#but all my favorite characters have the same personality

[clairewritesfanfics]

Dragon!Sylus x Non-MC!Reader Part 1

Synopsis: A depressed, transmigrated fan dedicates their life worshipping their favorite character. (Because not everyone can be a badass like MC.)

Trigger Warnings: depression, mentions of self-harm and suicide attempts

Imagine being a depressed and overworked person, on the brink of throwing away your life, when your attempt is interrupted by an ad of Sylus' voice saying, "I adore you. There is no love purer than mine." Broken and alone, the words of a fictional character sends you to tears and you stop yourself from doing the unthinkable.

Finding hope again, if only in the brief moments spent playing a dating sim, you decided to give life a chance. You continued with the same routine, waking up, going to work, eating the same cheap meals from the convenience store and finding happiness with your favorite character. You used any spare money you had to buy Sylus merch and get all his cards. Life wasn't perfect, but you were content.

Until one day, you were sucked into a mysterious wormhole that transported you to a familiar, otherworldly room filled with rare metals, sparkling jewels and all sorts of weapons. Lying on a bed of velvet was a back all too familiar.

You’ve taken over a hundred photos of that back and have memorized every vein, every muscle, even the way the spine dipped oh so deliciously. 

Was this heaven?

Did God take pity on your pathetic existence and decided to give you a second chance?

No, this was probably a dream–”Ow!” You pinched yourself a little too hard. Nope, not a dream.

You glanced at your hands and body, you were still you. In the game, this part is when the Main Character would attempt an assassination, but you weren’t the MC here. There is a chance–no, the chances of you dying here was as good as 99%. You had no powers, no system, skill or cheat to help you here. 

But if you were going to die, at least you can go in your own terms.

“Um, excuse me? Hello?” 

The dragon said nothing and you opted to crawl towards him. “Mister Dragon? Are you awake?” Knowing that death was almost certain, you decided to throw away all inhibitions and reached out to trace the curve of his spine. “Hello–!”

His cold, spiked tail wrapped around your waist until the tip rested on your chest. You couldn’t help but gasp when your favorite turned to face you.

No 3D rendered model or painting from your world could capture even a tenth of the true thing's magnificence. Official sources said he was 6'2", but the real thing looked like he surpassed two meters. He towered over you completely. Maybe it wasn' height alone but his very aura that made you feel so small. 

He was so beautiful. 

“My, what do we have here? A stray puppy?”

That voice was smooth and deep as melted chocolate. You wanted to thank God, Buddha, Satan and all other powerful entities for letting you witness this moment. 

He stared down at you, assessing everything. If you had known you’d end up here you would’ve taken a bath and worn something better. 

“How odd. You have no magic power and you lack any muscle that most assassins and warriors have. It’s almost as if you’re an ordinary person.”

Okay, ouch. But he wasn’t wrong. 

You raised both hands. “You’re right, I’m as average as they come.” 

“Then tell me what an ‘average’ citizen such as yourself wanted with me.”

You tilted your head in thought before answering, “I wanted to meet you.”

“Surely, you’re joking.”

“I’m perfectly serious.”

“You must take me for a fool.”

“No, I truly did want to meet you.” 

“Why are you here? Surely, you didn’t come here to die.”

“No.” Though you were prepared. “I just wanted to see you.”

His eyes can pierce through any lie, but your gaze was as clear as a cloudless sky and without a trace of deception. He was unsure how to feel about this.

“You’re quite bold. But an ordinary person wanting to meet me for the sake of it feels too odd to be true. Quite stupid, even. Did it ever occur to you that I may not be so polite and just end up taking your heart?”

You raised your head, steady and unfearful as you asked, “Will taking my heart make you happy?” 

You wanted to tell him that every part of you belonged to him now, but even you would cringe at such cheesiness. You decided to be normal about this. “If my organs will make you happy then take them, but I do have a request.” You wriggled closer. “When you take my heart, please look into my eyes until I die.”

You’ve met your favorite, your savior. In a way, Sylus gave you a second chance at life. It seemed only fitting to perish with him being the last thing you saw. 

Sylus stared at you with guarded curiosity. “I’ve never met someone so eager to die before. Either that or you are an excellent liar.” Some humans are trickier than others, they will say anything to get the upper hand. 

“Don’t get cocky, human.” His tail tightened around you. “I don’t know what you’re planning but it’d be all too easy to kill you.”

He expected you to resist, to scream or cry or seduce him. 

Instead, you covered your mouth, the edges curling upwards despite your efforts to appear serious. But it’s not your fault, he’s so cute when he tries to be menacing! You had no doubt that he’d just kill an NPC, but he will always be attractive to you, even as he threatens to rip your heart out.

“This is no laughing matter. Dragons are territorial, you should’ve thought twice before trespassing into my domain.”

“Sy–ahem, Mister Dragon, please remember my request when you end my life.”

“... I’m really going to do it.”

“I know!” You nodded your head vigorously, the grin you tried so hard to suppress looked ridiculous to him. Compared to throwing yourself in front of a train or overdosing on pills, this was your ideal way to die.

“...” 

“...”

“... tsk.” He released you and you can’t help but miss the feeling of his tail choking you. Oh, well. 

“Mister Dragon?”

He returned to lying on his treasures, back turned away from you. 

Not wanting him to think that you were going to backstab him, you got down on all fours and crawled towards his makeshift bed. “Sir Dragon?” 

He remained silent.

"Amazing, extraordinary, most handsome and venerable Lord Dragon–”

"Just–” he sighed “–call me Sylus.”

“Really?!”

“This is the part where you tell me your name.” He couldn’t believe he was teaching etiquette to a human.

“Er, right.” You gave him your name. Though with that voice, he can call you whatever he wants.

“I won’t stop you so go back the way you came and leave me be.”

“I can’t.”

“This isn’t a request. Get out while I’m still being patient.”

“I mean, I literally can’t. I’m not from this place and I don’t know how to get back home.” To be frank, you had little interest in returning. Aside from the LADS update, you weren’t going to miss anything. No friends, no family, only superiors who took advantage of you and a cold, barren apartment with a rent that was two months due. 

Sylus sighed and rolled over. He lay an arm over his torso, looking gorgeous as he looked at you with eyes full of disdain. “Trying to get me to pity you, isn’t going to work.”

“I’m not.” You didn’t need his or anybody else’s pity. You were simply tired, and you were sick of pretending that you weren’t. When Sylus does lose his temper, then at least you could be honest in your final moments. 

To be continued...

[jd-loves-fiction]

Did I say 2 reqs, I meant 3. This is gonna be a more specific one

You already know. Boothill, Gallagher, Blade, Aventurine and Ratio meeting reader of another universe and this reader almost the complete opposite of the one from their world with a different story and different circumstances.

(For more context HSR universe reader is more child-like, reckless, clearly teen aged, seeking parental validation a lot, Impulsive and just over all immature as expected from a kid.

Meanwhile this other universe reader is the same age but they are a lot more responsible, mature, basically parents the people around them, grumpy but caring (basically if you mixed Blade and Ratio personality-wise))

🌑it never eeeenndsss!! 😭(havin the time of my life) ALSO CAN YOU TELL I HAVE FAVORITES :D (maybe i should write a character study thing with Ratio too.... i like him a lot more than i realized)

✦ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥 ✦

Eerie as hell, very freaked out

Like, who is this child and why do they look like you??

Obviously likes your normal self better, OBVIOUSLY

This is just weird :( you should be acting like a kid, because that's what you are, not... whatever this is

Unsettled through every enteraction with this other version of yourself, always a little distant - just can't get used to the change

Once its all over, he let's you get away with a lot more than usual (which was already a lot) and scolds you a lot less

✦ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞 ✦

Feels a strange sort of longing - this is what you could've been like

He sees it as the version of you, you should've turned into if you'd have a relatively pain-free life

If makes him ache in a way he hasn't been able to process yet

Lingers a lot on the possibilities - would you have never met him like this? Would that have been better for you?

Slips into self-deprication alarmingly quickly

Once it's over, he turns very introspective for a few days after

Before returning to his quiet, grumpy self, only change being he tries to make your life a little easier in all the subtle ways he can

✦ 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 ✦

Definitely see the Dr. Ratio things and it freaks him out a little

He has to deal with one doctor, and now there's two?? (affectionate)

Isn't entirely pleased with the change - you're a lot less like him this was and he doesn't like it

Aven likes being able to relate to you and connect to you though your similarities (even if most of the things you have in common are undoubtedly negative)

Your similarities also help him lead you away from the worst stuff he's experienced walking the same path as you - like this though? He can't lead you, he doesn't know how and therefore feels as if he can't protect you

Spoils you like hell once the situation is solved, buying you anything you want and encouraging your childishness and recklessness - definitely not healthy, but he likes you better when you're similar

Totally has nothing to do with him seeing his younger self in you and wanting to vicariously heal himself through healing you oh my god this man needs so much therapy

✦ 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 ✦

Appreciates the help? but is conflicted about the whole thing

Sure, you're being a lot more helpful than usual (or this version of you is, rather) and more well behaved on top of that, and he appreciates that BUT it's weird

It's just weird - you're a kid. You're supposed to act like him, you don't need to be good and helpful for him to enjoy having you around

Subtly urges this other version of yourself to relax a little and let loose, more so just to see if they would - they don't. He's quite surprised by it

He though they would when given the chance, that this serious version of yourself was just acting this way becasue they had to and would revert to your normal way of acting when given the chance

The thought that the you he knows isn't necessarily the you, you were meant to be is troubling

The following days, he has a troubled look in his eye but brushes you off when you try to pry

✦ 𝐃𝐫. 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 ✦

It's like looking into a mirror...... he's not a fan

Not in a self-centered 'I'm the only one who can act like that' kind of way, more so in 'why the hell is a kid acting like this' kind of way

Despite what some people would have you believe, Dr. Ratio is actually incrediby caring - he's just on the spectrum (that part is headcanon but tale as old as time)

His life's mission is to spread his knowledge to everyone isntead of monopolising it like the Genius Society is doing

So in a way, it's good to see you follow some of his lessons and act like he sometimes suggests you do

But it feels so damn wrong it just doesn't sit right with him

He wants you to grow to appreciate his lessons when the time is right and you're grown enough to understand them yourself

This just feels like you skipped that teenage rebellion stage that he feels is important to go through

Plus, the slight chip on his shoulder he still carries from being rejected by the Genius Society tells him, the world doesn't need more Ratio's (🥺)

Strangely encourages your misbehavior in the days to come, turns a blind eye to your troublemaking and lightens up on the lessons

The whole ordeal has him appreciating the teenage part of development more than before

AHEM - Valentine event here ;)

[devotion-disorder]

Oh man! I just discover your acc days ago and already love your oc's, both in design and personality, i'm obssesed! I hope some interaction don't come as rude~

1. Did you get inspired by some yandere character to create yours? Like yuno gasai? Lol

2. Which one is your favorite oc and why?

3. You think your oc's would like you in real life? Lolol

4. How would Killian and Kuuya react if their beloved vict- i mean, crush, just randomly star to grope and touch their chest?

