#everything is very very self-inserty

[daincrediblegg]

Well. You made it. Neil Gaiman reblogged you. Well, a Dduane reblog

#1 phrase I didn’t expect to be said to me today.

[metanarrates]

escapist media in general is an ongoing fascination for me. media written with escapism as a main priority typically requires very little thought from the reader - the whole point is to kick back and live vicariously through a fun story, after all. they're narratives written to prioritize reader comfort.

but because they are written to be as unchallenging as possible, they often come with a set of underlying assumptions that can be just fucking fascinating to unpick. like yeah, why IS it assumed to be escapist and indulgent to enjoy colonial wealth without thinking about it in regency fiction. why IS the self inserty female protagonist, who is assumed to be as universally relatable as possible, written to be sweetly naive and sexually inexperienced. why does this "queernorm" contemporary world replicate patriarchial structures exactly but just with Gay People Allowed. why are these ideas assumed to be easy and comforting? can the writers not imagine anything better than the status quo but except maybe with more gay people and poc if you're lucky?

the fact of the matter is that "unchallenging" fiction tends to just simply replicate dominant cultural narratives as a point of comfort. we won't challenge the reader, so we won't think about the way we write certain things. everything we think of as comforting and safe are, of course, universal, and could not be founded on any harmful ideological assumptions. there is nobody who could be alienated by this.

and that's the sticking point to me, in terms of escapist fiction: it's always necessary to ask whose comfort is being prioritized. you've got to interrogate who gets to escape and the mechanisms by which that escape happens. escapism can be good and necessary to survive the current world, but it does not exist in a vacuum separate from the real world, even if it pretends it does!

[olderthannetfic]

I feel like such a hypocrite reblogging all these posts about how people like male characters more than female ones even if they have similar personalities/roles/wtv, but I read about this stuff precisely because I relate to it. "People think everything men do is cool and everything women do is either weak or Mary Sue" -- yes, it's me, I'm people. It's not like I do it deliberately or I'm proud of it, but I can observe and acknowledge the empirical fact that female characters just produce a very different emotional reaction in me than male ones.

I guess I like the safe distance of projecting onto characters who 1. are more obviously not me and 2. are judged less harshly than me (bc everything men do is cool) and that's not my fault, it's the patriarchy's, but then I can't challenge it. I can't say "women can be just as cool and we shouldn't be judged more harshly", I can only say "yea women suck let me forget I am one" like I'm still in my 9gag nlog tween phase -- or well, I can *say* the former, but I keep *acting and feeling* like the latter. And btw I'm not just talking about consuming media, where all you can choose from is what's on offer; I'm also talking about creating my own fanfics, which are all about men.

--

The reason a lot of those posts are so obnoxious is that they're just people wallowing in guilt and projecting.

The fact is, lots of people do like female characters. There's plenty of fiction about women. There's plenty of fic about women. There is not, in fact, some grand, existential problem where nobody cares about the ladies. If you aren't seeing this fic or original media, that's different from it not existing.

Two, your own fanfics? FFS. If you consume media that is a sausagefest, then of fucking course, your fic will be about dudes.

Just the other day, I spotted a story I hadn't read by a fantastic fantasy novelist. I hadn't looked her up much beyond buying her trilogy, and what do you know: she actually says who she is in fandom openly!

I was entertained to find out that her big thing is kylux. You really wouldn't guess based on her pro work, which is about a harried female doctor taking care of supernatural patients. I remember those books being a refreshing change from my usual diet of nothing but slash fic. It's not just that there's a female lead but that they take a nuanced look at female characters.

Personally, as a writer, I wasn't ready to write much about women until I was better at writing overall, and my more self inserty characters aren't usually going to be women anyway unless they're like Julia from the Hilary Tamar series.

--

If you're uncomfortable with yourself, you can try to change, sure.

But fandom is full of this obnoxious plague where people think that it's the job of each person to make there be more female characters. This isn't necessary. Even if we want media or fic to be more balanced overall, it doesn't follow that each person needs to produce a balanced body of work.

Why should you in particular care about female characters?

--

But beyond all that, oh my fucking lord, I am so tired of that species of post that's like "Gosh, why is slash fandom, where people go to be horny over dudes and/or have self inserty feelings about them, not more full of stuff about ladies? It's so tragic how we all want to get rid of our boobs and wear men's clothing and be addressed as sir, just like all the other girls. What's up with that? It must be misogyny."

With a totally straight face.

Every god damn time.

[joosthead]

I'm sorry for my disappearance. I didn't mean to be gone for so long. I sent an ask after you replied to my first one, but I guess the ask box ate it. 😅

In my head, I also imagined them as a one and done couple, but I love this so much more.

I was right!!!!! Lil Laurens was already there and they had no idea ❤️. Too precious 🥹. Now I imagine all of their friends doing the math after they announce the pregnancy soon after they got married and going 🧐🤔❓️⁉️

They got married in Friesland?!?!? Stop it!!! I love that so much. I imagine an impromptu "Just Married" photo shoot in various fields and landmarks in the area. Maybe taking place at some of Joost's old stomping grounds from when he was young.

Also I looked it up because I was curious and courthouse weddings are a thing in The Netherlands!!!

I love the names you picked out for the kids!!! Juna has to be my favorite.🩷 They sound like little angels I'm sure. 😇😇/j 😈😈 heheh I love the thought of Joost and Reader being like "We need to be an united front against the kids! It's 2 on 2. We can maintain order." then at the same time being like "What if we have one more?? On purpose this time." (I assume lol)

Yessss. Girl dad Joost also makes so much sense to be.

Juna sounds like all she has to do is bat her white eyelashes at her papa and she'll get away with anything. I cannot wait for the father daughter(s) dynamic between Joost and Juna and later, Sanne. Also mother son between Reader and Laurens.

What is the dynamic between Laurens and Juna with Sanne? How did they handle having a new baby sister?

"trust when you guys see the rest of normal au it will literally be such a surprise with even more future information" - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?!?!? Tell me what you know!!! I need to know!!! 😫

I'm so excited to see what you have planned especially after seeing the state of their relationship in the snippet you posted. I love all the glimpses throughout time.

Your response to my latest ask made me so happy after an awful couple of days due to you know what happening. 😮‍💨 Thank you for that. - family anon (I feel so special. I have my own tag now :3 )

family anon ... i am so very sorry i didn't respond to this sooner </33

the ask box ate the first one but this one is definitely on me!!!! i mustve read this in the middle of my school haze and responded to it in my head </333 completely my bad!! it has been quite a while my friend </3 i hope o see more asks from you because i love your mind so so much !!!!

and i also love talking about family era normal au (also any era normal au tbh but especially family au because i don't see myself writing any formally written fic for this part of their lives :')))) unless....??)

rpf ahead do not read if anti-rpf, dni if anti-rpf

they were soooo so surprised but also not surprised considering ... for your troubles i will literally just outline how it is in my head... i feel like after everything that has...happened in 2024 with their lives (if you know what i mean) reader decides to take months off of work to travel with joosti for europapa tour :''')

because im crazy and self inserty they conceive in LA the night of the first LA show (because thats my show yerrr) and then find out in july-augustish!! LA is also really important to their story for....several reasons that i cannot spoil but they had a very relationship defining turning moment in LA :)) laurens is a capricorn teehee

