#but maybe it was purposeful in relation to the show and all will be revealed idk i just get the impression it's the first thing lmao

[kingdomoftyto]

Maybe my favorite thing in the entire book is the Vulnerability section on the Love page:

Because ostensibly he's referring to how he did this with Ford, but it actually shows that he's only letting all of these revealing things slip to the reader because he thinks he's doing so on purpose.

He's SO deep in denial that he's fooled himself into thinking this is all just part of the scam. That he's manipulating the reader into believing something that isn't true.

He's trying to put on a facade of vulnerability in the hopes that we'll "fall for it" and "mistakenly" believe that he's capable of sentiment, but that mask is only clumsily layered over top of another facade, one so ingrained in him that he doesn't even know it's there anymore. He truly believes, on some level, that he's above petty things like attachment and companionship. All the way up til the very end of the book:

But the thing is. All that stuff about being tragic and lonely and wanting someone to relate to him? It IS true. He really IS that messed up over the "breakup" with Ford, and because the reader understands how feelings work better than he does, we can see through the claim that this whole book is a "sob story" and realize that he actually means every bit of it.

"I'll tell these dumb humans that my home dimension got destroyed, they'll make their little assumptions about how I feel about it, and then they'll be eating out of my hands!" ...But then later, FORD is the one to reveal what it is that Bill has kept in his hat for the last trillion years. And the reader says to themself, uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that you're a being with no emotions and no weaknesses, Bill Cipher.

There are so many layers of deception and self-deception and it runs through every single page of the book, and for that reason it is a real work of art, imo

frankly I think we all moved on from the love pages too easily

[anxiousnerdwritings]

I am going FERAL over this imagine:

So basically Bruce brings reader home to be his new daughter/the boys' new sibling but Uh Oh! They now want you carnally and reader is just like "you said you wanted me as a daughter/sibling, wtf is this" and being their platonic darling is better than being shared between them romantically so reader tries to come off as innocent and child/sibling coded by being like "yeah I've never actually kissed or dated anyone before aren't I just so innocent" and the boys are like :)))

So then Dick says you can call him your boyfriend "just to feel it out" and Tim starts blatantly stealing your panties and Jason says he can give you your 1st kiss so you can "practice" with him and Bruce offers to teach you how to touch yourself and (and him) and when you try to walk it back cause the boys are being Freaks they're in their delulu era so eventually you end up tied to the bed with the boys and Bruce drawing straws over who gets to take what 1sts (like 1st date, kiss, virginity, ect).

And Damien is just in the background absolutely SEETHING cause the the boys and Bruce's Horny Time keeps interrupting his Mommy Time with the reader

And reader using Damien as kind of a shield cause what are they going to do, feel you up in front of a CHILD? Like just, "Stay Platonic :))"

Just that kind of pseudo incest makes me Feel Things (*/∀＼*)(///∇///)

I'd love your thoughts/a fic based on this! Ty ❤️

TW: Brief mentions of pseudo incest(y) scenarios/behavior, manipulative tactics, yandere tendencies

(Okay so I’ll answer this with my thoughts for right now.)

I know I primarily write incest(y) related topics for my Game of Thrones/ASOIAF stuff but I have been tempted to/curious about branching it out into some of the other fandoms I write for 👀. (I’ve had a few ideas rolling around in my noggin for a bit if anyone is interested.) So I would be willing to give this a try. I’m down to experiment with some new stuff, within reason of course.

I imagine the Reader being older (probably 19-23), maybe even having been a runaway of sorts or not having a very stable home life, so when they’re given the ‘offer’ to become part of the family they’re looking to fulfill a familial void they’ve never experienced or have forgotten how it’s felt like. I definitely see Bruce and the rest of the boys keeping a very close eye on the Reader before they decide to finally bring them into their family, basically full on stalking them from the moment they caught their attention (you know how the Batfam works). It wouldn’t be a surprise if even before the Reader was with them physically that the boys developed a more carnal desire for them. At first, their intentions were completely platonic, but with all the lengthy observing and information gathering of their supposed-to-be-new-family-member eventually something changed in how they all saw their darling.

I really see the change in their obsession starting with either Dick or Tim first. Especially regarding some accidental or purposeful peeping Tom foolery. I feel like Bruce would be the last to fall victim to the change in direction or at the very least he’s the last one to admit to it. If Damian is younger than I see his obsession staying strictly platonic, but if he were much older than I could see him involving himself to the same depths as his family.

At first, I see things happening subtly. Knowing that at the very least a few of them are already in an obsessive-romantic headspace in regards to their darling before they even physically become part of the family the guys would try to be as welcoming as possible without revealing their true intentions. They don’t want to scare you off right away, they want you to walk into it semi-willingly at least. But the interactions with the Reader would show something else. The lingering touches, the being much closer to you than really necessary, the heated grazes over your clothes here and there that leave you wondering if that actually happened or not. I also kind of like the other members not being fully aware of each other’s change in obsession, everyone giving each other the side eye until it sets in and then all out war of who gets the darling to themself unfolds only to eventually end up with them working together and agreeing to share. That’s when Bruce’s heel-turn is revealed.

Once things get truly amped up, the interactions with the Reader really begin to escalate. The boys would walk around shirtless more often, all of them trying to get their darling to look at them, to really look at them. Eventually, it’s not just them being shitless but either them in nothing but their underwear or nothing at all. They start out as accidents but eventually it’s pretty loud and clear that the guys want you to see them, all of them, to even touch them and feel them to your hearts content. But thats not all, of course it’s not. The touching of their darling only gets all the more intense, to the point that you know damn well that they’re touching you and they want to leave you wanting for more. So much more. The Reader’s innocence and lack of experience would only spur them on even more. They absolutely thrive off of it. They all want to be your first, your first everything. There will be a lot of secret ‘lessons’ being given behind closed doors and telling of “Don’t tell Batdaddy or he’ll get real mad.” “Don’t let Jay know, or he’ll want to punish you for not doing this with him.” “Let this be our secret, (Name). Something just for you and me.” “Can’t tell anyone about this or they’ll ruin it for the both of us.” And they only get even worse from there.

I can’t see Alfred being okay with this in any situation, whatsoever. I think he especially would feel like Bruce and the other boys completely took advantage of the Reader and he would try his best to aid them in trying to keep up with the platonic intention of this entire fiasco. He would be a total cockblock, even going as far as helping Damian in his cockblocking endeavors. Alfred’s intention would be to play both sides so he knows how to help the Reader when it comes to Bruce and the others but it wouldn’t take too long for them to figure out that Alfred is working against them. Like, Alfred was all for the familial-platonic obsession but when things started getting more romantic he was ready to shut that shit down ASAP. You can’t tell me he hasn’t, at least a few times, locked Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim out of the house to give the Reader some peace and give Damian his much deserved allotted time with them.

Speaking of Damian, he is a menace (as per usual) but even more so than normal. He really doesn’t take too well to the new direction of his father’s and brothers’ obsession for the Reader. He thinks it’s pretty messed up but he sincerely likes and cares about the Reader and he wants them to stay, he wants them to continue being a part of the family forever so he’ll let some things slide. Some. He even may be willing to look the other way when it eventually comes to Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim baby-trapping the Reader if it means this whole ‘family’ thing becomes set in stone with the arrival of a new ‘sibling’. But for the most part, at least early on, Damian would be a huge pain in the ass for the other family members. He feels like he needs to step in to save his darling from the others and their ulterior motives. He’s all his parental/older sibling figure needs, at least at that point. He may even try to runaway with them to keep them safe from the others. Hell, he may even get his mother involved if he was desperate enough, especially if he saw the Reader as a parental figure. Or maybe even another Justice League member to either adopt him and the Reader so that he could have that family experience he was promised with the Reader. Or he would be completely content just living the rest of his life just him and the Reader, platonically of course.

It would either take Bruce or Dick to have a talk with Damian to get him to come to some agreement to allow them to continue with what they’re doing in regards to the Reader. I think Dick would get away with manipulating Damian much better than Bruce could. I think Damian would have some opinions about his father especially throughout this whole situation. Especially since I see Damian being very observant of how Dick, Jason and Tim are behaving towards the Reader early on and picking up on the fuckery taking place, even going as far as telling Bruce about it under the belief his father would be on his side (not ever fathoming the idea of his father also doing similar things to the Reader without him ever knowing). As far as Damian knew his father was completely platonic towards the Reader, as a ‘father’ should be. Right? So understandably Damian feels not only betrayed but also disgusted when he finds out that his father was and still is taking part in, acting in a similarly depraved fashion as the others.

Eventually, I could see them coming together and being one big ‘happy’ family. But it sure as hell comes at a price. (Usually the Reader’s freedom and sense of self outside of the obsession they’ve been dragged into, to drown in alongside their yandere(s).)

[bomber-grl]

Sal Fisher Fluff Alphabet!

Pairing(s): Sal Fisher x Gn!Reader

Art Creds (going left to right) ~ @/pinetre3, @/mawny666, (couldn’t find, let me know if you do)

A - Admiration (what do they absolutely adore about you)

It really depends on you tbh

Like if you’re an artist or musician-

If you have any talents or skills really, just something you’re passionate about

Then I definitely see that as something he’d adore about you

Especially if you’re constantly portraying such talents and draw him stuff, crochet him anything or give him some sort of trinket or gift relating to your skill

It’s either that or your constant willingness to help out with the paranormal

There aren’t many people who would and regardless if you do so with a face of bravery or cowardice, he’d still greatly appreciate it and admire you for it

A - Attention (how much attention do they want in the relationship?)

I’d assume about a good amount?? I mean you’re dating each other so it’s only natural 😭

You see eachother everyday too and most likely hang out in either of your apartment rooms/ houses

As much as I see him liking the attention I also think he’d like some solitude

Not that your attention doesn’t have him flustered and all giddy

Just something to consider I suppose

Plus he’d probably like to give you all the attention as you’re the center of his affections

B - Body (what is their favorite part of your body?)

His favorite part of your body would most likely be your hands

Not for their appearance but because of how often you’d comfort him with them

In school and in class you’d show little affections by intertwining your hands together

When that wasn’t possible you’d link pinkies

At home you used your hand to cradle his face when he revealed it to you-

And you often gently played with his hair with your hands

Now, if you told him you liked a body part of his because of the same reason: the acts of affection done through them, then he’d feel happy you felt the same

But if you also added that you thought this specific body part was hot or attractive then he’d definitely get flustered and laugh awkwardly 😭

Don’t even get him to talk after or he’d probably stutter a bit

B - Boo! (do they scare people? How do they act when scaring you/people?)

Honestly Sal probably gave a few people jump scares when he first started attending school

Half because his prosthetic was unexpected and also because I feel like he just has that energy when standing there 🧍

It was totally unintended too 😭

Poor Sal

Overall I don’t really see Sal as a scaring person type

He’d probably join in if you or Larry did but wouldn’t do much but stand by

If it was a bad idea he’d either lightly discourage it or not say anything and watch it happen

If he did manage to scare you for some reason then he’d feel bad

Especially since it was most likely not on purpose and was only cuz you opened the door and weren’t expecting anyone to be on the other side

B - Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? what do they think is beautiful about them?)

Anything really

As I mentioned before it really depends on you and your personality traits/passions

If you’re particularly kind or often defend others then that’s something Sal would admire about you

As well as if you were unapologetically yourself, especially when around someone like Travis

Now when it comes to how he views your beauty it’s difficult to explain

The only way I can is when you’re looking at your friend and can’t help admire how beautiful they are

Maybe that’s just me 😭😅)

But that’s how he’d see you, there isn’t any particular traits but maybe it’s how you look when your thinking or doing what you love

Maybe how you look when the wind blows through your hair, or even when it’s cold out and your nose is visibly cold

Just little things like that

C - Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?)

