#c) i find i forgot a character which is very likely

[m45t3rc0mput3r]

Would you believe it. More bitty bans

[cinnbar-bun]

Affinity (Various OP Characters x Reader)

Characters: Brook, Buggy, Beckman, Crocodile, Zoro, Mihawk, Corazon, Shanks, Law

Rating: SFW

Word Count: ~4k

A/n: Reader is GN! I kinda made this after hearing about a special thing in my religion, and decided I wanted to do this. I of course made it more romantic in nature than the original idea goes, but hey, romance! I had my followers choose 7 originally but it went to 9, which is a very lucky number in my religion so maybe it was a sign? Who knows! Please enjoy <3

Tagging: @fanaticsnail @gingernut1314 @undeadeurydice @i-am-vita @kiribuchi @therosietoesy (sorry, I forgot who asked for Law my bad)

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There is a belief that before you are born, you were once a soul that had existed with other souls. Souls who had an affinity for each other would find that affinity carried in their time as a human. Souls who repelled each other would find that distaste carried over as well. Perhaps it was preordained, fate, destiny- whatever you’d call it. Regardless, it seems your soul has met with someone who once had an affinity for you…

Brook

Being an undead figure unable to pass on was not what Brook had in mind. In some ways, he was grateful for another chance at life, another chance to do what he previously was too dead to finish. Albeit, being a pile of bones did have its drawbacks.

While he could still function and do things many humans did, fact was, he was anything but. One look at him would easily make him stand out as something like a freak of nature.

Skeletons cannot love and be loved like a human. He could hold, but could not be held like a human. Admittedly, it had bothered him on occasion, but he always tried to brush it off with a simple hum or shrug. After all, he had his friends and crewmates- and he had a promise to continue fighting for. That should be enough.

But he couldn’t stop his eyes (if he had any) from wandering… couldn’t stop the way his mind wondered…

Just what could it be like if I too could fall in love?

Ah, but that’s such a silly thing for a skeleton to consider. Who could ever love the undead remains of someone long forgotten?

He’d practically given up on such silly notions like love or a relationship- it didn’t fit his current predicament.

So Brook focused on his music and his performances instead. He held up his violin and decided to waste some time on this sunny day playing for his audience of a few blue birds chirping at this green park. It was beautiful and reminded him of his day with the Rumbar Pirates- agh, nostalgia was always his weakest attribute, he thinks.

His fingers drift along the strings of the instrument, peacefully playing his weary heart away. He doesn’t recognize he has another guest until he hears slow clapping.

“What?” He turns his head, surprised to see you on the bench, smiling and clapping.

“That was lovely,” you comment. Time slows still and your eyes meet, shining (e/c) eyes with hollow black sockets.

If he had skin, perhaps he would’ve been red or sweating buckets. As a skeleton, he was not able to do things. But Brook was still a man through and through, and he couldn’t help but freeze at seeing the way your eyes were soft and full of admiration.

“I’m glad you thought so. Music is my pride and joy.”

“I can tell,” you reply. “I felt like I forgot to breathe for a moment when I heard that. I’m sorry for watching, though, if you weren’t looking for an audience.”

“N-no, actually it was…” he was too caught up in the way his soul was resonating and burning within him. “I appreciate it actually. Would you like me to play a song for you?”

“Would you? I’d love to hear more!”

Buggy

Buggy never believed in things like soulmates or fairy tales or blah blah blah- it was all junk! The only thing he ever could trust was treasure- shiny, bright, treasure! What else did a pirate need or want?

Is what he would say out loud- Buggy, even at a young age, was secretly a romantic who refused to let himself be swept up in the sentiment. When him and Shanks would sail together on Roger’s ship, Shanks would often ask what he thought about love.

Unlike Buggy, Shanks was pretty honest and confident about his assertions. Buggy would stumble and try to keep the bravado up, pretending as if he didn’t secretly yearn for a person who could look past his red nose and maybe possibly sorta kinda like him? Was that too much to ask? If you were Buggy, the answer was yes, because he would never allow himself the chance to be soft or vulnerable with someone. Especially not when he was already so sensitive about his looks and attitude. The thought of letting his guard down to be loved terrified him- what if they left? What if they made fun of him, too?

It was just too much for his fragile ego, so he brushed it aside and continued his hunt for treasure.

“Now where the hell am I?” He yelled, tilting the map in his hand left and right, as if that would somehow make his destination clearer. “Kinda crappy treasure map is this?”

He glared and shoved the map back in his pocket as he stomped around this town. He hadn’t ever bothered to come to this place before, so everything was new for him. He glared at the kids who were pointing at his nose to scare them off (mission accomplished), but his foul attitude still didn’t lessen.

As Buggy turned a corner, he accidentally rammed into someone. They shrieked, and his hat fell off his face and covered his eyes.

“Watch it, will ya? I’m walkin’ he…” he pushed his hat back up and came face to face with perhaps the most gorgeous person he’s ever met. His mouth was wide open, gawking at you as you gave an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. I didn’t see you there,” you said sheepishly.

“Y-yeah it’s… it’s cool. No biggie,” he mumbled in a daze.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he returned to normal. “I mean, yeah, totally.”

You chuckle at his behavior, and something within Buggy’s chest makes it feel like there’s a million butterflies flapping inside his ribcage. He can’t help the dumb grin on his face as he laughs along.

“Sorry again, sir. I’ll keep an eye out for you next time,” you wink and begin walking away, making Buggy flabbergasted. N-next time? Was that a promise? He didn’t even realize what he was thinking before he turned around and tried to jog back to you.

“H-hey, wait up-!”

Beckman

Beckman was fairly ambivalent to the idea of a “soulmate” or “affinity”. Sure, he humored his often childish captain with those notions, but the fact was, Beckman was simply a sailor at heart. He didn’t think being “stuck” to someone was the life he wanted, and he was fairly sure a sane, rational person would not want to be the lover of a first mate to perhaps one of the most infamous pirate crews on the sea.

Now, this would imply you were sane and rational, and this would also imply that he was also not a sucker for you. Perhaps that was what made him attracted to you in the first place, or maybe it was something that gave him the idea that his captain wasn’t so off base.

When it came to you, Beckman was eager, a bit too eager, the others would joke. Whenever you called, he came running and answering like a loyal servant. Whenever you wrote, his lips would form a large smile while he refused to let the others look at the letter you sent. Whenever he was away from you for long periods of time, he drank a bit too much.

It was common place enough for the others to notice and tease him about, even if Beckman was adamant there was nothing there. You guys were just… friends, or something ambiguous like that. You didn’t need a label for your relationship. This was completely normal, you were normal, he was normal- nothing was out of the ordinary, so if they would please stop asking and make him confront those pesky feelings he-

Maybe he had a problem. He never felt this way for anyone else he encountered. You knew of his philandering, not seeming to care all that much, but damn it, even he couldn’t continue that streak because his mind would get occupied with you, you, you. Love was too complicated. Maybe this was the alcohol talking. Or Shanks getting in his head about “souls being attuned” or whatever spiritual jazz the red-haired captain would spout.

No, it really made sense, all things considered. There was no one else but you to make him quit fooling around with others on the islands he stopped at. There was no one else but you who invaded his thoughts, who plagued him day and night with those eyes, that smile, the way you hated that red cologne he once bought and-

Oh dear god, he was deep into this, wasn’t he?

Crocodile

Love? Spirits? Souls? Soulmates?

Yeah right, add that to the list of stupid things weak poets say to make their miserable lives have some meaning. You could jump through a million hoops to try and blame encounters and relationships on things like “destiny” or “fate”. To a man like Crocodile, however, “destiny” was just something he could control. Whether through bribes of money or through making them submit with his fearsome powers, “destiny” was nothing but another means of his affluence.

Only those who were weak and had nothing could not control their lives.

Something like love was a crutch used by those who had nothing to pretend they did. What was love to power? What was love to wealth? To fame? To greatness?

Love was the longest-running scam that Crocodile almost could be impressed with, if not for the fact that the sentiment around love made him want to gag.

Except, now he was actively looking for jewelry to buy you, flowers to deliver to your doorstep, and outfits to clothe you in for when you visited him.

It was almost disgusting how Crocodile was eagerly awaiting for your next arrival, for when he could be able to see you on the street or at his casino so he could see that face he adored so much. Those eyes that made him want to melt, that voice that echoed in his head, that smile that made him want to have an image of you adorned on his wall so he could always see it.

Something, he could never place what it was, drew him to you. Something made you seem to stand out to him in ways that no other could. He was Crocodile- world famous business man and pirate- he had no shortage of people throwing themselves at him or fearing him. Only to you was he trying his luck attempting to woo you to give him that look he loved. Only for you was he making excuse after excuse to continue seeing you, lying over and over that he had a reason to use you, that it was just a part of some master plan.

He exhaled another puff of his cigar and rubbed his temples.

Gods, why was he acting this way? He was Crocodile. Not a lovesick teenage boy, not some lonely man, not some simpering-

“Sir, (Y/n) has arrived.” His ears perked up as he quickly slicked back his hair.

“Is that so? Send them up,” he orders, grabbing his expensive cologne to spray onto him again.

Zoro

Zoro had never heard of the idea of soulmates or anything like that. When one lives, breathes, and dies by the sword, something like “soulmates” is just comical. He doesn’t need love to become the best swordsman. He didn’t need love to teach him how to pick up a sword and kill another with it. That was, in fact, the complete opposite of love.

Survival of the fittest, he thought. Nothing more, nothing less. You kill for bounties, bounties that pay, pay that gives you a chance to eat food. Nothing more to it. He never did more than he needed to, never worked harder for anything outside of his sword training and hunting. What else did a swordsman need to live?

He was currently drinking his fill at a local tavern of some random village he washed out upon. He didn’t care to get names, not when he was always moving, always killing, always leaving. “Zoro” was a passing chance encounter few got to ever meet or understand. He was fine with that. A bounty hunter didn’t need attachments. A bounty hunter definitely didn’t need someone weighing him down.

At the tavern, a few rowdy pirates were acting up. Yelling obscenities, throwing food and liquor at one another, making rude gestures- nothing out of the ordinary for drunk pirates. Zoro had no business with them, so he ignored them, continuing to order pint after pint.