DEFINITELY!!!! lots of pictures around landmarks and where he grew up in britsum :''') i imagine it is very healing for both of them!! after hearing about the story of joosti when he was in preschool i thought soooo much of family era normal au hahah

im glad courthouse weddings are a thing because i don't think they'd have it any other way for the first tiem hehe

juna is also my favorite because it's one of my favorite songs hehe !!! they are definitely little rascals but normal au reader keeps them in line for sure hahah they doooooooo have sanne on purpose !! definiteky on purpose if u know what i mean,,,, they are crazy. it takes a bit longer to have her so she's a very wanted and welcome gift alongside the older siblings :))

laurens and juna are literally born in the same year so maybe the break was a little welcome ! LOL (as in ... january 2026 laurens and december 2026 juna [please suspend disbelief about how long it takes to recover from pregnancy cuz realistically they really would be a one and done couple])

MAJOR GIRL DAD!!!! tea parties and getting his makeup and nails done and playing house -- laurens and juna are super partners in crime here but sanne becomes integral to playtime when she's born

all 3 are definitely sort of spoiled because joosti cannot say no to those precious faces ... reader i imagine tries to stay strong but fails cuz they are just so so cute !! babiesss !!!how could they deprive the three of anything honestly.... if you have any specifics you'd like to hear dynamic wise i am all ears :)))

laurens and juna are 6 and 5 when sanne is born so i think it's quite a bit of an adjustment for them when it's just been the two of them for their entire lives!! but i think reader n joosti take so many precautions to make sure they're ready for a baby and especially a new sister in the dynamic :'') i can imagine normal au joosti gets so teary eyed when reader says that juna won't be the youngest anymore haha

i think for all 4 of them it's a huge change cuz they've all been so used tojust having each other!! but laurens and juna fall in love w sanne because they realize she is a great prop for their playing pretend <33 LOL she's like barely a few days old and they insist joosti making a silly voice for her and pretending she's a member of the tea party when it's time

when she's older they are the 3 musketeers -- lots of exploring outdoors and making mud potions and elixirs in the backyard :'') they love each other and i don't think there's much difficulty in having them adjust

LOLLLL i wanna write normal au backstory soooo bad but you guys keep giving me such great ideas for present day normal au debauchery... but lets just say they have like 1.5 breakups and it takes so long for them to get together ... they might consider the night they met their anniversary but that is DEFINITELY not when they got together as a couple!!

i have so much planned and i really hope i get to it -- normal au is such a labor of love and my favorite thing i've ever written and published !! can't believe it's like 30k words in all now ?! that is crazyy work ... anyways

family anon i hope your days have been brighter since then <33 the future is so uncertain i know but we will stick together after... you know what... someone needs to insert knife emoji here that man :/

you are so special !!! family anon you are the greatest !!!

[messrsrarchives]

How are you so open to so many different ships but draw the line at dramione 😭 (no hate! Genuinely curious as both a drarry and Dramione shipper 🫶)

i can't even,,, i wish i could explain in my usual yappy way i dislike dramione but i can't. i,,, there's no words to describe how thick and well-drawn this line is i just HATE it so much. (prefacing here ofc that idc what people like or dislike none of this is real)

and i mean !! the creativity and commitment? impeccable. yk i really respect people who take the time to craft a character's personality to fit the dynamic! there's a lot of creativity that goes into erasing hermione entirely and forming her into an oc that wou- see i can't be yappy i am now entering aggressive territory

but essentially! enemies to lovers is a trope i won't read and yessss drarry is typically classified as that by most people but there's a big difference between drarry's rivalry and the way that's put forth in canon (blew my mind that harry was straight the first time i read the books) and literal oppression, harrassment and bullying and that's just,,, not a dynamic i like to read. or a situation i can see draco and/or hermione willingly being in without stripping away core parts of their character. we all know that hermione is used in a very self-inserty way (which also,,, yk go ahead! none of this is real i hope people are having fun with that) but it 😭😭 YK WHAT ENERGY IT GIVES ME? 😭😭 yk that one emma watson interview where she's like "he was a bit older, he had a skateboard, he was a bit of a bad boy" about tom felton? that's the energy it gives me of like "*debby ryan smile* i like them baddd"

and from what i have seen and engaged in, i don't fw the dark "romance" genre either. not a big fan of that. actually an avid hater of dark "romance".

and like it's fanfiction !!! i'm sure there's great ones out there, i'm sure people are able to write around the fact he literally says he wants her dead multiple times, watches her get tortured, mocks her appearance, bullies her, calls her a slur (am i forgetting anything?) and shape it into something else but i *personallyyyy* cannot. it gives when your parents told you little boys on the playground bullied you because they liked you and it's like,,, okay well i hate myself right now ! i guess this is what love feels like ! but also i see the appeallllll of like,,, a love that's pure enough and strong enough to defeat "evil" but omg.

okay. i'm done. ESSENTIALLY 😁☝🏻 i see the appeal vaguely but i, much like hermione, would have to be crafted into a completely different person to enjoy it because it's filled with everything i hate. (again, generalising. i'm sure there's decent ones out there but i do not care LOL)

romione? impeccable. i'm trying to think who else i've read hermione with? OH fred!? impeccable. really big into the idea of hermione and percy at the moment ! i've read pansmione and kinda fwed that but it's not my go to. romione is my forever and always

IDK MAN. my image of hermione would never. whereas drarry isn't the same dynamic, they were written with (albeit unintentional) subtext and harry wasn't a hatstall as such but the hat debateddd slytherin yk? and also,,, draco doesn't call him a slur for years YKKKKK

anyway ahem. live laugh love. stopping now before i rant and go too far but if i were to engage in anti culture? it would be anti-dramione. which i don't because i simply block the dramione tags everywhere and move on with my day but yk. enrages me actually. i can't do it.

[bcbdrums]

Soul Eater NOT - part 7 (MAJOR SPOILERS)

Akane and Clay. Much opinion here amid canon explanation.

These are characters with massive potential that don't make sense ultimately in execution, and undermine other characters in Soul Eater.

I'll start with saying, I adore Clay and everything about him. A goofball. A loyal and competent weapon. Clever, creative, ridiculous, and fun. He feels extremely Soul Eater and is very likeable. I've truly no complaints about him as he's written. Akane, however...

Akane randomly reveals to Tsugumi (someone he has no reason to trust or tell) that he's a member of the Star Clan (the side of them that aren't assassins and run a legitimate dojo apparently) and then...literally nothing at all is done later with this information.

It directly contradicts that Black Star states he is the last of his clan, full stop. The last of the infamous, ruthless assassins. And everything that Black Star is, overcomes, becomes in the end... Becoming his own person apart from his heritage... AUGH.

This fact about Akane was tossed in to grab reader attention and try to make us care about him, and in my opinion it deeply undermines the power of Black Star's journey. I won't go into Black Star anymore here because that deserves its own post (if anyone would like that, let me know) but yeah...

Akane also flirts creepily with Tsugumi and says he's just joking, but it comes up more than once. This comes across as out of character and yeah, creepy. So if the author's goal after trying to make him likeable and relatable and interesting (just by making him Star Clan) was to create a creep, well, he succeeded. This flirting honestly feels self-inserty or...trying to establish something hetero in a story that is otherwise girls girls girls.

