#i really do feel like the writing is sometimes TOO subtle for its own good

[froschli96]

Can we talk about how Kadar says to Altaïr in the beginning: "An excellent kill! Fortune favors your blade!", and then in the bureau with Malik, before Altaïr goes to meet "Robert", Malik says to him "Fortune favor your blade, brother."

And then THAT is what prompts Altaïr to actually finally apologize to him?

(It's these little things in the writing that make me go feral! Another one of my favorite parts is Altaïr and Malik calling each other "Dai" - Altaïr first calls Malik Dai before doing investigations during the Majd Addin mission, showing his character growth in how he's willing to humble himself in front of Malik by basically acknowledging him as a superior of sorts (he's even THANKING him here for his help - compare this to "I am your superior, in both title and ability! You should know better than to question me!"), and then when they last talk before Altaïr goes to confront Al Mualim, Malik calls HIM Dai, in turn acknowledging his growth 😭 I just... I love them so much, I don't even know what to do with myself anymore.)

[scribblesofagoonerr]

under pressure | katie mccabe x teen reader x caitlin foord

thank you to the anon that requested this one. it's been fun to write it!

i think i'm gonna plan a part 2 of this maybe, depending on what reaction i get from this one...

pairings: katie mccabe x teen reader x caitlin foord

summary: there's a lot of pressure that comes with being the next big thing in women's football sometimes

warning: talks of a eating disorder and angst

It sometimes felt like you had the world at your feet. You were well aware of the word on the street that you were the next big thing in women’s football. The headlines were quick to label you as a future star, comparing you to legends like Marta or Sam Kerr, but of course being the youngest to sign a professional contract sometimes came with a certain level of expectations, and that was something that nobody could really prepare you for the weight that would follow.

Living alongside Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord felt like a dream in itself like it would for any football-crazy teenager and you were no different, you moved in with them after your own parents couldn’t travel to England with you. 

Caitlin and Katie were quick to become more than just teammates or mentors, they became family.

It should’ve been perfect– It mostly was.

At least until the pressure started to become too much for you, the media scrutinised everything about you: your every move, every game, every slip-up. There felt like there was never any room for mistakes and it started to take its toll on you.

The expectations suffocated you and you started to believe the medias’ words, not only the media but the pressure of fans as well, you felt like you were weighed down by an anker of harsh criticism.

Maybe if you were smaller– lighter, you could be faster. You could be better.

It only started small, barely noticeable in fact, just skipping meals and convincing yourself that you were just too busy. The comments on how lean you looked pushed you further, but it didn’t take long for the innocent excuses to morph into something darker.

The hunger pains were a lot easier to bear than the suffocating pressure, but you should have realised that it would be harder to hide, and before long, it wasn’t just you who had noticed the toll it was taking on you.

“You seem a lot quieter today kid,” Caitlin was the first to pick up on your bitter mood as you made your way out of the London Colney and headed in the direction of where Katie had parked her car earlier on when you all arrived for training, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I’m all good,” You gave her a weak smile and kept your shoulders slouched as you opened the car door to climb in.

Are you sure, kiddo?” Katie noted the exhausted look on your face as she opened the car door and climbed in, “Cait’s right, you don’t seem like yourself today.”

“I’m fine Katie,” You all but growled in response and slumped down in the backseat of the car, “I’ve already told you I’m fine, so just leave it, will you?” You hadn’t meant to be rude but you really do hate all the persistent questions being fired at you.

You hated being the centre of attention, despite what the media said about you.

It didn’t take long for you to begin feeling the weight of guilt, “Sorry, didn’t mean to snap like that.”

“It’s okay kiddo,” Katie replied, glancing in the rearview mirror and giving you a reassuring smile, “How about when we get home, we order pizza. My treat?” She offered.

Your smile faltered at the mention of food. Your stomach was hurting from the hunger, but couldn’t give in to the temptations, “Um, it’s okay, I don’t really fancy pizza, thanks,” You respond, biting your bottom lip.

You missed Katie and Caitlin sharing a glance with each other, catching the hesitation in your voice. It was subtle, but they both knew you well enough to notice.

At one point, you used to jump at the chance for pizza nights– especially after a long day of training and now you barely even showed an ounce of interest.

“Okay,” Katie simply nodded and started the ignition of her car up.

The drive back home was quiet, too quiet. The hum of the engine mixed in with the quiet volume of noise in the car filled the silence, but your thoughts were still loud. You couldn’t help but stare out the window, feeling the familiar tightening in your chest.