Sal doesn’t have much of a preference more often than not

I mean if you want to be big spoon and him little spoon he’s more than happy to cuddle that why and vice versa

Although I do imagine him liking to cuddle by mutual holding

He liked to be close to you and feels especially safe/warm when you’re really close to eachother this way

It’s nice to cuddle with him too, especially during winter although I do see Sal as one of those people that are cold so even if you’re one of them too-

You’re automatically his new heater

Whether you’re aware of it or not 😭

Sal would probably not be too fond of pda but I think it’s likely he’d huddle with you if it’s the colder months

D - Dates (what does their ideal date with you look like?)

Honestly his ideal date would probably just be the two of you hanging out somewhere, anywhere really

Like you two could just be hanging out in his room, order pizza and get snacks and that would be an ideal date in his mind

As long as he gets to spend time with you, really

If you’d rather do something else like go out shopping, go to an actual restaurant and stuff then he’s more than fine to go along

E - Emotions (how do they express emotion around you?)

Sal is pretty open all around

He’s never been one to shy away from expressing how he feels or be overly self conscious about it

If something is bothering him or just stressing him out he’s likely to communicate that with you

Although he’s pretty open I’d imagine he might not let you know how he’s feeling all the time

Especially if you’re particularly stressed then he wouldn’t want to add onto that stress with something else to worry about: him

Honestly he’d probably realize pretty quickly by being snapped back to reality by you or another factor and realize he should just let you know how he feels

It’s just for the sake of good communication and not ruining your relationship

E - Equal (do they prefer to be more in control or laid-back in the relationship?)

It really depends on you, like many of the other prompts 😭

If you want to be more in control in the relationship then sals more than happy to let you be

Same if you’d want to be laid back

Honestly Sal would probably be more laid back regardless of how you are

As long as you’re both equals and communicate effectively the dynamic you two have isn’t really a concern

F - Future (What are their plans for the future? Do they see themselves getting married, having kids?)

Sal never really thought of marriage, kids or anything of the sort

School wise he only ever thought of graduating, never anything after

When you two start dating and getting closer he might think briefly of marriage but that’s as far as it goes

Anything that happens from then on is not because of his plans but the course of events that just happens to follow

If you two get married that’s something you both ended up deciding is best

F - Forgiving (If they had a fight with their partner(s), how would they apologize? Or would they be petty about it?)

Sal would probably need some space from the whole thing

He isn’t one to get upset or overly angry when arguing, at most it’s just a discussion without any heat

On his part at-least, it depends on you and how you handle it

Especially if you “try” to make him mad, it just makes him feel weirded out and want some space

If you’re upset about something he’ll just want you to communicate that with him

He’ll always listen, as long as you do too

So if he did something that hurt you he’d apologize, he wouldn’t be afraid too and he always will

But he’d appreciate that you do the same when you realize a mistake done on your part

G - Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?)

Sal is always gifting you little things

Maybe little trinkets he finds or even some cool looking acorns or rocks

Though in his opinion these aren’t even gifts, just something small he does on his part

Gradually his gifts get actual “gifty” in his opinion and he starts giving you things you talk about

Obviously taking note of your likes and interests

If you’re a big gift giver then Sal is one to be appreciative but it might also be uncomfortable for him to accept

Not for any particular reason, just the closer you get and casual it is to gift each other stuff, will he be more accepting

G - Gratitude (how grateful are they to have you? what do they think your relationship is worth in comparison to other things in their life?)

Sal is honestly so grateful and him telling you that he loved you even as friends wasn’t uncommon

He’d always let you know how much you meant to him and still does, though telling you he loved you at the beginning of your relationship obviously meant something more

So he’d fluster and hesitate to say it

Because you’re likely one of his oldest friends since he moved to the apartments in the first place, he’ll likely see you as a huge part of his life

You helped out in more ways than he could’ve asked but I think that comparing what you have to anything else in his life is offensive to him in the sense that the amount he loves things are not on the same level as another

Take what you will from this, maybe it’s his weird way of saying that he loves you

Who knows

G - Gentle (how gentle are they? physically and emotionally)

Sal is literally the gentlest person known to man

He is so kind and attentive that it’s crazy, this of course causes him to somewhat neglect himself and his feelings but that’s a discussion for after this one.

He’ll always be there for you to listen, just make sure to communicate that you’re not in the best mood if you don’t feel like going to a Sal therapy session

Plus, it’s not like it’s all that one sided

We all know how much Sal has through in his life, mixed with the cult, losing his mom, murdering half the apartment residents, and so on so forth in his adult life

Obviously the nightmares that happen depend on what part of his life and your relationship it takes place in, but my point is that you’re there for him just as much as he is there for you

Physically too, at first you would’ve believed him if he told you he was afraid of shattering you

Going purely based off that fact that he acted as though you were glass

Highschool Sal was just that flustered by it and adult Sal isn’t that much different- just faux nonchalant

H - Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?)

Highschool Sal is filled with immense nervous energy when you try to hold his hand

He isn’t opposed, don’t mistake it for him disliking it, if anything it’s the opposite

He’ll enjoy you trying to hold his hand at any time, even at school

Though depending on your identity and sexuality it might provoke some unseemly comments from the resident closeted gay Travis

Either way, the older you get the more Sal is happy to hold your hand

If you even want to swing your arm and along with that his, he’ll laugh and find it endearing

Might even play along too, you can always hold his hand

That much is obvious

H - Hugs (do they like hugs? how often do they do it, and what are they like?)

Sal loves hugs so much but ,again , the younger he is when you start dating the more stiff and unfamiliar he acts

Not that he always is, just that when these acts of affection are done in a romantic context only does he feel flustered

He will eventually be more comfortable, it inevitable. But, even if he’s more towards the awkward beginning stage of your relationship he’ll always hug you back.

Sal will always be open to hugs, he doesn’t really initiate it often because I don’t think that’s his love language

But he is always more than welcoming to affection that you want to give, so it’s more dependent on you

Whether you hug people often or not, that’s how often he will

Excluding you needing to be comforted and when you say goodbye, he always will hug you no exceptions

His hugs are like hugging a pole when you’re in front of others 😭

He’s not too fond of PDA because he’s hyper aware but when he’s not it’s honestly amazing

Especially since cuddling is mostly mutual holding and its just great

I - Injury (how would they act if you got hurt?)

Sal would be so worried if you were to somehow be harmed and this varies on the state of your injury

Like if it’s just a cut on your hand or something he’ll likely give you a bandaid and do something silly as “kiss it better”

If your injury was more extreme like say a broken bone or an even more grotesque injury- he like anyone, would be concerned (understatement)

He’ll immediately try and help you any way and if this warranted a hospital visit or something then he’d try to be there for you

Because him not being able to do anything for you is inevitable, he would have to stand by and just wait- feeling useless

(Even though doing nothing and letting the professionals is helping you)

I- I love you (how fast would they say ‘i love you’?)

Sal would probably either tell you he loved you immediately or wait for the longest time

Let me explain

During Highschool, Sal is just new to romance and likely as told you that he loved you when you were friends

So, because of a slip up and because of how much affection he held for you, he accidentally slipped up and told you he loved you

You two were probably just chilling in his room hanging out like usual and after that is just pure silence

He slowly looks at you and then what happens next is dependent on how you react

If you tell him you also loved him, with an romantic undertone he’d flush but not argue because believe it or not

He also loves you

Now the next is him waiting a long time, well I lied

There is no world where he’d take a long ass time because he either blurts it out when you’re about to kiss or something, Larry teases him about it and tells you for him (on accident) or something else ensues

Either way if he tried to hold it in he’d probably burst from it

J - Jokes (do they like to joke around with or prank you? how?)

Yes yes and yes

Sal isn’t actively trying to pull pranks or harsh jokes

That’s just not how he is, but he will tease and shoot back a playful insult or two depending on you

If you’re the type to push people when you laugh or are just playful then he’ll always go along with it even if it isn’t how he is

Despite this, he occasionally has the mischievous urge to participate in a harmless prank here and there

Nothing more because that’s just not how he is, I really can’t say anything else

J - Jealousy (what makes them jealous? what are they like when they’re jealous?)

Honestly Sal is not really a jealous guy whatsoever

He’s secure in your relationship and is honestly pretty chill

As long as you tell him you’re only into him and only will be then that’s good enough for him

Honestly it’s sort of unnerving

I guess the only instance I can see it is when he’s new to the relationship, even then you guys were likely friends before so why wouldn’t he trust you?

K - Kisses (what are their kisses like? who kissed who first? where do they like to kiss you?how do they like to kiss you?)

Sal could either be the one to initiate your first kiss or not

Leaning to not just because of his hesitance to any affection done in a romantic context

Again, even then he’ll be more than happy to let you kiss him

He isn’t shy to let you know when or if he gets uncomfortable or if you’ve breached his boundaries

The first time you two kissed was likely back in high school

It was done after you two hung with a crowd of your friends and loved ones and finally got time to spend alone

Likely at a park or even in Sals room

You don’t know what possessed you to but maybe it was the already tension filled air that caused you to silently ask Sal before leaning in and kissing him

He’s honestly flushed from head to toe and just stares (?) at you afterwards because of how much he refuses to even test much less trust his voice

It was shocking to him since this was the few times he didn’t have his mask on (in room) and you probably only kissed his cheek with his mask still on

Sals kisses are usually on your cheek or forehead

It’s mostly because that’s a pretty tame and surface level of affection and most times it’s when you’re sleeping or resting on his lap

When you’re in public you hardly have any chance to actually kiss since he has his mask on, so as weird or silly it may seem he’ll let out a small laugh if you kiss him with it on

Mostly just goes with how you like to kiss too, otherwise small pecks on the lips and other places like your cheeks and forehead are for him.

L - Love (how do they show you they love you? What’s their love language?)

Sals love language is definitely somewhere between quality time, gift giving, and words of affirmation

Highschool was the only way you could actively be near each other and Sal loved having classes with you soley because he got to hang out with you

Even then, you guys often hang out outside of school (the whole paranormal cult thing) and by also just having been living in the apartments at the time

That continues even as adults

Also the reason why you ended up moving in with Sal because he wanted to desperately hang out with you but couldn’t because you were unable to due to jobs, higher education, etc

At least this way you’re able to see each other at the beginning and near the end of the day

Sals gifts and also somewhat can be considered acts of service has always been apparent

Even in high school where he’d love to give you little trinkets (as previously mentioned) and would also be more than happy to help you with things

Literally what is Sal doing if he’s not doing something for you to show you he loves you?

And words of affirmation? He’s always just complimenting you

If you’re into handy things like crocheting, art, any hobbies or skills that you have at all

- Sal is absolutely just complimenting you

Without a care too

It all just comes naturally to Sal so when you tell him how loved you feel by him, he doesn’t really get it but is happy regardless

M - Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Lazy and chatty

You’re likely just lazing around in his bed with him and once you both wake up you just talk about whatever

Obviously how it goes is dependent on what you have to do for the day (any jobs or responsibilities) but because of Sals nightmares you two often start your mornings earlier than others

Even lazing around gets somewhat tiring and you two are just some rats scurrying around the house before dawn that Larry and Neil end up bringing up

All just to tease

N - Nightmare (what is their worst fear?)

None Sal has no bad traits-

self sacrificial when it comes to you

(Willing to elaborate)

O - Obvious (How obvious do they make it that they like you?)

