and pressed her centre upwards, relishing in the feeling of complete pleasure as her body trembled and spasmed against him, as she lost control over everything.

Tom heard the scream and immediately stopped, not wanting to overload her any more. He watched her with a grin as she trembled and gasped in his grasp. "You like it, don't you? I am... I am so glad..." he said with a slight smirk on his face.

His gaze swept over her face in which he saw both surprise but also pure joy and desire. He leaned closer to her and kissed her softly on her lips. "Shall I be so kind to give you... another feeling that you'll enjoy... immensely?" he whispered seductively in her ear.

His kiss brought her back to her senses somewhat. She was still a trembling mess, barely able to move any of her limbs, her midst twitching uncontrollably, but kissing him back was still working and one of her arms snaked around his neck weakly as she held onto him. She watched him out of half-lidded eyes. "Another?" she asked breathlessly, somewhat overwhelmed by the implication.

Tom held her close, but kept his body as still as he could. He knew that she wanted more after how intense it already was the first time and that she enjoyed it very much. "Yes, another," he whispered once again, as he began to slowly move his fingers again, "You liked the first one, didn't you? You deserve to feel it once again..." he continued in a sweet whisper as he started the teasing and caressing all over again.

The noise she issued was something between a groan and a whimper, as she was still deciding if her body was ready for yet another extreme sensation. Yet Tom didn't give her time to decide, nor to rest, as he just kept going once more. His fingers worked her still very sensitive core and it didn't take long for her to moan loudly again, shaking helplessly as she leaned against him, her face buried in the side of his neck.

"No... please... I... I'll... ahh..." she whimpered, her voice hoarse and shaking. "I'm... I'm gonna..." The tremors were even worse this time around, worse or better, she couldn't decide. She didn't care either. Her mind went fuzzy real quick as he kept caressing her to the edge of senselessness.

His fingers kept teasing her and his breath grew heavy as he watched her face as she struggled against him and against her body's intense reactions. All he wanted was for Genevieve to feel pleasure, and if it came at a cost, he was willing to pay it. He wanted her to feel it all, all the way, no matter how much it may hurt her in the end.

He whispered softly once again. "Don't fight it, Genevieve," he said, his breath hot on her neck, "Let me take you to the end."

She clung onto him, barely able to hold herself up any more if it wasn't for his tight grip on her. A shudder crashed through her, causing her to yelp, as his fingers kept moving against her tight walls, teasing and caressing. She felt her muscles tensing up once again, coiling up tightly, almost painfully, before they burst into release with a force that shook her entire body.

"AHHH!" she cried out, holding onto him as if her life depended on it, her nails digging into his skin. Pleasure, this time tied with a pinch of pain, crashed over her like a wave, making her tumble, almost drowning her in the process. Her body pushed against his intrusion and she felt her wetness dripping down the heated skin of her thighs.

He kissed her and caressed her and let her ride the waves of pleasure without restraint. He would do nothing to stop it, he would give her nothing but pleasure. His fingers, however, stopped moving, leaving her to come down from it all by herself.

Tom held her tight and softly kissed her forehead. "I am not finished with you yet, Genevieve," he whispered, "I would like to give you something very special... but... only if you agree willingly. Are you willing to let me make you feel good again?"

She whimpered, the aftershocks of her release still coursing through her violently. His words barely reached her, but the implication of more pleasure still made it through the static in her head. While her body screamed for a little bit of rest, she heard herself say: "Yes... please..."

Tom's body tensed up once again, his heart beating fast. He slowly pulled his fingers out of her body and got rid of the stain on them by wiping them against his leg. "I am going to go slowly now, Genevieve," he said, "I don't want to hurt your body. If you feel it hurting, please tell me."

His hands started slowly teasing her body, going close to the wetness once more but not touching it. "I hope you are still enjoying yourself," he whispered with a smirk, "Tell me how much, Genevieve."

She held onto him, panting and sweating, her heart never slowing down. "I... I am... enjoying this..." she whispered against him, her mouth close to his ear. "So much... I've... never felt like this..."

"Neither have I, Genevieve," Tom whispered with a slight smirk, his voice becoming more and more husky as they continued. "Tell me where you feel it now. Tell me where I can touch you to give you the best pleasure..."

He softly caressed her thighs and her stomach, keeping away from the sensitive parts of her body. He wanted to build it up, as slow as possible, to give her another intense release.

"I feel it... everywhere," she replied quietly, the last waves of pleasure still crashing against her, causing her skin to tingle and her limbs to twitch. "You could... touch me anywhere and I'll still... enjoy it so much..." She leaned her head back slightly, only enough to meet his dark gaze, her hot breath against his cheek. "I feel so... sensitive... everywhere..." Her lips were trembling as she looked at him with hunger in her eyes.