You hated the fact that they were starting to notice more, it was easier when they didn’t and you could still pretend that things were fine, even if they definitely were not.

You couldn’t ignore the way that your hands trembled slightly from exhaustion or the pounding in your head that had become all too familiar lately.

You just had to pretend for a little while longer.

Back at the house, you immediately make a beeline for your bedroom while muttering something about needing a shower. As soon as you closed the door, you leaned against it and took a deep breath. 

The initial feeling of hunger gnawed at you but you try to shove it aside, heading into the bathroom to splash cold water on your face all while ignoring the mirror, knowing you wouldn’t like what you saw.

“Hey kid! We’re gonna watch a film, do you want to come and join us?” Caitlin shouted upstairs to get your attention and you jolted slightly in shock.

“Uh, yeah, I’m coming!” You respond, turning the tap off and dabbing your face with a towel before making your way back into your bedroom, you shove a cosy hoodie on and shove your hair up in a messy bun before you head back downstairs to join the two of them.

“Here she is,” Katie exclaimed, gesturing for you to join them in the living room, “Where just deciding what film to watch, do you have anything you’d like to watch?” She questioned.

“Um, I don’t mind. I’m fine with anything,” You told her, plopping down on the sofa beside them as you listened to the two of them argue about what to watch.

Usually it was pretty comical when that happened, but you didn’t have it in you to laugh this time round.

The tension in the room was thick, and you knew it was only a matter of time before they brought it up again.

After what felt like an eternity, Caitlin broke the silence, “Y/N, we’re worried about you.”

Your stomach dropped and you should have known this was coming, but it still felt like a punch in the gut.

“You’re not eating, you’re not sleeping,” Katie leaned forward, her expression soft but serious, “You don’t seem like yourself, and we know that the pressure is a lot, but you know that you don’t need to carry it all by yourself.”

“I’m fine,” You shook your head, feeling the familiar panic rise in your chest, “I just have a lot going on right now.”

“We get it kid, but starving yourself isn’t the way to handle things,” Caitlins’ tone of voice was gentle but still firm. “There’s better ways to cope.”

You couldn’t help the tears that pricked at your eyes, but you blinked them away and refused to let them fall, “I’m not starving myself,” You whispered, trying to convince yourself more than them, “I just… I need to be better. I’m not good enough.”

“Y/N, you’re more than good enough,” Katie’s heart broke at your words as she scooted closer and placed her hand on your knee, “You’re incredible, and not just because of football but because of who you are, okay. You can’t do this to yourself, you can’t push yourself to the point where you’re hurting, kiddo.”

Your resolve was crumbing, you suddenly felt the weight of everything that you’d been holding in starting to break down, “I just… I don’t want to let anyone down,” You admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Hey, come here,” Caitlin reached over and pulled you into a tight hug, “You’re not letting anyone down, kid. We’re so proud of you– so proud. We just need you to take better care of yourself, and we’re not just talking about football here either. We care about you.”

Burying your face in her shoulder, the tears finally spilled, “I’m scared,” You choked out, “I… I don’t know how to stop.”

Katie soon joined the hug, her arms wrapping around both you and Caitlin, “You don’t have to do it alone,” She paused, “We’re here, we’ll help you, but you need to let us in.”

It felt like for the first time in a long time, you allowed yourself to be vulnerable. To let them see just how scared and overwhelmed you really were, with all the added pressure of things.

It now made you realise that maybe, just maybe, you didn’t have to face it all on your own after all.

You could let them in.

© scribblesofagoonerr

[iutdwae]

— the little things they do.

pairing. skz hyung line x reader

cw. fluff, just lots of pure raw love :3

word count. 595

[ found my drafts for my haikyuu blog from 3 years ago so i recycled it into my new interest LOL i’m just buffering while i write out my chan hard thoughts ]

CHAN buys you anything he sees piques your interest. you never have to verbally tell him you want something. whenever he takes notice to when your eyes linger just a second longer on a shirt on the hangers, or you constantly talk about a decoration you’ve been wanting to get, he’ll go out and buy it as soon as possible. he doesn’t just give you gift after gift either, he’ll shower you in so much subtle affection. the way he’d cling onto you and place gentle kisses on your forehead, eyelids, cheeks, nose, everywhere when the two of you are sitting watching tv; he absolutely spoils you. he’s an observant guy, and this really comes to play, especially when he starts buying you things that you don’t even look at, but rather what reminds him of you.