It wasn’t until he heard a crash that he looked up. You were angrily yelling at one of the pirates who threw a drink at you, and his mates were drawing their weapons. It was clear you were outnumbered, so you looked around the bar for anyone that would help.

Normally, Zoro wouldn’t bother, figuring you dug your own grave by messing with pirates like that. However, when he glanced to your eyes, he found himself… staring. Lost. Entranced?

He didn’t know why he felt like he should protect you, but he always had a good intuition when it came to these sorts of things. He sighed, placed his mug down, then stood up, drawing his swords from their sheathes.

“Zoro,” he stated. A rare thing for him to admit so casually to a normal person. The pirates heard his name and shriveled up in fear. Zoro didn’t pay them any mind, instead tapping his sword against his shoulder impatiently. “Need me to shut these guys up?”

Mihawk

If you had asked a young Mihawk about love, he would have most certainly called you a fool for daring to think of such illogical things instead of focusing on one’s own strength and potential. While he had heard of the sentiments about love and soulmates before, he didn’t place much value into it. Love was a distraction from the training he could have done. Love was a waste of time. Love was just for weak-minded people who let themselves be vulnerable or gentle with another. Love wasn’t for people like him.

Which was why he was now trying to instill the opposite into his foolhardy protege, Zoro. Yes, yes, unfortunately, Mihawk was proven wrong from his earlier ways of thinking, and ever since then, he’s been doing his best to be a good man for you.

“I didn’t think a guy like you would have a partner…” Zoro would mumble.

“Of course I would. Do I not look like a suitable husband?” Mihawk replied as he was sipping his wine. “A marriage is only an aspect of your training and power.”

“How does cooking dinner help you train?” Zoro raised a brow, not believing a word.

“If you cannot handle a routine for even the most mundane and domestic of tasks, you cannot expect to be disciplined enough to train. If you think something like making your love a cup of tea or folding laundry is too hard or not worthy enough, you are not worthy enough to hold a sword.”

Zoro nodded, impressed by Mihawk’s reasoning (or maybe impressed at how you somehow made the world’s greatest swordsman so whipped and happy to make you dinner).

“Well, when you put it like that,” Zoro scratched his cheek, looking back at his mentor to see him staring at you longingly from the window. You and Perona were outside picking some of the vegetables at the garden, an activity you insisted upon doing despite Mihawk’s protests. You and the young lady were joking and laughing about something Perona said, and Mihawk sighed.

“Something wrong?” Zoro asked, unsure what Mihawk was thinking with his stoic appearance.

“No, not at all,” Mihawk shook his head, taking another sip.

“Then why did you sigh like that?” Zoro questioned. A smirk grew on Mihawk’s lips as he chuckled, continuing to look at you. You… you who were so special, who had become the apple of his eye, his strength, his joy, his passion.

“Oh, you wouldn’t understand it right now, my student,” Mihawk closed his eyes. “Fate is… it’s simply a humorous thing.”

Corazon

He always was a sensitive soul, despite his outer appearance and harsh exterior. But even as a child, Law could tell something was up with Corazon.

“Why are you always looking at them?” Law grumpily asked, folding his arms and raising a brow at his benefactor.

“Hm? At who?” Corazon dumbly responded, cigarette in his lips.

“You know who I mean! Don’t act stupid!” Law shouted. Corazon chuckled and exhaled the smoke.

“Sorry, gotta be more specific.”

Of course, Corazon knew who Law was referring to. It wasn’t like Corazon had hidden his affection for you, but that was for another time. You were something special, something that Corazon yearned for but could never have. Not when Doflamingo’s influence was so large and looming over his life. But even if Corazon himself could not love you so freely, he always did like to tell the young boy stories. Of course, Law, being a jaded little boy, had never really given thought to such things like “soulmates” or “souls knowing each other”. That was stupid and impossible.

Corazon liked to believe, though. It comforted him. It made him feel happy that, hey, even if this life perhaps didn’t work out for him and you, at least he had known you before. At least he was able to see you again. At least he got you in his life for a moment, even if it would end in nothing but heartache and pain. At he least, for just a bit, he got to see that smile, those eyes, and feel your hands over his.

It made his life a little less hard, a little less dull. The romanticism that despite Doffy meddling in his life, Corazon still had a chance with you, was meant to know and be with you… well, that was plenty enough for him. It made him happier, too, knowing Law was perhaps a soul he was acquainted with before. It made him feel like he was always going to be guaranteed love and kindness with you and Law, even if the world was unkind to him.

Yes, this new family he had found was perhaps where he belonged the most. With you and Law by his side, there was nothing more he could ask for.

Shanks

“You’re obsessed.”

“Am not!” Shanks yelled childishly at Beckman, before turning back to face the island they were planning on docking at soon. The wide smile on his face made it clear he was beyond excited to be there, and the other men chuckled.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on running off to see em?” Yassop asked, knowing the answer.

“Oh, stop bugging about it! It’s just a little reunion with (Y/n), not anything crazy,” Shanks waved off. He breathed into his palm and winced at the smell of his breath. “Crap, does anyone have any mouthwash?”

“I don’t think anything can get that stench out. If they hadn’t run away cuz of your smell before, I think you’re good now!”

“Haha, very funny guys. Besides, it’s just between friends. Nothing weird.”

Of course, that was a bit of a fib, but who doesn’t tell little white lies? Surely he’d be forgiven for saying that by whomever was possibly in charge of making this happen?

Shanks, even with his overwhelming power and influence, did believe in superstition. It would be foolish not to, especially in such a dangerous world that a pirate inhabits. Sure, some of them were old wive’s tales from scared-straight sailors, but he did find them having some merit. He didn’t like to discount the seemingly impossible, not when it made even the most outlandish things possible.

He believed it was fate he got to meet Buggy and be a part of Roger’s crew. He believed it fate he met little Luffy in Foosha Village. He also believed it was fate he saved you that day. Some things just “made sense” like that to Shanks. It certainly made his life more interesting while also giving him a chance to bother you as always.

“Oh, come on, you can’t really kick out your soulmate, can you?” Shanks would tease.

“Soulmate?” You laugh. “Is this your attempt at proposing to me?”

“Hey, if you’d like it to be, I can absolutely make it happen,” Shanks replied, an earnest look in his eyes. You smile at him- crap, how do you always manage to make him ache and miss you? It’s gotta be fate, because no way could anyone have his heart in tight vice like this.

“Well… if you’re insisting, Captain,” you begin, smirking at him. “Why not take me with you? As your soulmate.”

Shanks’s eyes widened and the look on his face was a mixture of bewilderment and excitement.

“You know I can always make room for you,” he answered, trying to steady himself.

“Good. Although, we could share a room.”

“You drive a hard bargain, dear,” he chugs his rum. “Cheers to us!”

Law

Since he was a young boy, Law always tried to remain by himself. You couldn’t really trust anyone in a world of piracy and violence like that. Corazon, of course, always recommended otherwise. He even shared stories about a place where souls all were together.

It didn’t sound plausible or even remotely make sense. How would you even know if your soul was supposedly affiliated with someone?

It had been years since those days and the loss of Corazon, and even though he tried his hardest not to, Law still kept those stories in his mind. They were pointless and silly, but they were something Corazon believed wholeheartedly, even saying it was a miracle he got to meet a young Law. In some ways, Law felt somewhat similarly.

Love wasn’t for someone like Law. Too damaged, too cold, too logical, too afraid to ever let that feeling grow. It was how he stayed and remained for his life, and how he was planning on operating for the rest of time.

Until you, quite literally, crashed into him.

Jeez, you had to be a pest. Or a virus. Or a parasite. Something like that, but gosh, you were contagious. When you smiled, he found himself wanting to smile back. When you talked, he found himself thinking over every word you spoke in great detail. Maybe he was overthinking things, maybe when you said you were happy to have met him that was just you being friendly. Or something.

Almost always his mind drifted to you, feeling a certain way for you that he didn’t feel with the others in his crew or from the Straw Hats. You were different.

Perfect? Maybe. Definitely too good for someone like him, he’d think. But even with that self-loathing and apprehension, he found himself being drawn to you like a magnet.

Cora, if this is what you meant before…

Damn it, now he was letting things like soulmates and affinity cloud his judgment. He was a grown man, not a young boy, he didn’t need those silly delusions and ideas growing in his head and making him think he had a chance with you.

“Tora-o!” Luffy called. “Come here!!”

“No,” Law grumbled.

“Law,” you asked right after. “Do you mind helping me with this?”

“...yes,” he replied, stoically walking up to you to see what your problem was. Luffy gawked and pouted from the side, while a few of the others chuckled at Law.

[adripakoffee]

I don't post on here often and by that I mean I'm on here once a month to look at writing prompts but right now I'm thinking of Anya from Mouthwashing, and Tumblr is better for long form posts. Apologies if this rant isn't super clear, I'm on pain meds right now.

CW: S/A, SUICIDE, OVERDOSE, MOUTHWASHING SPOILERS

Anyway, Anya very well may be one of the most doomed characters to ever doom. Firstly she's trapped in a relatively small space ship with 4 men, who she has to keep alive and healthy along with giving them periodic mental wellness checks (which she, herself never gets). Two of these men don't take her seriously at all because she probably doesn't actually have a medical degree and is just someone the company hired to cut corners. If that wasn't all ready awful, the co-captain, Jimmy, has been assaulting her since at least the start of this voyage that's been going on for 100+ days. She falls pregnant because of this and while this isn't where her spiral started, this is where it gets worse. She originally plans to kill herself with the Captain's gun, but decides against it since she can't get to the gun without Curly's help anyway.

Speaking of Curly, he knows what's been going on, she told him about Jimmy a while before the crash. Every time, Curly says "I'll do something about it," or "I'll fix this," but the most he does is keep Jimmy away from Anya when they're working. Anya seems fine with that for the most part because I think she assumes Curly will report Jimmy and have him arrested when they land (he won't, at this point in the game he'd defend Jimmy for anything because "he sees the best in people. He loves to say "our worst moments don't define us" and apparently that extends to r@pe). So at this point, she's biding her time until they land.