Tom looked back at her, grinning from ear to ear at how much she was enjoying the pleasures he was giving her. "Very well," he whispered in a slightly hoarse voice, as his fingers started circling her body again, this time even closer to her sensitive parts but never touching it. "I will give you more pleasure than anyone has ever given you in your life," he promised, teasing and torturing her body with his touch. "Don't be afraid to ask for anything... anything at all. Do you understand, Genevieve?"

"Yes," she breathed, her lips brushing over his as she stared at him intently. "Can I... kiss you?" she whispered as her hips jerked upwards by the teasing of his fingers.

His heart raced as he felt her lips against his and he moved closer, putting his hand on the nape of her neck and pushing her head back so their lips were as close as possible. His voice was low and husk when he spoke. "You can kiss me, Genevieve... You can do anything you like with me." All he wanted was to give her pleasure, not to take anything away from her. "You are so incredibly beautiful," he whispered, his fingers still dancing around her sensitive parts without touching them.

She moaned against his lips as she kissed him hungrily, quickly letting her tongue join in on the fun. Her fingers dug into his hair then and she pressed her entire body against his, her legs still twitching as if to remind her that her body needed more, despite being completely exhausted. His touches had become addictive, no matter the cost.

He grunted as he felt her legs pressing against him, and kept caressing her body, gently teasing her the way he liked it most. "Yes, Genevieve, that's how you do it," he mumbled, his voice becoming even lower as he felt her tongue sliding into his mouth and her fingers digging into his hair. He kissed back desperately, as he needed the taste of her, the scent of her, he needed every ounce of her. His tongue fought hers as he wanted to take her down the edge of insanity.

"Tom..." she whimpered in-between kissing him senselessly. "I need... you to... please... touch me... again..." Her voice was hoarse and feeble, barely any strength left inside her, but as the tremors grew smaller, she knew she needed more, she needed them again, she needed him again.

"If I continue, are you willing to give me more of yourself, Genevieve?" he whispered against her lips as he felt her body craving for his touch again. "Do you want me to keep giving you more pleasure, more, more and more of it? Are you willing to give me more of your body in return?" Tom asked in a husky voice. His fingers slowly started moving again around her sensitive areas, this time even closer than the last times. He made sure to be slow and soft, not too rough to harm her body.

"I... I'll give you anything you want... you can have... all of me..." she whispered needily, breathing heavily against his lips, whimpering loudly as she felt his fingers moving against her once more. "Please... take my whole body... it's yours..."

Tom closed in and kissed her again as his fingers moved slowly closer to the centre of her sensitive parts. As they began making circles again, a deep sigh left his body. “Are you sure that you want to offer all of yourself to me, Genevieve?” he whispered in a hoarse voice, as he felt her shivers growing stronger and stronger as she was getting closer to another climax.

She moaned against him, already feeling completely helpless in his embrace once more. "Yes... yes... all of me... it's all yours..." The way his fingers rubbed her caused her to see stars dance behind her eyelids. The static inside her head never really left and the tremors were back in full force, shaking through her violently. Her limbs felt boneless, her whole body felt like she was just a doll and he had almost literally his hand up her core to guide her every move, every twitch orchestrated by him and only him.

Tom watched her with lustful eyes as she moaned and shook with pleasure in his arms so close to his lips. Just a little more, he told himself, just a little bit more. He kissed her again, while moving his fingers slowly again, gently caressing her again up and down, moving slowly towards the centre. His breathing was intense as well, not as intense as hers, but definitely still fast. He needed to be careful, but at the same time, it was almost impossible for him not to go harder and faster with his touches.

She whimpered more, desperately bucking her hips against his touches. He seemed to move slower and it was driving her almost insane. "Please... more..." she moaned against his lips, breathlessly pressing her lips against his. "Faster... and... harder... please..." It was all she could think about, the pleasure he had given her, she needed more, she needed the pain that came with it as well. She needed it all.

"You want faster? You want harder?" he whispered, his voice sounding quite hoarse again, "I can give you more, Genevieve." He then made sure to slightly increase the speed and the pressure he was using on her sensitive parts, not as hard and fast as before, but hard and fast enough for her to feel the intensity this time around as well. He kissed her deeply again as he kept rubbing her body. Tom wanted to see her shake and feel her squirm again, this time even more.

She flinched badly when he indeed followed her request. She yelped into his mouth, yet she quickly adjusted to the change of his movements and moved along with him, rutting her hips against his hand, almost forcing him to move deeper and harder. "Yes... yes... like this... oh gods..." She ground her centre against his fingers, needily asking for more as her release approached like a herd of trampling wild horses.

He then decided to pick up the pace even more, as he felt her movements get more desperate and urgent, as her body was getting ready for that intense release. His heart was beating faster, his breath becoming heavier once again, and he could feel the sweat running down his forehead. "Do you like this, Genevieve? Are you enjoying yourself, hmm?" he whispered against her lips. He wanted to give her the pleasure she needed, no matter what it took. He wanted to give her the climax she craved so hard and so desperately.