Also, Akane has powerful soul perception as a meister (okay makes sense I suppose) but he can also use a soul force/menace attack... Which again, I think is undermining something about Black Star and Stein that make them special and unique in their stories. Maybe Star Clan can all have soul force/menace? But again...that is undermining the special-ness of it for Black Star and Stein.

Akane is overpowered, plain and simple. I feel like there's a specific fandom term for this type of character, but I forget what it is.

And here again... Akane and Clay are drawn as adults but just said to be EAT students...who are working with the academy's internal CIA??? I'm sorry.... They would not have students doing that. This again undermines things in Soul Eater canon, where they bring in the special agent BJ from Oceania for example and make a huge deal out of that... Yes Akane and Clay were undercover, but they should have had them be entirely undercover and not just higher-grade students. It's illogical. And they come across as adults, so it's just more weirdness.

Again, I adore Clay. And if Akane hadn't had unnecessary Star Clan association and the advanced soul abilities that diminish Black Star and Stein... He could have had potential too. In the end he comes across as flat and kinda just nothing.

Oh yeah by the way these guys are the secret bodyguards for the princess all along assigned by her family. Which...how?? They got contacted at the academy as students and contracted by her family?? None of this is explained. It just makes them more confusing as characters and doesn't help the story at all except to explain why they're always hanging around these glrls. This is where it should have been that they were posing as students...but they're just EAT students.... AUGH.

Oh yeah and Akane's full name? Akane Hoshi. "Red Star." I really can't with this...

[edennill-archived]

I wonder why despite being so clearly a self-insert, Beren doesn't make the slightest bit of the usual negative impression on the reader? Was Tolkien just that good a writer? Is it that the most self-inserty bits are either the most tragic ones -- the man just out of a hellish warscape, sole survivor among his comarades-in-arms, by chance or design* -- or the sweetest -- "this is the most beautiful woman in the world, and she also looks just like my wife"?

Is it that while Beren definitely is a badass he constantly finds himself in situations in which he is very much overpowered by everyone else (in fact you could say he's the polar opposite of the "very average person who somehow always wins at everything" trope usually connected with self inserts)?

----------------------------------------------

*although Beren's survival is definitely by design, and let's just say Catholics are very unlikely to believe in chance when it comes to important things, and, well, if my best friend wrote to me two weeks before getting killed: "maybe you'll outlive us and write all the things we'll never manage to, no pressure"...

[lunamiuna-the-curious-fella]

[I'm gonna take what I wrote in a reblog that doesn't relate to the original source, cause when I search for it by the tags I added it doesn't show up for some reason. It's me ranting about my OC and Fresh, including fanfic like parts, and I would love to hear anyone's thoughts about it. Took a lot of inspiration from the fic 'Sweet Sweet Swagger' by MissPawTastic, go check them out! Also you can imagine this as taking place well after Loveball 2016 and Timeparty2k16 roleplays, to explain why he isn't entirely emotionless. Or not. Whatever fits, idk]

So, Arial, my OC. They're very self inserty and share a lot of traits with me, like being Aroace, Agender, any pronouns, AuDHD, Infp personality type, and in general my personality, interests, and quirks. Here they are in gacha life 2:

But the gist is that they're actually a human monster hybrid, not just monster like they seem and go by to keep up appearances, and a powerful one at that. They're kind of an anomaly, cause y'see, not only they are stronger than most, their soul which looks like this:

has the theoretical potential to be stronger than all 7 human soul kinds combined. But since her body obviously can't handle all that, it just gives how much is currently needed and adapts. Which means even if Fresh were to possess them, while it would feel just as bad as for anyone else at first, with time they would adapt to the possession, eventually even being able to take back control entirely. They would much prefer to share the body though, if they're on friendly terms with Fresh. Also their short term in the moment soul energy is highly dependable on their emotional state, with strong emotions causing it to produce more energy, enough to smoothly take over control even, if the emotion is intense enough.

Whether they know of Fresh's secret identity or not and whether she's aware of the full capacity of her power in relation to him varies a lot, there's a lot of different timelines and what if's to this. Either way, if Fresh is somewhat nice, and doesn't like, do evil shit to innocent people for no reason, then they're friendly and understanding of his situation, cause like, he has to hurt people, just to exist... How tragic is that!

Arial's home AU is set in a classic adjacent universe, the lore being that basically there's this secret line of skeletons (and other monsters too) that managed to hide amongst humans with some rare magic or artifacts that gave them disguises, like they weren't trapped under Mount Ebott. Arial has this muddy green goat named Falcon as their main mentor/father figure in his life, since her biological parents abandoned them before they could ever form any memories of them. They don't talk much nowadays, having little in common and living away from each other, but they care about each other very much and are protective of each other. There were ancient magic scientists in the childhood hidden village they lived in, and they are the reason why she knows about the capabilities of their soul.

Now, to more present times. Basically after the barrier broke, and the monsters began to be more accepted, the secret clan came out of hiding, big reunion, he became friends with the main Undertale group, got introduced to the multiverse through Sans, and went like: Oh my gosh, I must EXPLORE! :O (She got this device from someone from the multiverse to help her navigate between the universes and stuff) It basically became their new hyperfixation, learning everything there is about the multiverse, AU’s, the people in it, outcodes, secrets, all that stuff.

And, here it comes, that includes Fresh and his secret. She learned it from one of his survivors. And she absolutely believed it, I mean, it's the multiverse! Anything is possible! Though she kinda did it by nagging and begging him about it, so he made her swear to never tell anybody, ESPECIALLY Fresh, for fear he will get him. So she took it to heart. Though that's kinda what she would do anyway, why would she out herself like that…

Overall, he appears meek and naive. But they know more than she lets on. Is very kindhearted too. Just wants to have fun.

Anyway, one day, there's Fresh. He's looking for a new host. And look, there's a naive lonely skeleton with a powerful soul which he can sense! How can he not pick them as his new host? So he decides to gain her thrust and befriend him, in order to later possess him. Arial, of course, suspects this, but goes along with it anyway because that's what she would do normally, if she didn't know. But also, they know that if push comes to shove, they can handle it. She knows what her soul is capable of, after all. She knows that ultimately, it will adapt with time, and overcome it. And they're lonely, so, can you blame them?

And what happens for a good while is that basically he doesn't know that they know, and they know he doesn't know! On one hand, you have Arial, that's just vibing, trying to enjoy the friendship in spite of Fresh’s true intentions, on the other, you have Fresh that's convinced he’s fooling them. Pretty funny, huh? They especially like throwing ambiguous parasite hints. It always throws him off guard.

But eventually, they had enough of not knowing if it all was actually genuine or not, minus the parasite stuff. They told him they wanna talk, in this serious solemn voice, at which Fresh wondered: "What’s da matter broski? :("

She asked him:

"Hypothetically, if you had a specific harmful ulterior motive for this friendship and I secretly knew but didn't mind it, as long as the friendship part is genuine, would the friendship part still be genuine?"

Fresh's shades would darken, perhaps because he's starting to catch on, as he wondered how he should answer to this. If this truly was what it seemed, that would mean they knew from the beginning, and they still befriended him. It was hard to believe. He answered, going back to his cheerful attitude:

"In that purely hypothetical situation, if you truly didn't mind, I would totes go for continuing our super rad friendship my friendo! :D It could definitely still be genuine in that sense. Why you asking?"