That's all for now! :D

no worries its not rude at all! im happy you like my silly guys :DD

1. I'm not sure if theyre inspired by any specific characters when i made them! I think the idea for each chara (both personality + visuals wise) all start off as a combination of tropes i liked. I do consume a lot of yandere stuff in the form of drama cds so those may have rubbed off on me somewhere in the process :0

2. i’ll have you know that i love and cherish all of my children equally, as they are created equally cough maybe killian by a little bit cough. i know i draw some of them more often than others but thats mostly because some are inherently easier to draw LOL... like, i don't draw killian much because im still iffy on his outfit...

3. hmmm i think id be too intimidated to approach most of them in the first place LMAO maybe id get along with Asa. Id buy his handicrafts. Killian and Yuri scare me. If kuuya and i were co-workers we’d be in that awkward acquaintance stage where if we saw each other on the streets we wouldnt know if we should greet each other or not so we nervously walk past praying that we didn't get seen. i would like to give mr narwhal man some pets but id probably get impaled (in a bad way).

4. Killian wouldnt mind it and would be curious. He’s happy you find his body alluring enough to do something so lewd. but now he sees it as fair game to do the same to you, so be prepared for guerilla titty attacks. he doesn't play fair either - burying his face into your neck and licking your ears while his hands busy themselves. Kuuya is so so so embarrassed and might beg you to stop if you were in a public place. Its just for show though, cause he’s overjoyed to be receiving any form of affection from you. His chest is not particularly sensitive right now, but keep this up and he can probably learn to cum hands-free.

[amethystarachnid]

Hi!! I hope you’re doing well 🥰

I had an idea for the Marvel Multiverse Reality Show AU with Tony x F!Personal Assistant Reader (if you’re willing to write it?).

Maybe after just announcing he’s Iron Man, he’s agreed to have a reality show about himself called “The Stark Reality” (because we know this man LOVES attention and it’s a good play on words 🤭). He welcomes the crew in and it shows the world about his daily life, his iron man life, maybe his playboy life etc etc. Throughout filming his reality show, he has many interactions with his personal assistant on screen. Fans watching begin speculating on their relationship together, which after a while leads to an awkward yet sweet realization between the two. His PA definitely has feeling for her boss, but much to her surprise he’s had those same feelings too. It’s sweet when they come to the realization together, but it’s incredibly awkward when they realize the cameras had been secretly filming their sweet moment entire time 😵‍💫

I hope it makes sense lol. Thanks for taking the time to even read this! 🫶🏻

THE STARK REALITY (SHOW)

⤷ ANTHONY “TONY” E. STARK

ᯓ★ Pairing: Anthony “Tony” E. Stark x fem!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: fluff, romance

ᯓ★ Word count: 5.7k

ᯓ★ Summary: what the ask said

ᯓ★ TW(s): lack of privacy because they are in a reality show

ᯓ★ Maybe a part 2?

ᯓ★ Love is in the air - Valentine's Day special game

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ MARVEL Holiday Special

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

The camera crew files into the mansion, wide-eyed and slightly overwhelmed, their equipment catching the gleam of expensive decor and cutting-edge technology. The grand entrance of the Stark estate is exactly as the world imagines—opulent, excessive, and bathed in the golden glow of wealth. The moment the director calls for the first shot, Tony Stark is already in the center of it all, perfectly at ease in the limelight.

“Welcome to The Stark Reality!” he announces, arms thrown wide, that signature smirk plastered across his face. “A reality show about a billionaire, genius, ex-weapons manufacturer, and recently announced superhero. Also known as me.” He winks directly at the camera. “You’re welcome, world.”

The camera crew shifts to follow him as he walks deeper into the house, narrating as he goes. He gestures to the extravagant living space, to the sleek glass walls revealing a sprawling Malibu view, to the open bar already stocked with expensive bottles. It’s all part of the spectacle, but then again, so is he.

And then there’s you.

You linger just outside the frame, tablet in hand, lips pressed together in a straight line. You’ve been Tony’s assistant for years now, navigating his unpredictable whims, his extravagant lifestyle, and now, apparently, his newfound interest in reality television. You should’ve seen this coming. The man loves an audience.

He turns suddenly, catching you off guard. “And this,” he says, beckoning you over, “is my lovely, brilliant, long-suffering personal assistant.”

The camera swings toward you, and you resist the urge to sigh. Instead, you school your features into something passably professional, giving the crew a tight smile.

“Hi,” you say simply.

Tony raises a brow, clearly unimpressed with your lack of enthusiasm. “Come on, give ‘em something. These people are here for entertainment.”

You don’t miss the way he leans in slightly, mischief dancing in his eyes. He loves doing this—pulling you into his orbit, pushing at your composure just to see if you’ll break.

You tilt your head, tapping your tablet. “Would you like me to list your meetings for the day or just summarize the number of ways this reality show is going to be a logistical nightmare?”

He grins. “See? She’s got personality. And she keeps me on schedule, which is an almost impossible task, so she’s basically a superhero in her own right.”

“I don’t have time to save the world,” you say dryly. “I’m too busy saving you from yourself.”

The crew chuckles, and Tony places a hand over his heart in mock offense. “Ouch. And yet, true.”

The filming continues as Tony moves through his morning routine—or rather, what he claims is his routine but is obviously exaggerated for the cameras. He lounges dramatically on his couch, sipping a green smoothie he wouldn’t drink on a normal day. He shows off the in-house gym he rarely uses because, as he puts it, “Why sweat when you have a suit of armor that does all the heavy lifting?”

Still, he’s in his element. The camera loves him, and he loves it right back.

Throughout the day, the crew captures glimpses of what it’s like to work for Tony Stark—organized chaos at best. You’re constantly in motion, fielding calls, managing his schedule, and dodging his playful antics.

At one point, you’re briefing him about an upcoming meeting when he suddenly cuts you off.

“Hold that thought,” he says, turning toward the camera with an exaggerated look of excitement. “This is the part where I ignore my assistant’s very important words and do something reckless.”

You let out a slow breath, eyes closing for a brief second. “Please don’t.”

Too late. He’s already bolting toward his workshop, the crew scrambling to keep up.

The rest of the day follows suit, a whirlwind of Tony being Tony—charming, infuriating, and completely impossible. The world wanted a peek into his life, and now they’re getting it. But beneath all the theatrics, the cameras capture something else too—those little moments where he looks at you just a beat too long, the way he teases you not just for the show, but because he enjoys it.

And maybe you enjoy it too.

The days of filming blur together in a chaotic, camera-filled whirlwind. Tony adapts quickly, thriving under the constant attention, but for you, it’s an adjustment. You’re used to managing him behind the scenes, not under the watchful eyes of millions who will dissect every interaction, every glance, every word exchanged between you.

And dissect they do.

At first, the comments from fans are lighthearted.

"Wow, Tony’s assistant is a saint. How does she put up with him?"

"The way he looks at her though?? I’d die for a man to look at me like that."

"There’s no way they haven’t at least kissed before. The chemistry is insane."

You ignore it. It’s just the internet being the internet. But as the show airs more episodes, the speculation doesn’t just continue—it grows. Entire compilations pop up online, showing moments between you and Tony that seem insignificant alone but, when stitched together, tell a different story.

One of those moments happens late one night when the cameras are supposed to be off.

It’s past midnight, and most of the crew has packed up for the day, but you’re still in the workshop, scrolling through Tony’s calendar on your tablet. He’s at his workbench, eyes locked on whatever latest modification he’s making to the suit. It’s quiet, comfortable. Just the two of you.

“You should go to bed,” he murmurs without looking up.

“You should take your own advice,” you counter.

A smirk tugs at his lips, and he finally lifts his gaze to meet yours. “I will if you will.”

You shake your head, suppressing a smile. “I have too much to do.”

“So do I.” He gestures vaguely at the half-finished repulsor in front of him. “But unlike you, I am my own boss and can ignore my responsibilities.”

You huff out a laugh, shifting your weight onto your other foot. “You ignore them whether you’re your own boss or not.”

His smirk widens. “Exactly. Now sit.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Sit?”

“Yeah.” He pats the empty stool beside him. “You’re making me nervous, standing there all tense. Come on, take a load off.”

After a moment of hesitation, you give in, sliding onto the stool next to him. He’s still looking at you, and now that you’re closer, you notice the exhaustion tugging at the edges of his expression. It’s rare to see him without the armor of his usual bravado.

“Long day?” you ask softly.

He hums, rolling his shoulders. “Something like that.”

Without thinking, you reach out and press your fingers against a knot in his shoulder, kneading gently. He freezes for a fraction of a second, then exhales, melting slightly under your touch.

“Oh,” he murmurs, voice lower now. “That’s dangerous.”

Your fingers still. “What is?”

He turns his head slightly, eyes flickering to yours. “Letting you know that feels good. You might start using it as leverage.”

You roll your eyes but keep massaging the tension from his shoulder. “Please. Like I don’t already have enough leverage on you.”

His lips quirk up in amusement, and for a while, neither of you say anything. The quiet hum of the workshop fills the space, the warmth of his skin beneath your fingertips grounding you. It’s easy to forget the world outside of moments like this.

What neither of you realize is that one of the smaller cameras in the corner of the workshop—the one meant to capture footage of his tech for the show—was never turned off.

When the footage airs, the internet explodes.

"GUYS, I AM LITERALLY GONNA SCREAM. Did you see the way he just let her touch him like that? He was SOFT for her. I can’t do this."

"No but the way she just casually massages him like it’s normal… THEY’RE IN LOVE."

"I don’t even care if they say they’re not together, the EYE CONTACT says otherwise."

Tony, of course, loves the reactions.

“People are calling me soft,” he says one morning, shoving his phone in your face. “For you.”

You glance up from your tablet, unimpressed. “I mean, they’re not wrong.”

His grin widens. “Oh? You admit I have a soft spot for you?”

“I admit you think you do,” you reply smoothly, swiping to the next appointment on his schedule.