SUPER OBVIOUS

Literally Sal would be blushing and stuttering around you when he likes you

Larry is always pushing Sal to talk to you and is always teasing him in a friendly and playful way

Not exactly in a covert way either

Ashley and Todd probably know too and so when you’re in class working in groups they’d probably also bring it up to you

Yknow- just in case Sals crush isn’t obvious enough

Make the first move please it’s slowly killing them and Sal

P - Pet Names (what do they like to call you?)

Pet names would strike Sal down

The cringe /pos and romantic aspect of it all would be too much

If you want to call him a pet name he’d be fine with it but he’s secretly screaming inside

Even as you two mature in your relationship he’d still be flustered by it but not as much as he was by the beginning

P - Patience (how easily do they get angry?)

He doesn’t get mad whatsoever

The most is getting mildly annoyed or inconvenienced, only when directed towards you

If someone else brings a sensitive topic up or insults you then that’s another thing

Even then he’s eerily calm

Q - Quiet (How are the calm, quiet moments with them?)

The calm, quiet moments with Sal are relaxing

There is no pressure to say anything nor is there any need to

Your presence each other is enough and because of that prolonged silence, usually you two stay that way

He will make sure you’re alright occasionally, depending if you seem thirsty or uncomfortable- just asking if you need anything basically

Otherwise, the need to speak is nonexistent

R - Rhythm (what songs reminds you of them?)

Idk why, don’t ask

Something About You - Eydress & Dent May

Christmas Kids - ROAR

Sweet - Cigarettes after Sex

Pretty Boy - Tv Girl

R - Romance (How romantic are they? What are their go-to ways of being romantic?

Sal isn’t romantic, in his opinion

It’s just how he naturally is towards you, which makes it even better

He’s always willing to do chores for you and gift you stuff

Little ways of showing affection

When he’s trying to actually be romantic he’s pretty nervous about it and his usual way of existence is amplified by like a million

He tries to buy you gifts, set up a fancy dinner, honestly anything that you personally enjoy

He just wants to make sure you feel loved

As long as you do then there’s no need to worry

S - Secrets (how open are they with you?)

He’s really open in the sense that he tells you stuff that he’s ready to share

And doesn’t with the information he’s not ready to

Not that’s he’s purposely hiding things from you

So no, he doesn’t have any secrets, just things about him that takes time for him to open up to you about

S - safe (What makes them feel safe and comfortable around you?)

Just the fact that you’re you

You’re his best friend and significant other

Why wouldn’t he feel comfortable and safe with you? Honestly if anything you’re the one of the few people that he genuinely feels calm around

Just from your presence alone

When he wakes up gasping from a nightmare you’re always there

When he’s feeling a bit on edge when going outside to throw the trash- you’re always there

It’s only natural that he begins to associate safety with you when you’re just always there when he’s feeling not his best

S - Security (how protective are they? how would they protect their s/o?)

He’s pretty protective

Not because he doesn’t think you’re capable of protecting or handling yourself

That’s not the reason at all

You’re his significant other and obviously someone he cares deeply about so it’s only natural he’d worry about you

If you weren’t previously involved with the cult or paranormal then he’d attempt to protect you by separating you from it

We all know it’s in vain

T - Time (how long did it take you to get together?)

Depends on you

It really really does

You two likely got to know each other in highschool and we all know how Sal was back then (romance wise)

So even if his crush on you was painfully obvious, it ultimately depended on you

So it could either be you two getting each other immediately or taking awhile

Have your pick

Please get together asap, it’ll be slowing eating at everyone alive

T - Tend (How do they act when you’re hurt or sick, and vice versa?)

He’d be really attentive

Not the best if he’s still a teen since the only times he can see you is by going to your living space

As an adult he significantly improves and would bring you water, cook, and just be there for anything you need

A bonus is that he thinks your still cute even if you look like shit

When he’s sick he doesn’t expect you to focus a lot on him

I mean Larry probably would drop in and bring him stuff like medicine if you didn’t so it wouldn’t be that serious

But if you’re constantly on top of stuff like doing his chores and keeping track of his personal and like social (school, job) stuff then he feels really happy (for the lack of a better word)

T - Tease (how do they tease you?)

He does it unknowingly

It’d probably be an attempt at flirting but end up just with him teasing you

Not that it’s a bad thing or anything because even then he doesn’t do it with bad intentions

Or with any intentions at all

U - Upset (how do they act when you’re upset?)

He brings it up and asks you about it

If you prefer to be given space then he’d be happy to oblige

The same can be said for if you want to be held or bundled up together in his room

It really depends on you because he’s more than happy to respect your boundaries

U - Ugly (what are some bad habits of theirs?)

Can’t really think of any in particular, let me know if you can

V - Vaunt (what are they proud of? Do they like to show you off?)

Sal is proud of many things but not in a flaunty way

He’s pretty humble about his own accomplishments and the most he’d “flaunt” something he did would be just showing off the fact that he beat Larry’s high score on a game or something

Even then it’s only because of the playful and unserious nature of the situation

When it comes to you he’s not really one to show you off either

He’d be proud of you and everything you do

Especially if you have hobbies and skills that you’re passionate about

He just thinks that because your skill is so obvious, it’s only natural that everyone immediately knows

No point in showing off it it’s a well known fact

V - Vanity (how concerned are they with their looks?)

Sal isn’t too concerned with his looks in the sense that looks are everything and he’s overly cautious of how he looks

He does like to look nice at least and achieves that on the minimum

Overall he doesn’t think about it much besides dressing how he wants to express himself

Otherwise I have nothing else to say

W - Warrior (how do they feel about you fighting? Would they fight for you, beside you, etc?)

Because of the cult and paranormal, fighting becomes essential at one point and no longer a choice

Even if he felt like you shouldn’t fight, it wouldn’t matter once your faced with the horrors you need to overcome

Plus, he trusts you enough and knows that you’re well aware of your capabilities

Sal would both fight for you and beside you

He’ll always be there to protect you and seeing as you’re willing to fight the cult, then you’re also always there to protect him

Even then he’d worry for you, and you him

Which he for some reason is shocked by

W - Wild card (random relationship headcanon!)

Not liking Gizmo is a huge deal breaker

And not liking his friends or willing to be around them to some extent is one too

X - X-Ray (how well are they able to read you?)

He’s able to read you eerily well

He’ll always be able to tell how you’re feeling and especially if you’re upset

Which helps him be his caring self and help you out

The same goes for him, he’s so obvious when he’s upset or feeling a negative emotion

It’s written all over his face and oddly silent self

He’s so oblivious to the fact that its obvious that he’s surprised that you notice 😭

X - XO (How do they show you affection? How much PDA are they willing to show?)

Sal shows you affection in the obvious ways

He hugs you, cuddles you, kisses you, etc etc

He isn’t one to shy away when giving you affection but he does get a bit flustered, that doesn’t deter him either way

When it comes to pda Sal isn’t exactly jumping at the opportunity to be making out 💀

He isn’t one of those people and most certainly doesn’t want to be that overly affectionate couple that’s outright gross

He will hug you and hold your hand but that’s really it

He feels a bit awkward otherwise 😭

When you guys were in highschool you’d hold pinkies rather than hands at most snd occasionally hug in public

Kissing was too much for Sal at the time

Y - Yearn (What do they do when they miss you?)

When Sal is missing you he spends a good amount of time looking at stuff you’ve given him (necklaces, drawings, etc)

If it’s easily accessible then he’d probably chill in your room for a good while before doing something else

Other than that it’s mostly in how he’s feeling

Especially if you’ve built a routine with him then he feels especially sad and misses you

Once you return from a trip or simple outing he’d let you know how he missed you

Z- Zzz (How do they act when they get sleepy? How is it sleeping in the same bed?)

When sals sleeping he can hold out on sleeping for awhile but then it’s lights out 💀

Don’t ask for anything more and he’ll just knock out if he’s especially tired

Most nights he’s not too tired when he decides to go to bed tho so the occurrence isn’t that often

When sleeping in the same bed as Sal he’s honestly a pretty good sleeper

Even in his sleep he’s considerate and you never have problems sharing blankets or space

The only time either of you would ever fall off would be if your own accords (in which Sal probably has)

I mean most times you’re cuddling so there’s no issues there, especially if it’s cold

The only problem is when it’s summer and it gets hot, otherwise sleeping with Sal is enjoyable.

[simplydozing]

𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥

Stanford Pines X Reader After your reunion and a few shared drinks atop the Mystery Shack, you show him something about yourself that no one would even think you have. Word Count: 1222 || Ao3, Wattpad

A/N: Sorry For Being Inactive, There Was A Lot Going On These Past Couple Of Months. But I Prevail! (Long Enough To Write A Little Something For You Guys, Granted It's Not Ghost Related. Sorry About That Too, By The Way. Maybe And Hopefully You Guys Will Enjoy Anyway!) Thank You SO Much For Your Patience!

Oh what a time to be alive.

Your dear friend, one who’s been missing for the past few years, came back through an interdimensional portal that your boss made under his gift shop.

Indeed.

That doesn’t matter though, that’s a story for another day. He was back and that’s all you cared about.

Slurred words and laughter filled the warm night air as you both sat on the roof of the Mystery Shack. A few soda cans were strewn around, along with a couple of glasses and a bottle of your finest whiskey. You saved it for a time like this. You both had a couple of drinks already to start the night off so you’d be loose enough to talk. Because let’s be real, 30 years does something to a man. 30 years also made him the silver fox he is today and you needed a little something to distract yourself from that fact.

But enough of that now.

He was telling you about the things that Bill did to him while he was possessed.

“And then I almost got arrested for the third time! I had a real track record going then.”

You both laughed.

“I remember something like that! You went buck ass wild at one point in college,” you took a sip from your soda.

“You did a lot of stuff that I thought you would never do.”

He chuckled and shook his head.

“Yeah, I thought that too,” he rubbed the back of his neck, remembering that you attended the same university he did. You heard a lot from him.

“I also remember something about you waking up with a new tattoo,” you smiled.

Ford chokes on his drink.

You clap a hand over your mouth to try and not let out the laugh you were holding. He’s frantically sputtering and wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. His face goes red and he’s fiddling with his glasses.

“That, I wish you didn’t,” he mutters.

You really didn’t mean to embarrass him, but you both used to pick on each other way back when. He should be used to it, but with the way he deflates, you could tell that it wasn’t his proudest moment. It seemed like you struck a chord.

You playfully roll your eyes and pour yourself another drink, deciding to go ahead and make things even.

“It can’t be as bad as mine though,” you pretend to sigh.

You see your plan go into effect when he perks back up.

He tilts his head with raised brows.

“You-“

“Mhm.” You abruptly answered his almost question.

“I can show you, if you’d like,” you tempt him. It could be the drinks, it could be your newfound confidence, but that twinge of seduction in your voice had him by the-

“Yes!” He blurted.

Bingo.

You down your glass of liquid courage and slide closer to him, however, you lean back and angle your side so that it would be more visible to him.

You wink, and with slow hands, you peel your shirt upwards, stopping right under your chest.

And Ford…

…Is cowering away from your form.

His glasses were off resting beside him and he had one- no, both of his hands covering his face. To add insult to injury, he turned away from you and was hunched over, further avoiding your gaze.

It quite honestly pissed you off.

“Stanford Pines, I asked if you wanted to see it!”

You still had your shirt raised.

“I-I didn’t know it would be in a place s-so…”

He paused, trying to look for the right (respectful) word.

“Revealing.”

Your face untwisted itself from anger and relaxed to a more somber, a more understanding look.