She would immediately hug him. "Dang that's such a relief! I appreciate that so much." He would be surprised at the suddenness, but after a moment would awkwardly hug back. "Dun' mention it dawg."

Arial would lean back, and start rambling, explaining how they knew what he was from the start and why they still wanted to be friends with him, how for reasons she'll get into later, possession isn't as bad of a thing for her than for others, how he empathized with the reality of Fresh's existence as a parasite and how inherently tragic it is, and how they don't mind being possessed in the future as long as it's when they're ready and on their terms.

And well, that's quite a lot for our poor Fresh. Not only did he get the confirmation of what he suspected but had a hard time believing, but found out someone actually understands and empathizes with his situation, and is okay with him possessing them in the future. It was, bizarre... He didn't know how to deal with it. His initial reaction was to consider them foolish for it. After all, how could someone be friends with a literal parasite? He had trouble admitting it but, it did feel kinda nice. Neat. And he can't refuse a willing host! (it was actually more than neat but he wasn't ready to confront that)

"Huh. Dat's great, buddy. I- You're really fine with me possessing ya?"

"Yeah, in the future."

"Why?"

"Wellll, y'see, I'm not exactly your average monster skeleton. I'm a human monster hybrid, actually, a powerful one. I'm kind of an anomaly, really, cause my soul basically has the theoretical potential for power stronger than all 7 human soul kinds combined, but since my body obviously can't handle all that, it just gives how much is currently needed and adapts. That's why, even if you were to possess me, while at first it would feel just as horrible as for any other typical skeleton, with time it would gradually adapt to the possession, eventually even allowing me to fully gain back control by producing more energy than you can control. I would rather share the body though, so don't worry about me not letting you in control."

That, of course, surprised Fresh quite a bit. He could sense that their soul was quite powerful, but he could never guess to that extent. Arial was a dang long lasting powerhouse for him. He was looking forward to possessing them.

"You're gonna wait until I'm ready though, right? You're not gonna push me into it when I'm not fully comfortable with it yet, or worse, possess me without my permission?"

"Heh, alrighty, Imma patient guy, I'll totes wait." -He was tempted though.

"Just some additional motivation, remember that eventually after I adapt to your possession I'll be able to easily take back control whether you like it or not, so it wouldn't be wise for you to not treat me right and then regret it after I'm able to gain back control and treat you accordingly." -He was no longer tempted.

...

"Anyway, how is your host btw?"

"My host?"

"Yeah, I mean like are they relatively okay? How are they doing? Cause like, I don't wanna just ignore their existence while being buddy buddy with THE parasite that's possessing them!"

"..Well, dey aren't up an' doing da worst, dats for sure! Dey still got a few months in dem."

"A few months until you leave them so they can recover, or a few months until they die?" They look at him sternly

"Da first one."

"Okay good. How are they mentally?"

"They've gotten used to it by now. Dey're actually surprised at someone acknowledging their existence and well being for once!"

"Of course I acknowledged them, they are a person too after all, just like me or you! Just because they're a host doesn't mean their experience isn't valid. In fact, both of you are valid, you for needing to eat, your host for still absolutely hating it."

Fresh chuckles

"Dey sure are excited about you, broski. U have an eye opening way of looking at things,, I like that about you"

"Thanks.. :>"

And so, they became friends, for real this time, and did many fun things. Like that one time when they went to a playground, and just had honest fun! The best part was the merry-go-round, she dared him to try to make her dizzy by spinning her very fast, and of course, he just couldn't pass up the challenge! He was doomed from the start though and they knew it, because they're pretty much immune to spinning (Like me!! I love spinning very fast, it doesn't make me dizzy at all c:) They even threw their head back to make the effect stronger, and laughed through it! (I do that ehehe :>) The only problem was the centrifugal force nailing their back to the backrest railing, but she could bear it. Then they switched roles, and she tried spinning him very fast, and the whole time he was sitting seemingly nonchalantly, his expression not showing any signs of distress, at least at first glance. They couldn't really see it cause they were spinning him very fast, but he sat there considerably more stiff than normal. He was feeling the effects, he was just hiding it well. Later he’d deny any accusations of him being dizzy.

Another time, they asked him if he could be all creepy and stuff, and he was like eh, sure! And went all creepy at them, lowering his sunglasses and looking at them with this creepy hungry look, and Arial was like: "Ohoho, jeezz, wow! I love it." It reminded them of why Fresh was friends with them to begin with.

Fresh raised his brow. "You do?"

"..Yeah."

Fresh smirked "Well ain't dat an interesting revelation! Never thought somebroski would like dat side of dear ol' me."

Arial stuttered "Well uh, I kinda do, because I know I can trust you. Like, I like that kind of fear, when I know I'm not actually in danger."

"Ya like fear?" It was quite a bizarre concept for Fresh, to like the primal instinct that lets you avoid danger.

"When I know I'm in a safe environment."

"How?"

"It's thrilling. It gives me an adrenaline kick, while the knowledge that I'm not actually in danger acts like a safety net."

"Huh." ...A smile crept on Fresh's face, at which something in Arial's nonexistent stomach stirred. He was certainly intrigued. He never expected for this friendship to allow him to act creepy and intimidating. He was fully prepared for it to be all fluffy wholesomeness. But this... This was certainly an interesting, entertaining development.

And thus, playful scaring was added to their list of fun time activities. Fresh can be both fun and friendly, as well as scary, and she loves that. She likes that contrast, how it amplifies both sides and mixes with each other. (Heh, it's one of the reasons why Fresh is my absolute favorite character)

Or! Or! The time when they had a sleepover. They played games, sung songs, had a pillow fight, all that stuff. They even made themselves painted nails by using glue on fake ones! Arial's first painted a row of colors that created a rainbow gradient, then crackle black, then white hearts shaped using a thin wire, and of course top coat, and it looked something like this:

Fresh's were these colors more or less:

But with a bunch of fun stickers on that I'm too lazy to draw.

It ended with them cuddling on the couch with a bunch of blankets and pillows, and it was very comfy.

So comfy in fact, Arial decided to bring up an idea they had some time ago.

"Btw, if I were to summon and temporarily offer my soul to you, under the condition that you wouldn't take too much and completely devour it, of course, would you be able to feed off of it without possessing me?"

"You would offer your soul like that to me?"

"As long as you're gentle with it."

"I promise."

And so, Arial summons their soul, and gives it to him, which he held gently. At first sight, it looked similar to other monster souls. It shone significantly brighter though, and had hints of rainbow on the edges. It was beautiful. Fresh was mesmerized by it.

After a while of him just admiring it, he started gently brushing against it's surface with his phalanges, channelling comforting intent. For Arial, it felt incredibly relaxing and nice. He continued to do that, gently rubbing it, caressing it, focused on the task, at which Arial practically melted into the blankets and pillows.

Unexpectedly, he slowly raised their soul up to his mouth and licked it, using his parasite tentacle as tongue, at which Arial let out a surprised yelp and a garble of confused sounds, as Fresh looked right at them with a knowing smile. It felt... Weird, for them. Confusing. Vulnerable. Intimate. And yet, exciting and dare I say, weirdly enjoyable??? Like, there was a subtle sting to it, but it didn't feel bad somehow??? Combined with his gentle touches, it just acted like a bit of spice added to the experience. They didn't wanna admit it to themselves, but it felt stimulating. They were a blushing mess of jumbled thoughts and emotions. (They have a pastel rainbow blush btw)

Fresh chuckled at their reaction, and asked:

"How did that feel?"