Back to the gun, when Curly finds her holed up in the cockpit, she tells him she's pregnant. He's a little taken aback but he tries to reassure her that it's fine and he'll fix the "situation" with Jimmy. He says he can't let her kill herself because he does actually care about her. One of his flaws is he cares about everyone so much he can't imagine compromising one of them for any reason. Anya tells him she wasn't going to hurt herself, though she thought about it, she just hid the gun case so Jimmy couldn't kill her instead. She's so convinced Jimmy just wants to kill and torment her when the sad truth is, he couldn’t care less.

In all of Jimmy's "take responsibility" hallucinations, Anya barely shows up. Swansea, Curly, and Daisuke do, but he can't bring himself to even recognize what's happened to Anya is also solely his fault. He doesn't care at all.

Speaking of which, what seems the straw that breaks the camel's back for Jimmy is Anya telling him that she's pregnant because he crashes the ship pretty sure after. And this really seems like a spur of the moment action because if he'd planned this he could've done it much earlier after the news of the company closing reached them.

Curly says Anya should've waited for him to help her tell Jimmy about the pregnancy, but that doesn't matter because he is put out of commission like (I forgot if it's a day later or the same day) later because he's in the cockpit when the ship crashes.

Now Anya has no hope, Jimmy knows she's pregnant, the seemingly one line of defense she has against him can't leave his bed, and they're stuck in space. She's terrified because not only because of that, but because Jimmy is captain now and because of the way the ship is set up, you need the captain for a lot of things. Jimmy being captain also means if he finds the gun case, he now has the code to open it.

Anya, being the ships medic, is tasked with keeping Curly alive and giving him his meds. It's really difficult for her, A. because Curly is hard to look at, B. because unless he's full of pain meds, he's making noise, and C. because that was her friend and one of the only people she felt safe around and he's been reduced to this. And from her perspective, this is his fault, Curly crashed the ship.

This situation is stressful for everyone, Swansea has reverted back to alcoholism and never drops the ax he has, Daisuke is slowly losing hope and also starts drinking, and Jimmy won't stop yelling at her. He's so pissed at her the entire game, more so than everyone else. She was already scared of him but before there was at least a light at the end of the tunnel. Now there's nothing to look forward to because she doesn't think there's any way out.

She, at some point when he's sober enough, confides in Swansea who then tells her that she's gonna be the one to get out of here. He has the one last working cryo pod set aside for her specifically and refuses to let anyone into the room where it is. Unfortunately, at this point, her anxiety concerning Jimmy is so bad, she's convinced he'd do something to the pod too.

So then Anya locks herself in the med bay with Curly and all the rest of the ships medicine (- minus the Isopropyl which she probably left for Daisuke and Swansea) and overdoses by Curly's bed. Curly was awake the whole time she went through a probably painful death. She also, as maybe a final revenge, took the last of the pain meds that were meant for Curly. And she dies right next to him.

That's where her story ends. She felt so trapped and scared by her r@pist that got her pregnant that she killed herself next to the one person who could've done something, but instead, from her perspective, trapped her with said r@pist.

She died probably hoping that Daisuke or Swansea would make it out, not knowing they died soon after.

TLDR;

So from her perspective: A guy she's been friends with for years starts repeatedly assaulting her and she's stuck with him, then he gets her pregnant. Her other friend who she tells says he'll do something about it (he won't) and she has no choice but to trust him. Then the guy she told crashes the ship they're all on and fails in taking himself out. Now she's trapped with her r@pist and she tells someone else who does actually try to do something but she kills herself instead.

Anyways guys, I'm just missing my wife, the end.

[sethdomain]

the narrative that c!tommy used c!techno is kind of diabolical tbh, people often forgot that c!tommy is fresh out of exile and doesn't consider the place that he's in.

He's running on pure instinct, fresh from suicide attempt and running from his abuser and the only one he can confide in is c!techno the criminal that destroyed his home country. Despite their history c!techno still took him in, but why? He could of just kick c!tommy from his house and let him run lose in the tundra of snow and let him survive on his own while c!drm sniff over his trails of footstep. But he took him in and protect him from the looming threat of his abuser.

And its sad, its very sad that even if c!Techno took c!Tommy in he used it as an opportunity. An opportunity to use c!Tommy as a pawn in his quest for anarchy. Now, you might be thinking, but c!techno took him in, take care of him and even defended c!tommy ,why are you painting him as this heartless villain that used an abused child for his own gains? Frankly, I try not to and maybe its also in the way i'am awful with articulating my words into something that make sense. I truly do not think c!Techno is heartless and his relationship with c!tommy does have a sincerity in it.

But I think my main point is that, there was a power imbalance between c!tommy and c!techno that people often overlooked. Like I said c!Tommy is fresh out of exile n traumatized n stuff and he's in a weaker position and his only hope in escaping his abuser is c!Techno since he is the only character thats is deadass near logstedshire and also one of the most powerful people in the esempi.

And also I just do not think painting an abuse survivor trying to find help as an act of... That, is a nice message you know 😁 haha- not to get real and get to the implication of stuff- but ahahaha, yk haha. ANYWAY.

I don't think c!techno is a heartless monster, like I said i think his relationship with c!tommy has sincerity within it. I think as time goes on, i think techno grew actual care toward tommy evidence by his interaction with tommy as time goes on growing more closer and affectionate and his strong reaction when tommy left him for tubbo.

But still, c!Techno treats tommy more of a pawn in his quest for anarchy, you also have to remember that he will send off c!tommy to his abuser again without a second though if c!drm used his favor. Of course, if you were in c!tommy place, why would you stay with a guy like that? He goes againts everything you stand for and you don't even know if you're safe with him. Maybe because he saved your life? Do you really owe him that much that you are willing to destroy your home and even fight your own best friend for him? Was it all transitional? Do I worth anything? Do I not matter as a living breathing human being? Am I not worth of safety?

I just wanna talk about my feeling about c!tommy and c!techno relationship in post-exile arc, because i think i find the narrative a bit icky if you are maybe a survivor of abusive relationship. I also wanna talk about the interesting bit of sincerity their relationship actually kind of have, that despite c!techno using c!tommy as pawn he does actually cares in the very end. Which is sad to think about

[moghedien]

obviously there are a bunch of issues with the MCU and I'm not gonna sit here and try to convince everyone that MCU movies are cinema or whatever so don't get what I'm gonna say twisted. I do find their kinda mainstay in cultural media and the dominance they had to be interesting, especially now in an era where the MCU is undeniably falling off and struggling. just as like a cultural analysis I find that interesting and everyone has their opinions of why it happened.

my opinion/theory on why the MCU just crashed is because they sort of forgot what it means to be telling a comic book story, especially a marvel comic book story. Because I've read thousands of issues of various marvel series at this point, across tons of different eras and events, and the thing that makes them last (which is also a thing that drives me personally crazy and I hate so much) is that the status quo doesn't really change. Or when it does, it lasts for a few arcs or years at most and then gets reverted back to the norm eventually. Like the fact that everything is pointless and nothing is a risk is something I loathe, but it is admittedly what keeps them going. If someone just got into comics, they can pick up a modern issue and expect to find Spider-man or Captain America or whoever. They may be introduced to new characters, but the big ones will show up eventually.

And after the last Avengers movie, like half of the mainstay cast are just gone. Which as someone who likes good stories, I think is a good opportunity (which is arguably being wasted but idk I haven't watched any MCU thing in years) to actually shake things up and develop characters that mainstream people are less familiar with and give them a chance to shine and tell interesting stories. But that's not why people like marvel comics.

People like marvel comics because if they want to read about Iron Man, they can pick up any random issue about Iron Man and it will most likely be the Iron Man they know. People like the status quo, and Marvel has never been high literature and has always basically been pulp storytelling, and it gave people status quo and familiarity. And I think Marvel Studios figured this out waaayyy too late.

Because if Marvel actually understood what people like about the comics, they would have embraced recasting major roles from the start. They wouldn't have tied characters' identities so strongly to their actors and would have made it clear that characters can and will continue on with different faces. There is no reason why Tony Stark needs to be RDJ or Steve Rogers needs to be Chris Evans. They would have had plans to not write these characters out of existance the second actors wanted to exit or died or were fired or any of the various reason why actors are no longer involved with the MCU. Hell they had precedent. They didn't have a problem replacing Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle, who are very different looking people who give very different performances, but we know why they felt ok with that recasting but won't recast any of their boys named Chris...

Anyway it seems like they realized that general audiences don't actually like change if its permanent and are learning the wrong lessons with the Doom casting nonsense and the fact that they seem to keep changing what the new story is to fit what they think audiences want.

I'm fine with the MCU dying off and its probably better for media that it does, but again I'm just kinda interested in the fumble from like an objective standpoint because it seemed like they just locked themselves into eventual failure in such a stupid way. Like they could have told the same safe representative Avengers storylines for decades and wouldn't have a meltdown every time an actor in a major role needed to be removed from production if they just accepted that people would be recast as needed. It would be worse for actors and it would be worse for movies in general probably, but it would have kept the MCU churning out pulp like the comics do to this day. But now people are realizing its not just pulp but pulp they don't want and its gonna kill the MCU eventually.

[luckyfinch]

i’m bored and need to start the year off strong so

Sonic characters headcanons!!! maybe i will update sometimes…

Sonic

ADHD, also has an anxiety disorder

either overthinking or not thinking at all, always

dyslexic… he gives me the vibe

TRANSGENDER. this hedgehog is TRANS. he is a trans boy. i will never falter upon this hill

i like the hc that when first meeting Tails, Tails assumed he was a boy, and Sonic goes “yknow what hell yeah” and becomes Sonic right then and there

would be a Marvel fan i know it in my heart

forced to watch Twilight by Amy. Team Alice truther, the two argue about it very heatedly

he can prepare an egg 25 different ways beautifully, but otherwise is ass at cooking

NEVER let this boy bake

saw Shadow take a handful of plain coffee beans from the bag once and eat it, never looked at Shadow the same

“oh i never mentioned them? well yeah i’m a triplet. guess it never came up!” -> cue everyone flabbergasted

Shadow

AUTISTIC.

Demiromantic, Asexual

this guy has PTSD i will never accept him not having PTSD

also i don’t care if Shadow eating coffee beans is canon or not it’s canon IN MY HEART!!!!!!

his favorite disney princess is Merida from Brave

i imagine him liking sweets but not liking anyone to know. gotta keep up his mysteriousness. also he’s a little embarrassed

Rouge buys him the candies he likes occasionally cause he would never get them for himself

Sonic tries to show him roblox just one time. Shadow destroys his computer and ignores Sonic for a month after losing DTI, and Sonic never tries to get him on a game again

Sonic tries to pass on the Twilight trauma and makes him watch the saga. Team “move back in with her Mother.”