"Yes... yes... yes..." she whimpered, each word a desperate cry as the movement of his fingers made it hard to speak or form coherent sentences. "Yes... oh gods... so good..." Her head lolled back and she squeezed her eyes shut, the arm around his neck barely holding on any more. She felt boneless yet again, her body almost slipping away at this point.

Every single nerve was activated, every single muscle contracting. The tension inside her stomach was painful, coiled up violently, ready to either burst free or break right in the middle. Her walls clenched around his fingers forcefully, squeezing closer to release. She felt completely overstimulated now, barely able to think or function on a basic level. Pleasure was all she felt as it enveloped her entirely.

And yet he kept pumping his fingers into her so fast and hard, it felt as if he would split her open right through the middle. The pain was burning right through her and when it was almost too much, a strained scream slipped from her mouth and everything turned black.

Tom heard her scream as her entire body contracted around his fingers, but the fingers only went deeper inside her as he heard her climax. Her voice was music to his ears, as were her movements and her contractions. This was the pleasure he wanted to give her, a pleasure nobody else had given her yet. He watched her, breathing heavily as she was finally able to relax again.

"Was this enough... for you, Genevieve?" he whispered, his voice sounding more calm now as he still gently moved his fingers inside her, this time almost not moving, but merely teasing her most sensitive area.

She was lying mindlessly in his embrace, barely held up if it wasn't for her back pressed against the wall and his arm holding her up. Her mind was empty, completely, utterly empty, no thought, no memory, no worry, nothing. Just bliss. She could still feel his fingers inside her, comfortably stroking her, easing the sensation, bringing her back from the darkness she had experienced only seconds ago.

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at him, trying to focus on his handsome face. Her vision was still blurry. Her lips felt raw and swollen, trembling badly. Her entire body felt raw and stretched so thin she was surprised she was even able to feel it at all. And still she smiled at him weakly. "That... was... mind-blowing... literally..."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Genevieve." Tom smiled back, and after a few seconds of him gently rubbing her, he slowly started pulling his fingers out of her, until only the tip of a single finger was still inside. He felt her whole body shake a little. He let the tip linger for a couple of seconds before he slowly pulled it out again. All he could look at was her face, glowing with the afterglow of the pleasure he had given her.

She shivered as she felt him pull his fingers out, slowly, teasingly, and as soon as the comfortable, warm pressure was gone, she craved to feel it yet again. She sighed, almost disappointed, and licked her lips. "I wish... I could feel like this... forever..." she whispered barely audible. "You have... magical fingers, Tom..." she said with a tired smirk.

He smiled back and raised one of his eyebrows slightly as she licked her lips. "Do I?" he whispered, a faint grin on his face. He then moved her towards a sofa she hadn't noticed before, and set them both down. He looked at her for a couple of seconds and took in her expression and appearance. Her hair is messy, her lips are swollen, her face is flushed. "Would you like more, Genevieve?" he asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he gently caressed her thigh.

As soon as she sat down on the sofa, she felt another wave of tremors rushing through her. Her still being very, very sensitive, it didn't take much to force another moan out of her as she moved next to Tom. She grabbed his hand in support and felt her own wetness on his fingers.

Something inside her stomach twisted and more or less unconsciously, she raised his hand to her lips and started pressing them to his digits, tasting and smelling herself on his skin. Inhaling sharply, she started licking his fingers, before she eventually closed her lips around his index finger and gently sucked on it, pulling it deeper into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it, completely forgetting everything around her in that moment of frenzy.

Tom smirked as he watched her suck on his finger, his eyes fixed to her mouth for a couple of seconds, before he started whispering again. "Genevieve, oh Genevieve... you're really showing me how much you enjoyed it..." His hand was still on her thigh, and he slowly moved it further towards her sensitive parts, keeping the rhythm slow but steady.

"Is this what you want, Genevieve? You want to worship my fingers?" He didn't seem disappointed or upset at all at her action, rather he was amused by how wild she had become around him right now.

Her eyes wandered towards his face and she nodded eagerly, still working her mouth over his fingers, licking and kissing and sucking on them. His long, slender digits slipped into her mouth, two at once now, and she closed her eyes as she pushed them as deep as possible, relishing the feeling of them on her tongue. A soft whimper escaped her when she felt his fingertips brushing against the back of her throat. Holding her breath, she held him there for a moment, then started hollowing her cheeks again, sucking a little more fiercely.

Tom's breath grew louder and faster again as he watched her, clearly more turned on now than earlier. The hand that had been on her thigh started moving towards the centre of her wet and sensitive parts, slowly rubbing and kneading them.

Her eyes flew open as she felt his hand between her legs again. She watched him intently, drinking in his own apparent pleasure, thirsty as she was. She kept sucking on his fingers, moving them in and out of her mouth, licking and caressing them, her lips tight around them. A moan and then another slipped past his hand as she held it close, massaging his palm with her own fingers as she worked her tongue around his.