“Ouch. Brutal,” he says, pressing a hand to his chest. “You wound me.”

You shake your head, suppressing a smile, but then he does something unexpected. He reaches out and tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

It’s a small thing, a fleeting touch, but it sends your heart skipping a beat.

And of course, the cameras catch it.

The moment goes viral within hours.

"Tony tucking her hair behind her ear?? Sir, I am UNWELL."

"I’m convinced they forget they’re being filmed sometimes because this is NOT platonic behavior."

"The way she paused for a second after he touched her… yeah, she felt that."

The more moments like this pile up, the harder it gets to brush off the speculation. The crew catches everything—the way Tony always seems to find excuses to be near you, the way his gaze lingers just a second too long when you’re not looking, the way you press a coffee into his hand before he even asks for it.

One day, after a particularly chaotic filming session involving a very unnecessary stunt with the Iron Man suit (which you had explicitly told him not to do), the two of you find yourselves alone in the kitchen.

You’re filling a glass of water when Tony steps beside you, leaning casually against the counter.

“You’re mad,” he observes.

You take a sip of your own water. “I’m not mad.”

He tilts his head, studying you. “Annoyed, then.”

You set your glass down with a sigh. “You could’ve gotten hurt.”

His expression softens slightly. “But I didn’t.”

“That’s not the point,” you mutter, running a hand through your hair.

For once, he doesn’t immediately deflect with a joke. Instead, he reaches out, gently tugging at your wrist until you look at him.

“I’m fine,” he says, quieter now.

You exhale, shaking your head. “I know. I just—” You stop yourself, not sure how to put it into words.

Tony doesn’t push. He just holds your gaze, something unreadable flickering in his expression. The air between you shifts, heavier than before.

Neither of you realize the camera in the corner of the kitchen is still rolling.

"Nah, because that moment in the kitchen was INTIMATE. The way he reached for her wrist so gently??? PLEASE."

"Okay but the way she was genuinely worried about him? And the way he actually let himself be serious for once?? They’re in LOVE."

"I don’t even need confirmation at this point. This is a slow-burn romance happening in real-time."

You tell yourself it’s just the cameras.

That’s why everything feels heightened, why your heart stumbles in your chest every time Tony leans just a little too close, why your stomach flips when his gaze lingers a second too long.

It’s the show. The attention. The fact that millions of people are dissecting every interaction between you, making you hyperaware of the way Tony touches you so casually, the way he teases you so effortlessly, the way he just exists in your space like he belongs there.

Because that’s all it is.

Right?

You try to ignore it. Try to act normal. Try to pretend your pulse doesn’t quicken when he throws an arm around your shoulders in front of the cameras, pulling you into his orbit like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

You don’t let yourself think too much about the way his touch lingers, the way his hand sometimes settles at the small of your back when he guides you through a crowd, the way he always seems to know exactly what to say to get under your skin—just enough to fluster you, just enough to make your breath catch in your throat.

You’ve worked for Tony long enough to know that he’s always been like this. He’s charming, magnetic, impossible to ignore. He flirts with everyone, makes people feel like they’re the only person in the room when he talks to them.

It’s just who he is.

But then there are moments that don’t feel like a performance.

Like the time you’re both in the workshop late at night again, and he offers you a screwdriver without looking, like he somehow knows exactly what you need before you ask. Or the time he catches you yawning after a long day and, without a word, pushes his cup of coffee toward you.

Or the time you stumble half-asleep into the kitchen one morning, still in your pajamas, and find him already there, making two cups of coffee—one exactly how you like it.

“You’re up early,” you mumble, rubbing at your eyes.

He smirks, handing you the coffee. “You’re just up late.”

You take the cup from him, wrapping your fingers around the warmth. “Thanks.”

He watches you as you take your first sip, his expression softer than usual. “You should sleep more.”

You arch a brow at him. “You’re one to talk.”

He chuckles, shaking his head, but he doesn’t argue. And then he does something that makes your brain short-circuit—he reaches out and brushes his thumb over the corner of your mouth.

You freeze.

“There was coffee there,” he says, voice low, almost teasing, but there’s something else in his eyes. Something that makes your heart stutter.

The moment stretches, thick with something unspoken. And then—

“Morning, boss! Morning, Y/N!”

You both jolt back as one of the camera crew members strolls in, oblivious. You step away quickly, lifting your coffee to your lips to hide the fact that your face is burning.

Tony just exhales through his nose, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like cockblocked by my own reality show.

The cameras weren’t even rolling that morning, but somehow, the clip of him wiping coffee off your lip still ends up online.

"HELLO?? HIS THUMB ON HER LIP?? WHAT KIND OF ROMANCE NOVEL BULLSHIT IS THIS??"

"He looked so focused on her mouth I am losing my mind."

"I swear they forget the cameras exist sometimes. That was INTIMATE."

The internet is eating this up. Fans are analyzing every look, every touch, every moment between you and Tony with the kind of dedication usually reserved for crime scene investigations.

You try to ignore it.

You fail.

Because suddenly, you start noticing things you’ve ignored before.

Like the way Tony always saves the last slice of pizza for you. The way he keeps an extra pair of your favorite sunglasses in his car because he knows you always forget yours. The way he always seems to position himself between you and any potential threat—even if the "threat" is just a pushy journalist or an overenthusiastic fan.

And then there are the looks.

The ones that last just a little too long. The ones where he watches you when he thinks you’re not looking. The ones that feel different.

The realization creeps up on you slowly, like a shadow stretching in the late afternoon sun.

You like him.

No—you’ve liked him. Probably for a while now. You were just too stubborn, too careful, too scared to admit it.

And Tony—oh, Tony has known for a long time.

It’s in the way he looks at you, like he’s just waiting for you to catch up. Like he’s been patient, so damn patient, but he’s not going to wait forever.

But you don’t know how to cross that line. Not when the whole world is watching. Not when your job, your life, everything is so tangled up with him.

So you try to act normal.

The cameras catch every single slip-up.

Like the time you’re standing beside him at a press event, and someone asks a question about his playboy lifestyle.

He laughs, playing it up for the cameras. “You know me, I’m a man of many talents.”

You roll your eyes, crossing your arms. “Most of which involve ignoring my carefully planned schedule.”

He turns to you, smirking. “See? This is why I keep her around. She keeps me humble.”

The reporter grins. “Y/N, what’s the secret to handling Tony Stark?”

You glance at him, and for a split second, you forget about the cameras. Forget about the audience.

“He’s not as much of a handful as people think,” you say, voice quieter, more honest than you mean it to be.

Tony blinks, and for the first time in a long time, he actually looks surprised.

The internet notices.

"DID YOU SEE HIS FACE WHEN SHE SAID THAT?? Bro was not expecting her to be SWEET."

"‘He’s not as much of a handful as people think’ MA’AM. MA’AM. ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH HIM??"

"I swear to god Tony is just waiting for her to admit it at this point."

The dress is too much. That’s your first thought as you stare at yourself in the full-length mirror, smoothing your hands down the fabric. It’s expensive—of course, it is. Tony sent it over himself, and you’d bet good money that it cost more than your rent.

It’s stunning, undeniably so, hugging in all the right places, the deep color making your skin glow under the soft lighting of your bedroom. Your makeup is flawless, your hair styled perfectly, and for once, you don’t look like Tony Stark’s overworked assistant.

You look like a woman on the arm of a billionaire.

Which, technically, you are.

Just for tonight.

It’s not that unusual for Tony to bring you to events, but tonight is different. There’s no work agenda, no schedule to maintain. For this one night, you’re not his assistant—you’re his date.

The word lingers in your mind, foreign but not unwelcome.

There’s a knock at your door.

“You decent?” Tony’s voice is light, teasing, but when you open the door, he just stops.

His mouth parts slightly as his gaze sweeps over you, lingering at your exposed collarbone, the way the dress clings to your curves. For once, he’s silent, and you think that might be the most shocking part.

You raise an eyebrow. “Well?”

Tony blinks, then clears his throat, smoothing a hand down the front of his sleek, tailored suit. “Yep. Nope. I was prepared for this. I am handling this just fine.”

You fight back a smile. “You sure?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he says, stepping back so you can follow him. “Just casually rethinking all my life choices and trying to figure out how I got lucky enough to have you on my arm tonight.”

Your heart does something stupid in your chest, but you roll your eyes. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Stark.”

He smirks. “Worth a shot.”

The drive to the event is smooth, the car sleek and comfortable, but your nerves kick in the second you see the flashing lights ahead, the crowd of reporters, the sea of cameras waiting.

Tony notices.

“Relax,” he murmurs, his voice warm and steady beside you. “You look incredible. You’re gonna knock ‘em dead.”

You exhale, forcing yourself to nod. “Right. Just another night.”

“Exactly,” he says. “Except this time, when they ask me who I’m with, I get to say you.”

Before you can overthink it, the door opens, and suddenly, you’re stepping onto the red carpet with Tony Stark’s hand resting at the small of your back. The flashes are blinding, the noise overwhelming, but Tony guides you through it with practiced ease, nodding and smirking at the cameras like he was born for this.

Reporters immediately start shouting questions.

“Tony! Who’s your date tonight?”

“Y/N, how does it feel to be on Stark’s arm instead of his payroll?”

“Why her, Tony? Out of all the women in the world, why did you choose your assistant?”

Tony grins, pulling you just a little closer. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he says, his tone dripping with amusement. “Some secrets are just for me.”

Your face burns, and you’re grateful when you’re ushered forward, past the press and into the venue. The inside is just as extravagant as expected—glittering chandeliers, champagne flowing, a sea of celebrities dressed to impress.

And, of course, that’s when it happens.

The actor is objectively handsome—tall, broad-shouldered, a charming smile that probably makes half the world swoon. You recognize him immediately, a famous action star, one of the many guests mingling at the event.

And for some reason, he’s interested in you.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he says, his gaze sweeping over you in obvious appreciation. “I don’t think we’ve met before. I would have remembered.”

You offer a polite smile, feeling Tony shift beside you. “Y/N,” you say, extending a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Y/N,” he repeats, his own smile widening as he takes your hand. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

Tony’s grip on his champagne flute tightens.

You catch the slight tick in his jaw, the way his entire posture stiffens. Oh. Oh, this is interesting.

The actor keeps talking, asking about your work, throwing in more compliments than necessary, and you can feel Tony practically vibrating beside you.

And then—just to push it a little—you laugh at something the actor says, placing a hand on his arm.