MINHO, though unwilling to admit it, has a 42 hour long soundtrack of songs that remind him of you. he’d been subconsciously compiling a playlist of songs that rubbed him in a way that others didn’t: a slight buzzing feeling in his head, it might even stop him in his tracks, contort his mood to where he was unexplainably snappy (he was just suddenly emotional), and he couldn’t pinpoint the reason for so long. it was when a mental image began to pop up during a certain chord of a song that he realized he was connecting the songs to you, and it wasn’t until it was at 30 hours that you found out about its existence. and the funny thing was, was that the songs were always slow and sleepy-like, almost like he was floating in the dream that was you.

CHANGBIN is always looking out for you. at every time of the day where a meal should be, expect a text from him asking if you’ve eaten. in the mornings, he’ll write a quick good morning message and a “make sure you grab something to eat.” it’s to the point where he’s memorized when you typically have dinner. it progressively grows to him making sure you eat a proper meal three times a day. he’s your top motivator if you’re on a diet, though he also soothes your worries on your body image. his goal is to keep you healthy and satisfied, is all. if he knows you’re too busy to feed yourself properly, expect to find food delivered with a lovely note, never cold and always something he knew you enjoyed. and if he’s home too, you already know he’ll be the one to prepare you something from his own hands.

HYUNJIN texts you good morning and good night every single day, without fail. a lot of the time, it’s really energetic with lots of emojis and exclamation marks. if he’s up late at night, sometimes, it’ll be a lengthy, childish love letter. he’s particularly good with his words at these times, and it’s common to find yourself crying at his constructed paragraph, stacked with innocence and pure love. sometimes, if he’s too exhausted to let his fingers do the work, he’ll lay in bed with his phone by his head and speak flawlessly into the mic, spilling out all the things he wishes he’d get to say to you in person. he’s out and about for work, and you aren’t always in the same timezone as him, so he’s developed a way on having you keep up with his agenda when he’s away. bonus if he sends you a picture of his bright, smiling face with a thumbs up, ready to begin his day.

[reidingandwriting]

coming out > shouta aizawa (mha)

Word Count: 2.1k

Pairing: Aizawa & Daughter!Reader, Reader x Momo (not official,,, yet), mentions of EraserMic

Warnings: Like one or two curse words, anxiety about coming out, probably a little OOC characters but oh wellll. Mostly fluff, I love writing Dadzawa

A/N: This was a request from @wi-2006 I hope you enjoy it!

you fell to the ground with a pained thud, and you scowled as you stared up at the sky. “damn it,” you huffed as you sat up, and you rested on your knees.

“i’m so sorry! are you okay?” izuku held out a hand to you and you allowed him to pull you up before you dusted off the knees of your costume.

“‘m fine,” you brushed back a few strands of hair that had escaped from your ponytail before you got back into position. “i’m ready now.”

“need to focus, kid,” your dad’s voice called from a few yards away where he was helping hitoshi with his capture weapon. to anyone else, he appeared bored, bored of correcting your mistakes and calling out your lack of attention, but you recognized the concern in his voice. you knew he’d be talking to you later and you briefly considered faking sick to avoid the inevitable conversation. “try again, then take a break.”

you nodded as you turned towards izuku again, eyes narrowing as you focused. you had been sparring for what felt like hours at this point, and you wanted to perfect this new takedown. your close combat skills were usually your strength, but you couldn’t focus today.

izuku nodded briefly at you before he was off, and you quickly countered his first attack. the two of you continued to spar, each getting a fair amount of blows in before you finally saw the opening you needed. you jumped into action and when izuku was finally pinned, you leaned back against the ground and let out an ‘oof’ as your back hit the grass, your eyes screwed shut from the sun. you enjoyed the feeling of the sun for a minute, and a moment later, you heard shifting beside you. you squinted your eyes open and reached over, shoving at izuku’s arm as he sat beside you.

“you did good today,” you said and izuku smiled at you.

“thank you! you did, too.” a brief pause. “i asked mr. aizawa if we could go off campus and grab dinner for everyone, i think it’s shoto’s night to cook.” you shuddered at the thought and nodded.

“good idea.” you sat up. “let me get my gym bag and say bye and we can go.” izuku nodded and you stood up, and you walked over to grab your things. hitoshi was finishing his cooldown stretches, your dad watching from a few feet away. you walked up to him and butted your head against the back of his arm. you smiled as your dad’s arm wrapped around your shoulders and his hand ruffled your hair.

“good takedown,” your dad commented before he looked at you. “still coming home tonight?” you nodded, gnawing at your lip. you switched between your dorm with your class and your room in the teacher’s dorms; you loved your classmates but sometimes you needed a break from them. and your dad’s was the best place to get that break. you missed your old house, but you still have the cats and hizashi and your aunt nemuri are close, so it was still pretty nice.