^ Shadow and Sonic get into a physical fight over it

^ Shadow wins

sometimes he babysits Cream for Vanilla

spreads rumors about Tails to literally ANYONE. the most random people, who have never seen or heard of him. he makes shit up just to do it

claustrophobic

Warrior Cats reader, i imagine him liking Yellowfang

Tails

forced to do does Sonic’s taxes wholly of his own volition

snacks on coffee beans while he works after seeing Shadow doing it; begins to prefer it over coffee

major insomniac, Sonic sometimes has to force him to go to bed when he spends too long hyperfixated on a project

big fan of Indiana Jones

he plays all the Lego games, and MUST 100% everything

has a youtube channel for his outrageously complex Lego builds which has a surprising amount of subscribers

^ Sonic only finds out about the channel after accidentally opening Tails’ mail and seeing his Gold Playbutton award

^ “oh yeah i forgot to tell u about that i guess!” “….HOW DID YOU FORGET?”

hates Shadow. the beef is insane. they cannot be left in a room together without fighting

homophobic but only in context of sonadow. if sonadow was to exist Tails would HATE IT SO BAD.

^ Shadow would grab Sonic’s hand or something while making eye contact with Tails just to piss him off

during thunderstorms, Sonic lets Tails sleep in his room. they watch movies until Tails can fall asleep.

owns Rarity (my little pony) merch

has an extensive rock collection which is his pride and joy. Sonic always brings him back cool rocks when he travels around

Amy

lifts in her free time. girl is jacked

uses :< :> :,C X3 when texting

loves vampire media, big Twilight fan. Team Edward, and she’ll die on that hill

loves baking!!! (Sonic isn’t allowed in her kitchen)

colorblind

she LOOVES Dress To Impress. bought herself VIP, forces Sonic to play it with her (he acts annoyed but he plays it on his own time too)

Knuckles

PTSD

aroace vibes

hates being alone

likes drawing, but ends up getting frustrated and breaking the crayons/pencils by accident

the coolest mf around ON GOD!!!

has the worst present wrapping skills ever seen. everyone knows exactly which gift is his during white elephants

turns out to be a surprisingly good cook, annoying Sonic to no end

eats toothpaste

[nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos]

as much as i love buggy, i’m gonna request sanji for the fluffy alphabet!

let’s go foooor… C, D, N, U, and Y please! (my goldfish brain forgot if you said five at the most lol)

i love your work sm and i really wish you all the best!

Yay flirty chef!! Most of the requests for the Fluffabet have been Mihawk so far, which I am NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT I love him a very abnormal amount; but Sanji is just so precious and writing for him just

*melts into a silly giggling puddle*

Aaaaanyway. I very much want to thank you for requesting the letter U, I've kind of been looking forward to it, since it gives me creative freedom to brainstorm further and deeper into the characters and their quirks/psychologies, and I always love doing that.

Thank you for the request, and I hope you enjoy!!!

Also feel free to come back and make requests for Buggy, as I've gotten none for him yet at all. Sad clown noises.

Also also, since someone else asked, requests for the Fluffy Alphabet will remain open until all letters are claimed for all characters; and I'll still accept requests for other characters I haven't listed if I feel I can write them and do them justice, I just listed the ones I did because they're the ones I've written the most. Until I state on my Masterpost that requests are closed, they are very much open!!

C is for Courtship (How would they court you?)

“The heavens must be dull these days with their most beautiful goddess stuck down here.”

Firmly believes it was love at first sight, and Sanji is absolutely determined to win you over. As much as he wants to pull you in by your hands, wrap his arms around you, and tell you he’s loved you since the moment he first laid eyes on you; he also doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries and risk blowing his chances.

Flirty, flirty, flirty. He can’t help it, it's just what he does—but he’s respectful about it, dropping silly little lines designed to make you giggle, hopefully make you blush a little. Beyond that, though, he’s going to make every effort possible to legitimately get to know you; your likes and dislikes, your goals, your dreams, everything, wanting to ensure that you know he’s interested in you for more than just being a pretty face that happened to catch his eye.

If you flirt back, you’re never going to be able to get rid of him, he’s your responsibility now, basically a lost puppy that followed you home, end of story.

He’s bent on impressing you, so your first date he’s going to insist on cooking for you, just the two of you—meeting you with a bouquet of your favorite flowers (he made sure to ask in passing about your favorites at some point beforehand), with a light kiss on the cheek and a soft touch at your waist.

D is for Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning and other such household chores?)

“No, no, you sit down and relax, I can handle this, love. Really.”

Settling down with you would be a dream come true. He does have his dream of finding the All Blue, but if you’re willing to come with him on that adventure, then the journey there would be just as much of a dream to him as the destination itself.

It doesn’t take him very long at all to decide that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, and he’ll do anything to make that happen.

He’s quite cleanly and organized in general—having spent the better part of his formative years working in a professional kitchen, it’s become a force of habit. If something needs to be cleaned, to be tidied up or organized, he’s going to do so automatically, without even really thinking about it. He would much rather just see you relaxing, will probably protest a bit about you “doing too much” if you lift a finger to so much as sweep a floor.

You already know that cooking is handled. Cooking, kitchen maintenance in general. That goes without saying. Even if you enjoy cooking as well and you want to cook with him (absolute bonus, he loves cooking with you), he’s going to be right behind you wiping down the counters, washing and drying all the dishes as you go before you even have a chance to drop them in the sink.

N is for Needs (What do they need in a healthy relationship?)

“I don’t know how I ever survived without you in my life, sweetheart.”

Sanji can be a bit on the needy side. It isn’t that he lacks confidence, or that he absolutely requires constant reassurance—he just adores you, and wants to spend every minute possible with you, making sure that you know how precious you are to him.

If you’re near him, he needs to be touching you in some capacity. Whether it’s subtle, his hand resting at the small of your back while he stands next to you, or his arm curled around you and touching your waist; or if he’s pulling you back against him, arms around your waist or hands at your hips, resting his chin at your shoulder and pressing a kiss to your cheek, he always wants to be close to you.

Constantly telling you how much he loves you, showering you with praise for every little thing you do. If it gets to be too overwhelming he will back off—but you’re still going to catch him out of the corner of your vision with his own eyes glued to you, smiling and sighing as if you’re the single most incredible thing he’s ever laid eyes on.

That being said, if you argue about anything at all, he’ll be an absolute wreck, apologizing incessantly and begging your forgiveness; and he might need a fair amount of reassurance after the fact that you aren’t upset anymore. He can’t stomach the thought of upsetting you, because losing you would utterly devastate him.

U is for Unique (What’s something unique about them that no one knows but you?)

“It’s fine, just couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d get a head start on breakfast. You can go back to bed.”

Cooking is of course his passion—but it can, and sometimes does, double as a coping mechanism. He has a deeply troubled past, and every so often it might plague him in the form of nightmares.

In which case you’ll often  wake up to find his side of the bed empty; to find him in the kitchen in the wee hours of the night or morning, while everyone else is asleep, either prepping meals for the day or experimenting with new recipes to set his mind at ease.

He’s happy to accept if you offer to help, or if you just decide to sit up with him and offer your company. He’ll probably try to convince you to go back to bed, that there’s no need for you to lose sleep, but he’s not going to turn you down if you insist. It’s a gamble whether or not he’ll talk with you about what’s bothering him, or if he’ll keep a bit more quiet than usual while he immerses himself in his work. Either way, he appreciates your presence and your support more than you could ever know.

The menial, repetitive task of preparing ingredients in particular offers a pillar of stability and structure that helps him to breathe a little easier, to sort through that turmoil and make better sense of it; while the act of experimenting with something new helps steer his mind back to the present rather than dwelling on what woke him in the first place.

Y is for Yearning (What’s something that they yearn for when you’re separated?)

“Oh, no, love, I assure you, I definitely missed you more.”

It would be better to ask what he doesn’t yearn for. He simply can’t stand being apart from you, for any length of time. It isn’t that he doesn’t trust you, that doesn’t even cross his mind. He knows you’ll come back to him. He just can’t stand the length of time that you aren’t there.

Your touch, your scent, your face, your eyes, your body—your smile, your laugh, your voice, your embrace, your kisses—whether it’s minutes or hours or days that you happen to be apart, you’re the only thing that he can think about, having you back by his side, in his arms, safe and sound.

Life on the sea isn’t the safest, and he’s going to spend the entire time you're apart worried that something might happen to you. Even if you’re capable of handling yourself, he would feel much better being with you, knowing that he’s there to keep you safe.

And when you are together again, he makes it very clear just how much he missed you, all but literally gluing himself to your side, incessant in his insistence of how much he missed you, how he doesn’t ever want to spend that long apart again.

Even if it was only five minutes. Doesn’t matter, time is irrelevant, any amount of time away from you is far too long.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading roundup: june 2024

before I get started on June, I have to issue a correction from May: I forgot to include a book!

last year I backed Iron Circus Comics' erotic anthology My Monster Girlfriend, edited by Andrea Purcell and Amanda Lafrenais, and it finally arrived just ahead of pride. My Monster Girlfriend contains 15 stories by all by different artists, and features protagonists who get it on with everything from the classic ghosts, werewolves, and vampires to a reality-warping angel (?) who contains infinite dimensions, a sleep paralysis demon, and an all-consuming flesh monster hivemind.

while I would have liked to see a little more variety in the freakishness of the actual sex, the anthology is a lot of fun and shows off a great diversity of art styles and scenarios in which one might get down to clown with a monster girlfriend. my personal favorites were Feather by Kanesha C. Bryant, in which an intrepid pervert boldly attempts to locate their girlfriend's genitalia; MonsterHER Under the Bed by Bont and Wes Brooke, which puts a cute, sexy little spin on the monster under the bed; Forest Wedding by Otava Heikkilä, which reads like an old timey fable except it ends in a giant forest woman getting crazy fisted by her new trans husband; and Girl Fiend by InnKeeperWorm, which is infinitely jackoffable even though, frankly, the hellhound should have stayed in her more monstrous canine form to fuck.

okay, now onto the June reading! I found myself reaching the end of the month surprised that I had added so few books to my 2024 spreadsheet, and then I realized: it's fucking PRIDE MONTH and I'm a career queer. I spent most of June either busting ass working various events or in a coma recovering from said events; no wonder I didn't read as much as I thought I would. I also gave up on one novel after sinking close to 200 pages in it, which means the list is even shorter, but trust me: the DNF was the right decision.

so, who made the cut for pride?