It’s nothing. Completely innocent.

But Tony clears his throat sharply. “Hey, buddy,” he says, voice light but just a little too loud. “You mind if I borrow my date for a second?”

The emphasis is unmistakable.

The actor, blissfully unaware of the silent tantrum Tony is throwing, just grins and nods. “Of course. It was a pleasure, Y/N.”

Tony is already pulling you away before you can respond.

He doesn’t stop until you’re outside, away from the crowd, in a quiet balcony area overlooking the city lights.

You turn to him, crossing your arms. “Are you jealous, Stark?”

He scoffs. “Me? Jealous? Please.”

You step closer, tilting your head. “You sure?”

He huffs, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, fine. Maybe I didn’t love watching that guy drool all over you.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Because?”

He meets your gaze, and suddenly, all the teasing, all the bravado—everything—falls away.

“Because you’re mine,” he says simply. “Or at least, I want you to be.”

Your breath catches.

Tony exhales, running a hand down his face. “I know I joke around a lot, and I know I’m a lot to deal with, but I need you to know that this—us—it’s not a game to me. It never has been.”

Your heart is pounding.

He takes a step closer, his voice softer now. “I’ve been in love with you for a while, Y/N. And I know it took you a little longer to get there, but…” His lips twitch up. “You’re here now. Right?”

You don’t hesitate. “Yeah,” you whisper. “I’m here.”

And then his hands are on your waist, pulling you against him, and your arms are wrapping around his neck, and then—

He kisses you.

It’s slow at first, careful, like he’s savoring it, but then you make a small noise against his lips, and suddenly, the restraint snaps. His hands tighten, his lips moving against yours with something deeper, more desperate, more real than anything you’ve ever known.

When you finally break apart, your forehead rests against his, your breath mingling.

“Wow,” you murmur.

Tony chuckles, his fingers brushing against your jaw. “Yeah. Wow.”

And then—

“Oh. Oh.”

You freeze.

Tony groans, turning to find one of the cameramen standing there, eyes wide.

“Are you serious?” Tony grits out.

The guy winces. “I—I swear, I wasn’t trying to film that—I just—okay, yeah, the cameras got everything.”

Tony sighs heavily, rubbing his temples. “Of course they did.”

You stare at him for a moment, then—

You start laughing.

Tony blinks at you. “Are you—are you seriously laughing right now?”

You nod, still giggling. “It’s just—of course this happens to us.”

Tony shakes his head, but a smirk tugs at his lips. “Guess the secret’s out, huh?”

You grin, reaching for his hand. “Guess so.”

And honestly?

You don’t mind one bit.

The internet explodes.

The second the episode drops, social media ignites like someone threw gasoline on an open flame. The clip of you and Tony kissing—your whispered words, his confession, the way he pulls you in like you’re the only thing that’s ever mattered—spreads like wildfire.

"I’M SCREAMING. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL."

"The way Tony looked at her BEFORE the kiss? He’s been GONE for her. Absolutely down bad."

"We all knew it. We KNEW it. But seeing it happen is just chef’s kiss perfection."

"'You’re mine. Or at least, I want you to be.' That’s it. That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. I need a Tony Stark in my life."

"I can’t believe the cameras caught this. The way they got lost in each other? They weren’t even thinking about the cameras. That’s REAL."

"How do I file a lawsuit for emotional damage? I was NOT prepared."

Memes flood the timeline. Screenshots of Tony’s jealous expression when the actor flirted with you. Edits of your kiss set to dramatic music. Slow-motion compilations of every single time Tony had looked at you that way throughout the show.

The fans had always speculated, always hoped, but this? This is confirmation. And they are obsessed.

Of course, there are reactions from the media too. News outlets pick up the story immediately.

“Billionaire Tony Stark Off the Market—Confirms Romance with Longtime Assistant”

“The Stark Reality’s Latest Episode Features a Moment No One Expected—But Everyone Wanted”

“From Work Partners to Life Partners—The Love Story of Tony Stark and Y/N”

And through it all, Tony is thriving.

Because of course, he is.

At first, you don’t know what to expect from him. If he’s going to act differently now that the world knows. If he’s going to keep things professional in front of the cameras or tone down the way he touches you, the way he teases.

Nope.

If anything, he gets worse.

The next time the cameras are on, Tony makes absolutely no attempt to be subtle about the fact that you’re his now.

Like the moment in the kitchen when you’re making coffee, and he walks in, shirtless, hair still messy from sleep.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he murmurs, stepping behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist.

You tense for half a second, eyes flicking to the camera set up on the counter. “Tony—”

“What?” he hums, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. “I can’t say good morning to my girlfriend?”

Your face heats. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you love it.”

The internet LOSES IT.

"TONY CASUALLY SHOWING UP SHIRTLESS TO CUDDLE HER?? I’M IN SHAMBLES."

"They’re acting like a real couple now. This is NOT a drill."

"Petition to make sure Tony is shirtless in every episode from now on."

Or the time you’re sitting on the couch, working on your tablet, and Tony just flops down, draping himself across your lap.

“Tony,” you sigh, adjusting your grip on the tablet. “I’m working.”

He looks up at you with that damn smirk. “I’m cuddling. Way more important.”

“You’re impossible.”

“And yet, you still love me.”

Your lips twitch, but you refuse to indulge him. “Debatable.”

His eyes narrow. “Oh, you wound me.”

The cameras catch it all—the way you absentmindedly run your fingers through his hair despite your protests, the way he practically purrs under your touch, the way you smile just a little when you think no one is looking.

They eat it up.

"HIM LAYING IN HER LAP. THIS IS PEAK ROMANCE."

"You’re telling me Tony Stark went from billionaire playboy to a man who begs for cuddles? I LOVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT."

"The way she plays it cool but is clearly obsessed with him? Relatable."

It’s not just the cuddling. It’s the stolen kisses, the lingering touches, the casual intimacy of a couple that has been circling each other for years and is finally allowed to have each other.

And Tony? Tony is having the time of his life.

He lives to fluster you on camera.

Like when you’re organizing his schedule in the office, completely focused, and he suddenly leans in, whispering in your ear, “You looked really good in my bed this morning.”

You choke on absolutely nothing. “Tony—”

“What?” He’s grinning, utterly unrepentant. “Just making an observation.”

You shove a folder at him. “Sign this before I kill you.”

His laughter follows you down the hall.

"THE WAY SHE CHOKED. HE KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING."

"Did he just CONFIRM they sleep together? Sir, have mercy."

"Tony Stark is officially the clingiest boyfriend in existence, and I respect that."

Despite the teasing, despite the relentless public scrutiny, it’s good.

Better than you expected.

The realization hits you on a slow morning, when the sun is barely up and your body is still heavy with sleep.

You don’t even think as you roll out of bed, stretching lazily before heading toward the kitchen for coffee. The floor is cool against your bare feet, the oversized shirt you’re wearing—Tony’s, of course—falling mid-thigh. Your hair is a mess, your eyes half-closed, and you let out a soft yawn as you step into the kitchen.

And then—

“Oh. Oh.”

It’s the cameraman again. The same poor guy who accidentally caught your first kiss with Tony.

You blink at him. He blinks at you.

There’s a beat of silence before it clicks in your sleepy brain.

“Shit.”

You spin on your heel, all but sprinting back to the bedroom.

Tony is still sprawled across the bed, barely awake, his hair sticking up in every direction. He cracks one eye open as you dive under the covers, groaning.

“Uh… good morning?” he murmurs, voice thick with sleep.

You grab a pillow and shove your face into it. “I forgot about the cameras.”

There’s a pause. Then, a rustling of sheets as Tony shifts closer, draping an arm over your back. “Okay… and?”

You groan. “I walked out there wearing just your shirt.”

Silence. Then—

Tony cackles.

You lift your head just enough to glare at him. “This is not funny.”

“This is hilarious,” he corrects, eyes twinkling with amusement. “Damn. I wish I’d seen it.”

You smack his chest. “Focus, Tony! That footage is out there.”

“Relax, sweetheart,” he soothes, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t air.”

But the incident sticks with you.

Because the truth is, you and Tony don’t have much privacy anymore.

The show has been fun—chaotic, ridiculous, but fun. And yet, it’s always there. The cameras catch everything—the teasing, the bickering, the moments when Tony pulls you into his lap just because he can now, the late nights spent tangled up in each other, and even the mornings when you wake up to find him watching you with something terrifyingly soft in his eyes.

Some moments are meant to be just for you.

And that’s when you know.

It’s time to end The Stark Reality.

Tony doesn’t even hesitate when you bring it up.

“Done,” he says easily, lacing his fingers with yours. “Let’s wrap it up.”

There’s a finality to it that makes your chest ache. The show has been his, in a way—one of his crazy ideas, something he threw himself into because he loves the attention, the spotlight. But he’s willing to let it go.

For you.

The last episode airs a week later.

And of course, Tony makes sure it goes out with a bang.

The final scene is classic Tony. He’s sitting on the couch, arms draped over the back, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

“So,” he begins, looking straight into the camera. “This is it. The end of The Stark Reality.”

He pauses, like he’s waiting for dramatic effect.

“Or is it?”

You, sitting beside him, roll your eyes. “Tony.”

“What?” He gestures vaguely. “I’m just saying. Maybe the next time you see us, it’ll be in the documentary about our wedding.”

Your soul leaves your body.

The internet erupts.

"WEDDING?? HELLO?? THEY’VE BEEN DATING FOR TWO MONTHS??"

"TONY STARK, YOU CANNOT JUST DROP THAT AND LEAVE."

"Blink twice if you need help, Y/N."

And it doesn’t stop there.

“Or,” Tony continues, completely unfazed by your scandalized expression, “maybe another season of The Stark Reality… with our kids.”

You choke on air. “Tony.”

“Hey,” he says, throwing his hands up. “People love a good family reality show. Gotta give the fans what they want.”

The show ends with you smacking him with a pillow as he cackles.

"TONY, STOP PLAYING WITH MY EMOTIONS."

"IS SHE PREGNANT?? IS THIS A HINT?? I NEED ANSWERS."

"Manifesting a Stark wedding and mini Starks immediately."

The reaction is insane.

Theories explode overnight. People analyze everything—the way Tony said our wedding, the way he casually mentioned kids, the way you covered your face in embarrassment but didn’t deny anything.

Some are convinced you’re already engaged. Others think you’re secretly pregnant. A few believe Tony is just being Tony—chaotic, dramatic, and completely unserious.

But you know better.