Despite being able to irritate the crap out of you, he was still a proper gentleman. He would never look at anyone’s body without their consent. On purpose, anyway.

He was never as vulgar as his brother, Stanley.

“Stanford,” you breathe.

Seeing how he would rather not “expose you to his wandering eyes” (he has said this before when he accidentally walked in on you changing) and would refuse to look at you instead of asking you to cover up made you realize just how soft and respectable he can be. It made your heart flutter.

He peeked through his fingers, still turned away from you.

“You can look, it’s just on my side.”

He shifts.

“You’re fine with me looking?”

“Yes.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Stanford-“

“Okay! Okay.”

He uncovers his face and reaches behind him for his glasses.

“I’m about to look,” he announces as he places them on his face.

He takes a shuddering breath and calmly turns back to you.

And what he sees makes his face go red.

You have a tattoo of a unicorn bursting through a field of clouds with a rainbow shooting from its horn. It covers your rib cage almost entirely.

His eyes. You never thought they could get that wide.

There’s a second spent in awe before he looks up at you, a hand coming up to touch it before immediately halting.

“May I?”

You simply nod.

Even with you allowing him to feel you, he does so with such hesitation.

His fingers make contact with the slightly faded ink and begin to trace each line.

He feels the same way he did when he found the symbol of the prophecy.

You watch him glide his way over your once drunken mistake.

Until he hits a certain spot that makes you twitch. He stops as soon as he feels you jolt.

“I’m sorry, I-I must have-“

“No, no. It’s okay! I’m just… a little ticklish there is all,” you calm him before he has the chance to freak out.

But you may have given him an idea instead.

“Ticklish, you say?” His fingers wriggle, threatening you.

“Don’t you dare!” You release your shirt and scoot away.

Laughter rang out in the night once again. He refrained from tickling you, being a man of his nature, but he now knows a new way to get under your skin.

“You were right, you know. That was bad,” he playfully nudges your shoulder.

“Hey! Be glad you saw it, Ford!“ You chide.

“No one even suspects I have a tattoo in the first place!”

Admittedly, you never told anyone about it. Not only did no one ask about it, but you were the type to keep to yourself. You don’t reveal too much of yourself unless you get to know someone.

“Really?!”

He almost took you out from how quick his gaze met yours.

You slid back to him, right next to him, and eased your head on his shoulder.

“Yeah…”

He gently rested his head on top of yours and slowly wrapped his arm around you.

When things settled down, you both stared off to the sky. The two of you had to sober up a bit before turning in for the night.

In truth, Ford could spend the rest of his life like this with you. He won’t tell you that, though.

Not yet, anyway.

For now, he was going to take this moment and etch it in his memory for a journal entry later.

“Unicorns don’t actually look like that, by the way.”

“I’m going to shove you off this roof.”

[catboymoments]

I rly hope this doesn’t sound egotistical but. also. regarding the concept of “if my nextgen was an actual show that I ran” I’d still do the thing I mentioned earlier where hyacinth being a Grimwalker and subsequently, of Philip, wouldn’t be outright said or shown at all outside of visual implications at least until like. Much later. But I do think that people would at least catch onto it pretty easily. Like he has magenta eyes and babybel’s face and no magic outside of his palisman or glyphs. And while some people could still argue “he might just be huntlow’s bio kid but he got the magenta eyes because Hunter’s brown eyes r from flapjack!” It’d still be like. Theorized. But I think what they wouldn’t see coming would be why specifically hyacinth was made.

If anything I think watchers would be like “oh maybe Hunter rescued him from belos’s late followers who were trying to resurrect him!” Or “maybe hyacinth was supposed to be belos’s last resort of a Grimwalker!” Only to be hit with, at the right time but in the “casual/natural reveal” way the show does, “Hunter made Hyacinth on purpose. he had a ptsd related episode and wasn’t thinking clearly, but he and Willow love their kid so much for who he is.”

[darklinaforever]

All the posts being horrified at people shipping Edwin with the Cat King make me laugh.

The delirium of being alarmed because the Cat King would be an adult and Edwin a minor kills me with laughter.

Edwin is certainly a 16 year old ghost, but... it's all in his description. A ghost. And he's been a ghost for a long, long time.

Are you telling me that he hasn't had time to evolve in all these years, and especially since his traumatic stay in hell ?

A little logic please. Edwin does not remain at the same point as when he died, frozen forever. He’s a character with an arc and development. And then, you're not telling me that Edwin behaves like a typical immature teenager ?!

And the Cat King may be thousands of years old but he behaves very immature most of the time. In fact, you could even say like a teenage form. Objectively speaking, he does not appear morally very different from the other official adolescent characters in the show.

And then, this kind of consideration of age will always make me laugh, when we are essentially talking about two supernatural beings ! Conclusion : We don’t care about their age difference !

And let's not even talk about those who are angry with this bracelet story, while I still point out that it was literally a punishment for Edwin having performed an equivalent in terms of spell on one of his cats, with Edwin having himself been quite condescending about this / these animals about how they all look alike to him.

The bracelet is a consequence and punishment for Edwin's actions.

It's not for nothing that the Cat King tells Edwin exactly the line he told him about not seeing the evil in a little spell.

Then... accusing the Cat King of being a sexual and other abuser, as well as a potential rapist... Wtf ?

Already, it's forgotten that clearly, during the scene and all the others where the Cat King tried to seduce Edwin... Well our dear ghost seemed more than appreciative.

For those who don't understand, the Cat King is literally what allows Edwin to finally embrace his sexuality ! Without Cat King, probably no love confession to Charles !

And in fact, it's a good thing that Cat King was interested in Edwin and showed interest in him, tried to seduce him, etc. It's not negative in his purpose. Edwin is this guy who is quite stuck while the Cat King is very extroverted and helps to unblock our ghost.

It makes me laugh even more to see all these people screaming in defense of Edwin, his physical integrity, etc, while our ghost boy... well he clearly wouldn't have been against kissing the Cat King and maybe even more at the beginning.

Need to watch their scenes again properly... Edwin's body language doesn't show that he's uncomfortable.

Okay maybe he is, but in the sense that the Cat King reminds him of his lack of experience, but beyond that, very clearly, in general, around the Cat King, (except when he takes the appearance of Charles, obviously he feels uncomfortable in that moment) Edwin seems simply extremely attracted to the Cat King / receptive to his advances :

Same with all those people being mad that the Cat King forced Edwin to tell the truth.

I repeat... THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE POSITIVE FOR EDWIN ! THIS ALLOWS HIM TO EVOLVE ON HIMSELF !

I'm not saying that the Cat King behaves morally (as for offering Edwin to sleep with him in exchange for his freedom before offering to count the cats, or forcing him by magic to reveal what he really thinks), not at all. He is clearly a form of antagonist / anti-hero, neither good nor bad, and finally rather neutral in the plots of the show.

But this character and actions essentially only serves the positive evolution of Edwin's character regarding everything related to sexuality, but not just that, also his emotional relationships with other men AKA Charles. Again, without the Cat King Edwin probably wouldn't have confessed his feelings to Charles. So the Cat King essentially allows Edwin to fully embrace who he is as an individual, his complete identity.

And it's nothing new that a morally questionable character with morally questionable actions has this kind of role in relation to the protagonist.

Seriously, the antagonist who allows the hero's sexual awakening, as well as its deepening on itself is as old as time. Even more so when this antagonist and hero share similar characteristics such as their loneliness.

Besides, it's not for nothing that the first real kiss that Charles gives himself to someone is to the Cat King (especially after all this talk about kissing and Edwin finally understanding their appeals), even if it's on the cheek that still a kiss. A second kiss more precisely, which he gives on his own and which is much better than his first with the crow.

Crying foul about this makes me wonder what universe these people who are complaining live in as for the codes of fiction. Again, people who cannot see beyond the surface should not be allowed to open their mouths.

[k4ychiko]

How would look cultists (Old faith) Look in your Cotl band au? And bishops? And how they Role change?

I NEED ANSWERS

Heres their full ref sheet!

Ive made a bunch of doodles and art (under the #cotl band au tag) but i'll be planning to make more art of them! Theyre very dear to me..

I'll write some stuff down here about the characters

Keep in mind this au is not related to scott pilgrim 😭😭 just cus i drew lamb in that poster doesnt correlate to the show pls thank you!!

So since its a modern au, Some stuff might not be similar to the original lore in the game such as the bishops injury and what not lol

-

Shamura - multi purpose

They learned to play a lot of instruments at a very young age, and passed their talent to their siblings. Shamura thought of teaching them only as a hobby, not fully knowing well that they'd form a band.

Shamura couldn't finish their education because they needed to be the one providing for their younger siblings. They work as a tailor.

But despite it all Shamura is still very wise and smart.

Shamura is 31.

-

Kallamar - keyboard and backup

kallamar's voice has always been my favourite because of how soft and melodic it sounded in the game. So not only is he a keyboardist, but also a backing vocalist too.

He's in a polyamorous marriage. Two wives and 1 husband. (Kallamar also has a son.)

And because of his family, kallamar couldn't attend in majority of their band practices

He's hard of hearing. Knows sign language.

Kallamar is 27.

-

Heket - bass

Heket can speak, but prefers to appear mute to the audience.

She speaks using sign language. Everyone in the band knows sign lanuage.

Heket is currently in college learning mechanical engineering.

She's bisexual. And currently dating someone. (Not revealing who just yet)

Sozo and Heket are very good friends. Enjoying tea time together and talking a lot of things. Mostly about mushrooms and family.

She's 22.

-

Leshy - drummer

Leshy and yellow cat (named Fian in this au) are dorm roommates and best friends. Some believe they are more than friends.

All his chaotic energy and anger goes to banging on those drums. Shamura thought it was meant to be.

Leshy studies biology. People didnt believe him when he revealed he's one of the top students in his college.

He has a really good memory. Memorized the drums layout immediately after losing his vision.

Hes 20.

-

Narinder - lead guitarist

Dropped out of college to focus on the band. Bad decision really.

Aym and Baal were the only nerdy fans to get close and have a sweet relationship with nari. Like he's their uncle.

Narinder and Lamb used to date when they were 20. They broke up because of miscommunication (and many more reasons). they are in good terms 3 years later.

Lamb had moved on from their relationship, but nari hasnt.

-

Lamb - Lead singer

Lamb can do a death metal scream, dont let that innocent look fool you.

They were recruited in the band by narinder and became the leader.

Ratau adopted Lamb

Lamb's songs are somewhat religious and has a cult vibe. But sometimes they focus about relationships and struggles.

Lamb and Goat are really great best friends. Maybe even more than best friends.

-

If u guys wanna know more feel free to ask me!

[milkyboybluewriter]

The Disappointing Case of Wendy Corduroy

Wendy Corduroy has a lot of potential, but too often is pushed to the side by a lot of fans, and even by her creator.  But not for lack of trying, or an interest in the character.  In fact, Alex’s idealised view of Wendy may have been her greatest obstacle in receiving a story of her own.  Dipper isn’t the only one who seems to consider her ‘the coolest person he knows.’

Wendy was inspired by the first girl who ever spoke to Alex Hirsch, as well as several people the creative team thought were cooler than them. These were likely special memories or people in order to base a fictional character on them.  But that puts her on a pedestal.  And when someone puts you up there, it’s hard for them to take you back down.  Either for fear of ruining you or concern that, when others look closer, they’ll be disappointed in what they see.

He wanted her to be a main character (in the same way Soos is, if not Stan, Dipper, or Mabel) but in many ways Wendy feels like a side character.  She never receives her own episode, and lacks the character arc that even some side characters like Pacifica and Robbie received.