The Monsters We Defy (Leslye Penelope, 2022) - this book was a romp! it's fun! it's a hoot, dare I say! this is a historical urban fantasy that takes place in the Black society of 1920s Washington, DC. protagonist Clara and her band of ragtag magical misfits have a heist to pull off against one of the most powerful Black women in DC, with their own curses and powers at stake. it's a fun story with a neat magic system and lots of words that are capitalized so you know they're Magical and Important, and it's a read that goes down real easy. strong recommendation if you find yourself in a slump!

Just for the Cameras (Viano Oniomoh, 2023) - my first foray into independently published romance! and it was... fine. the plot's a little patchy, sure, but it's definitely not the worst romance I've ever read, and at least a throuple made for a nice change of pace. AND nobody's seething with jealousy or insecurity about multiple partners? you love to see it. this book was apparently originally intended to be a novelette and it definitely could have stayed that way, but if bisexual Black hotties sucking and fucking is what you seek then you're going to have a great time. TW: 2/3 main characters are British.

Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs (Ina Park, 2021) - to the surprise of absolutely no one who knows me, this is one of my very favorite nonfiction reads of the year so far. I cannot emphasize this enough: if you like the way that I talk about STIs and sex ed on this blog then I think you'll really like this book, because having read this book I desperately want to be her friend. she brings so much passion and energy to her work that it bursts right off the page and is - pardon this awful pun - absolutely infectious.

Survivor (Octavia E. Butler, 1978) - for those you not in the know, this book is kind of a get. it's the only book of Butler's that was never reprinted, so now you can only read it if you get ahold of a super expensive original edition OR if you, hypothetically, find a PDF online and print off the entire thing on your work printer. and I'm so glad I did the latter, because holy shit this book whips ass. the book was apparently disavowed for its lack of connection to the rest of the Patternist series, which is true but oh my god, the story is SOOOO cool anyway. we've got a human woman named Alanna who grew up feral on Earth only to be adopted by a Christian cult who are GOING INTO SPACE to preserve the human race, but it turns out there are already intelligent people on the new planet and they have Feelings about what the future of these human missionaries is going to be. it's on Alanna to navigate the clashing cultures and tension between the humans and two warring groups of aliens, and it is fucking URGENT. I don't say this lightly but I think this has ascended to be in my top three Butler novels.

No Name in the Street (James Baldwin, 1972) - ooooooh my god you guys!! oh my god!!! I've never read any of Baldwin's long form nonfiction, but within pages I knew that this was going to pretty permanently change my brain. this memoir-ish book delves into, among other things, Baldwin's witnessing of the American civil rights movement, including the deaths of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Medgar Evers. woven around that is the alienating experience of being a Black man with exactly enough cultural cache and social clout to sometimes isolate him from the people he grew up with but not nearly enough to buy acceptance or safety in a white society, emphasized by Baldwin's unfinished struggle to free a friend from prison after a wrongful murder charge. and somehow that's barely doing the book justice! it's so vast and incisive and weary and impassioned and it did, truly, have me jotting down the names of everything Baldwin ever wrote to make sure I can read it all. as much as I bemoan my habit of impulse reserving books from the library, I really am indebted to the Stacks podcast for getting this on my radar.

[almightyhamslice]

Tamataki and Chamataki redesign! They're basically functionally identical to their canon counterpart (which is to say, nearly a complete mystery) but with masks! And their faces are different and more like their real life counterparts. I've worked with turtles at a nature center before and they have very sharp beaks! I've had my thumb bitten by a palm sized turtle n it cut the skin. They are not playing around!

Tamataki and Chamataki (shortened to TamaChama when referring to both collectively) are a strange pair, as I don't think their physical condition is specifically why they're considered 'rejects'-- I don't think the banban mascots can just accidentally grow a completely new head, so TamaChama was likely created and sculpted as a double-headed character in the first place! Judging by their construction hats, they were probably meant to block off areas of the resort that needed work, or keep the public away from scenes of accidents or malfunctions. They're a walkaround character and they weren't 'unfriendly' per se, but generally if you saw them it meant something bad had happened.

The issue that the scientists had with the pair was primarily due to their conflicting temperaments and biology. Tamataki has his own brain and thinks as a turtle would, while Chamataki has his own brain and thinks as a chameleon would. Of course they have things in common (both prefer to move slowly and like to lift heavy objects) but the two heads often clash, trying to hurt each other. Tamataki, having a sharp beaked mouth, would usually win and overwhelm his brother, and they'd both have to be tranquilized and patched up. They both have esophagi connected to the same stomach, so Chamataki would often try to deliberately harm his brother by eating sharp objects and waiting for Tamataki to regurgitate them, cutting his throat. So the two are unpresentable to the public due to fear they'll kill each other.

However, the both of them do still have a primary animal instinct to survive, so if they smell blood they'll both cooperate and hunt down their "prey". Chamataki has a long sticky tongue like real chameleons do, and Tamataki has his sharp beak (though he can also spit givanium onto foes if he is too far away). They are rather standoffish and don't really have "friends" in the resort. They fight particularly often with Kittysaurus since the two are both confined to the lower levels.

A few other design ramblings! I added a few pink accents (most notably Chamataki's wall art depicts him with pink eyes) cuz Chama's tongue is pink. I also noticed that his canon wallart design has a blue tongue, I'm not rlly sure why that is? I dunno if I like it much but it is very distracting lol! If I decide I hate it his mask will have a pink tongue later lol. I also wanted to make Tamataki more frightening-- he looks so silly in the game! So much like how I drew Zolphius, I depicted him with ever-present givanium stains going down his neck. I find it makes more sense that his projectiles would be concentrated givanium (his blood) rather than water, since they are opaque. I also gave him a tongue, which he doesn't have in the game. I made Tamataki's tongue givanium green to imply he wasn't sculpted with one, but it is an organ he has anyways & it's merely void of pigment.

EDIT: I forgot to ask!! Do you pronounce Chamataki with a hard C like in “chameleon” and “character”, or do you pronounce it with a soft CH like in “chart” and “chase”? Comment if you want to!!

[weirdmarioenemies]

You know, all this time I never realized that Bomberman had Enemies! I thought it was just all those Bombers Men blowing each other up for sport. And I love those Bombers Men, they are very cute, but wow! Enemies! I love those! Enemies are my friends. There have been sooo many enemies over the course of the franchise, but here I will be talking about the originals from the very beginning! For the sake of consistency, I will be using the artwork from Bomberman Party Edition, since that was sadly the most recent time they all got official art for the same game. Here they come! Some creatures!

BALLOM

Ballom is The Enemy. The first one! It is very simple. It is really just a balloon, sometimes with a string, sometimes not. Watch out for this one! Ever try to kill a balloon before? Don’t let the media fool you, you need a bomb to do it. Ballom actually appeared before all the others in the very first game, called Bomber Man, where it was the only enemy! This game was localized in Europe as... Eric and the Floaters. It sounds like a band name! A real Yoshi’s Island style localization choice. This is not a Bomberman game anymore. It’s an Eric game.

I do not think this is what balloons look like

ONIL

Already we have reached my favorite one! Onil is a blue onion sort of thing, and I am really just a sucker for creatures that are vegetables. It is so cute! It’s almost not recognizable as an onion most of the time, with its tip looking like a dollop of frosting rater than actual onion skin, but the original sprite does a pretty good job of communicating Onion. As you can see at the beginning of the post, its name was originally localized as O’Neal, which I think is very funny. That’s a Last Name right there! This onion was named like a Fortnite character!

DAHL

Dahl is a sort of barrel of a thing! Finally we reach a thing that would more reasonably require a bomb to destroy. Look at its little face though! I feel bad talking about destroying these things with bombs. I don’t have much to say about Dahl, it’s a barrel, though it is a very cute barrel. I can’t think of THAT many other cute barrels.

MINVO

Minvo is a little boring. I’m sorry. But it’s just a Face! Sometimes it is a very inoffensive-looking face, while sometimes it is showing a few teeth, but still just a Face. They don’t do anything all that interesting either. However!

In some 3D appearances, they are not a sphere, but instead shaped like a sandwich cookie! Maybe they have been cookies all along! They even have Filling!

OVAPE

Ovape is a funny one! Originally, it was basically a smiley Pac-Man ghost, which is cute and funny, but not very unique. When allowed more detail, though, it often looks more like an octopus, and not just any octopus, but a hot dog cut into an octopus shape!

You know? Yeah! I don’t know how intentional the resemblance is, but it is very cute and fun.

DORIA

I love Doria! It is some kind of Substance, or perhaps an amoeba, and I love a simple cute blob. It is often seen in this weirdly flat-looking shape, like it was spread on an invisible piece of bread! I would not eat it! Doria moves slowly, but it is slippery and smart, chasing Bomberman while avoiding bombs. Very impressive for a brainless (I assume) blob!

PASS

Here we have our Token Mammal! Pass is a tiger who forgot the rest of itself at home and hops around as a head lump. It almost feels like Minvo, but with an actual design! You’re lucky you became a cookie, Minvo. Pass is fast, like a real tiger, and is able to Pass right through certain solid blocks, which real tigers cannot do. Only snow leopards can.

PONTAN

Another face? Kind of! But not completely! Pontan is a COIN, so more interesting than just a face, and spins around flatly in its animations. They are the most dangerous of the original enemies, and their design does nothing to reflect this! That is funny. Like Pass, it passes through some blocks, but it also hunts you down! If Pontan finds you, you will learn that it can indeed be used as currency. One Pontan is enough to buy you one Death!

Some, but not all, of these enemies would have the privilege of appearing in a Mobile Match 3 Game with the release of Bomberman Chains, and boy! They look weird! All of them! Ballom looks like Chris Griffin. Onil looks like it just woke up at 3:26 AM to go to the bathroom. I cannot say I Like any of these designs here, which is a shame because I think they could have all looked especially cute in Doodle Aesthetic, like Bomberman himself does! But I am glad this happened, it’s funny.