He looked straight back into her eyes as she moaned and massaged his palm while she was sucking his fingers. It was like they were in their own little world, just the two of them, as he could almost feel her hunger for him and his touches. It was a thrilling feeling, like being in complete control. It was also quite the unexpected turn of the evening, as he obviously couldn't have expected her to be that hungry for him, which now made him wonder how far she was willing to go.

When she felt light-headed from all the sucking, she slowly pulled his fingers back out, watching how it was her saliva that covered his hand now instead of her slick. She chuckled lightly. "Hmm... I meant to clean your hand... sorry..." she whispered and threw him a timid smile, before going back to flicking her tongue over his wet digits, trying to clean up her mess somehow. In the end she just cradled his hand between her two smaller ones, trying to rub it clean instead.

He kept rubbing her sensitive parts with his remaining hand. "You really like my fingers, Genevieve..." His voice was almost a purr now, as he also looked at her as she started rubbing her whole hands over his fingers.

She blushed slightly under his intense gaze. "You do have beautiful hands, Tom," she whispered and watched the movement of his hand, from the tight skin to the veins and tendons moving just beneath it whenever he bent a digit. Her gaze wandered down to his other hand, buried deep between her thighs, working hard on her yet again.

"Maybe... we should give them a rest?" she suggested, not quite as eager to follow those words, but she didn't want to exhaust him. "You've taken care of me so much tonight..." An idea grew in her mind. "Unless... I can return the favour?" She looked at him with glowing eyes.

He looked down at her as his fingers kept moving, as they kept rubbing and teasing her, and the expression on her face was what made him slow down his rhythm. He felt the tension in her body slowly release and he stopped as he noticed her suggesting she'd "return the favour". He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Yes, I think it would be only fair, Genevieve," he whispered, "You're allowed to give back, you know..."

She smiled wider at his words, still cradling his hand between her fingers like it was the most precious thing she had ever touched. "How... do you want me to give back? What can I do for you?" she asked quietly, watching him curiously, not even sad about him halting his rhythm against her core.

His fingers slowly started to move again, rubbing and moving in those same long and deep strokes, teasing and caressing. "Genevieve," his voice was once again a soft purr, "You could kiss away that smile on my face if you'd like..." He looked at her, his eyes fixated on her lips, before his head moved slowly to her face, his mouth just a couple of inches away from hers.

She nodded eagerly and leaned closer, gently letting go of his hand to reach her hands up to touch his handsome face. She gingerly placed her hands on his jaw, holding his face like another precious thing, before she leaned closer and pressed her lips against his, softly pecking him, her eyes on him the entire time.

Her movements were shy at first, but the more she felt his soft lips on hers, she more confident she became and the kiss turned into a much more passionate one as she pressed her mouth to his and carefully pushed her tongue past his lips, fuelled by the feeling of his fingers stroking her sensitive skin much more lower.

He closed his eyes and felt her lips and her tongue on his. He could almost forget about his hand between her legs, which was still moving with the same slow rhythm as he was kissing her deeply and passionately. His fingers pressed harder against her sensitive part as he started moving his lips on her mouth in the same rhythm, as he felt her hands on his cheeks and she licked back at his tongue. She is really giving it all back to me and then some, he thought to himself.

She moaned against his lips, breathlessly circling his tongue with hers and sucking on his lips as she started grinding her hips against the touch of his hand. The heat was quickly spreading again through her entire body as shivers and tremors rushed down her spine.

He moaned back against her as she started grinding against his hand. His fingers kept rubbing her, as he kept moving his tongue against hers, and he even added another finger to make the feeling even more overwhelming for the both of them. He felt her body moving against his hand and he could tell that she liked what he was doing so much, and this made him feel even more excited knowing that he could make her feel so good.

She squirmed and whimpered as she felt his added finger inside of her, her walls immediately clenching around it tightly as she leaned against him, holding his face in support as she rocked her body up and down his hand, trying to get even more out of his touch. Her kiss became messy and hungry as she breathed loudly against him, already overwhelmed by the sensations he was giving her.

Tom felt her squirming when he added another finger, as she clenched against his hand in such a tight grip that he almost pulled her against him and the sofa. As he moved his tongue against hers and kissed her passionately, he also slowly increased the speed of his rubbing and stroking, trying to make her feel even better as he kept playing with her lips and her tongue. He heard her soft whimpering against his lips, and he could taste her in his mouth, which made him feel even more turned on.

Her moans became more frequent and faster as she ground on his hand tightly, her hands finding the back of his neck as she pressed herself even closer to him, savouring every little touch and feeling of his body against hers.