Her family, her friends inside the Shack and out, her physical abilities and survival skills, the drama of being a teenager, not to mention being a resident of the weirdest place on Earth.  All of these can lead to a hundred stories across the spectrum.  So why do people not write more stories about her?

Maybe it’s because she wasn’t given the opportunity that others had.  

As a cool, older redhead, Wendy’s main role in the show was being Dipper’s crush.  Which already puts her at a disadvantage because it means they designed her purpose first, character second. In fact, this is probably why she changed so drastically from her vegan-hippie prototype seen in the Gravity Falls bible.  Everything from her boots to her hat has changed since then, save the way she makes Dipper’s heart go faster.  

Most of her appearances in season one featured this one-sided romance and Dipper’s attempts to impress her, which usually resulted in a morality lesson about being yourself and not doing dumb stuff to impress others.  Pretty standard cartoon crush territory.  But between the episodes, a real friendship bloomed. 

In The Time Traveller's Pig, she gives an indifferent shrug as she casually agrees to go to the fair with Dipper, yet before her injury - and in the timeline where she avoids it altogether - she’s shown to genuinely enjoy his company.  A couple of episodes later and she’s outright excited at the prospect of working alongside Dipper at the pool.  They have regular movie nights.  They crack jokes and tease the Shack’s customers.  Climb trees and play at the arcade.  Wendy spends more time with Dipper than any other character.  Which means she must care about him more than she does the rest.

The crush might be one-sided but the affection is not.

But in the DVD commentary of Into The Bunker, Alex Hirsch, Matt Chapman, and Rob Renzetti mention that fan feedback convinced them to end Dipper’s crush sooner rather than later, even supposedly having ‘KILL THE CRUSH’ as one of their main story goals for season 2.  Understandable.  The crush episodes weren’t always the best, and if it was always intended as an unrequited attraction then better to get it over with rather than draw it out.  And it’s a good lesson to have a young boy learn, especially around twelve.  Love and puberty are relatable, but no less frustrating for it.

Into the Bunker is my favourite episode for multiple reasons, not least for Wendy’s presence in it.  She shows off her friendship with Dipper in the cold open, reveals her lumberjack and fighting skills later, and shows she would be an excellent adventurer.  I see it as a prime example of What Could Have Been.  I especially adore the ending, where she lets Dipper down so gently, it’s a beautiful scene.  As sad as Dipper feels, he’s also been told by someone very special to him that he’s very special to her too.  Maybe not in the way he wants, but perhaps in an even more important way.  

I had high hopes after that episode.  I remember thinking this meant she would develop beyond just being his crush, especially now we’d seen her hold her own against the weirdness and danger.  I really wanted to see more of this adventurous, sensitive Wendy we’d missed in season one, and wanted her to be a regular companion and friend to the twins.

Wendy appears in 16 episodes in the first season, and 15 episodes in the second if you don’t split Weirdmageddon 3 into two.  In season one she appeared in but didn’t participate in the adventure of key episodes like Dreamscaperers or Gideon rises.  In season two, she joins the adventure in Society of the Blind Eye, The Last Mabelcorn, and the Weirdmageddon trilogy, but has limited interaction or story impact in most episodes, save Love God.   She only has what amounts to cameo appearances in Not What He Seems and Tale of Two Stans, two of if not the most important episodes of the series.  

Including each of the Weirdmageddon trilogy, she’s referenced via Dipper’s lingering crush six times, including episodes she doesn’t even appear in.  So, after Into The Bunker, Wendy goes from being Dipper’s crush to…his crush that appears less.  

Wow, they really failed that Kill the Crush mission, didn’t they?

Perhaps the biggest issue is that she is so keenly tied to Dipper.  I love the Dipper and Wendy relationship, I could write a massive essay on that alone.  But it is such an incredible waste that she didn’t get a chance to interact with the others nearly so often. Every other main character has relationships with others.  Soos has a father-son bond with Stan as well as a friendship with the twins.  Ford was introduced later in season 2 and still interacts with Soos and Fiddleford as well as his family.  It’s a hindrance to her character that most of her interactions were for Dipper’s arc, yet she received nothing of her own.  

Wendy spends some time with Mabel, trying to help her with boy trouble (not the best person to get dating advice from, Mabel) in Hand That Rocks the Mabel and Society of the Blind Eye, then goes along with the girls to keep them safe in Last Mabelcorn.  This lets us see her affection and big sister vibes don’t end with Dipper, and should have been explored far more.  Her interactions with Soos and Stan are also limited, mainly to the workplace.  Her only dialogue with Ford is one line in Journal 3.  

Yet we also never see her be by herself.  We never see her home life, or how she entertains herself away from her friends or work. She's always interacting with a main character or her group of friends.  No alone time or personal interests are seen beyond pranks and reading magazines to avoid work.

We even get to see Robbie Valentino’s home life and musical hobbies, but not hers.

This lack of independent material has even continued in the Book of Bill where two of her very limited mentions is in regards to Dipper being stuck on a tree and another is his search history.  Even her own dream is made into a joke at Dipper's expense.  Ten years later, and so much of her is tied to Dipper, specifically to mock his feelings for her.  I don’t know if that’s more insulting to Dipper or Wendy at this point.

Speaking of dreams, let’s get to another issue: her mother.  Who we know nothing about.  In a show so heavily focussed on mysteries, the fate of Mrs Corduroy is a question that’s been left hanging since season one and we have come no closer to an answer of any kind.  Even a direct question from fans on both the Alex Hirsch and Bill Cipher AMAs were answered so vaguely they told us nothing.  She’s no longer with her?  A Fountains of Wayne reference?  Even the Book of Bill’s reveal that Wendy dreams about her most nights says nothing.  Are these good dreams?  Nightmares?  Memories?  The implication is that she’s dead, yet not even that has been confirmed.  For all we know, Mrs Corduroy could be dead, missing, abandoned her family, or could be working on an oil rig for the summer.  Your guess is as good as anyone’s by this point. 

We know she’s Manly Dan’s oldest and his only daughter, but we didn’t even learn her brother’s names until a paste up sheet was released in 2017.  She barely shares a scene with any of them, and when it happens it’s in the background.  The only exception I can think of is their group hug in the Fearamid.  A tender moment which would have been so much better if we’d actually seen her engage with them beforehand.  Her lack of interaction is especially jarring considering her confession in Society of the Blind Eye:  "Okay, I'm not actually laid back. I'm stressed, like, 24/7. Have you met my family?"

Not really, no.  And for a show that’s about family as much as it is about mystery, it’s a shame that Wendy is let down in both areas.  

Even side characters like Robbie, Pacifica, and Grenda receive more character development, despite their limited importance or screen time.  In fact, it was recently pointed out to me that Archibald Corduroy, Wendy’s ancestor, is more integral to Pacifica than his own descendant.  Once again, Wendy’s interactions come up short, including from her own family.  

With the release of the Book of Bill, some people were hopeful that she might finally get some attention.  I wasn’t.  Personally, I think Bill simply has a low opinion of Wendy anyway since he called her a pushover in his AMA, so it can be fitting he doesn’t mention her often.  But it’s also the context of these mentions, and those on the website.  On Thisisnotawebsite.com she’s referred to twice - Her one contribution is a simple note where she pranks the reader.  Then she’s mentioned in Stan’s list of embarrassing moments.  

Ten years later and not only are her contributions incredibly minor, but they’re as much to do with other people as herself, if not more so.  She’s supposed to be a main character but she might as well be a cameo.

Her lack of representation is so bad, that I realised my friends were celebrating her being mentioned in The Book of Bill.  That’s how desperate we’ve become for Wendy material.  And I’m sick of it.   At this point, I’m anticipating a Wendy story as much as I am Winds of Winter.

Last month I was discussing some of my writing ideas with my father.  And he gave me a very hard truth: it doesn’t matter how good your ideas are, if you don’t act on them, they’re only ideas.  And he was absolutely right.  It doesn’t matter how great these ideas are in my head, if they’re only in my head then what good are they? 

Hirsch has been saying for years he’s wanted to do more with Wendy, but he hasn’t. Not in the show, the comics, or the other material.  Intentions, like ideas, are useless if you don’t do something about them.

I honestly hate how harsh this sounds.  I love Gravity Falls.  And I love Wendy.  And I believe Alex Hirsch does too, he just…doesn’t know what to do with her.  As he says in the Inconveniencing commentary: “We wanted to honour her so much that we couldn’t figure out the right episode with her because we didn’t want to mess her up.”  He’s put her on a pedestal just like Dipper did.  And I think she needs to come down so we can see how awesome she really is.

So, what can be done to fix this?  Well, when creators don’t have the time, interest, or ability to do something for a series, that leaves the fans to fill in the gap.  

I urge other Gravity Falls enthusiasts to try and give her the attention and character development she sorely deserves, especially now there’s a resurgence of activity and interest.  Draw or write her if you can, have her interact with other characters, not just be a crush, explore her depths.  And if you can’t, seek out those who have or can and ask their advice, or thank them for their work, offer encouragement.  For Wendy if not for them.

I want to leave this on a happier note and say that I’m going to follow this up soon with another essay, this time offering advice on writing Wendy.  Even talented writers I admire have surprised me by saying they struggle to write her, yet I’ve found it pretty easy.  So hopefully I can encourage other people to write her too.   

But if I could summarise what I want to see and what I think will help people write Wendy, it would be this: She’s not just Dipper’s crush, and she’s not just the cool girl.  She’s bigger than that.

She’s Wendy Flippin’ Corduroy and she deserves so much more.

Cheers, Milky Boy Blue

[sanctus-ingenium]

I love the moth guy a lot. Such a cool design! He's a photographer, too? What a funky little guy. Do you have more to tell about him?

Patches is a large (about 1.6m long) sphinx moth descended from the family Sphingidae. He is based off of a combination of striped hawk moth and tersa sphinx moth and he is distantly related to both :)

(source) (source)

I have to explain some of the setting - so every few million years, a mountain appears. It appears in the same spot on multiple different parallel dimensions, and it is there for maybe 45 years at a time. During this time is the only time these parallel worlds can touch, intersect, or meet one another. The last time this happened, members of the class Insecta came over, and found a different world with a ludicrously oxygen-rich atmosphere and some extremely energy-dense plants. They were able to develop, in the intervening years between then and the time of the story (think 1910s on earth) into the dominant life forms in this new world, many becoming quite large and developing complex societies and technology of their own.

The mountain reappears. This time, some of our insect characters (Nettle Rove [Staphylinidae] among them, though he is much younger than Patches and arrived at the tail-end of the time window) cross the mountain again, either by accident or on purpose, and find earth there, and human society. There's not enough oxygen there to fly or do much physical activity but they can still survive there and participate in a type of cultural exchange. So we have a First Contact type situation, but that's not what everyone really cares about. See, the humans have climbed the mountain and found at its peak, hidden in the clouds, a city. Completely devoid of life (even microbial), but obviously made by somebody. So the actual premise of the story is the exploration and mystery of this place.