Arial just whined, having trouble expressing their complex thoughts and emotions.

"Good?"

"Yes and I don't know how to deal with that!!"

Fresh chuckles. "Dun worry bae. Just relax and enjoy yourself." He runs his boney thumb over their soul again.

They take a few deep breaths. "Okay. Okay. Fuu- Jeez, okay. You can continue."

And he did, and it felt amazing. Arial was laying face down in the blankets, letting out soft quiet noises which he very much enjoyed. Their reactions were captivating. He liked tasting their soul too, it was sweet, with a high concentration of their emotions.

After a while, he returned their soul to them. They were a bit stunted, their soul still beating fast.

"...Wow...."

"How are ya feeling?"

"Good, I think. That was... Certainly something. Wow..."

Fresh hugs them from the side. "I realz liked the taste of yo soul broski. Could up an' taste your feels."

"Haha, cool..."

After a moment, Arial adds: "It was really fun though. I didn't expect for it to be this... Y'know."

"Your reactions were hella captivating dude."

Arial rubs the side of their vertebrae. "Yeah, I get that."

Fresh chuckles. "You're one odd cookie."

There's a moment of content silence, which Arial breaks: "We should probably do that regularly, yeah? To let my soul get used to the drainage."

"Sounds like a plan yo. I'm looking forward to tasting more of your magic dawg."

"You really liked it that much?"

"Yeah, homie!! It was rad sweet and powerful. I could even taste your emotions, and that's unusual. Your short term energy levels must depend a lot on your emotions."

"So you could taste what emotions I was feeling in that moment?" Arial looks to the side, slightly blushing.

Fresh pokes their cheek. "Yep! Tho I didn't need dat to tell that you were enjoying yourself."

Arial groans, flustered, at which Fresh chuckles.

"How about you describe yo thoughts throughout dat experience for me?"

"You already know my feelings, you wanna know my thoughts too??"

Fresh just grins in confirmation

"Ughh, you're such a tease! Finee.....

At first it was very relaxing and nice, I was practically melting under your touch. And then you decided to suddenly lick it, without any warnings, and it funking- aaghhg, it felt- I don't even know how to describe it, and it frustrates me so much!! I hate not being able to describe what I'm feeling."

Fresh listened with amusement. "Take yo time."

"I guess, it was very surprising. I was like: Aaahh, what is happening, what is this, why is this, what am I feeling right now, it technically stings a little and yet it's weirdly enjoyable, like what?!?? Really, it felt less like a sting, more like an electrifying sensation that added some spice to the experience. Made it more intense, but not in the negative direction, even if I was disoriented by it."

Fresh nods. He could vaguely tell what their feelings were at that moment, but it was more of a general vibe than an exact description, so he happily drank the new information Arial was giving him. Like, they felt all that. Cause of him. He made them feel that way. Something stirs in Fresh at that.

"Well broski, that's quite the feelings you described. I'm happy to be the one that caused them in you though.."

"Haha, cool..." It seems to be their go to response when flustered.

They lean into Fresh, yawning. It seems the exhaustion in Arial finally begins to set in after that drainage. Very enjoyable drainage, but still, drainage. Nothing a good sleep can't fix though.

Fresh smiles, much more softly this time, and runs his hand over their skull as they're falling asleep. Is he getting attached? -he thought. That's thought unsettled him a bit. No, surely not. It's all part of the deal. -he justified it to himself, and stopped thinking about it for now.

Anyway, they started doing that soul licking thing regularly. After quite a few of them, Fresh even surprised them by mixing it up and adding multiple tongue-tentacles to the mix, rather than keeping it one, and boi that was a fun one. Just picture that image in your head.

If I were to describe their relationship, I would say, queerplatonic, since their friendship exceeded what is typically considered a friendship by now I think.

Anyway when it comes to the possession that's a few months into the future, it was... Rough. But not as bad as it could have been. They were sitting on the couch at Arial's place. Fresh, having already taken off his sunglasses was like:

"Ya sure you're ready for this?" Feeling kinda bad for the pain he's going to inflict on them after they became so close. Arial at this point, was sure of this, because she wanted to help him, and because he didn't want to keep his host waiting any longer. "Yes." -He said

"Alright. Don't fight it." He gently cupped their face with his hands and leaned into them. They spent a moment just staring into each other's eyes, before Fresh linked their foreheads together and entered through their eyesocket, leaving his previous host barely conscious and dazed, just laying there, rapidly falling into unconsciousness, leaning against the side of the couch. Poor guy needs the sleep. As his true form was hanging out on the inside of Arial's bone structure, it didn't feel bad for them, actually. Not yet. It felt hella weird and bizarre, but not the bad kind. Kinda nice even. ..But then he grabbed onto their soul and began taking over, and then it hit. It was agonizing. Arial held onto themselves tightly, wincing and crying in pain, desiring comfort very strongly. Fresh picked up on that, and hugged them in the mindscape, rubbing circles onto their back in a comforting manner.

"There there broski. You're doing so good. Just focus on da hug and try to relax for me, m'kay?"

Arial buries their face into his chest and hugs him tightly, shuddering. Gosh they needed this. It helped a TON, and eventually relaxed enough for him to take over. He could do it by force, of course, but it would cause unnecessary pain for them, and he could totally spare some time to comfort them first.

When Arial became aware of their surroundings once again, they could see their room, and Fresh's previous host laying unconscious next to them on the couch. It still kinda hurt, but not as bad as the first moments of the possession. And It felt weird, to not be in control over their movements anymore. They immediately imagined a self image of themselves in their mind, which they could control, unlike their real body, for some semblance of autonomy and expression. They trusted him though, so they believed it'll be alright. Fresh chuckled at their immediate usage of their imagination. They sure were imaginative!

He stood up and lifted his previous host bridal style, planning to drop them off where he found them.

"Are they gonna be alright?" -Arial asked in their mind

"Totes. Dey just need a lotta rest!" He Fresh-poofed to the universe his host originated from and left them somewhere safe.

"Are we just gonna leave them here, and not even wait until they wake up?"

"They got close ones to take care of them, and I don't want dem seeing me"

"Oh, alright, fair."

Fresh poofed back to Arial's place

"Alrighty my homie! Time to pick out a radical new fit yo!" Arial was excited, and definitely helped a lot with their eye for art, style, and aesthetics, even picking out their own accessories that fitted the fit, a lot of which they made themselves. (Which are actually my accessories, I didn't just made them up) After a lot of experimenting, the fit looked let's say, somewhat like this:

But with more details like goofy necklaces and lots of colorful bracelets, including handmade Aroace and Agender bracelets, because coincidentally it fits both of them.

Fresh took them for his usual shenanigans and adventures, and it was fun. (Just imagine that Arial is the host when you see that kind of fiction or art with Fresh, like I did)

Eventually though, they take a chill at a random hotel, laying on the bed. With Fresh giving back control to them, it didn't hurt as much. Having his true form woven around their bones felt.. comforting, actually. It was nice. They were glad he trusted them enough to give up control over them for a bit. They wished to pet him.

"Pet me?" -Fresh asked. This of course required a lot of trust, to let them touch his fragile vulnerable form.

"Yeah." They responded in a soft voice. Not an ounce of bad intent.