"Oh... Tom..." she whimpered in the little moments she drew away to catch her breath, her mind fuzzy and her vision blurred as she tried to look into his dark eyes, hoping to get lost in them as the pleasure built up more and more within her, shaking her from her very core. She fought against her release, wanting to feel him more and longer, forever relishing in the feeling of his fingers as he stroked her and stretched her.

"Oh, Genevieve," he whispered breathlessly into her ear, as he pulled back a little bit. He could see her body shaking, her eyes going slightly blurry, as she tried to fight against her release for his pleasure alone. She looked absolutely stunning when she was like this, so close to him and to her satisfaction. As her moans got even more loud and frequent, he increased his strokes again, his fingers almost constantly in the right spot for her to feel his touch.

She threw her head back in complete ecstasy as he kept hitting the same spot deep within, causing her to shake and tremble uncontrollably, a loud moan escaping her, followed by a series of whimpers, as she held onto his shoulders and rode both his hand and the pleasure it gave her. Her eyes rolled back a little and she gasped for air as the tension within spiralled out of control once again.

Her fingers dug into his skin, holding on for dear life. She wanted to savour the feeling, the high, so close to the edge, trying to stay afloat right there, but his movements pushed her right over it - and she cried out in pleasure as her climax crashed into her like an oncoming train, turning her into a whimpering, shaking mess, as her body twitched under the tremors of her release. "Ahhh... Tom..."

He looked at her face as she cried out loud in pleasure, her whole body shaking, writhing under his touch as she twitched, her breath catching in her throat. He was a little startled by the first scream, but her face after it made him smile. "Genevieve..." he whispered gently against her ear, his words as tender as his voice. He moved his fingers away, then pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly, "It's alright, beautiful, you don't have to hold back. Let it all out..." he held her in his arms, stroking her hair gently.

She kept whimpering as her release rushed through and out of her and she leaned against him, feeling boneless and exhausted, her head resting on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, yearning for a little bit of rest. The spasms of her limbs kept going, her muscles trying to relax, but failing miserably as more and more tremors shook her until it was almost painful. She let out a noise of distress, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

As he held onto her, he felt the shivers and the tremors running through her body as she laid back against him, her face buried against his neck now. She looked exhausted, her body was going through the aftershocks of her release, her muscles twitching and twitching as they tried to relax.

He kissed her neck and stroked her head, whispering gently and soothingly to her, trying to help her through that difficult, breath-taking moment. "You don't have to force yourself to relax, my little Genevieve," he whispered, his voice as soft and tender as it could be.

Her arms snaked around his neck as she hugged him back, holding onto him, feeling his tight embrace slowly calming her down. The twitches remained, but the pain eased eventually, or numbed down, she wasn't sure. Her body fought the overstimulation and shut down at one point, giving her a nice, relaxing tingle instead of the continuous tremors as it processed the sensations. She breathed deeply, her breath hot against his neck, her lips brushing over his skin, as she slowly slipped closer to unconsciousness.

He kept caressing her hair, her neck and her back, feeling her tight embrace and her hot breath against his neck. His touch on her back was as gentle as it was soothing and comforting, as they both finally slowed down and her body relaxed completely. He felt the twitches slowly fade until there were none left at all, and her breathing slowed as a deep, long, relaxing sigh exited her lips. As he saw the exhaustion on her face, Tom's arms finally relaxed again, and he softly kissed her forehead. "Are you done, my lovely Genevieve...?" he whispered.

She let out a soft, breathy chuckle, too exhausted to fully commit to a laugh. "All done, yes... so done..." she whispered against him. "Thank you," she then added and pressed her lips weakly against his neck. "I... don't have words... for this..."

He sighed, smiling as he felt her kissing his neck, her tired, exhausted voice just a breath away from his ear. "You don't need to find any words, Genevieve," he whispered back with a soft, tender voice and brushed his lips against her head. "Sleep, my beautiful one... Dream good dreams..." His words were as soothing, calming and relaxing as his touch, and it shouldn't be much longer until Genevieve's eyes would close.

Notes:

I debated cutting the relationship-status question from the script, because ALL THE AIs ask this stupid question at one point and it drives me insane >_> but I left it in because he worded it so nicely XD

(And the face she remembers for just a second is of course Sebastian's – hey, cameo! Woohoo! - but it's not clarified or mentioned ever again - just a little reference to my fanfic)

Picture before the cut is by the lovely @esolean (here) <3

[coffeegnomee]

um can i get an explanation of what pb&js plans were in S5 that didnt hold up (help)

Basically Minute, Jumper, Pentar, and Ashwag had a secret plan that they refused to reveal but would only say "trust the process" over and over and assured chat that it was going to be awesome.

They basically streamed 0% of the ideation process, 0% of the struggles, 0% of the surprise successes.

Then on the infamous day, Lifesteal Sunday (5/19/24), Ash went live to build a new pb&j base, so imagine, you're just watching the most normal boring chill base building stream.