Patches is 18 when the mountain shows up. He has just had a fulfilling caterpillar-hood of territorially murdering everyone he meets (kind of a solitary species! some members of Sphingidae will literally fight to the death if they meet as caterpillars) and, he is naturally extremely curious about the world outside His Tree. he meets his mate/bestie, Rosy Wing and while they do spend a lot of time terrorising everyone they meet, eventually they get interested in what's on the other side of that giant mountain. after meeting up with some humans trying to map the place, a camera-maker has a bright idea to send up Patches, who can hover very still in place, to photograph the strange lifeless city from the air (the humans are in full steampunk swing so obviously they have airships but atmospheric mixing between the different worlds makes it too dangerous to fly them, given that a stray breeze from the insect world might make a combustion engine blow the fuck up). the mixing is also sufficient to allow the insects to fly on the mountain but not for very long, meaning that most exploration of the city is on foot. The development of this aerial photography technique reveals that, from the air, the city appears disproportionately huge, and seems to stretch on for infinity. Because of this, and Patches' part in it all, an entire industry strings up for city exploration, and by Nettle Rove's time twenty years later, it has descended into bitter and violent rivalries between wealthy patrons funding expeditioneer teams. Murder is legal there (it's legal in insect world too. have u met insects? they love murder)

As for Patches himself, he is a barely-socialised semi feral freak with an incredibly upbeat and curious personality who is so so so devoted to Rosy Wing (who is.. similar, but more into people instead of cameras). Until their habit of harassing and thieving from randos goes poorly on a city expedition, and their entire team gets caught in a shootout. There were no recorded survivors. Our guy survived by playing dead but Rosy Wing was not so lucky. With Patches' hindwing in tatters, his only hope of being able to fly again and get of there was to use Rosy Wing's own hindwing as donor material. And that's how he got his name (he didn't have one before) :3

Rosy Wing was similar to an eyed hawk moth in appearance

(source)

In Nettle Rove's time, there is a persistent rumour of some weird old hermit in the city. These claims are dismissed, but something's out there drinking the blood of random expeditioneers, and that thing might know more about what lies at the heart of the city than anyone else...

okay thank you for reading love u

[mrsrookhunt]

Monster Rook Hunt Pt. 3-- A Mega compilation

@v-anrouge I have returned

This is my apology for essentially 3 months of total radio silence <3

Today's Specials

Kitsune!Rook Hunt

Yeti!Rook Hunt

Siren!Rook Hunt

MIB!Rook Hunt

Alien!Rook Hunt

Ghost!Rook Hunt

Kitsune Rook Hunt

While he may appear as a normal fox beastman in public, you meet him by discovering him at his most vulnerable point-- in between transformation from a regular foxman into a beautiful, legendary kitsune.

It's a night you'll never forget. Sometimes you're convinced that he revealed himself to you on purpose simply so that he could make the excuse that you had to be his now.

Oh how he loves loves lovesss pets and pats and if you wanted to brush his tails or maybe just tousle the fur that would be great, thank you--

Touch is everything to him. If you sit beside him for a spell you have made a mistake, because now you're all wrapped up in nine bushy tails and two great strong arms. He does nothing but nuzzle you if you get even remotely close to him.

I hope you're not allergic to fox fur.

He may or may not suggest he's already built it so you better accept building a den for you if you're far enough in the relationship two weeks it's been two weeks. You may think that it'll be your average fox den nestled in a muddy hole in the ground, but you could not be more wrong. Unbeknownst to most people, foxmen and kitsune folk alike are expert builders of log cabins they consider the modern counterparts of their closely related fox dens.

It's got everything

Two-story ceilings in the living room, 5 bedrooms, a beautifully equipped kitchen and cinema room... and let's not forget the sauna room in the basement. Yeah, Rook, a 'den'.

Apparently, Rook is a master builder. You're tempted to ask him if all kitsune do this but you're not sure you're ready to be blown away by the answer.

Overall you will be isolated from the outside world. Rook has found the one he loves, and he wants to be himself around you. The more time passes the less and less you will be able to convince him to take a transformation potion and venture out into town. Rook is content with your nature-filled, person-devoid life, and he hopes you are too.

Yeti Rook Hunt

So much for a peaceful exploration of the woods on a snowy day.

If you had known a walk in the forest would lead to the untimely and wholly accidental meeting of a half-human, half-yeti creature that seemed to adore you with all of his heart and by that I mean refuses to stop crooning over how taken with you he is and how it's love at first sight, just like he's seen on TV! you might honestly have turned around and gone back home.

Your meeting is... fun. Being lovingly greeted by a 7-foot-tall, fur covered monster in ill-fitting clothes is a lot to process-- first to admit to yourself that such things are real altogether-- and that this one is in love with you.

He asks you to come back to his cave-- and no matter how much you decline, he will always pop up in your life somehow again to invite you as soon as you say no to the previous invitation.

When you finally do go to visit him, you are immediately pulled into cuddles and kisses. This is how you discovered that the only socialization Rook has been given was through TV.... and pushy romance tropes do tend to make their rounds on a good number of shows.

Rook knows nothing about his own species. What you're seeing and feeling is exactly the extent that he knows about himself. He feels that he is human mentally even though he knows that physically he isn't.

Once you lean into him and his company, you will get unfiltered touch to his long, soft fur, and you will be able to intimately converse with him about what he wants in his future. Two very great perks of dating a legendary monster. And unsurprisingly, he wants you.

You will have to get used to living with him. Once you're dating, it isn't optional. Rook is insistent on being the provider, and for once you don't know if that's from TV or instinct.

His cave ahem, apologies, home is actually quite nicely kept, and oddly cozy. The occasional stalagmite encounter typically isn't awful, as the main part of the cave is comprised of solid, nice, well-furnished rock rooms. There's a deeper part of the cave system, but you aren't allowed in there, since past the liveable part Rook has made there's nothing but steep drop offs and weakened ground. Do not test that theory please.

And if you're threatened by weird cave bugs? Do not fret, they come with insurance. If Rook is home, he'll take care of the bugs. If he's out hunting? There's a nice little tightly sealed log cabin with a fireplace and a bookcase outside for you to chill in until he gets home.

It really is the life. Rook makes sure you never want for anything except fast food and all modern conveniences with the exception of cable.

Siren Rook Hunt

Man, these singers are getting too good. So good.

So very, very goo......

Hey, at least the view from the rock outcropping you're trapped on is nice.

Rook is sweet and charming, but you can't really get past the fact that he decided to sing you into an easy kidnapping over just asking you to dinner. He insists that these days, kidnapping is cheaper than going out for dinner, and you hate to admit that he is correct.

Your days are spent watching Rook be a one-man show in performing his favorite operas for you with a little break every few lines so you don't slip into siren-song induced madness and basking on the shore of the small rock island you live on.

Sometimes he brings you back fabric or paper or something to be creative with, but oftentimes he prefers just to spend as much time with you as possible and talk and talk and talk and talk and... well, he's quite chatty. It does entertain you thoroughly.

All of your basic needs are taken care of but Rook does not fully understand the human need for stimulation and outside of chatting with him and sleeping, there's not much for you to do.

If he really wants you to spend your life with him you are tasked with convincing him to buy a house on the shore, so both of your habitat needs are fully met.

After that, things go smoothly. Rook is very convincingly human and you don't have many differences between you. Rook is dedicated to you, and you are dedicated to him.

Men In Black Rook Hunt

Your meeting was your own fault. You had seen an alien, and you were raising hell about it.

Unfortunately, you couldn't just get a normal interrogator. No, you got the self-proclaimed 'investigator of all things eerie', Rook Hunt.

To say he was ecstatic to interview you was an understatement. He seemed more interested in your personal life than he did the actual incident you'd assumed he'd be investigating.

After that interrogation, your fuzzy memories aided you in spotting him following you around town.

When you finally got around to an actual date with him, he was already planning your future on the first conversation of the night.

You knew you were stuck with him then and there.

MIB!Rook has no interest in marriage, for whatever reason. However, you are undeniably his lifetime partner and he loves you more than life. He is often out on jobs... or whatever it is he does for work (you will NEVER know, he's trying to protect you from the truth).

When he's home, he studies you intensely. Rook does not seem fully human to you (something else he hides from you) and his behaviors tend to mimic you with the exception of his unending, incessant French vocabulary. That came pre-eqipped.

Overall, Rook is secretive, but he only wants the best for you... whatever that means to him.

Side note I've actually seen a UFO and documented evidence of it. Does anyone want that story? It actually inspired this lol

Alien Rook Hunt

Learning that aliens exist is fun. Learning that one is stalking you is infinitely worse.

Rook comes in no spacecraft, no beam of light, or fancy supernatural story. He just knocks on your door and invites himself into your home as Rook Hunt of a planet you can't pronounce.

You've known that someone was following you for several months. You weren't necessarily aware it was an inhuman man with a creepy smile who admittedly creeped around your house amd watched your every move. And didn't seem to find anything wrong with it

Have you seen those people with the letters on their backs around here?? Please tell me you haven't seen the people with the letters on their backs around here..... he means the FBI. Unfortunately, the alphabet is still eluding him.

There's a surprising amount of extraterrestrial gossip between species and planets... apparently earth has just been missing out.

Rook is actually on earth as a scholar-- with a degree in cultural studies and a focus on conversational language. So, he does what he can do best: study you, ask questions, and share his own experiences with you! Keep in mind you will have a very sad, defeated, puppy-eyed Rook if you're not keen for lengthy conversations on interstellar tradition and history

Rook likes bringing you soft things. Much like jewelry is a gift of high praise here, soft things such as blankets and warm ...jackets? Why do they have 9 arms are of equal value where he comes from.

He also enjoys taking you out for hikes. His planet boasts a very rich ecosystem, and most people go for dates exclusively in nature--- its something he's trying to bring back to you.

Your differences, while quite obvious to you, are hard to discern to Rook. So long as you entertain him, and allow him to hang around, life will go smoothly.

Ghost Rook Hunt

If you didn't want to attract the attention of the mischievous spirit of a long-dead esteemed hunter, you probably shouldn't have broken into that cabin in the woods in a far off rural town as a 'roadtrip'.

The moment you walked through the door, you knew you had gotten yourself into deeeeep trouble.

Every light was lit in a building that wasn't supposed to have power, the fireplace had been recently stoked, and there were two warm bowls of stew set at the dingy kitchen table as if it had been set for dinner.

Eerie? Yes.

Enough to keep you from dinner? No.

Somehow, your food disappeared out of your backpack Poltergeist? No, Pomefioregeist , so what else could you get this far out of town?

The food makes you dizzy, and you swear you feel the softest touch of a hand on your shoulder before you're out cold.

When you wake up, the door to the cabin is jammed. It's like a horror movie. But most horror movies don't come equipped with giddy, excited, hat-wearing full apparitions.

Rook's plan is to keep you there until you die. He says he'd have to open the door to get groceries, and then you'd leave. Not the best scenario, but, hey, you won't have to pay off your loans anymore.

When you do die, you're Rook's favorite person ever. Cuddles, kisses, the works. He takes you out to see performances that you don't even have to pay for!

Dying is very cost-efficient.

You'd never imagined that ghosts would feel solid to each other, but it was a pleasant surprise when you had your first kiss with him.

Though you two have no real possibility of a future other than floating through the 4th dimension with each other, Rook will keep your eternity filled with love and devotion.

[quantum1mmortality]

Could I request kung lao who can't take his eyes off from!reader? Like she has thick thighs and tits that are super hard to cover. I'm totally not self projecting here👀 thanks!!!!!

Girl the way I relate to you so hard 😭 these triple D's make my life so much worse I swear

Tw/cw: Kung Lao being extremely horny, kind of pre established relationship??? Idk, Liu Kang being able to hear his horny thoughts and getting fed up with it, Raidens fed up with it too tho DW, Bi Han is also a simp for reader but Kung Lao is cooler, readers THICCC in the tits and thighs department, cursing, takes place before Bi Han became grandmaster because we all know he wouldn't let a woman NEAR the Lin Kuei

Not proofread

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I said this once and I'll say it again, Kung Lao is a certified thigh man. Any thighs, small, big, muscular, soft n squishy, he loves them all.