These have been just a few of the many funny little creatures specifically designed to be obliterated by explosions. Thank you.

[anghraine]

Meanwhile, in one of my other main fandoms:

My post about reading a surprisingly good article on eighteenth-century economics and (tangentially) Austen showed up on my dash again, I think thanks to @ladytharen. Now that my mind is rather clearer, I remembered that the author (Robert D. Hume) had left a footnote in the brief Austen section saying that it was contracted from a fuller discussion he'd made in a previous paper. I'd meant to check the previous paper out and simply forgot at the time, but that reminded me, so I read the other article, dated to the previous year (April 2013).

This article is simply called "Money in Jane Austen" (much less of a mouthful!), but is similarly granular about details. In terms of the general argument, the abundance of historical and textual details very much works in his favor. But he does fall a bit into the "AustenTime" problem, unfortunately, in this one.

I know I have another post talking in more detail about this, but I couldn't find it! Anyway, "AustenTime" is a term I heard once and have never been able to track down again for an approach to Austen and the times she lived through as this sort of pocket universe in which everything is happening in the same eternal moment that's roughly associated with the Regency England of the 1810s when her novels were first published (and often even more with "the Regency" as codified by Heyer and the Regency romance writers who followed her). Hume's take is much less Heyer-inflected than the usual, of course, but given his general attention to very precise details, it seemed odd that he didn't distinguish more between economic data from the 1770s, 1790s, and 1810s while lumping all her novels into c. 1810.

That said, he did use okay numbers for the central arguments wrt P&P and built from Austen's own extreme and painful consciousness of just how far not much money could go, to the gulf between her circumstances and even characters like Elizabeth's, and then to politely disagreeing with the kind of characterizations of the Bennets' lifestyle you find in even normally reliable things like The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. His argument is basically that there's enough textual information to tell us that the Bennets are fairly wealthy by genteel standards, not minor struggling gentry—at about the level of typical baronets in terms of income/land/lifestyle (Mr Bennet's situation is certainly more comparable to a random baronet's than Darcy's). Hume goes into estimates based on explicit details in the novel about the Bennets' household staff etc and what that would signify at the time, all good stuff, so that he can express his true feelings.

And his expression of those was actually really cathartic to read, because Hume's true feelings turn out to be even more seething rage at how much Mr Bennet sucks as a father than I would have guessed from the other article. He's like—

"Mr Bennet sucks SO MUCH y'all, and you might think I'm being ahistorical in my rants about what a failure he is, no I'm not overusing italics he DESERVES italicized hate*, and I've got contemporary source after contemporary source to prove just how incredibly irresponsible and selfish this guy is by the standards of the time and how callous he is about his children's future and even about the ungodly amount of money that Darcy drops to fix Mr Bennet's failures, and maybe it's not clear to most modern readers just how much that would have been BUT I HAVE THE NUMBERS. I swear this character is such an asshole and I'm embarrassed for ever liking him, honestly, and just because Elizabeth doesn't fully condemn him—but hey, remember that passage where she clearly knows more than she's been saying about what kind of man he is—doesn't mean that Austen isn't doing so. Elizabeth doesn't end up paying for Mr Bennet's colossal failures as a father and human in the novel only by authorial fiat, aka Darcy, whose circumstances are almost unimaginably niche even for high-ranking peers—but that's the fantasy, you know? And Charlotte's there to remind us of the reality of just how dire this situation could be in more typical lives, even when we're talking about the women in the richest 1% of the population."

I had a few other nitpicks, but the combination of detailed economic breakdowns and unashamed raw hatred for a character I also despise was truly enjoyable. And it was also—um.

Despite my griping about various Austen critics, I have my own struggles with imposter syndrome, and always feel guilty about how much Important Academic Work In My Field there is that I just haven't gotten around to and how I always feel like I'm missing important information and blahblahblah. But I do feel it a lot more acutely with the seventeenth-century works I've studied, since I came to that a good 15 years after I started getting into Austen criticism. Even so, I was surprised by how soothing it was to read an Austen essay that's imperfect but good and that is punctuated by all these references to other scholars whose names and work I recognized, influential interpretations that I've already read, all that kind of thing. It felt a bit like coming home, honestly, and it was reassuring that everything was so familiar at this point.

---

*He did not actually say that Mr Bennet deserved italicized hate, but italics for emphasis are actually really rare in this kind of writing and there are quite a few of them in the Why Mr Bennet Is The Worst section. More power to you, sir.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A couple of replies, a longer one about fandom.

hadesdancehall asked:

BOKU NO RISOU NO ROI DE POISON DE WA I'M LOSING MY MIND OVER TETTERE!ROOK

YESSSSS YES YES I AM SO HAPPY YOU GET IT LOL Rook and Tettere are the same, the idea of this crossover was driving me crazy, I had to draw it. Look at him go, singing about continuously loving every single person until he finds the one…

Fun fact about this sketch: we have no idea why I drew Alte-Rose!Malleus there. It’s been a while since I drew this sketch, and I completely forgot… I guess she had to deal with this Tettere too, so it kind of fits lol

Anonymous asked:

I know you aren't really type to give information just gorgeous art. But in your last reply post you said you do traditional art and just coloured them digitally.

So I'm wondering... How do you do it!?

Because everytime I try to do that it looks so weird. I can't seem to get the colors as vibrant as I can when I'm only doing digital.

Thank you for praising my art! But Anon, I do give information :c I wrote a reply about this exact topic just a couple of days ago which is filled to the brim with links about everything in my art process + have a guide about exactly this topic.

Your colours might seem off for a number of reasons, it’s hard to tell exactly why by just guessing. It can be related to your software/display or directly to your choice of colours.

Anonymous asked:

Ryu, your dissatisfaction with Twisted Wonderland's age rating is very understandable! The game is allegedly a joseimuke game aimed at adult women, especially in light of the fact that this is a gacha game and that adults—who earn a regular income—will be the true target market. It's a little frightening that adults who play these kinds of games have to be so careful about how we express our affection for the characters lest we be labelled as predators or worse, p*dos. Making adult gamers feel bad for enjoying these "children" who are clearly meant to be adults. They're fictional, and most of them definitely don't look or act like boys their age. Some characters appear so mature; this really struck me as being university attendee coded. It's not like the ensemble is exclusively comprised of children, you know? The game revolves around attractive anime boys who are intentionally created to appear older than they actually are. Unfortunately, despite the fact that i enjoy Twisted Wonderland, it is the first fandom where i experienced Ageism in a fandom.

Trey is, if my memory serves me correctly, one of the most well-liked characters in the Japanese fandom (i remember there used to be a JP poll asking which character in Twist was the most loved). Most likely due to his personality, which again makes sense given that the majority of Twist users are grownups and Trey's portrayal of a character who, despite being a young adult, is quite mature.

Furthermore, even though I realise I'm going to sound like Idia, I detest how the "Normies" entered Nerd/Geek spaces after gaining popularity and then pretended to be uncomfortable with what they saw. You came to OUR space, dude! What did they expect?!

Anon! Sorry for replying late, and thank you! You’ve made so many very good points.

It really is an obvious joseimuke in how the game is written, how the game operates (the gacha system, like you mentioned) + even the type of merch that exists for this game. If you think about it, this is probably the best way to determine the actual target audience of any piece of media: just like Prince of Tennis is technically a classic Shonen Jump series, but all the merch they have is clearly aimed at adult women (purses, perfume, etc).

So yeah, even if that wasn’t the case, calling people predators over shipping themselves with Azul would be a bad thing to do, but in this situation especially it’s absurd to call people out for interacting with TWST pretty much the way it was indented…

What you said about the characters’ age and Trey specifically is so true. To be fair, this could be said about any joseimuke-like title with a big ensemble of boys, Prince of Tennis included. All the characters there are 12-15 years old, but god some of them look over 30.

I think it is important to keep in mind the intended age to a degree (= I dislike how the EN translation tries to dance around mentioning the boys’ age), and Twst does a good job at keeping these boys authentic when it matters, but it doesn’t mean that people won’t ship them with other characters or themselves. And no one questions it and no one finds it weird because it isn’t. It’s not that deep, it has nothing to do with how real teens look or act, this is a fantasy in people’s heads, it’s escapism, it so different and so far removed from the regular boring life it’s insane. It’s so difficult not to sound like Idia, SO I FEEL YOU ANON.  Someone called it the moe factor that some people just don’t get. So I guess it really is about people being normies sometimes lol I wish they would leave already.

[malavera]

Tom Cruise & Characters Masterlist

SERIES

Dad's Best Friend

From The Window

Low Profile

ONESHOTS

(m) smut, (f) fluff, (a) angst

Sundress, You and tom are about to have lunch but when he sees you wearing his favorite sundress, lunch could wait for at least 15 minutes. (m)

Intruder, Tom had a very long day, when he came home he didn’t expect anyone to be laying on his comfortable bed, with her legs spread wide and wearing his favorite button up shirt, a moaning mess. (m)

Brat, you guess it; you act like a brat and Tom knows how to get you back in your place. (m)

Blindfolds, you blindfolded Tom Cruise. (m)

"You forgot I was young once?", You teased Tom for being old, you joked how his knees would crush if you were to ask him to eat you out. Tom felt belittled, challenged, so he wants to prove you wrong.

"The Cool Guy", Your husband’s co-star sent you this pic of Tom at work. And you thought he looked so Cool and young, which you find cute. You couldn’t help but wanting to climb on top of him like your own personal jungle gym. (m)

Needy, you're being needy at the wrong place and time. Tom then showed you the consequences when you don't keep your hands to yourself. (m)

Insomnia, Tom figured out how to stop you from tossing and turning in bed. (m)

Seek Warmth, Skipping the Oscars, you and Tom chose to stay in bed. (m,f)

Save Up, Shower sex with Tom after a long day. (m)

Don't Move, a quickie, continuation from seek warmth—Tom is wide awake with a throbbing one as he challenged himself to fill you without waking you up. (m)

Babysitter, you became Joel Goodsen’s babysitter because Joel’s Mother had always liked you. You’re her best friend’s daughter. She’s fully aware that Joel would be alright being alone by himself but she doesn’t really trust him. Little did both of you know, Joel has always had a crush on you. (m) (risky business, joel goodsen)

I’ll show you how I am yours you're being emotional because it's that time of the month, Tom had to assure you for the millionth times that he's not going anywhere. To seal the deal just to convince you, he shows you how he's devoted to you and only you.