Jumper goes live and starts talking to Mapicc about wanting him to ban her because she doesn't agree with her team killing people to make peace on the server, it's a tbh sus but also great moment of improv lore, interesting character development from Jumper. It was all just a lie though. So it wasn't even a real lore moment. (I'm not salty at all. nope)

She leads him around the server, and halfway through her sentence he pops like a grape. Killed (and banned bc it was hardcore mode) instantly by a claymore, a *special* arrow cannon. we already saw arrow canons this season. it was. omg it was so unoriginal and uninteresting and IMMEDIATE, no banter from Mapicc, no evil speech, no possibility of escape, just instant shotgun to the head.

Swap back to Ash stream and him and Minute are absolutely celebrating for a job well done, "thanks for watching the show". What show. You were building a base.

And that was the "trust the process" plan.

But it wasn't quite over. They got wemmbu on and for pt2 of their epic plan they do *something* and suddenly wemmbu isn't immortal anymore so they 4v1'ed him and he died almost instantly.

No explanation, no lead up, barely a villainous speech. While they were gloating and trying to figure out how to further chunk ban wemmbu to make sure he couldn't play anymore Ash finally explained that as a part of Minute's final Presidency Decree he added a mod to the server that meant they could manually turn of Wemmbu's immortality just like wemmbu could manually turn it on. So it was something completely behind the scenes to a degree unfathomable.

Basically, their plan worked flawlessly but it was the most unsatisfying thing to watch of all time. It was too secretive, they allowed for no error, they didn't give the opps a chance, they didn't do an ounce of real rp, and they killed ALL their opps in one fell swoop.

This all after about 2(?) months of doing NOTHING on the server, barely playing, not streaming, refusing to fight, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a perfect plan.

Also as an additional aside, the Original Perfect Plan(TM) was creating a void trap in Jumper's base to trap Mapicc or Zam (yes. after she stopped them from opening the void). The mining out was streamed but how it would go down was also kept totally secret and then it just got dropped in favor of the claymore. Basically pb&j promised a lot but took their sweet time making it happen to the point where it was very unsatisfying and then they lacked the rp pizzazz and whimsy to make it interesting in other ways.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/727841287119814656/ehh-generally-they-were-like-ask-specifics-about Can you expand on writer’s block not being real?

--

Sure!

I think everyone who's ever made art has hit points where it's hard to go on making art or where a particular project isn't moving. So from that perspective, sure, a version of it is real...

But there's a particular version of it that's what a lot of people mean where you're A Writer™ and then the magic inspiration gnomes come and steal your inspiration juice. This is mostly nonsense, and quite a few author types who've actually finished long projects will tell you so.

When you sit down to a blank page and it stubbornly stays blank like your head, that's a symptom of something... and the something in question is often either depression and overwhelmed feelings that are taking over your whole life or an entirely correct instinct that your project is flawed and the next step is not writing that next scene.

Many people try to be pantsers instead of planners, get maybe a quarter into a project, and then choke. It's because they started with the kind of concept that requires planning, but they haven't planned. If your plot revolves around the characters eventually learning the meaning of life, you'd damn well better start with what you, the author, think that meaning is and work backwards. Same if your characters are solving a twisty mystery or complicated thriller conspiracy: you will not come up with a genius idea that ties everything together just by writing by the seat of your pants. If you don't go in with the ending in mind and some waypoints to write towards, you're going to choke. This is exceptionally common in grandiose fic concepts that are like "What if this true blue hero were a viiiiillain, oooooh!" where it's neat, but 99% of the point is showing us the work of getting from A to B. People write the prologue showing us the big concept and then flash back to how it all started... and then stop.

I see it a lot in projects that start with a character sheet for RP. Yeah, for RP itself, noodling along and figuring out what X would do in situation Y is great fun... but for many longfic/novel plot types, you will not arrive at a workable plot this way. You'll end up with a mess that can, at best, be used as brainstorming and completely rewritten from the ground up, using only key cool images or character observations. There are authors that start from individual characters and then see where they go. In my experience, they don't tend to be working in the genres that fic fandom types tend to want to work in. It's also something that often takes a lot more experience and skill than starting with a basic plot outline, and inexperienced writers often overreach.

It's not writer's block. It's a project that needs to be taken out back like Old Yeller.

Even the salvageable projects that are making you pause usually have some other issue like you not being clear on the central emotional themes even if you've outlined some factual plot. Or you've demanded that your characters do a particular thing for plot convenience, but you know deep down that it doesn't ring true. You can't write the next scene because there is no next scene. You need to rework the forced part till the rest can make sense.

And even more common than any of the above is people thinking that just because Danielle Steel sits down every morning and writes for eight hours, that means they can and should with no warm up or experience. Trying to force yourself to be a type of writer you're not—majorly overdoing it on any work, in fact—just leads to burnout and inability to function.