"Okay." He partially crawled out of their ribs, and she started gently running their phalanges over his tentacles. It was a nice moment of peace, and comfort. Felt nice for Fresh too.

A good few weeks into the possession, there was a moment when Fresh was listening to some music, and played 'Sailor Stars Song (full)' specifically, cause he likes Sailor Moon, and it was like a massive wave of nostalgia and memories washed over Arial, their soul responding in kind. Y'see, Sailor Moon was their favorite childhood show (mine too), and Sailor Stars was their favorite opening song (mine too), and they haven't heard it in such a long time. That's why they reacted with such big emotions. And with emotions, their soul produced more energy, enough to smoothly slip out of Fresh's control and start moving along to the music, without even thinking about it. Fresh was startled, and a bit unsettled, because hosts taking over usually means bad things for him, and they aren't supposed to do it so easily! He calms down after he realizes they just wanna vibe to the music and mean absolutely no harm to him though, and recalls the time when they already told him that's how their soul works. When Arial noticed they were in control, they started passionately singing along to it and dancing, tears running down their face out of nostalgia and happiness. Once the song ended, they started gushing over how much they loved Sailor Moon, that it was their favorite childhood show, and Fresh was like: "You love Sailor Moon too?? Sick! B-D"

"Wanna binge watch the entirety of Sailor Moon 90's anime?"

"Of course I do broski!"

They proceeded to binge watch the entirety of Sailor Moon 90's anime, and specials.

[To be continued. Someday...]

[capnhanbers]

is your spouse anything like sans? are you like naya? if neither apply, is there anything you took from your partner that sans has in the fic? :o (sorry I’m high as shit and this has been nagging at my brain)

my husband isn't that much like sans and I'm definitely like naya (she started out way more self inserty before really establishing herself). I'm glad you asked this tho because i take pretty much everything from my marriage and weave it into joat, and that's always fun to talk about!

I've long thought the success of joat as a love story is a result of me pulling from real life experience. stuff like the language you end up sharing with a partner, inside jokes, codewords, etc. the sex, specifically a slow progression of intimacy, the acts i know feel good outside of typical smut-writing tropes. almost everything in joat you could find some kind of parallel to my life.

OH shit oops my b i just reread the ask and saw you were specifically wondering about sans. no there's not really anything i deliberately gave to sans i took from jose lol. there's a couple personal details they happen to share i guess...? and from those coincidental similarities I'm able to draw inspo on how sans might act or respond in certain situations. but sans is very much SANS to me! if i have implanted some husband aspects it's unintentional and i can't think of anything atm XD

[adriansboyfriend]

Ended up doing these headcanons for my babyboy instead of writing that Prince Friedrich smut that I've been bothering my friend with. 😅 ( it got a little self-inserty).

I'm going to ignore the throwaway line about his parents and him having an extra finger lmao

Because Jake was raised by a single mother

They weren't poor but she wasn't making a lot of money either ( is that referred to as anything? I’m dumb gjjvjikk)

Definitely was popular in school

I can't say he was the jock type

At least not the stereotypical kind

Caused problems for most of his teachers

That boy was chaotic

Has a learning disability

Not sure what kind (didn't think too much about it)

Maybe he has dyslexia?

Wanted to be a racecar driver since he was little

Has two younger sisters

He's very close with them

Especially with his mom

Mama Martin raised him to be a respectable gentleman despite his reputation ( I don't think he's a manwhore. Just a shameful flirt. People are pretty okay?!)

Knows how to braid hair

He’s not very good at it

He’s very proud of himself though when he sees it finished

Gets very into doing his sisters’ hair

Face scrunched up and tongue sticking out in concentration

Has a skincare routine because of his sisters

It's not a long routine

Something simple he can remember

Jake takes pride in taking care of himself

Got you into doing a morning and night routine

It's just another way to spend more time with you

Jake constantly has to have his hands on you

Finds any excuse to touch you at work

He's very touchy

Not in an unhealthy way

Loves telling you about his day

Even the smallest detail

Doesn't matter if you were with him

Hides from Catherine in your office lol

Since he doesn't have his own space he's taken up co-decorating your office

Your desk is littered with Hot Wheels and things he’s bought that reminded him of you or things you like

Bought you a Lightning McQueen pen holder, but it was definitely for him

Bought you these cute little bat sticky notes they had out at Halloween for your desk

Your tastes are totally opposite of his but that's why he loves you

Loves listening to you ramble about your favorite TV show, book, or fictional character

He might not know what you're talking about but, he's invested

Never wants you to think he doesn't care about what you think

Always wants to know about your day

Taken over your spinny chair

Such a child when he’s in it

Spun too fast he’s fallen over multiple times

Despite Kevin getting onto him for not running laps on the simulator, he’ll sit on your lap most days while you manage his and Jessie’s socials

Has such a sweet tooth

Doesn't care for coffee unless it's sweet

Likes sweet tea (lots of sugar. Man’s from the south)

Other than sweets, he eats pretty healthy

Not like obsessed with it though

Doesn't work out constantly either

Obsessed with the Cars franchise obviously

Talladega Nights is his fave comdey

He hates horror films

But he’ll watch them because you like them

As long as you promise to hold him

Buys his mom and sisters tickets to all his races

Always wants to make his mom proud

He worries sometimes about not making it into the top ten

Momma Martin is always there along with his sisters after the race to congratulate him

Any worries vanished once he sees his family’s faces

Especially, if you’re among them

You always make him feel better no matter what place he finishes

He’s excited to see you as soon as he climbs out the window of his car

He struggles, almost losing his balance

You have to stifle a laugh

Thankfully, he’s uninjured as he rushes towards you

He drops his helmet as he wraps his strong arms around you, picking you up and spinning you around

Everything else disappears and it’s just you and Jake

You’re smiling so hard, your face hurts

He sets you down and beams at you with his boyish grin

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together

Every time he looks at you with the widest smile on his face it makes your face heat up, breath caught in your throat

Celebratory wings and drinks at The Pit Stop with his family + the crew

After sometime, he and Jessie start getting along

But, not all the time

Albeit, still competitive

Drives Kevin crazy

He’s gained another sister though

He’s such a golden retriever sunshine boy

Your dynamic is amusing among everyone at work

You’re the sweetest person they know, but if they didn’t

They’d be scared to approach you

That’s why it throws them off with the way Jake acts

Especially with the way you dress when you’re off the clock

Chuck says you look like you want to maul people’s faces off

He’s a dog person, but he’s taken to your cat

One day you came home from work late to find him cuddled up on your couch with it

It was the most precious thing you ever seen

It’s definitely your lockscreen

He’s a little spoon

And a blanket hog

Likes to sleep with one leg out of the cover

Definitely not a morning person

You have to bribe him with kisses and breakfast

His love languages are words of affirmation , quality time, and gift giving

He’s definitely bought you matching Cars outfits

Totally has that Lightning McQueen jacket from LunchBox

That’s obvs his contact name in your phone

His is your nickname followed by multiple heart emojis

Comes up with the dumbest, cheesiest pet names

They make you cringe hard

But, you gotta love him

He’s bisexual, but he’s not open about it given his career and the political climate around NASCAR

I don’t really think he’s had a lot of luck in relationships until he meets you

Most of his partners dated him for NASCAR driver Jake Martin and not just for himself

Doesn’t want to settle down anytime soon

Is fine if you don’t want to get married

Likes kids but doesn’t want them

It’d be difficult raising them given his career

[rifleonthewall]

happy valentines day ❤️

i’ll start by saying that 1) i know leon is a fictional character and not a real person and 2) that im not very good at words or making sappy things like this but ill try my best. this is also under a read more because its like, a lot of nonsense.