Can’t Keep My Hands to Myself Tom couldn’t stop touching you while you’re getting ready to go for a dinner date with the man.

Since Your Type is Older Men (NEW / M) Tom is filled with Jealousy when he sees you Zooming with your University Professor.

HEADCANONS

You're his Sugar Baby

You're his Sugar Baby, valentine's edition

C*ckwarming with Tom

His dirty talk

How he takes care of you when you're on your period

You asked him to Spank you

Manhandled

He’s Got a PraiseKink

[elacular-kink]

Hicvember 8: Singles

Have a little story with some nameless characters having singles and noticing things about each other.

Edit: A sequel short now exists.

Content: Single hiccups, burps, arousal, embarrassment, alcohol.

"*HILK!* Ah!" A's hand flew up to cover her mouth, and she felt her cheeks heating as she and her friends, B and C, walked back from the mess hall. "Ah...excuse me."

C had burst out laughing as soon as he heard the massive noise. "Whoa, that was so loud! You got a case of the hiccups or something?"

"N-no, I just...that happens to me occasionally." A played with the hem of her shirt. "I'm not sure why. It's most common after I eat, but sometimes they just...come out of nowhere."

C kept snickering. "I'd never even imagine your dignified ass squeaking so loud."

"Mmmf." A rubbed her temples, but as she did, something occurred to her. "Oh, B, I'm sorry, I know that your hearing is sensitive, are you al—" A's voice died when she actually looked at B, seeing their face flushed unusually pink and their eyes already staring at her. "...right?"

"Wh—oh!" B shook their head. "Nah, I'm fine, don't worry about it."

A did worry about it, but that wasn't really B's fault. It wasn't their fault that she had a crush on them, after all. As time went on, though, A's attention on B led her to start to notice a pattern.

...

"...after which both squads will make our final assault on thei–*HURK!* mmf, excuse me, their base. Do you all understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" Almost everyone on the team responded. C had done so through giggles, for which A was considering smacking him. More surprisingly, B only straightened up and responded when they noticed everyone else doing so. And their face seemed suspiciously red for someone who had just had a training exercise strategy explained to them.

"B, come here." Having a crush on them didn't mean that A couldn't maintain her authority under the circumstances, and B approached without complaint, though they kept their head low. "You were listening to my strategy, right?" A kept their voice calm, but the idea that B might not have been hurt her more than it really should have.

B nodded rapidly. "Yeah, yeah! Of course! I'm sorry, I just, uh..." they got redder and scratched the back of their neck. "That single caught me off guard is all."

A's brow furrowed. "'Single?'"

"Ah—" B seemed even less composed at that as they shrunk in on themself. "S-sorry, the...the hhhiccup. It was just a single. Not a, um, a whole case."

"Oh." A wasn't really sure what to do with that, though it made her wonder how one ended up having a word for such a specific concept. "Alright then. Go, um, join your squad?" B nodded and jogged off, and A shook her head to refocus her thoughts, but that stuck in her brain.

...

"*HMK-ggrrp!* Oh fuck, 'scuse me, dude!" C laughed at himself as he glared playfully at the can of beer in his hand. "Forgot that booze does that to me sometimes. Hey, you get to be the one to make fun of me this time, A!"

A shook her head and smiled. "You're lucky I'm very magnanimous and forgiving."

"Lucky you're no fun, more like." C took another sip and let out an even louder "*HIURP!*" that had him laughing again.

It was more surprising to A that B wasn't making fun of him. Instead, they were bright pink, focus narrowed in on C. That night at the bar, A watched curiously as B stayed by C's side the whole time, keeping an unusually close eye on him and flinching whenever he had another half-hiccup half-burp "single."

Flinching and blushing.

A was starting to form a theory as to why B had a word for that.

...

"*HIULK!*–kuh! Hff. Excuse me." A heard C snickering and glanced over at him. "I'm shocked that you still find that so amusing."

"Hey, not my fault you make funny noises," he said.

A sighed. "I suppose that's true." She looked out of the corner of her eye at B and bit the inside of her lip to make sure she didn't smirk. "It's not your fault that I hiccup so frequently." The word made B look up and their face get redder, and A mentally tallied another data point. She was becoming more and more confident in her theory...and was also researching how one might go about getting more than just a "single" hiccup.

[genshin-obsessed]

SFW Alphabet! | A-E

I know exactly what I said and what I didn't do. However, I've always seen sfw alphabets and I've never had the chance to do it before. SO! I took this chance! I do intend to complete the confessions, I just was more excited for this one first. Also, as I mentioned, my blog started with these large hc-type pieces which is why I love doing them! Besides, writing for more characters is easier this way! I do plan to do more and write of these, for other characters and the rest of the letters. I wanted to start out small first!

Characters: Alhaitham, Ayato, Cyno, Gorou, Tighnari, Thoma Genre: Fluffy! (except the E) Note: For those who don't know what SAH is, it's stay-at-home. Like a stay-at-home mom/dad.

Alhaitham

A - Affection Alhaitham is a very closeted affectionate guy. He’s not a fan of PDA, so the only time you’d find yourself getting physical affection is when you’re both behind doors. Even then, it’s nothing crazy. He’ll give you hugs often, you forehead kisses, maybe pulling you against him every now and then. He does give you three daily kisses without fail. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one before bed. There are more in between if they can be, but he’s very punctual about your three daily kisses.

B - Best Friend He’s actually a great best friend. He works hard to keep you on track, he makes sure you’re drinking enough water, and eating proper meals on your busy days. He’s pretty responsible and even though he gets irritated if you don’t take care of yourself. However, if you’re good at taking care of yourself, then he’s just there to keep you on track. He’s also very supportive and good at advice. If you ever need help with something, he’s probably got a thing or two to tell you. It’s always usually open-ended, to allow you to make the decision without his words influencing you too much.

C - Cuddles As a boyfriend, he really likes cuddles actually. Feeling you be close to him, having your warmth against him, it’s wonderful. He finds himself seeking you out to just hold you for a little. After a stressful day, it’s exactly what he needs. Sometimes he doesn’t like to talk about his problems, and those are the days he just lays down in bed with you and holds you. He’ll close his eyes and slowly work through his thoughts, before eventually addressing them with you. You’re definitely always there to help him whenever he needs it. Overall, he’s a cuddler! Just not a super vocal one.

D - Domestic Alhaitham really likes the idea of settling down with you. Normally, he wouldn’t pay too much attention to such thoughts as he’s a busy man, but when he thinks about you, his mind goes all weird. Nowadays, he’s really been mulling over having just a normal life with you. What would that be like? Would he be the SAH or you? Definitely not him. It would get boring… no? Well… maybe not. Ah, he didn’t know. This was all so weird to think about.

E - Ending Straight up. He would sit you down and let you know this wasn’t working, he was done, and so were you two. Of course, he’d let you speak and say what you needed to, but if deep down he knew the relationship was over, he wouldn’t give you any sort of false hope. Similarly, if he believed there was no hope, he would most likely not be willing to go through any sort of couples therapy. In his mind, there was no point.

Ayato

A - Affection Ayato is quite affectionate both behind doors and in front of people. Of course, as the Yashiro commissioner, he does understand there is etiquette he needs to follow, so he’s not overly affectionate in public. But he doesn’t mind the occasional hug, but anything further is for behind doors. He likes to touch you, whether it be hugging, kissing, holding your hand, or wrapping his arm around your shoulder- he likes it all.

B - Best Friend He would be a very… annoying friend at times. Ayato isn’t the one to point out that you’ve made a mistake, he tries to remind you through hints. Like, “oh you forgot something” but he won’t tell you what and you’ll just have to figure it out, and if you don’t… he still won’t tell you. Though he likes to tease, he is very caring. He’s still asking about your day, asking about any projects you’re busy with, or any stressful events coming up. He’s also willing to help you with anything that you can’t handle on your own. Honestly, he’d be like your shield in those moments.

C - Cuddles He is definitely a cuddler. Every single night, he’ll hold you as you two chat for an hour or so before bedtime. Even then, throughout the night, he’ll keep pulling you into his arms. Some nights, it can get a bit bothersome, especially if it’s in the warmer season, but you have a hard time disliking it when it’s the man you love. He is very aware though, there are days you don’t want to be cuddled and he won’t throw fits or anything. He’ll just accept it and make sure you’re ok.

D - Domestic The Yashiro Commissioner settling down? He likes the idea. Less work, more time for you, more time for him. Win, win in his mind. Besides, he wants to have more time for you. He’s sometimes too busy in his days to give you the attention that you need. You don’t complain about it, but he can understand. He misses you too, after all and he would like to spend more time with you, so he could only imagine how you feel.

E - Ending Ayato would be distraught. On one hand, he doesn’t want to break your heart or anything, but he also can’t stay. He knows better, trying to love someone when it’s not real would just end horribly. So, his last resort would be to just sit you down and tell you the truth. Besides… what kind of man would he be if he strung you along to “spare your feelings''. That’s never worked out for anyone. Ever.

Cyno

A - Affection Cyno’s not a very affectionate person in the beginning of the relationship. Mainly because he’s a little shy and he just doesn’t know how to be affectionate. However, as time goes on, he slowly learns and it’s not just that. He doesn’t know how much affection you like. Everyone’s different and it takes him a few months to learn all your preferences. So over time, his affection does indeed grow.

B - Best Friend Any friendship with Cyno could be started by laughing at his jokes, making one to him, or simply enjoying his jokes. We all know Cyno loves to tell jokes, but it makes him really happy when people actually enjoy it. The reason he even started to tell jokes was to ease the atmosphere. Whether you enjoy it or not… he knows it’s good at lightening the mood. So the day that you laugh at his jokes is the first day of your friendship. He’s a great friend too, he’s always looking out for you, he’s always paying attention to your needs, and there’s never a shortage of jokes or puns he likes to make!