Because when the cameras stop rolling, when it’s just you and him curled up in bed that night, he leans in, brushing his lips against your temple.

“Y’know,” he murmurs, “I was kinda serious.”

You shift, tilting your head to look at him. “About what?”

He smirks. “Marrying you. The kids. The whole thing.”

Your breath catches. “Tony—”

“I know, I know,” he says, waving a hand. “It’s only been two months. But let’s be real, sweetheart. This thing between us?” His fingers trace absent circles on your back. “It’s been happening for years.”

You bite your lip, your heart pounding.

“Just… something to think about,” he says, voice softer now. “No pressure.”

And you realize—he means it.

Tony Stark, the man who once ran from commitment like it was a ticking bomb, is ready for this.

For you.

You press a kiss to his jaw, your chest warm with something terrifyingly close to forever.

And for the first time, the cameras aren’t there to capture it.

Just the way it should be.

part 2 anyone ?

[utilitycaster]

I really appreciate your thorough breakdowns of this campaign's end, because I fell off of watching live back in summer 2023 (personal reasons), and though I kept myself pretty up-to-date with subsequent events I eventually started thinking "I'll come back when interesting things start happening" and I just never seemed to find that point. Good to know I'm far from the only one pretty displeased with how things apparently left off.

To throw in my two cents, I think you're spot-on with your impression of what kind of people those who think this was a narratively satisfying ending are. Specifically, I think it's coming from the type of people who find certain characters (I'm sure you can guess who) extremely relatable—difficult childhood, and/or early adulthood trauma, and/or were taken advantage of in grief—but refuse to acknowledge the fact that recovering from these things requires choosing to personally put in effort to do so. They want these characters to be handed a perfect happy ending, no work required, no matter what, and so when those of us who find that unsatisfactory dare to voice that opinion it's a personal attack on them saying that they don't deserve to be handed joy without working for it, because if their favorite characters can have it, so should they. (Because fiction is reflective of reality, so clearly that's what that means, I guess.) It's frustrating because I'd had high hopes for Imogen and Laudna's story in the beginning of the campaign, but there was a point where I just couldn't put up with their deliberate stagnation anymore. Definitely could have been psychologically interesting, though.

(And, just to be perfectly clear, this isn't a dig at anyone in the cast or anything—I suspect this was a case of too much ambition from previous success leading to less careful planning all around. I'm admittedly not super clear on exactly what the deal was with all the gods in the finale, though, so it's entirely possible I'm missing something major.)

Thanks! And yeah that does really feel like it in the end. Like, it is a campaign that seems to mainly be enjoyed by excuse-makers who want there to be a reason why it's right and proper to enjoy it and that criticizing it is inherently bad and wrong. Like, sorry man, if you see a post in the wild from someone you've never seen before indicating a character you relate to is stagnant and childish and your response isn't to say "well, I believe that's untrue, I'll make my own post about this" or "I don't like this so I'll block them" or "hmmmm maybe they are stagnant and childish, but they are relatable for other reasons, which are:" but instead to complain to them about how they are judging you, a random person they've never spoken to, you are the problem! You are the one feeling judged by a stranger who doesn't know you exist and who has no power to do anything beyond say something mean to you, and instead of going "wait this doesn't fucking matter" you are demanding the world bend around you to your will, and playing the victim when the world says "lmao no."

Like, again, no one is actually defending the campaign meaningfully. They're coming up with excuses why they can't or they're coming up with incorrect reasons why critique is impermissible (that fortunately no one is listening to) - that it's improv, that it's happy, that people aren't couching their posts sufficiently in This Is Only My Opinion (this is not how reviews/crit works, eg this AV Club article on the Severance premiere does not have Saloni Gajjar say "this is only my opinion" at the top because anyone who is smart enough to engage with media criticism in the first place doesn't need to be told this; there is a reason we are treating people with disdain and that's because the very act of being bothered by people phrasing criticism without This Is Only My Opinion is an immediate sign you are, in fact, not smart enough to get on this ride). It's the same with the characters. They want something to have suffered enough to be beyond criticism, and the rest of the fandom has (correctly) rejected that paradigm entirely, and they have no way to counter anything head on.

And as for Imogen and Laudna...while I think many things in the campaign were flaws that went beyond them, they certainly were at the heart of several, and I think had their relationship been a genuine slowburn - had Laudna rejected Imogen and remained mad in episode 65, as Laura outright expected - it might have been something worth our while.

I do think the bulk of...not even blame, simply responsibility, rests on Matt, and I do think it's mostly stretched thin/burnout/not realizing how this concept required much more work than past campaigns did, and again, I don't hold it against the cast (their live show in Philly this December was great, the CRF one-shot was fun, the Assassin's Creed one-shot was fun, and EXU Divergence has been stellar) but yeah it didn't work very well.

[iscdisc]

You and your gorgeous TMNT art make me ship everything you ship. You could tell me to ship the most outrageous thing, draw it, and I would ship it. Like the most grotesque thing. I would love it. You are brilliant. May I ask for the fics you are reading and/or you have read?

Well I hope I wouldn't ship anything grotesque or that you feel would be grotesque- 💀😭 Lmao

But I get what you mean and that's incredibly flattering ! I hope everybody that engages with my content knows that I'm not trying to necessarily convince anybody to enjoy the pairings that I enjoy, but if you happen to click with my perspective whether it's from my art or from me talking about them, that's really cool to me !! ☺️✨

And sure ! I'll list some that I'm currently reading or have read recently that I really enjoyed ! I'll even include some that I plan to or started but haven't gotten very far yet- :

• "And It All Starts Again" (by Non_Parsimonious | Currently reading-)

I'm starting with this one because it is absolutely peak- Are you serious?? I'm telling you right now, this should have been Season 5 instead OR if the 2012 series had ever gotten the opportunity to have a film adaptation and it actually be well done narratively, this should have been that movie- I'm TELLING YOU, this story is absolutely phenomenal and I'm already in the process of making art for it to promote it ! 🫶 || I'm not going to spoil too much because I really want people to read it for themselves, but there's so much stress and angst that kind of pushes the narrative for that I'm just eating up because I enjoy those kinds of stories ! But if that's not your cup of tea, then feel free to skip this one-! 👍✨

• "Thoughts About A Boy" (by @jaywritezshitz | Currently reading-)

Maybe I talked about this one enough already, but I'd love to talk about it some more because it's a really great 2012 Jonatello story and I think it's incredibly well written !! I love the premise, I love the character interactions (Especially with April and Donnie, which says a lot in regards to myself because that's usually something I don't particularly enjoy because of canon / not fanon- /,, 😭), I love the build up and the constant anticipation that I feel waiting for confessions or for Donnie's letters to be weaved back into the narrative in the least expected way possible (Not to give too much away, because I really encourage you guys to read it for yourselves-), like !! There's just so much to enjoy with this one, and I really encourage people to read it cause I personally think it's really phenomenal !

• "Oh, Where'd All The Time Go?" (by @tae-rhymeswithslay | I plan on reading this one-)

My memory is kind of foggy with this one, because I swear I started reading the first couple of chapters but when I went back to confirm that I have read the story before it didn't feel familiar-?? So maybe I meant to read it and I thought I'd started it but I hadn't yet? 😭

But you're going to see a couple of Tae_rhymeswithslay entries on here, because I do enjoy their stories ! 👍✨

• "Purple Hokey" (by Ani_Wagner_7w7 | Have already read-)

The setup for this particular 2012 Jonatello fanfiction feels very authentic to the show, in the sense that this is a situation I can absolutely see the writers putting them in (Not that they were the biggest Jonatello enthusiast, but you get my point-), you know? LMAO / It sort of felt like a cliche trope but done well ! It does ramp up a little maturity wise towards the end, just to give a heads up for that-! But otherwise it's just a cute story in my opinion ! ✨

• "Of the Same Cloth, the Same Coin" by Kazegami | Currently reading-)

Another incredibly peak story- Are you kidding?? I genuinely get so happy every time the story gets updated because it's one of my favorites ! The premise is that Casey asked Donnie for help with his school tutoring since April's going on a trip with her father for a few weeks, so of course they build a better relationship through constantly being around each other due to this tutoring situation ! Another kind of trope-like premise, but how the author tackles it is my favorite thing ever- I also really enjoy how April is written in the story as well and the sort of subplot that's going on with her ! I swear these writers do such an incredible job with her character and it makes me both happy and upset at the same time because why couldn't she have been like this in the show? I don't know- 💀 Lmao / But another story that I highly recommend !!

• "Technicolor" (by SecurityTape | Have read already-)

This is one that I genuinely was not expecting to read, since I'm not the biggest fan of crossover pairings (Not that they're necessarily bad, they just don't always interest me in the way I feel the interest of the people-!), but this one was really charming !! I really enjoyed the writing of both Rise! Donnie and 2012 Casey in the work of fiction ! It really reminded me of how much I missed the energy of Rise! and that I need to rewatch that version more because it genuinely is very funny- 😭✨

• "A Kiss As A Prize" (by Mili_8a | Have read already-)

This is one of the few 2012 Raphril fanfictions I've read / found on AO3 that I really enjoyed ! It's pretty short, but the premise was really cute and there's such a shortage of Raphril content in my eyes, so anything that I find I'm pretty much going to eat it up immediately- LMAO ❤️💛

• "Northampton Echoes" (by Gladrial | Currently reading-)

I barely started a chapter of this last night, and I already love the writing so far ! It takes place at The O'Neil Farmhouse (So far at least-), which I find particularly enjoyable because a lot of my Raphril centric thoughts in regards to building their dynamic / better establishing a connection between them starts in The Farmhouse in my head (I actually have this whole comic that I was trying to make talking about how I felt certain things during The Farmhouse Arc should have played out differently in my opinion and it mostly focuses around April and Raph- Maybe I'll bring that up at some point on here !), so I'm already pretty enthralled in this story set up so far ! I don't have much to say about it besides that though, because like I said I haven't gotten too far into the store yet-! But there's 19 chapters so far, and I already know that that's probably not going to be enough for me- LMAO

• "The Day The World Broke" (by @saladmix | Started reading this one-)

I feel like an asshole, because I started reading this one like months ago and I just never picked it up again and I don't know why- I think I might have gotten distracted with other things going on? I genuinely don't remember- But seeing people talk about it on here (Tumblr) reminded me that I need to go back and read that because the story is incredible ! I genuinely loved the first couple of chapters that I read ! I love the dynamic that they were setting up between the Mutant Mayhem Brothers in the beginning of the story, especially since I feel like (at the time anyway-) the MM / TOTTMNT brothers weren't getting a lot of love or attention from people?? I didn't get into the more plot focused chapters yet, but I believe I was close ! So hopefully I'll go back and read that soon I'll have more to talk about ! 👍✨ (Sorry for the abrupt tag by the way, Saladmix ! I hope that was okay-!)