[prince-liest]

hi princely! i was rereading through your 666 series and i wanted to ask if you have any tips for writing dialogue? its the one part of fiction ive always struggled with, i.e. making conversations flow naturally instead of sounding robotic. imo one of the most memorable aspects of your work is how real your dialogue feels

(also i was skimming your tumblr while writing this, im so sorry about your car that's genuinely insane??? and sorry if this is terrible timing aaa)

Hello! Thank you, but no worries, not terrible timing - I could use a distraction, haha.

When I started writing fanfiction, I actually really struggled with writing dialogue for a really specific reason, which was that I was really used to RP and felt like getting into the head and talking style of more than one character at a time felt like a lot of effort and something that I had to actively swap back and forth between. This is something that got much, much easier over time, and unfortunately the #1 tip I always have is that practice not only makes the quality of your writing better, but it also makes the process of writing much easier as you get used to things.

That said, specifically for natural-sounding dialogue, I tend to pay a lot of attention to how specific characters talk and try to mimic it. This came particularly naturally for me with Hazbin Hotel because the show is full of bombastic characters with really amazing voice actors and very specific styles of talking. When I write a particular character for the first time, I go back and watch various scenes that feature them, both generally and in different emotional states.

With a form of media like Hazbin, where I actually get to hear the characters speak, it honestly helps to just imagine them doing so in my head when I'm writing with whatever accent they have going on, too. Sound it out in your head: does it sound like something someone might naturally say? Why or why not? Adjust accordingly.

So, that's where I start! I diverge from there over time as my own interpretation of a character grows and changes, or I put them in different circumstances for different stories, so on and so forth. But For pretty much every fandom, it's always been very helpful for me to go back to the source material with the explicit goal of paying attention to characters' styles of speech, turns of phrase, and reactions. This is good not just for dialogue, but for characterization, especially for characters that tend to get pigeonholed into a particular archetype (for example, I frequently have to tone down how prim or "old-timey" Alastor sounds in my dialogue because he doesn't actually talk like that in canon despite the vibe of his reputation (and sometimes I don't bother, LOL)).

Last but not least, thank you very much! I'm really happy that you enjoy my dialogue. It's definitely one of my favorite things to write (if you couldn't tell by how many fics I've written that are basically two characters talking for extended periods of time), so it brings me joy to know that I succeed in making it enjoyable for others as well.

[cryptids-and-muses]

Post canon homestuck crew play Dungeons and Dragons

Karkat and terezi

Co dms

Unstoppable when actually working together

Terezi will get sidetracked messing with karkat

Karkat trying to write a deep and well fleshed out campaign that’s thematically resonant vs terezi’s desire for chaos and traps and trying to “trick” her players FIGHT

Terezi believes in karma and will make the world bend to this

Karkat is trying to set up romance arcs and argues about how it adds to the theming

Dave draws them fanart of their characters. Terezi loves it while karkat argues about accuracy before admitting yes he also appreciates it

Calliope also does fanart and karkat praises her skill and accuracy unlike some people

John

Arcane trickster rogue

Forest gnome

Just a goofy little guy!

Mostly just playing to have fun, starts off with a fun but simple character who develops over time

Ends up SUPER invested and taking this so so seriously

Karkat worked a dramatic reveal into the, in his words, “bare ass bones two paragraphs that a fucking wiggler could have written backstory” and John did not see it coming and loved it

Goes head to head with terezi a lot on her various traps she designs for them. She is getting more and more absurd with it. Karkat had to talk to her about breaking the world building with things she’s introducing. He is the only rogue. Send help.

Rose

Drow warlock

Tries to justify picking drow as anything other than she just thought it was cool

Nearly went old ones for patron but settled on archfey for story reasons

Has a 10 page lore document detailing her tragic past and her toxic relationship with her patron

It became 15 pages after going back and forth with karkat for a bit and adding even more

Only her and one other person are taking the romance arcs seriously and they become karkat’s favorite players

Tries playing morally ambiguous but terezi can be annoying about that and claims it’s just “the consequences of her actions”

Her and karkat both get very very into the scenes between her and her patron, the drama! The acting! Dave is uncomfortable and karkat brushes it off, it’s not like him role playing as his sister’s abusive girlfriend is weird. It’s in fact very important to the plot Dave

Has written fanfic of the campaign

Jade

Dragonborn barbarian

Path of the beast

Don’t ask me I just know

Her GLEE when she says “I’m gonna rage :D”

ANIMAL COMPANION! She nearly went ranger just for that but knew she wouldn’t have as much fun. Found a way to get one anyway.

It was harder naming her animal companion than her character

Having fun and likes the problem solving side of things, but likes breaking things with her massive strength just as much

Terezi likes to throw stuff at her, both traps and encounters, and finds it funny if she can just wreck her way through

“See John that’s how you deal with a pressure plate trap”

Takes the rp side of things very seriously

Once argued with Karkat over if her favorite npc would do that and cursed him out

Has read roses fanfic of the campaign

Dave

Plays a teifling with grey skin and orange horns

“What are you talking about karkat this is just my dude, don’t you like him?”