Valentines Day marks the day i first beat re2 remake back in 2019, and when i first officially fell in love with Leon. at that time i was heavily interested in other things and i was new to selfship as a whole, so he, along with resident evil, took a backseat. so much so that at one point i even considered dropping him from my f/o list in late 2019. But i couldn’t bring myself to.

and then 2020 hit, and while i was starting to get more interested in resident evil as a franchise, creating an entire fandom blog around RE and Leon, but i still considered him a lesser f/o to the ones i was more focused on at the time, he lingered in the background but i still felt such a strong comfort and connection to him. especially because i was headcanoning him as trans, much like myself. That alone brought me more comfort than hcing any other character as trans, it felt so real and true to me.

fast forward to mid 2021 where DBD, the game i had clocked around 1k hours in at this point announces that their newest chapter is Resident Evil, specifically Leon and Jill, at this point my attraction to him had come and gone in waves, some lasting hours, days, even weeks. But when this chapter got announced I think this is what really solidified him as my “soulmate” f/o. He practically took over all my thoughts, and i began to realize how much of comfort he brought me throughout the years and throughout some of the hardest parts of the last few years, he was always there like a safety net, someone i could fall into and he’d be there to catch me time and time again.

And now nearly a year and a half since that point Leon has become the most important fictional character to me. He makes my heart feel so whole. Resident Evil as well as become such a comfort media, i care about every aspect of these game but most importantly i care so deeply about Leon. Everyday i genuinely go through every emotion under the sun when i see him, regardless if i’ve seen the photo before or not.

And i know it isn't Great Coping but, the past few months to a year have been hard alright? i’ve genuinely used him as a coping mechanism and some days, one of the few reason i’m strong enough to hold on. I thank Leon for all hes done for me and for being one of the reasons i can wake up everyday. (this is not inclusive of the very real people and friends and partner i have that keep me going everyday, but for the sake of this post)

I struggle so hard to put thoughts onto a page because he genuinely means so much to me, and when i think about that i get embarrassed, and i worry others will make fun of me for how i feel about him. But i assure you my selfship with him has been the Most thought out selfship i’ve ever created. even if it only exists in my head. Beckett is my most planned self insert, down to how he’d fit into each game in a way that never felt Too self inserty. he started as an OC after all.

I love you so much Leon, happy 4th anniversary. Thank you for everything. I hope to celebrate many more years with you as an f/o, but even if that doesn’t happen, i cherish everything you’ve done for me.

- nick/seylan/beckett (whichever you want to apply to this)

[maideninorange]

1, 2, 9, 25, 48!

Do you listen to music when you write?

Yes, yes I do indeed! It depends on my mood, typically of course, but more often than not the answer is yes. With series fics, I usually set up a playlist that fits the vibe I got going, but with oneshot fics (the ones I usually write), it's whatever floats my boat in that current moment. Though I do prefer to try and keep it to the vibe I got going for obvious reasons.

2. Are you a pantser or plotter?

I'm not sure how surprising this might be for some of my followers, but I am actually a total pantser! Even when I do outline (which I usually have to for series fics for the very simple reason that writing longfics without planning is a recipe for disaster), deviating from them if I think of something better can and will occur.

That, and they're just a pain for me to do when I got everything I need at the tip of my fingers (in theory). As a consequence, longfics from me tend to be rare. My "To Be (One With the Garden)" series of Pikmin fics is a strange exception to this due to its unique nature, but while I'm not sure if I'm going to go through with the ideas I had for it, I do know they will require me to outline at least a little if I want to keep my continuity and stuff tight. But that's a problem for future Maiden.

9. Current WIP

Oh boy...At the moment I currently got two fics I'm alternating between writing for, and the one my brain is apparently focused on right now is a Len'en smutfic for some reason. The other is my fourth little oneshot for "To Be (One With the Garden)", which has been proving itself to be a little more difficult to write than I originally anticipated due to the direction I decided to go with it. What do I mean by that? Who knows!

The problem with this question for me, you see, is that I can start and stop things on a whim. So my "Current WIP" is ever changing, and there's no guarantee my answer to this question today will be consistent tomorrow. Such is the life of a writer with a terrible attention span such as I.

25. Favorite part of writing

Prose. Easily prose. I love coming up with fun ways of describing things and just trying to subtly weave details into things, ya know what I mean? I just adore well-written prose, both as a reader and a writer.

48. What's the most self-insert character/scene you've ever written?

Ooh, that's a tricky question. Especially since while my own feelings do tend to bleed into my writing, I do usually try to keep it to a backseat. But sometimes, they escape onto the pages more than I intend for them to.

Usually, works involving my OC Danielle tend to be like this, as she started life as a self-insert and evolved into her own thing, and I like to use her to explore my negative emotions and personality traits more directly (well, as directly as I can within my given set-up), but in terms of self-inserty scenes...The main one I am thinking of is this one draft I'll never finished centered around Kuroji becoming a youkai (not to be confused with the one or two fics in my collections where that also happens), where some of the negative internal monologue before The Reveal is...eerily reminiscent of my own somedays. I hope to write a proper fic about that topic someday, but that draft just wasn't it.

And to say nothing of the self-insert fic I wrote when I was just starting out as a writer. And to that I say, we will never speak of again.

[teddybasmanov]

Redacted characters with a foreign listener:

Food:

Foreign Angel, Freelancer and Darling who actually eat fast food a lot/have problems eating partly because a lot of other food/ingredients are too unfamiliar for them and they don't feel comfortable with it and David, the D.A.M.N. guys (especially Damien and Gavin) and Sam respectively re-teach them how to cook and try to find something more familiar (in the best case - exactly what they are used to).

In general David, Gavin, Damien, Vincent and Sam will be more than happy to learn how to cook your favourite meals from back home - either from you or from the internet to surprise you. (David and Damien would be secretly very nervous they messed them up.)

The d(a)emons would be happy to conjure your favourite food as well, but good luck explaining them what it is or how to make it. Caelum would be extra excited when he succeeds. He'd be even more happy if he teaches Gavin how to make it.

Holidays:

Asher, Ollie and Hux would be absolutely delighted to learn about any holidays you want to celebrate and will do everything in their power to organize them for you: decorations, music, any rituals.

Aaron, Lasko and Damien would definitely help you with getting days off on the holidays that aren't celebrated in the US if you need them.

Language:

I already have a whole list for these.

Culture:

Avior, Lasko and Cam would love for you to recommend them books from or about your motherland - they want to know more about your country and about you through the books you enjoy.

Gavin, Milo and Vincent are more of movies guys - sit them down on the couch, turn on your favourite movie - maybe with subtitles - and explain all the little details they don't understand.

All of them would definitely want to go on a trip to your motherland/homecity and for you to be their personal guide, show them all the famous places as well as just your favourites - show Vincent a painting in a local museum you were fascinated by as a child, show Huxley the best view in the city, take Asher for a boat trip (I'm assuming there's a river somewhere, sorry).