So when you showed up as a new Lin Kuei recruit member, much to the dismay of Bi Han, Kung Lao was head over heels for you.

You needed to get a uniform tailored specifically for you. Considering you were one of the first female recruits, you couldn't take a man's uniform, according to Bi Han, at least. Not only that, but you needed a uniform to cover up.. well, everything. You had incredibly thiccc thighs and awfully big breasts, both being very hard to cover up.

You were able to persuade Bi Han to make you a uniform that had a turtle neck long sleeve shirt with bell bottom jeans (that's what I'd want at least smh). Bi Han was quick to have someone get your measurements as well as making the actual uniform.

Truth be told, you could tell Bi Han had a small soft spot for you. Which is why he was always more than happy to help you out. When you finally got your uniform, you were confused as to why it was so tight if you got your measurements taken. It had hugged every curve you had perfectly and made your thighs and bust accentuated.

Other than the fact it was revealing without having anything showing, you enjoyed your new uniform and wore it out to train. You could feel your colleagues eyes on you, especially Kung Laos. God did he love how your thighs looked in your new uniform, he couldn't take his eyes off of you.

He'd often times try and spar you, being completely mesmerized by the way your breasts would move in your uniform. He'd purposefully lose that way he could rematch you.

Other times he'd just stare. The other men training would too, but they had the decency to at least look away after a few seconds. Not Kung Lao though. He'd stare at your body for minutes at a time. Raiden would have to genuinely slap him before he got the hint.

He wasn't objectifying you, or at least, not on purpose. He genuinely did have a lot of respect for you as a fighter, he just couldn't help but think about you in the most perverted ways possible.

If you guys were ever next to each other, whether it be at dinner, during training, or something else, he'd spare small glances at you. He'd take in every part of you, your luscious hair, eyelashes, a side profile he deemed perfect.

He'd stare at your lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them, touch them, have them wrapped around his cock. Same with your thighs and breasts, he'd wonder what it would be like to touch them, to kiss them, make small hickeys on them. He'd love to know what they'd look like bare, or maybe with his cum painted on them.

Sometimes Liu Kang would just look him dead in the eyes while he's thinking about these perverted things and give him the stankest look. Like he'd look at him like a disappointed father.

Raiden is also getting fed up with how much he talks about you but never WITH you. Raiden thought you were gorgeous, both mind and body, and he just wanted what was best for his friend. That, however, did not include Kung Laos endless rambling about you. He had gotten so sick of it that he ended up confessing for him.

Raiden waited until you were alone to approach you. You guys were pretty good friends, so this wasn't out of the ordinary. He'd mentioned Kung Lao once and could see how your eyes lit up at the thought of him. He told you about how he had the biggest crush on you and set you guys up on a date.

Kung Lao wasn't thrilled to find out Raiden told you for him. He wasn't happy about it at all actually, but he'll be damned if he missed this opportunity with you.

The amount of times he's fucked his hands, or wrapped a pillow around his cock just to simulate what you could feel like was too many times to count. The date was at a fancy restaurant, he had picked you up and you were wearing a low cut dress that left nothing to the imagination. You had to keep pulling the dress down because of how often it rode up your thighs, and every time you did, Kung Lao felt like he was in heaven.

You were so beautiful to him, and finding out more about you as a person just made him even more attracted to you. He'd asked you so much about yourself that by the end of the night you'd known nothing about him. So when you asked him for another date, he was ecstatic.

He absolutely went home and masturbated so much that night he felt like his dick was gonna fall off. He's probably into that tho

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: do you guys think Kung Laos into drinking breast milk. I do. I think he'd be all up in those titties fr

[alexanderwales]

Epistolary Novels and the Modern Age

"Epistolary" is one of those words that I always feel awkward about, because it's a rare word describing a rare thing, which means that I have to say "an epistolary novel, one composed mostly of letters between characters", but then I feel as though this might be redundant and insulting, like the person I'm talking to just wants me to get on with it, because of course they know what an epistolary novel is, and the fact that I have clarified it for them is insulting.

Anyway, I have a particular love of writing letters, and so have a particular love of epistolary novels. I think it would be great if they made a comeback.

We talk to people online, and they have a profile picture, and maybe the occasional photo that reveals their physical form, but text is mostly how you get to know them. You get to understand their grammar, the clusters of concepts they're drawn to, their affection for the em-dash and parentheticals of all kinds, the way they'll resurrect a conversation from days before, which shows that it was on their mind. You read the pauses in their discord messages for meaning. You somehow divine their tone from whether a sentence has a period or not.

And then there's something magical that happens if you meet them in person: you get to learn them all over again. Their mind is the same, that hasn't changed, but all the grammar is suddenly different. They talk with their hands, or have long pauses looking up at the ceiling while they think about things, or are quick with a joke in a way that you would not at all have expected. Maybe you had some sense that they were always stoically typing away at their computer with a cup of tea beside them when you read their responses, but in person they smile and nod a lot, grinning as they listen to whatever you're saying.

I think the thing that I've read that comes closest to interrogating this is @nostalgebraist's The Northen Caves, which holds a place in my heart for the way it talks about this weird divide, and the way it nails differences in how people talk online.

Of course I want to write an epistolary novel, and secondarily, a modern epistolary novel that's about email and discords and tumblr and whatever. I want to write All the Novels. It feels like there's something to say about how we relate to each other. But unlike a letter, which comes in and is read all at once, the online stuff is pervasive, and I don't think that a simple transcript would be enough — wouldn't catch all of the anxiety of waiting on the three little dots to resolve into words, or the feeling of typing something in and deleting it.

I'm at a convention right now, and have met a bunch of people whose stuff I've read, and people who have read my stuff, and sometimes, people I've interacted with online. Sometimes I know them well enough to know their textual quirks and tics, the energy that they bring to a blog post, and it's set my mind whirling with ideas about how I can harness this dissonance for novel-writing purposes. And sometimes it goes the other way, meeting a person at a campfire, wondering vaguely what their deal is, and then reading through a dozen of their most insightful blog posts, which give a very different view of who they are.

I don't know form either of these novels will take, whether the idea of people being different in different environments has something to say about anything. There's meat here though: I can smell it.

(There's a tumblr post going around about wet drip narrators who were only in novels of the 18th century because of a demand that there be a diegetic reason for the text to exist, and this is one of the reasons that epistolary novels saw a rise in readership — the letters exist, so it's easy for the reader to suspend their disbelief of how they could come to be holding this text.)

[smb0]

So I wanted to bring up 7’s movie concept

First off, instead of Amitie and Ringo traveling the world, it’s the Suzuran ARS trio with Amitie tagging along

Second, Carbuncle’s battle is replaced with a battle against Ragnus because he’s cool and deserves to be a main stay

But what I really wanna bring up are the two Dark Arle battles

The first is the final of the 7 needed Puyo Battles

It’s against all 5 Primp students. Dark Arle eggs them on, bringing up moments from the past and going far but Ecolo isn’t trying to kill them

The second fight against Dark Prince, Rulue, Schezo and Ragnus is a different story. This isn’t a Puyo battle, but an actual fight. And Ecolo is aiming to kill. His comments about the traumatic moments he’s witnessed cut deeper. At one point, he almost kills Dark Prince, but Arle is able to resist just long enough for Rulue to get in the way, causing her to take most of the damage and knocking them both out.

Ecolo takes out Ragnus too, leaving just Schezo, in a battle paralleling the final battle of the Madou 2 movie. Eventually, Dark Arle has him pinned to the ground is about to finish him off when she resists again, and is able to long enough for Schezo to stab her through the heart, which excorcises Ecolo, and he frantically uses healing spells on her (I’ll tell ya how this calls back to Madou 2 in the reblog)

Ringo witnesses this. The first battle reveals that everyone will forget him, and he’s doing this for fun. And the second, all his comments relate to the character’s relationships with others in ways that cut extremely deep. This clues her into the fact that Ecolo is doing this because when you can’t form any form of relationship, what else can you do but amuse yourself? How can you care about others? She knows he’s not all bad, she can tell with how he acted in the first fight. This leads into the final fight later on

The powers of all of them combined manage to get Ringo and Ecolo to a spot alone, where she points all this out, breaks him by talking, to the point he’s just the core. Then comforts him. She promises to be his friend, even if she forgets, he can remind her. He breaks down and decides to leave

A post credit scene has him show up when Ringo is done with school, she sees him and calls him over, remembering him, and the final shot is her embracing him (the core not the shadowy bits)

That's... actually pretty good.

First, glad how all playable characters + your additions all contribute rather than stay back at Suzuran until the 7th battle's end and then just getting sucked into a space warp.

Second, Arle gets stabbed?! Will she be (mentally) okay?

Third, that seems like a more conclusive and heartfelt ending than the "A Winner Is You" immediate credits roll that 7 did. Plus, the Suzuran ARS Trio can actually give a proper goodbye to the Primp and Madou squads.

Fourth, this means you can add characters cut from or barely used in 7 like Lidelle (she had artwork done, but was cut before release), Witch and Harpy (who both only had cameos).

Fifth, you could give Transformation Mode a sense of purpose with some new lore (maybe even revive that scrapped magical girl concept).

Sixth, Brian Tyler and Daniel Pemberton's score would probably have Ecolo's theme be as menacing as Miguel O'Hara's theme from Spiderverse 2.

[booksandmore]

I’m sorry but CC only has herself to blame for making TMI known as “the incest books” in all of the reading communities outside of TSC fandom.

She herself ruined TMI becoming as big as it could’ve been & TSC in general by putting incest in all 6 books of TMI…That’s why no one posts about it on Booktwt or Booktok..

There’s no point in being upset at readers judging TMI for having incest in it when that’s a valid criticism.. Clace kissed multiple times for three books all while not being officially sure whether or not they were related or not..then CC got petty & doubled down on the incest after being criticized for it already & had Clary kiss her biological brother in book three after people already hated it with Clace in the first two books.

Clary’s brother almost rapes her in book five and tries kissing her in the last book. TSC is not GOT where it gets a pass. Non TSC stans really want a LI calling his girlfriend’s Dad his own Dad 💀 Jace was calling Clary’s brother his brother while being romantically involved with Clary. Just because he was adopted by Valentine as a kid didn’t make it normal for Cassie to have Jace call himself a Morgenstern or to call his girlfriend’s brother his own brother.

TMI hate = CC’s own fault.. any TMI stan bitterness should be directed at her own questionable writing choices. Sorry but seeing TMI stans hating that TMI is judged for this all when it’s the authors own fault is weird yk? It’s been too long, Cassie understands why TMI gets hate. As a TMI stan it makes me upset that she dragged the incest on the entire series because I can’t proudly ever talk about Clace, Seb or TMI as a whole because she got weird with the writing in that series on purpose to spite people who criticized the incest in Books 1-2. It was petty for her to drag on incest for that long knowing people hated it..It’s her fault.