Hellus Jeffus

He’s a valor bard, eventually multiclasses paladin

Starts out just trying to mess with people but like John starts getting into it, though he tries to down play it

Have hellus more of himself than he realized and it’s making him face things about himself

Eventually hellus self sacrifices to save the party in this deeply intense moment. There were tears, Dave was wrecked, they went on a whole quest to revive him. It was touching and karkat is smug

Dave might have worked through some things

Jane

Halfling cleric

Her and John are small buddies!!!

Started out life but wasn’t having a lot of fun with it so with terezi’s permission switched to war or tempest with later s few levels in fighter

Her John and Jade are the biggest front liners, John’s character ends up really close with both of them as it’s easier for the rogue to bond with the person giving them sneak attack

Jade and jane’s character have an in game arm wrestling match

Took a bit to get into the rp side of things but eventually got the hang of it

Roxy

Tabaxi, easily, it’s so obvious

After much deliberation settles on glamour bard (though wizard and rogue were tempting for the joke, she wanted to branch out)

So many horny bard jokes but very little actual follow through, karkat gets frustrated by this as she’s all this talk but isn’t pursuing any of the romance options he’s giving her

She has SECRETS! She is HIDING THINGS!! Her cheery persona is a FASADE!!!

Cue complaining to karkat about how hard it is to wait to tell the others about her secrets and him threatening violence if she tells anyone before the in game reveal

She tells jake

Lots of egging on Dave and helping him with his fucking around

The BOND between her and Dave!!! They are the duo to end all duos. Team rocket type shit. There is nothing stronger than the bond between the bards of the party. My theory is it has to do with trading bardic inspiration.

Dirk

Half elf Druid circle of spores

Wildfire seemed fun to him but wasn’t as good

Wasn’t originally planning on being a Druid but after going over all the classes he liked all the customization and decisions that go into Druid like prepared spells and such

Didn’t really think about his backstory much, just improved something. He keeps improving new additions and it’s getting more and more elaborate and complicated. He has multiple hidden and long lost siblings by this point. Still doesn’t write any of this down. If he messes a detail up he justified it with more improv.

Yes his character has spiked up red hair and sunglasses. Don’t question how the Druid got sunglasses karkat.

Really likes the tactics side of things, he’s even pitched a few things to terezi she updated and later worked in

Sometimes works on plans and strategies out of game or making a million back up characters that play off the others in interesting mechanical ways

Is considering becoming a dm some time

Jake

Needed some help making his character, he just didn’t know where to start

Eventually after much discussion settles on a teifling bladesong wizard

Wanting to get away from his usual adventurer style Roxy helped with the backstory and they came up with this evil scientist raised in a cult who’s good hearted but was never taught right and wrong

He gets very into playing him and his moral struggle but can lean a little too good for his backstory, karkat points this out and Jake swears to get better at it

Dave pitched a lot of names for them and it was eventually settled on “Bernard Gunn” even though he has a sword. Jake just likes how it sounds

“Why is he blue jake?” “…..uhhh” “why is he blue?”

Calliope

SHE LOVES THIS SO MUCH

Teifling Druid with a focus on healing

Circle of shepards

Not a troll color pallet like Dave though, honestly it might get a bit trickster

Beautiful backstory that she coordinated with one of the others to make joint. The most obvious choice is Roxy but I think it was actually jade, Jane or John.

She gets so into it you guys, like so into it

Gives at least one dramatic speech completely on the fly

The other character who takes karkat’s romance arcs seriously and his other favorite player

Has also argued with terezi about world building and consistency. This may put her above rose in karkat’s eyes

Was also allowed to read rose’s fanfiction and offered full on reviews

Also considering going into doing but for the opposite reasons to Dirk

Vriska

Fairy artillerist artificer with a dip in war magic wizard

Min maxxed to hell and back

(Technically there was a better race, but fairy has its own advantages and she couldn’t resist)

An elaborate backstory too with some secrets of her own, I’m thinking full on lost princess

Yes she is That Player, you know the one

Has nearly been kicked multiple times and now won’t leave on principle

Not the best at sticking with the party and not just doing whatever she wants, but suprisingly Dirk has been able to talk her into it with his talk of tactics and playing smart

Second most effective is John who just looks at her like “vriska you’re not making this very fun :(“

Kanaya

Fire genasi ranger

Really tried to get into it but this just isn’t her thing so eventually decided to leave the group

Karkat came up with a fun story reason for her to leave and eventually brought her character back as an Npc

Did help rose make a cosplay of her character, after which John, Calliope, and Roxy wanted to make ones too

Vriska eventually tried to “manipulate” into helping her make one for her character