C - Cuddles He’s not a big cuddler at first. Cyno’s a pretty reserved guy, so there’s a lot that he doesn’t do or even knows how it feels. Cuddling is one of those things. The first time you asked him to cuddle was very awkward. He didn’t know what to do with his arms, he was really stiff, and he couldn’t relax. Of course, over time, he got a bit more comfortable. Although he’s still not a big cuddler, he has no problems every now and then. However, after an hour or so, he starts to become uncomfortable, so keep that in mind.

D - Domestic Cyno’s not one to settle down. He’s always been a busybody and he likes to stay that way. However, there are days he wonders about settling with you. A nice home, maybe a family if you’d like one, just enjoying each other’s company, spending the nights together while working an easy job during the day. He does like the idea. But… for some reason, it doesn’t feel right for him. Of course, you’re welcome to try and change his mind, of course.

E - Ending If he had to break up with you… he’d probably just sit you down and do it. There’s not point in beating around the bush when it’ll just end up hurting you in the end. Of course, with something like this, you’ll be hurt regardless, but he hopes that at the end- years from now even- you may appreciate his straightforwardness and honesty. Of course, if there’s a chance, he’s willing to work on it with you. Go to couples therapy or something- he doesn’t know. But if he’s sure there’s nothing that can be done, that’s how he would do it.

Gorou

A - Affection Gorou wants to be affectionate with you, but he always gets so nervous and shy! The thing is, he doesn’t want to disappoint. This type of thing is new for him, so he’s very hesitant. But sometimes, he wonders if that hesitancy makes him look bad? He’s a general! How could he not be confident all the time? Well… that’s what gets to him. You’ll often find him being very affectionate one day and then somewhat reserved the next day. It took a while, but he finally caved and explained what was happening. Once you worked it out, he stuck to being more affectionate. He liked it more anyway.

B - Best Friend He’s the dad friend, honestly. He doesn’t mean to be but the way he’s concerned all the time, the way he checks up on you, the way he talks you out of bad decisions, gives you great advice, and whatnot. Honestly, though, he’d be a great best friend. He’d be the type of best friend you want. He’s much more aware if he becomes overbearing but he can’t help but be concerned for you!

C - Cuddles HE LOVES THEM! General Gorou is a sucker for cuddles. Especially if you reach up and rub his ears or something. Please, he’s melting already. Cuddles are more necessary on those rough, stressful days. Sometimes he can’t even think and just doesn’t want to talk. You know those days well. His ears are flatter, his tail is stiffer, and he barely makes eye contact, and he’s quiet. You know those days are bad for him. So you’ll pull him into the room- sometimes he’s willing, sometimes he’s not- and you help him lay down. Giving him some hot tea, maybe a snack, you lay down with him and just hold him. It’s not long before his stresses melt away and he explains what had happened to him.

D - Domestic Yeah, for sure! Gorou loves the idea of living with you forever. After the war, he’s gotta do something right? Working a simple job, and settling down sound too bad. Especially if you’re willing to understand that he may need to go back in the event something happens. If it’s your dream too, then it’ll definitely happen. Though, he has to be honest. If you weren’t one to settle down, it might be a bit sad- because he’s a bit tired, and retirement… doesn’t sound so bad some days. 

E - Ending Oh, he has no clue. He knows if he breaks up with you, it’ll break your heart. But he also knows he can’t be with you. Honestly, what would end up happening is that he’d get lost in his thoughts. Unsure of what to do, he’d intentionally become distant and it would get to the point where even you’re questioning the relationship. Then, one day you bring up the idea that you two aren’t close, and he agrees, you explain that the relationship isn’t what it used to be, he agrees, and you ask about breaking up… he agrees.

Tighnari

A - Affection His affection comes in strange ways. He’s not one to hold you and kiss you all over, his affection comes from his concern about you. He’s checking up on you, he’s asking if you need help, he’s always there to help, he never denies you advice, and he’s always at your side. He’s not as touchy as you think, not that he’s completely touch-avoidant. But his affection shows through his actions in other ways.

B - Best Friend He would be a great friend. Just like any good friend, he’s always there for you to help you out of a tough spot. However, he’s not your dad. He’s not going to hold your hand through everything, he’ll let you struggle a little so you can figure it out on your own. He’ll also hold you responsible. If something is your fault, you need to own up. If something wasn’t your fault, you need to fight back. As your best friend, that’s what he would help with. Doesn’t mean he’s always the ideal friend, but he’s a good friend regardless.

C - Cuddles He’s ok with cuddling. He likes holding you and he doesn’t mind the occasional session, but he’s not crazy about them. Though he does have to be honest, you scratching his ears while he lays his head on your chest is like the best thing in the world. Whether you’re on his chest or him on yours, he always finds the cuddle sessions relaxing and stress relieving. 

D - Domestic Eh.. maybe? He hasn’t given it much thought, but to be honest, it doesn’t sound like him. Yeah, maybe on a day, but for the most part, he likes what he does. He wants to do it for a very long time and he has quite a bit of influence himself. So giving it all up to just live at home… doesn’t sound the best to him. 

E - Ending Maybe a little too abruptly, actually. If he’s realized there’s no point in the relationship, he most likely won’t keep up with it. He’ll come to terms and then he’ll let you know. Of course, if he feels there’s still something worth fighting for, then he’ll try and stay. But if he knows that he can’t, he just won’t. There’s no need to try on something that he knows will eventually fail.

Thoma

A - Affection He’s very affectionate, actually. He loves giving you hugs, head pats, forehead kisses, regular kisses, holding your hand, and wrapping his arm around your shoulder. Of course, this does come with requirements, such as being behind closed doors and whatnot. Some of the more public displays are hugging you, wrapping an arm around you, and holding your hand. Further than that, it’s inappropriate in public.

B - Best Friend Thoma is the bestest of best friends. He’s kind, considerate, caring, supportive, and protective. He’s always there for you when you need him, he’ll never hesitate to defend you, and he’s always there for a shoulder to cry on, and to help take care of you when you can’t. He’s very considerate and he’s always thinking about you and what would make you happy. Of course, you do your best to return the favor in any way you can!

C - Cuddles Thoma loves cuddles! They’re so relaxing, they help with bonding, and there’s tons of stuff you two can talk about when cuddling. He also just loves the idea of laying in bed, enjoying time with one another, and whatnot. He does tend to require more cuddles on stressful days, but he makes it a habit to have at least one cuddle session every day and not just at night. He believes it's important for couples to have physical touch to stay close. No need for anything intimate, just the warmth and love of one another.

D - Domestic He loves the idea of settling down with you. Having your own home, living with you, not worrying about anyone but you. It makes him happy! The idea of being at home and taking care of you, making you meals, asking you about your day, taking care of the house- it’s just his thing!

E - Ending Oh boy. Honestly, Thoma would be a bit more emotional with this. Ending something with you, regardless of how he feels, would be heartbreaking. Even if he doesn’t think a relationship could work out, it hurts him just as much to end it. He does try to be straightforward, he doesn’t want to get your hopes up for something he truly believes won’t work out. Doesn’t mean it won’t hurt, you or him.

[iwriteasfotini]

Humanizing a Villain

“I am unsure what that would feel like. ‘Affection’ is a concept highly entwined with romance to me.”

“But don’t you consider people your friends?”

“Certainly, I consider any person I spend time with a friend,” Voldemort said. “But I feel no affection for them—fondness, perhaps—but it is most typically purely utilitarian.”

“Those are synonyms, my Lord,” Bellatrix whispered. 

- Keep My Candle Burning, Chapter 43 Aquarius sun, Taurus moon

To @keepmycandleburning -

I love this story arc. Taking someone as generally hated as Lord Voldemort and giving him a meaningful backstory is not only fun, but takes talent. You wrote Voldemort so well, I often forgot he was the villain of the whole series as I read your story. The things he does are truly horrific, and yet I found myself justifying them on behalf of who he is as a person. He is immensely flawed. And he is also someone with real emotions. Someone capable of building deep and meaningful relationships, even if it takes him decades to discover this about himself. And yes he is a bit of a predator who targets vulnerable young people who are usually dealing with emotional turmoil, but he doesn’t force people to like him. He genuinely thinks he is being “helpful” to all these people. 

Something very interesting which stuck with me is the way people spoke of Voldemort as beautiful. They were fascinated by his physical characteristics rather than repulsed. Not everyone was in this category, mind. But those he was closest to became accustomed to his distinct features: flat snakelike nose, scarlet eyes, seemingly lack of hair, long thin limbs, delicate spidery hands. It made him far less creepy and far more fantastical. People look all sorts of different ways, yet we tend to see only a few representations of beauty in the real world. 

You wrote his dialogue and speech patterns so well. Because I saw your patterns so often, in scenes where you reverted to canon dialogue, Voldemort almost felt off from himself. I know you based your dialogue and speech strictly off canon, and it isn’t that which made me want to hurry through those canon dialogue scenes. It was that he felt flat in the canon scenes. Your Voldemort is far more robust and it comes through in the words he uses, his unique turns of phrase, and the times he chooses to speak at all. I almost wish you would have stayed less strict in your canon compliance and rewritten the dialogue to suit your Voldemort. Anyone who has delved into this character cannot deny how IC his mannerisms, speech, and movements are. And yet, I think what you do with him yourself is far superior to anything he does in canon. 

The complexity of his relationships was so sad and also so beautiful to me. I loved watching his progression through the story. It took me a while to get used to a physically affectionate Voldemort, but once I did, I just needed more and more of it. His constant seeking of warmth, much like a snake, his struggles with his ability to engage fully in sex - always making it about the other person, and the slow development of new physical relationships were all things which stood out to me. It all felt so authentic to his character. The man likes to be touched. He seeks it out. And he finds people who are willing to reciprocate. It is such a stark contrast from my HC of Voldemort being touch adverse. And in your story it works because it is complicated! He has some excessive needs and also some extreme aversions. 

All his romantic partners were also a surprise and felt perfectly IC. I know this is a Bellamort fic, but there are several other romantic pairings which are just as important if not more so, in my opinion. By the end, I can clearly define four relationships which carry the weight of a monogamous partner which he has had through his life. And some of those relationships overlap with each other. That didn’t weird me out at all. I never thought twice about it. For whatever reason it made perfect sense in the context of your story. He is someone who is so needy one person cannot be enough, he would suffocate them. Voldemort needs almost a ridiculous amount of love. And he gets it!