I’m tired of people outside of the fandom being judged for not liking the incest for Clary with two Mmc’s when..it’s valid not to like or be comfortable with. TMI stans always having to make excuses for her too is even sadder bc it’s not our fault or other readers’ it’s the authors fault for putting that in a fun YA series that didn’t need incest AT ALL. That’s probably why the show was a flop and the movie, no one could take the series seriously with that arc for Clary with Jace and her brother Sebastian..

no yes i totally get it!! it is frusterating to see tmi get dismissed but im not gonna force anyone to do anything they dont like. it’s valid to not want to interact with something cause it grosses you out, i’ve definitly done that before as well. we all have our limits and that’s okay!! that said feel free to ignore the rest of this i just wanted to explain my thoughts more thoroughly but it got a bit long😭you might not like anon sorry

first of, i do admit it’s been a while since my reread and also, i haven’t touched the other series since i first read them so i can really only speak for tmi rn, and if i get anything wrong that’s on me

i should probably clarify that my original posts were create because i was just so baffled that people were sayong cc has some kind of incest kink and that’s why she was forcing it into her books. like?? an author choosing to engage with darker taboo topics doesn’t mean they’re into it im pretty sure. its not like i know her personally, but if she had a kink i sort of suspect it would show up in the rest of her books yk? is it really that hard to imagine that she’d include it for a reason?😭

for me, maybe because i’m used to books like the secre t history or older classics, i tend to look past the taboo of it and focus on what it does for the story/reveals about charchterization, if that makes sense?

i think that tmi is very much about family, and sebastian having these fucked up views about family (where he mistakes romantic love for familial love) really goes to show how horrible valentine was as a father, and how terribly he was treated and how desperate he was for love. i think he doesnt know what it means to be loved by family and that’s why he substitutes it with something else. cause i think that deep down inside he does have a normal brotherly love for clary, its just that he doesnt know any other way to show that

for me the incest thing is a plot device and it frusterates me how no one wants to engage with it that way. could it have been done differently? probabaly. but they don’t even try to examining why it’s there at all! they don’t bother analyzing or asking, hey, does the author have any particular reason for putting this here, or writing it the way she did? they just dismiss it as gross and go away. but i really do think it has a purpose and point in the story that gets lost on a lot of people

the thing is, it’s meant to be uncomfortable! it’s meant to be gross! it should weird you out!! i doubt cc meant it to be viewed positively, especially when neither the charchters nor the narrative does. it’s meant to show how badly these adults and this society have fucked up these children, and robbed them of being able to love freely and safely yk?

most of my frusteration really just comes from how puritanical fandom has been. you can choose not to engage with something if it grosses you out, that’s fine and valid and we’ve all done that before. but looking down on someone for wanting to engage with it objectively is??? i think it’s just etiquette to not engage with what you don’t like. block the tag. curate your own experience. that kinda stuff

again anon if you chose to read this anyway i really do respect and understand what you’re saying. i’m really sorry if i came across as mean or rude but like. i really really love tmi and i cannot tolerate it being dismissed like that

[northlt03]

Once again trying to spread my Rosekiller RWRB agenda...

Bartemius Crouch Sr as the head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a household name, respected and feared by everyone. Everyone except his rebellious son.

Barty Crouch Jr, known for getting around and hating his father in general. Barty Crouch who grew up close with Regulus to the point they're both insanely inseparable. He's charming, he's carefree, he tries to actively make things harder for his father, the whole shebang.

In comes Evan Rosier, son of one of the wealthiest pureblood families other than the Blacks. His father is trying to get the position for Minister for Magic. Evan is as Prince Henry is in the book. Kind of lonely, kind of keeps to himself.

For reasons beyond his understanding, Barty hates him, absolutely loathes him. It's completely a one sided feud though and it all bubbles up at Narcissa and Lucius' wedding when they go sprawling in an insanely expensive cake. (For the sake of the story, lets assume the Malfoys are closely related to the Rosiers)

Cue Bartemius Crouch Sr and Rosier Sr demanding they pretend to be best friends for pr purposes.

They get pictures taken for the Daily Prophet, they have to go to St Mungos together and talk to little kids, where there's a threat so they get shoved into a broom closet and Barty reveals the real reason he never liked Evan was because of something stupid that happened in Hogwarts that made him instantly dislike him.

They kind of unpack everything, start talking a lot more. Evan has this really stupid dad joke type of humor that would be completely unfunny if it was anyone else, but Barty fucking cracks up every time.

They start sitting next to each other whenever they have to be present in the Ministry. Evan has to constantly try to keep Barty under control and entertains him with insane gossip and Barty just blurts out any impulsive thoughts he has like, "hey I should just push over a shelf in the hall of prophecies and watch all the balls fall, I think that would be fun" And Evan has to constantly deal with his ass.

Anyway, they become friends, sort of. Barty likes him because no one really looks at him the way Evan does, like there's something interesting about him. No one ever looks or tries to look at the person he is and not just his body. Hell, even his own father avoids looking at him if he can.

Evan is distant sometimes though, like he's dealing with more than he could possibly divulge. And Barty's great at distracting him, great at making him laugh, making him feel like they're the only ones in a room.

Barty always throws the best parties other than the Gryffindor graduates. For the New Years Party, he manages to convince Regulus to show up as well cause he wanted to reunite the whole Slytherin group.

Evan, surprisingly, shows up, even though he had told Barty he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it.

The party is like a ritual for Barty. He gets wasted, he kisses a girl or usually more than one (that pisses off his dad so fucking much and maybe that's the reason he keeps doing it) then he wakes up the next day hungover. It's fun for him.

It's fun when he tries to drag Evan onto the dancefloor and tries to make him laugh with bad dance moves. It's fun when Evan keeps staring at him and only him. It's fun when he slips his hands onto Evan's waist trying to get him to loosen up, try to forget the pureblood upbringing. It's fun when they're super close and Evan keeps staring at him through his eyelashes like that.

It's fun when the countdown begins and Barty tries to look for a girl to kiss. It's fun when some pretty girl slips into his arms and they chant the numbers and lock lips.

It's not fun anymore when he looks up to see Evan absolutely devastated. It's not fun anymore when he sees Evan look like he's going to throw up. It's not fun anymore when he sees Evan slip out to get fresh air.

So he follows him because that's the rational thing to do. And he finds him under a tree.

It's kind of hard to look away from Evan ever since he started looking at him. It's kind of hard to give a shit about anything else when Evan is in front of him.

Barty knows he'll never know what it's like to grow up in a pureblood family, not in the way Regulus and Evan do. So when Evan starts blabbing about what he can and can't do, its all he can do to nod along.

He tries to be supportive, he really does. But its clear he's way too drunk for it.

So when Evan calls him stupid (that's kind of become his nickname) and kisses him before pushing him away and immediately bolting, Barty's mind kind of stops working.

Evan doesn't call, doesn't send letters anymore. He's laser focused on helping his father's campaign or something equally stupid that does not work as an excuse.

Barty's thought of guys like that before, but he never thought of Evan being into guys. He's not homophobic, but he's not gay either. He's been around Regulus enough to know the terms.

He ends up confiding in Regulus about everything that happened and takes his advice.

The next time they meet, it's at the ministry.

Evan looks positively ravishing. Barty almost leaps across the room to drag him away. He knows Evan won't come willingly. He bribes and lies but he gets his way.

And it's just the two of them alone in a room again.

This time, Barty isn't stunned or hesitant. This time he kisses the way he wished he'd kissed back when Evan kissed him.

And well, it may not be a very easy road, but they make it eventually.

[the-labyrinth-of-me]

Alan Wake 2 revived and expanded my love for art.

Long read under the cut

I used to read a lot as a kid. It was the first thing I did in the morning on the weekends - grab the book I was currently reading from the nightstand and continue where I had left off the other day, then go and have breakfast later. I didn't like the other language related stuff I did at school - although I was always good at it - like reading and learning poems, interpretations, the likes. I needed fiction to dive into. As I arrived in the late teenage years, I stopped reading completely, and discovered my love for music. That never faded, but reading was an interest that had simply died. When I moved out from my parent's and into an apartment with my boyfriend, I started watching movies and shows, which I never properly could at home since I didn't have my own television. Life was okay back then, ups and downs, nothing out of the ordinary. We played Alan Wake for the ole XBox 360, simply because my boyfriend was a passionate reader and the game was about a writer lol. I had so many books around because of my boyfriend , but almost never grabbed one of them (aside from Game of Thrones and maybe a handful of others, at most).

I never viewed all of those creations, those art forms, as art, however. For me, art was always reduced and exclusive to weird sculptures and undefined paintings. Stuff nobody could understand. If it's not making sense, it's art. Nothing from the entertainment field especially. And entertainment never was art for me.

A few years ago, my private situation changed. Boyfriend and I got married and we started a family. That's when entertainment related art became a sort of escapism for me. Something I could dive into rather than family business. I still didn't connect the things I was into back then as art. That only changed when I was captivated by Alan Wake 2. This game single-handedly changed my understanding and tolerance not only for my favorite forms of art (namely music and video games), but got me into exploring for myself what art is. Listening to interviews with people involved in making this game also contributed to that as they talked a lot about art. As per usual with my hyperfixations, I thought about this game, the characters and the storyline a lot and jumped into all kinds of rabbit holes. And one day, I realized that this game that is highly revolving about artists (as per the Dark Presence's nature) does in fact not feature many, many kinds of art, but can truly be called an artistic work, and is an ode, a homage to art. This game celebrates art and its existence and it doesn't tell you which form of art is better and which one is worse. It cherishes and values anything that resembles and represents art, cherishes and values creators. Artists. Poets. Novelists. Photographers. Musicians. Actors. Directors. Filmmakers. Painters. Video game delelopers. Even fan fiction authors. It is those that make fun of these art forms that the game reprimands and punishes. Hartman and the Mormants namely for abusing artists, only seeing them as tools, as content creators for the sake of creating anything, as long as it fulfils a selfish purpose. The game takes us on the journey of creating, of success and failure, try and error, rewriting, scratching, editing, more drafts, doubts, depression, the list goes on. Also addiction. Apparently, Stephen King wrote some of his books while he was drunk and he couldn't remember later what he even wrote (hello to Alan and his memory problems). Artist's addiction definitely is a subject in the game. It helps them see and expand their creativity, yes, but also causes problems, naturally.

So what is art? It's anything that triggers an emotion, basically. A song that deeply touches you. A painting that reveals more its beauty the longer you observe it. The composition of nature, captured in a photograph. The Dark Presence feeds on emotions. Alan can't escape from the Dark Place until he ties emotions into his story through Saga. His work doesn't work without emotions. And if a certain kind of art form doesn't resonate with you, try another one. During an interview, Ilkka said "never only choose one form of art, always be open for others". I tried to follow his advice and he's right about it. And I found out that, by engaging with art, you might discover a thing or two about yourself as well, because art is tied to your emotions. It's a journey through your memories, your soul, your feelings. I discovered that I appreciate art much more than I thought, and I could kiss Sam Lake simply for the Lake House DLC and its take on ai art, and the exploration of what art is, when art is art, who defines if and when someone is an artist. It's an interesting thought process that I haven't finished for myself. Sam also taught me to always carry something to write in case you get an idea for a story lol.

What did the game ultimately bring for me, then? How did and do I profit from it? Well, first of all, I joined an English writing and reading club in my hometown. I'm more comfortable to talk openly about my fanfics. I got back into reading. (roughly 150 pages left in House of Leaves). I'm more sensitive to the beauty of nature, which I try to capture in photos. It kind of feels like a piece of a puzzle I've been missing without realizing it. It has only happened once so far that a piece of media has had such a huge impact on me before (rest in peace Arthur). And the Alan Wake community is so lovely too.

I would go as far as to say that art is arguably the biggest invention of the human race. Not only because the existence of art can be traced back to thousands of years ago. But because engaging with art causes to trigger what I define as our most important trait: emotions. Sometimes I wonder if people who don't have an interest in any art form see and feel the world in a different way. If they might even be disconnected from their emotions in some point, from their vulnerability. Art makes us vulnerable. This can be scary. But, like I said, it's worth the journey to discover more about ourselves. Because without art, we'd just be apes.