Other things:

If anyone at work or at the academy gives you trouble because of cultural differences or your accent all of them will react. They will comfort you first, sure, but they'll have to deal with it:

The D.A.M.N. guys would react similarly like they did to Kody and they'll encourage you to take it up/report it, but if that doesn't work they'll definitely give whoever is bothering you a talk.

Vincent would probably just get very protective instantly and goes to scare the person who harassed you so that they can't ever think about bother you any more.

David's first impulse would be to do the same, but he would be more mature about it. However if you can't get through to your boss/HR about it, he might end up contacting them himself.

All of them would help and you and guide you through the unfamiliar culture with whatever it would be - helping you with the language (especially d(a)emons, since there's no language barrier for them), traditions (especially David and Sam) or popular pieces of media you've never heard about (especially Ollie, Geordi and Lasko - as biggest nerds).

[toxiic-wastee]

Posting something about Pathfinder because I fucking can. It’s also 3am rn and it’s my birthday so follow me to prove ur not homophobic bitches /j

Pathfinder X GN Reader

Warnings: nothing. Besides yk Pathfinder being a murder-bot with no self awareness. Also this is v self inserty

You sat next to Pathfinder on a stool, swinging your feet and Mirage tried to be funny, and failed. He always tries too hard. “I love you more than my other friends, why?” Pathfinder asked slightly lowering his optics to view you. You stared at him blankly, even Octane stopped his ranting to look at Pathfinder.

“Uh why don’t you elaborate there bud.” You said. “I love you more than my other friends.” Pathfinder repeated himself, you weren’t sure if this was a confession or not. Pathfinder was always blunt but this was very unexpected. “Even more than Mirage.” He stated. You had a slight smile on your face, being loved more than Mirage is sort of a confidence booster considering how handsome he was. “Marvin I don’t think you understand love.” you giggled. “I’m quite sure that I do love you.” Pathfinder said cupping your hands. You felt put on the spot, especially with Pathfinder doing this in front of the other legends. “We’ll talk about this later.” You blushed pushing his cold hands away gently. He changed his screen to sad face once you did, it made you feel bad honestly. You were the only one to actually high five Pathfinder. Pathfinder struggles with sarcasm and it always makes you sigh whenever he takes a joke seriously.

You had walked away into a more private area of the big room, drinking some ice water in a corner of the room.

“It’s later now.” Pathfinder said oh so gleefully before grabbing your hand again. The metal was cold against your soft meaty skin. You pushed him away again, “Marvin-“ you began before getting caught off. “Isn’t hand holding the way humans are affectionate with each other?” Pathfinder asked. “Yes but you don’t have to use both hands to hold my singular hand.” You giggled, you could tell how gentle he was being with you. Even when he held your hand it wasn’t tight. Hell, he seemed hesitant.

“I love you Y/N.” Marvin said grabbing your left hand with his. You stared at him awkwardly. You took a moment to think about how to respond. Pathfinder says he loves everybody. However you’d be lying if you didn’t have a crush on the robot. It made you feel weird, a robot probably couldn’t be able to date you, hell Revenant has human emotion but all he feels is fucking hatred for everything. “You love everybody Path.” you grinned, rubbing his index finger. You wondered if he could feel your finger against his, if his sensors worked like that.

“I love you romantically.” Pathfinder smiled. Well, his screen turned to a smile. He doesn’t have a face. “Do you love me?” Pathfinder asked changing his screen to a “😅”. “Sure I do Pathfinder, just, let’s keep this between us two for now.” You smiled staring into his optics and then at his fingers. The cold that was originally there was warmed up by your touch, unfortunately it made your hands cold in return. “I can’t wait to tell our friends.” Pathfinder said excitedly rushing off to Ajay and Bloodhound, ignoring you.

~~~~

“Marvin, I have a question for you.”

“Hm?” Marvin hummed

“Do you feel it when I touch your hands?”

“No. I don’t have sensors there.” Pathfinder responded.

[semper-legens]

162. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

Owned: Yes Page count: 235 My summary: A man returns to his childhood home for reasons he can’t understand, and ends up remembering more than he thought was possible. A girl who might be older than the world. A grandmother who was there when the moon was made. A dead man in his father’s car. A woman tearing his family apart at the seams. And a dark force, lurking at the edge of reality, ready to destroy all. My rating: 3.5/5 My commentary:

Readers of this blog might be aware of my longstanding Thing with Neil Gaiman. I generally tend not to get on with his adult prose fiction - I like The Sandman, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, one comic series and two works for children, but I wasn’t fussed about his adult prose that I have read. This is a book for kids. Therefore, by my own logic, I should at least like it. And I did, but not without reservations. It’s not going to occupy the same place in my heart that The Graveyard Book does, but I still had a good time reading it.

The narrator of this book is an unnamed man who was once an unnamed boy - the framing device is that he’s returned to this place where he grew up for reasons he doesn’t quite understand, and is remembering the events of the narrative. The point of view is definitely that of a child, however. The boy himself is very much an everyman, and subtextually a standin for Neil Gaiman’s younger self. This book is actually (loosely) based on Gaiman’s childhood experiences. With that in mind...I mean, the fact that the Hempstocks, these cool, interesting women, all seem to love and include the boy in everything despite him just being Some Kid felt a bit self-inserty, but not really in a bad way or anything. Every protagonist is the most important person in their universe, really. That said, I didn’t feel that the boy had much of an arc in the book? Still, he was an engaging narrator, and I liked how Gaiman included some of the more awkward parts of being a kid in his narrative.

So the boy comes across a kid called Lettie Hempstock, and is introduced to her family, her mother Ginny and her grandmother Old Mrs Hempstock. They’re some kind of ambiguous magical people - Lettie is far older than her years, as are her mother and grandmother. They banish and bind malicious magical creatures like it’s no big deal. I liked them a lot, but something kept me from being completely invested in them. I think because they didn’t have a lot of character outside of being Mysterious Magic Ladies? Or outside of their place in the maiden/mother/crone dynamic. Which is one, incidentally, that Gaiman seems to like in his work.

The magic is cool, though, obviously inspired by English folklore and folk stories, with a bit of extra stuff in for flavour. I like how weird the descriptions of the being calling herself Ursula are, and that the ‘fleas’ and ‘hunger birds’ are never really explained, they just...are. I like magic stuff that doesn’t have an explanation! Plus, I can’t fault the imagery. I love the idea of an ocean in a duckpond that is also all of reality at once. That’s such a neat concept.

Next up, a man fishes a mermaid from the ocean, and the curse that follows her.

[toonstarterz]

Holy cannoli, dude. This was probably my FAVORITE LUZ EPISODE we’ve had so far.

One of the very minor concerns I’ve had with Luz’s character was that she’s a little too “self-inserty”. A good amount of her actions thus far sometimes felt more like someone playing the role of a fantasy story main character rather than anything Luz Noceda herself would actually do.  

Hunting Palisman was everything I hoped we’d get. A deeper look into Luz Noceda as a person outside the context of the fantasy heroine: her strength of being too nice, her weakness of never thinking things through, etc. It deconstructs her generic “I want to be witch!” goal into a situation where the series has to look into Luz’s own personal values and find what she truly hopes to accomplish through that.

Luz was someone I always loved as a daughteru, but this episode made me love her as a person.

You’ve officially won me over, Owl House. Can’t wait for more.