• "My Best Enemy Is You" (by Aethernight | Have already read-)

I didn't think I was going to like this story as much as I did, because I'm not super into vampire stories, but this story was really good !! I never knew how much I needed Vampiric 2012 Jonatello (But in the context of the story, Donnie's the vampire, where Casey's a vampire hunter-) set in like the 1800s (??) before now, it's wild- 🦇💜🖤

• "Something Dumb To Do" (by Aleaf737 | Have read already-)

This is another really short and sweet one for 2012 Jonatello ! It's about a marriage proposal and it honestly was really wholesome ! ✨

• "One Nice Moment" (by @tae-rhymeswithslay | Have read already-)

Another kind of short one but it was really cute ! 💜🖤

• "Make Me A Promise Here Tonight (Love Like A Tidal Wave" (by Imthebest_ever | Have read already-)

This one spoke to me immediately because it involves a sort of aftermath to the episode, "The Power Inside Her" ! I really liked the narrative here ! ✨

• "Ink On Paper" (by @tae-rhymeswithslay | Have read already-)

This is another short story, but it felt so in character for Donnie towards the end it's so upsetting- LMAO

• "Arnold Bernid "Casey" Jones" (by @tae-rhymeswithslay | Have read already-)

I feel bad for saying the same things about a lot of Tae's works, but they really are just short and sweet most of the time and I enjoy reading them a lot !! This one in particular had a lot of humorous moments as well- 😭👍✨

Hopefully those are enough ! There are probably some that I'm forgetting at this point, but oh well,, 😭 Lmao

[just-sg]

You can enjoy media in spite of parts you hate. "I really wish [game] didn't [do X], but the story overall is great and the gameplay is really engaging."

You can enjoy media that disappointed you. "I hoped they would handle the [X] plotline better, but I guess it wasn't a dealbreaker." "I had hope for a while my ship would become canon, and feel kind of cheated that it didn't, but my irritation at that specific part doesn't ruin the entire series for me." or "I wish they dealt with the actual implications and ramifications of this thing that could have been a serious topic, but I understand the focus was on other things."

You can enjoy fictional events that you would find reprehensible in real life, in the same way one might be fascinated by a trainwreck. "Oh yeah all these characters are fucking awful people. It's horrifying. Anyway which war criminal is your favorite?"

You can enjoy media, especially games, as a venting outlet. This is not limited to FPS games or stuff like GTA, though it's always been wild to me that murder is one of the most easily accepted "it's just fiction" crimes. Sometimes ripping through countless fictional characters is actively helpful for staying calm and being nice to real people.

You can write and roleplay and consume stories that deal with horrible topics as cautionary tales. Sometimes it's specifically discouraging people. Which do you think is more effective: a story showing the brutal downfall of a fictional drug addict who slowly destroys their own life, or a stand-alone poster that says "Don't do drugs"? On the flip side, which makes for a more engaging longterm story: the brutal downfall or a wholesome story of someone going through rehab and never struggling with their recovery? For that matter, which is most likely to elicit sympathy for real life struggles?

You can enjoy stuff in an escapist way or for personal comfort. "This isn't how it works in real life, and I understand that pretending it did would be neglectful/harmful or at least risky in a real situation. However, in my little fantasy, what if it didn't suck actually?" (Ex: No Disney Princess Movies aren't problematic for failing to talk about the power imbalance between the royal and the commoner, etc.)

That's not to say "it's just fiction" can't go too far. Is it genuinely advocating for something? (Not just talking about it At All.) Is it being presented in a way that's insensitive to its audience? Is it pushing harmful stereotypes? In an RP or video game with other players, is it ignoring their feelings and boundaries? Ask questions like that instead of assuming the worst of everyone at all times.

This isn't really about tabletop RPGs as such, but it is about a topic I've seen floating around recently in the RPG space, that of moral purity in what you enjoy.

There seems to be this idea that if the things you enjoy aren't morally pure, that somehow reflects poorly on you. So you need to twist your brain into a pretzel to make the movies you watch or the games you play sufficiently progressive or reflective of your identity or else your enjoyment of them is somehow not valid or makes you a bad person.

So let me say this as an anarchist who believes that ACAB isn't just a means of transportation: I love shows like Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and Kamen Rider Drive, and my favourite Sierra adventure game series is Police Quest. And those are absolutely all copaganda.

And how does that reflect morally on me? I no way whatsoever.

None of them are queer, either, and that doesn't make me any less so.

I hope I've helped some of you feel less weird about enjoying what you enjoy.

[superscrub323]

A Little Elaboration on why a certain Animatic does the Lovers section of God Games the best

Alright if you've been following me you should know that one of my favorite tertiary characters in Epic the Musical is Ares and it's primarily because there's no reason for any version of the God of War to go harder on a verse than the God of Music yet Earle Gresham Jr. did so anyway and most of us, including those who write Warrior Penelope AU fanfics, thank him for it.

It's also a challenge for animators because while Apollo's and Hephaestus's verses and scenes are fairly straight forward, the primary challenge with Hera and Aphrodite is which glammed the fuck outfits they're going to be wearing, and Zeus needs to be depicted with all the pomp and grandiose we'd expect after hearing him proclaim his greatness and power in 'Thunder Bringer'; pretty every animatic artist universally agrees that Ares and Athena have to fight and flyte* at the same time and while all of them usually do a good job depicting the basic gist on how said fight usually goes, Ares temporarily having an edge over Athena, Athena emotionally rallying after Ares insults Telemachus, and Athena beating and/or intimidating Ares and Aphrodite into releasing him.**

But there is one animatic that does the Lovers section of God Games the best in fact it's the only part they've done and while I desperately hope they do the rest of the song they did the Lovers section so good it...sticks with me in ways that never leave my brain cavity and that's @sixofclovers's version of that part of a scene which...oh geez were do I start?

First off, one thing to notice is that while the character designs are simple but no less striking, it gives a chance to do things different from how animatics go, for example it opens with Athena having a lyre string and a hammer and giving it to her owl which is explained in the description stating that Athena in this version has to collect tokens from all the participants in Zeus's game, which in this case is Apollo's lyre string, Hephaestus's forge hammer, Aphrodite's pearl ear ring, (most likely) a peacock feather from Hera, and the golden ichor from Ares, which is already an interesting idea on it's own but that last one is pretty interesting in ways I'll get to later.

Then it cuts to Aphrodite an, unusually she doesn't look seductive, flirty, or playful she looks pissed at Athena and in tears while surrounded by a purple aura that is rapidly growing and when it comes in contact with Athena it compels her to cry and share her grief. Which also as a bonus forces Athena to be put on her back foot especially since as she weakly defends Odysseus with 'he was busy fight' Aphrodite as she sings 'more like busy spiting, the cyclops' she takes off her ear piercing and holds it to her eye in a striking visual way that references said Cyclops and begins to crush it in away that lets Athena know she finds her argument uncompelling until Athena in tears has to beg for Aphrodite to 'please reconsider this' while shapeshifting out of her armor symbolically making herself vulnerable before Aphrodite which causes her to loosen her grip on her pearl ear ring until...

'Really Athena? These old tricks'

BAM

'Ares!'

And then Ares charges in and back hands her to the floor while Athena desperately barely gets time to magically summon her armor and shield to shield herself as Ares steps on her while Athena, and by proxy we the audience, get a good look at Ares and we see that he's crying along with Aphrodite and Athena which means that not only is Ares unaffected by Aphrodite's forced empathy making him cry, he shares it and is empowered by it. But as Ares gets to singing he kicks Athena away to give her a chance to get on her feet so Athena can prepare to get her grisly token Ares's of approval.

Another thing to note is that while the other 4 gods have personal objects they can give away as tokens, Ares's token is his ichor. Ares explicitly wants to clash spears with Athena and the only way he'll agree to release Odysseus is if she can draw ichor, not beat, just get a single cut of his blood which in turn paints a version of Ares that is confident in his ability to fight Athena under Aphrodite's forced empathy wave.

Said confidence is further backed up as while Athena is still on the back foot despite having her shield and spear already drawn, Ares doesn't even have his spear drawn yet and Athena is still on her back foot, and when Ares does draw his spear he draws it so fast it extinguishes 6 torches behind him which symbolizes the 6 men Odysseus sacrifices to Scylla as he calls out Odysseus unwillingness to even try to fight Scylla (didn't even try to kill her.)

And as Ares continues fighting Athena while he laments his cowardness, he beats her pretty evenly before throwing her to the ground while calling Telemachus pathetic and weak. Which in turn gives Athena a chance to channel the rage she feels at Ares for insulting her friend and to emotionally rally past Aphrodite's empathy wave but what is usual is that even when Athena is using her owl as a distraction to get Ares to turn his back for a surprise attack, she still can't get a clean cut on his neck...so instead she points to Aphrodite as she tells him 'And tell your lover that a broken heart can mend' and charges at her to force Ares to intercept Athena and catch the spear head.

And despite having the pointy end of a spear firmly in his hand it's still not enough to get him to draw blood and while Ares could probably kick Athena away and continue fighting, Aphrodite, who has been watching them fight, smiles in approval of Athena's willingness to protect her friends and Ares's protective nature (another thing that rarely gets shown) and hugs Ares from behind as if to tell him 'it's okay baby, you can let him go' and Ares grips the spear tighter and willingly draws his ichor thanks to Athena's urging to give Odysseus a chance to prove he isn't a coward and Aphrodite's approval of his release. Which is further demonstrated when Ares looks at Aphrodite who gives a smile not and they both say 'ugh...release them' as Ares gives Athena's owl Aphrodite's pearl earring covered in his blood so Athena can move on.

It's an amazing animatic that lets all 3 characters be more than how they're usually depicted in these animatic, Aphrodite doesn't get to be the sultry seductress, she gets to be aggrieved at Odysseus for letting his mom die, Athena gets a chance to show her ability to experience empathy and how dirty she can be in a fight, and Ares...gets to unironically (at least with Aphrodite helping him) be the martially superior God of War in a straight up fight and show emotions beyond rage and demonstrate his protective nature, and as an added bonus it's one of the few animatics where Athena does beat or intimidate Ares and Aphrodite into surrendering, they both give up of their own will which is...wow!

I hope the guys at Epic do that scene in a way that's something similar because...I can't get over how breathtaking it is and I once again shout out at sixcloveranimations for doing a fantastic job and doing it debatably the best.

*scold or in this case quarrel

**Special shout out to Neal the Illustrator, @anniflamma, and @gigizetz for having some of the best full animatics for God Games.

[fantasywater]

Stolas, Octavia, and The Truth that will set her free to be part of the Stolitz family.

There's this view in the fandom that Via just needs to find out The Truth about her mother and father's relationship, and then she will be able to forgive what Stolas has done to her and finally join him and Blitz as a family.

And unfortunately, the Stolas fans might have a point.

In the Full Moon ep Blitz tore into Stolas for how he treated him. He has never in the series spoken to friend or foe like he did to his so called love interest. The hatred in his voice and body language was scorching.

Now let's ask ourselves what Blitz is doing with Stolas four episodes later? Honestly, what was he doing literally in the very next one Apology Tour?

So with Blitz's trajectory in mind;

Is Via( a female side character), in the way of a gay ship featuring the main character and a fan favorite, realllllllly going to have her callout stick?

Let's see:

Stella technically tried to kill her child's father twice. Three if you count the trial. She also illegally gave angelic weaponry on the first two. She and her brother are even the one's that set the trap trial in the first place. Basically the assassin chekhov's gun has not been fired yet, and Viv is not going to let Stella( who she doesn't even like) get away with that.

In Sinmas a writing trick is used to have Via call her father's affair partner dad three times. On top of that the show has made pains, since Loolooland, to show that Blitz and Octavia are on the same wavelength.

Even to the point that in an earlier episode he is also listening to the instrumental of my world is falling down around me. Furthermore, now with Stolas on the team there's one more vacant chair at IMP.

None of these are coincidences. They're too numerous and purposeful. I know foreshadowing when I see it.

Badly done as it is, Stella is canonically guilty of domestic abuse. So that is also another bullet in the let's forgive Stolas arsenal. The marriage being nonconsensual is another.

The home wreakers daughter Loona is suspiciously in a lot of merch with Via. Even the recent Sinmas one was not spared this. They also had an scene that was blatantly foreshadowing sisterhood in Seeing Stars.

Blitz sees Stolas and Via as his family in Sinmas. There's that foreshadowing again.

The fact that Via wanted to talk to her dad, even after everything he just did to her, but her phone was taken by her mother who she was shown to be clearly annoyed by is also telling.

As was her conveniently having her headphones on when her mom said her father was calling all month.

There's also Stella's smile at her own child's tears as they embrace.

This was all animated like this on purpose to set up more softening for Stolas.

Blitz even says just give her time, and she'll come around. This is very important because of who is saying it. The main character.

Outside of canon:

A year or so ago the official spindlehorse account had a car decal posted. It had Blitz, IMP, Stolas and Via. Blitz is saying My Family on the tagline. They hurried up and deleted it. Basically Via's trajectory was pretty clear.   

The Creator, and her lead animators, point blank said that they do not like Octavia. Then hurriedly deleted the stream they stated this on. Yes, the innocent girl who estranged herself from her adulterous, neglectful father is not liked by her creator. Let that sink in and think about who holds Via's fate in her yaoi hands.

The co-creator also called her a cockblock.

Basically they have both pretty strongly got into formation on what they think of her( soo,negatively), and expect us to as well.

In the same video that she said that Stella will have a perspective she also said she will stay a villain and that she is a pretty bad person. She was actually pretty negative about Stella throughout the whole video. Basically Via is not going to be allowed to stay on the side of a villain. Even if her father is a pretty bad person too, but protagonist centered morality protects Stolas though.

Conclusion:

None of Stella's actions should erase that Stolas set fire to his daughter's home life, neglected her repeatedly, then tried to have himself killed for his affair partner that he ironically wasn't even seeing anymore.

If you take away the badly written abuse storyline, that came and went in the circus, you are actually left with the story of a man who threw his wife and child away for sex.

However, it's obvious that Via's song and callout are just plot points to be overcome not a permanent consequence of selfish actions.

Again, just look to Blitz for Via's future. The yaoi fangirl writing this story is not going to let it be anything else.

Even so could Viv drink some writing tonic and let Octavia find out about her mom's misdeeds, but still make Via not want anything to do with Stolas? Perhaps.

Basically Via could realize she has two shitty parents, and cut them both out of her life, but like I said though that would require a good writer at the helm and not a fujoshi fangirl.

What I've listed above shows a woman that has masturbated so hard to a toxic yaoi ship that she is willing to reset character trauma to achieve it. She did it with Blitz. So now it's Octavia's turn.

One day Via is going to reconcile with her deadbeat father while also being written to accept his home wrecking lover, and will even eventually call him dad, and that's truly a damn shame.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I like how you can infer certain character traits and relationship dynamics of the Three Houses cast based on their Budding Talents.

Edelgard, Hubert, and Ferdinand's Budding Talents all correlate. Hubert is skilled in Ferdinand's preferred weapon, the Lance, which is also required for Pegasus Knight certifications. Ferdinand has a chance to master Heavy Armor, which is Edelgard's class type, and he wants to be considerer her equal/her better. Edelgard has skill in Reason, which makes sense given her connections to Thales, but also her spell pool matches her right hand Hubert's being primarily Dark Magic.

Felix is both skilled and sucking at Reason. It makes sense if you make him Mortal Savant, but it also makes sense when you consider Rodrigue is a skilled magic user and learned to make up for the royal family's lack of skill. Given his relationship with Dimitri Rodrigue at the start of the game, he probably refused to learn out of those feelings. Funny enough, the spells he can learn are the exact same as Dimitri.

Constance and Balthus's Budding Talents are the others most prized skill. And considering the DLC classes make use of both on some level, it implies these two have a pretty tight friendship.

Sylvain's also got a Budding Talent in Reason, just like Felix, who he is arguably closest to in the Blue Lions. However, the three spells he learns the exact same spells as Dedue and Mercedes. He and Mercedes share similar Crest related trauma and have a delightful paired ending, and Dedue and Sylvain come to a really good mutual understanding (I'm sad they couldn't have had an A support).

Speaking of Mercedes, her Budding Talent in Bows compliments her Crest's Sacred Weapon, Tathlum Bow.

Byleth has a Budding Talent in Faith, which makes sense given the whole Sothis situation. However, the only other person to have the same Budding Talent is Dorothea, who shares a similar yet different conflict regarding her faith in the Church, and where one of the best ways to increase Faith is Choir Practice, which Dorothea would excel at given her Opera background.

Yuri has a Budding Talent in Bows, which makes sense given his underground roots and at one time being an assassin. What's really interesting is Bernadetta's Budding Talent in Riding. Not only does it make it easier for her to escape (fitting of her character), but Yuri is allergic to most animals. Making her a Bow Knight ensures Yuri can never get the jump on her should he be hired to kill her again, though I doubt he would try, since he hesitated to kill her the first time all those years ago.

There's probably more that can be inferred but this is just some of my favorites.

👀

[alexandraisyes]

Hiiiii mootieeeeee

Do you have any character design tips perchance 👉👈

So personally for me the first thing I think about is the story. What vibes do I want this character to have? What's their goal, their aesthetic? What's their personality. And then I build them off of that.

For example, my AU designs. Especially TCAU.

KC is the one that I think about the most for this example (I even did a doodle of him for this :D )

You can immediately tell what his "vibes" are supposed to be. His personality isn't immediately apparent, but it does leave a first impression. He is scary, or meant to be scary. He's tall, lanky, monsterous. He immediately makes you start assuming things about him and what he's like. His lifestyle is reflected in his design.

We can even put shape theory to the test here! They all have the same sort of body type but they way they hold themselves and their silhouettes are important.

Triangles → Sharp, dangerous, dynamic Squares → Strong, stable, reliable Circles → Friendly, soft, innocent

Then you want to think of proportions! Different proportions can reflect aspects of a character’s personality, role, and background:

Larger or smaller proportions can instantly communicate personality traits at a glance.

Tall & lanky → Graceful, mysterious, or eerie

Short & stout → Sturdy, strong-willed, or comedic

Large upper body, small legs → Brute strength, less agility

Small torso, long limbs → Fast, agile, unpredictable

Proportions & Power Dynamics

The larger a character is compared to others, the more dominant or powerful they feel.

The smaller a character is, the more they might feel vulnerable, underestimated, or agile.

A character’s proportions can also reflect the world they come from:

Harsh Environments → Characters might have sturdier, survival-ready builds (e.g., thick limbs, broad shoulders for heavy labor).

Urban, Fast-Paced Settings → Sleek, agile designs might emphasize speed and efficiency.

Magical Beings → Exaggerated proportions (e.g., elongated arms, huge eyes) can make them feel inhuman.

Proportions naturally shift as characters age:

Young characters → Larger heads, bigger eyes, smaller bodies (e.g., chibi, Disney style).

Teen/Young Adult characters → More balanced proportions but still slightly exaggerated (lean or athletic).

Older characters → Broadening or shrinking in ways that emphasize age, wisdom, or frailty.

Different cultures within a world can influence how characters are built.

A nomadic desert tribe might be slimmer for endurance, while a mountain warrior society might be thicker and more muscular.

Social status can also reflect in proportions:

Elites/Nobles → Tall, regal postures, well-fed, symmetrical features.

Laborers/Farmers → Stocky, calloused, built for work.

Scholars/Wizards → Lean, refined, more delicate hands.

And of course my favorite. Color theory. I try to match colors to the characters "skin tones", so that things mesh together well. I always start with skin colors to figure out everything else. Find a color palette online! Find a picture of a feeling you want to go for (sunsets, calm, chaotic, etc) and color-pick it! Have fun with it! If you feel like things are off you can make it grey scale to see if it's unbalanced.

This is by no means a comprehensive guide, it's just the things I think about when I do character design. I put a lot of thought into world building and visual story telling when I design characters. What is their purpose? What's their personality? How do they flow with their setting? And build from there!

[mari-lair]

You know what i'll be petty, this will be my complain time, feel free to skip this post:

I don't like how easily Nene got inside the clock keeper's boundary.

They made a big deal of how hard it is to get there in the last arc, of how time needs to be stopped for the entrance to even show up.

And even then, only Akane, Teru, and Tsukasa had been able to move while time was frozen.

Nene could not. Even Hanako could not.

So her just following the cat (regardless if the cat is just an automaton or a yugi, it doesn't matter) I don't like it.

Cause the clock keepers should still be powerful (or else they would lose the op power of rewriting the world). And Aidairo is at least pretending their rules are the same, considering Akane was right and only he could use the clock/key.

So it feels less like weaving a new set of rules in this brand new world to explore, and more like "this is convinient to move the plot were i want" with no care for consistency.

Why did Aoi never remembered about the new timeline even when everyone explicitly told her during their dinner hang out? Is it because she wasn't in the keepers boundary? Then why did Mitsuba and Kou did? Neither of them were inside the keeper boundary when it reset either. What about Hanako and Tsukasa? They were in the clock keeper's court, but they don't have the clear memory Teru and Yashiro do of the old timeline, is it because they are ghost? Twisted into brand new forms compared to their old selves? But then we are back to wondering why mitsuba (who was a supernatural stitched up by remains) remembered.

The sad thing is that Aidairo spend so many months building up interesting ideas in this new world, ideas for things that wouldn't be able to be explored in the old one, and instead of giving the characters internal comflicts, moral comflicts (which we know they can do, picture perfect is right there) or exploring anything, they just used the dramatic "THIS WORLD IS BAD!!! NO NUANCE ANYMORE, IS JUST BAD NOW! LET'S GET OUT!!" solution to get everyone to go back.

Which isn't my personal favorite approach, but I usually wouldn't mind. I mean, everyone know they need to go back to the old timeline at some point! No problem there!! Except nothing was explored. We got the news the minamoto mom is back but we didn't get a single dialogue between her and Teru or her and a Kou that remember she used to be dead. We got the news Aoi and Teru are in an arranged marriage but didn't explore that wild comcept much. They set up a deadline of three days before the cast start forgetting the old timeline but it haven't even been one day in this new world before something conviniently awful happened.

Why set up a stage if you just want to move the characters out of it as quickly as possible?? Mitsuba and Kou whole relationship in this new world was basically sumarized to us in a single chapter, which was the same chapter where they died to rush the rest of the cast out. Yes is tense in the moment but the more time passes the more it just feels rushed. Like a million ideas thrown in a table and now that they are in the open is time to move on.

I bet a million dollars this won't be talked about.

Why would it? Aoi and Teru are probably dead, so who cares about their engagement and it shadyness? this world is 'fake' so who cares about anyone in it?

Sure, I want to go back to the original world too! but idk, I kind of cared about this world.

Wasn't that the point? To care about the world? If it wasn't the point then what was it? Yugi lore?? Show exactly how evil the entity that originally possessed Tsukasa is?? That's it? Brand new world created ONLY to focus on Yugi twins lore? No Minamoto family moment now that they are all together (an impossible feat otherwise!), no comflict or temptation at all? When Kou remember his old memories he goes 'omg sousuke was dead' but doesn't even bat an eye that his mom was dead too?? Was the mom reveal really just a cheap shock value moment for the audience??

I still have no idea where yooko and satou are, I guess mitsuba is Kou's only friend in this timeline? hard to say since we only focused on Kou and Mitsuba's relationship with each other, barely interacting with the world as a whole (what is Kou's relationship with Aoi now that she is his brother's fiance? Or with his brother now that Teru have more free time?? Who cares, am i right??). They made Mei alive but there is no interaction with her so what? is it a cute fanservice too? A way to show how powerful the 'curse of the house' is? Is that it? It feels so hollow. This rush will make them go back to their old timeline faster, sure, but it takes away the characters depth.

I am glad many people like this arc but I see it as a big waste of potential :/

[bethanydelleman]

Are there any Austen jerks or at least "not-heroic/antagonistic" characters you really sympathize with? Personally i always feel bad for Caroline, she wasn't any different from Darcy at the start of the novel, it's just that she didn't have someone with fine eyes to call her out and motivate her to change! I'd like to think she gets nicer as she grows up. I also really pity Lady Catherine, I think she loved Darcy's mom a lot. And I know she's not an antagonist but I feel terrible for Lydia, everyone in her life failed her! Yknow maybe all this empathy for the not-heroes of Pride and Prejudice is why it's not my favorite novel...

I also have sympathy for Lady Catherine & Lydia Bennet. I am a staunch defender of Caroline Bingley, I even wrote a very long essay about how a lot of Jane Austen fan fiction is misogynist towards her. I defend her a lot. I don't even think she's that bad even without growing up. She lives in a time where a woman can only properly express ambition through marriage. If she lived today, she'd probably be a career woman and she'd be good at it!

I have a lot of sympathy for the Crawfords because I think the basis of their behaviour is that both of them don't believe love actually exists. And then they learn that it's real, only to immediately lose their best chance at achieving it (yes, mostly because of Henry's stupidity, but it's still sad!)

Lucy Steele does twist the knife on Elinor, but Edward is her golden ticket out of poverty. Same with Isabella Thorpe, she's too greedy in the end, but that girl has very few options in life. I'm actually pretty forgiving of Austen's "bad women" overall, because of the difficult situation that all of them are automatically placed in. I even almost root for Lady Susan and her plots, except that she's horrible to her own daughter.

The only characters I don't have much sympathy for is those who have squandered their opportunity to change. Wickham had two very good chances to become a better person and rejected both. Willoughby could have taken responsibility for Eliza, and kept his inheritance, but he chose to leave her behind instead. There is always hope of change, but I don't have much pity.

[hcneymooners]

i need to dump this somewhere so here are some things i keep thinking of that have sent my creative current flowing through me recently:

is this what you felt like?, car crash, please let me in, someday — these are tags from a work i have bookmarked on ao3. it's one of my favorites and in it one of the characters gets into a car crash while on the phone with the person they love. i've also been fixating on car crashes because of this fragrantica review as of late and i think i need to write about it but i don't know how yet.

its ok, not a love — another fragrantica review.

"all this talk of apocalypse makes me want to get married" — the more i write this out the more i realize i'm currently drawn to the idea of love in the time of disaster or destruction or destabilizing events especially when viewing love as a destabilizing event itself.

my online pilates instructor who is australian and has a low voice and says "beautiful job" all the time. love her.

it's you, again, please. again. please — tags from another fic with the same pairing as the first bullet point. best friends to lovers is the elite trope to me, i'm sorry.

forgiveness as a game i always lose. — i have gotten so particular these days about the kind of angst i consume because i am someone who struggles to forgive, well moreso forget when people hurt me or the people i love. i love complex ficitional works where characters are allowed to hold grudges, be reluctant to move forward/begin again while still holding feelings of love and attraction toward whomever they love. i need more of that. i hate when conflict is resolved too quickly or when the conflict isn't convoluted enough to be drawn out as long as it is.

iris (perfume notes).

this:

the true grit of beautiful things — i.e. this post by @indianatumbleweedjones

oyster/pearlescent/oceanic/crystalline imagery

the way my stomach is what feels my anxiety first

this tiktok this creator made where she said she's sick of wlw love scenes always being portrayed as mermaid-esque, slow motion magical moments. — she wants something darker and more desperate and then i looked at the wlw media i have saved/reblogged/annotated and realized i'm the same. things can still be "slow" and tender while still emphasizing the batshit insanity of it all and the electric current that is touching someone with the same softness/body as you.

mmkay, that's all. love you. please don't think i'm crazy.

ally x

[criticalcrusherbot]

oh my fuck you're a patronizing piece of shit, promoting yourself as you exposing their internalized bigotry and gently getting them to see the light when you're just asking leading questions to get critics and detractors to back themselves into corners  "are you mad at X or at Y?" no we're talking about A. you have so much bias you had to brand yourself as a therapist so people would see you and the beep boop as "helping" instead of someone as invested in "winning" against the opposition as your target haters as you fucking admit with your little "i win". 

What keeps you so invested in people you dislike? Do you think this much frustration over others is a productive use of your time and energy? Would you feel happier focusing on something you actually enjoy? Babe, why are you here? Why are you actively sinking time into random people you refuse to let go of?

if you have answers that justify this blog to yourself, your targets do too. the same fucking ones. 

💁🏽‍♀️: Just to clarify, I’m not a therapist—I never claimed to be. But I have been learning how to ask questions that help people examine their own feelings. So let’s take a step back: what exactly is fueling all this frustration? Because the first thing you typed was “oh my fuck you’re a patronizing piece of shit.” That’s… a strong reaction to someone simply having a different perspective on a cartoon. What about reading my thoughts made you that angry?

And yes, we all have biases. My bias is that I like the show. Your bias is that you don’t. How is my perceived condescension any worse than the rudeness and insults flung by the anti I’ve been debating at anyone who disagrees with her?

I’ll answer your questions first 🥰

1. I like analyzing my favorite media, and most of my posts are just that—analysis, not responses to specific users. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to exist in this fandom without running into you guys, so countering critiques is a fun way for me to refine my own interpretation of the show’s themes and characters. It’s engaging!

2. I’m not frustrated at all. I did competitive debate back in the day, and I used to write analytical essays about Naruto, Avatar, and other media. Like I said, it’s fun! So yes, this has been a very productive use of my time and energy—thanks for checking in!

3. I enjoy analyzing Helluva Boss, but I also have other hobbies like writing fanfiction, making friendship bracelets, and reading on my Kindle. Spending time on this, in addition to my other hobbies and with my friends and family, has been a lovely and fulfilling way to use my energy. Appreciate the concern 🥰

4. I’m here because 80% of my time on this site is spent enjoying a show I like—until critics decide to hop onto my blog 😂

Now that that’s out of the way—oh, I am trying to win. That’s the point of debate. I blur out usernames when I start things so antis don’t get any hate, but if antis engage with my posts directly? Yeah, I’m going to try and win—especially when the argument isn’t strong. (TBH it would be more fun if I could find more well thought out criticisms. But unfortunately they are few and far between 😩) imho generally speaking, if you’re going to tout moral superiority for not liking a show, at least have a solid argument.

But my issue isn’t that you or other antis dislike the show. What I’m actually noticing is this weird tendency to treat obsessively hating a piece of media as a kind of moral high ground, and when someone challenges that, they’re dismissed as “patronizing” or a “brain-dead stan.” Why is that? What makes your stance so untouchable? And more importantly—why does it make you so mad?

These are just drawings—they can’t hurt you. But the impulse to demonize media simply because it doesn’t align with personal moral standards? That kind of rigid thinking has led to some troubling patterns throughout history, and it’s something worth reflecting on.

Thanks for the ask, Babe 😘💖

[instantpansies]

life is hard for us oz fans who are only meh about wicked. have half a meme.