“gonna do dinner, watch a movie, then head over,” you let your eyes flutter closed for a moment, enjoying the rare moment of peace with your dad. he briefly rested his head against your own before he patted your shoulder.

“should shower first, too. don’t need you stinking up the house,” a subtle smirk made its way to his face and you glared up at him.

“just for that, i’m not going to.” you stuck your tongue out at him, narrowly ducking from the stray edge of capture weapon that shot out at you. “rude!”

you exchanged goodbyes with your dad, called out a goodbye to shinsou, then jogged over to izuku. you and izuku walked off campus and you talked about classes, upcoming exams. you were texting the class groupchat about dinner orders when he asked a question that made you pause.

“you seemed really distracted today. is everything okay?” you and izuku were close, you and him quickly becoming friends, and you had the same friend group.

“i’m a little worried about my weekend with my dad,” you admitted after a minute, and izuku stayed quiet, having learned when to let you rant. “he knows something is bothering me and i’m worried about him asking me. i can’t lie to him, he’s my dad. but i’m also terrified of how he’ll react.” izuku stayed quiet for another moment, and you sighed. “i’m thinking about telling him.”

you could practically hear the gears turning in izuku’s head until it clicked. your crush on momo wasn’t glaringly obvious, but you had let it slip to some of your friends (izuku, hitoshi, and ochako). your entire friend group knew you were bisexual, hell you’re pretty sure your entire class did, but your dad didn’t know. and you didn’t know what was worse- telling him about it or him realizing you’ve been hiding it from him for so long. and you were scared. scared of how he’d react, scared if things would change.

“do you want to tell him?”

“yes. no. i don’t know? he can tell something is up and today just confirmed it. it never should’ve taken me that long to knock you on your ass. he’s gonna ask what’s bothering me and i just… i can’t lie to him if he asks me.” your phone vibrated and a quick glance left you smiling once you saw the text. “he’s bound to find out soon, and it would only be worse if he found out from someone else.”

izuku nodded, a sympathetic smile on his lips. “it’ll be scary, but i know you can do it. if you want any of us there with you, we’d all be happy to.”

“thanks, zuku. this is something i need to do myself, though. but if it goes bad, i may hide in your room after.” izuku wraps an arm around you and pulls you into his side, and you wrap your arm around him. “thank you.” no other words were said as you walked into the restaurant and the nervous pit in your stomach started to fade away a little.

-

dinner came and went, and now your class had spread out across the common room to watch some pre-quirk era movie about this hero that resembled a spider.

“sero! do you think you could-“ denki started and without looking away from the screen, you spoke.

“don’t even think about it,” you said and denki’s friends started laughing.

“okay, sensei,” denki huffed and you instinctively shot a glare at the blonde. denki yelped and hid behind hitoshi, who wrapped an arm around him.

“dude, she’s not actually aizawa, you don’t have to hide from her.” you rolled your eyes, an amused smirk on your lips.

“she looks just like him! look at that,” denki whined. living with aizawa, naturally you adopted his facial expressions and even his ‘teacher voice’ at times. denki would forever be haunted by the resemblance you had to your father when he had accidentally woken you up, your eyes might as well have been glowing with the glare you had given him.

“well he is my father,” you drawled and momo giggled from beside you, and you willed yourself to keep your expression calm.

the rest of the movie played out and you had started to fall asleep on the couch. you froze as you felt a blanket drape over you and someone lean down.

“goodnight,” momo whispered, her lips brushing against your cheek before she excused herself to bed. a minute later, you peeked an eye open and were grateful to see you were the last one in the common area. what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck-

“coming to bed?” your dad’s voice startled you and you jumped off the couch. he raised an eyebrow at you and you nodded.

“sorry, yeah. just started falling asleep,” your dad’s gaze was disbelieving but he dropped it for now.

“have everything you need?” you felt for the phone in your pocket and nodded, and you tucked yourself into your dad’s side as you yawned. “let’s go.”

you woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee and the faint hum of the television. you stretched and yawned as you sat up before you stood and walked to the living room. you were greeted by the sight of your dad, coffee mug in one hand and pen in the other as he graded papers.

“morning,” you greeted as you walked to the coffee maker and you poured yourself a mug. you took a seat beside your dad a minute later, and you looked down at the papers as you leaned against him. “how’d i do?”

“good as usual,” your dad turned to kiss your temple, and you smiled. a comfortable silence filled the room as you watched your dad grade, occasionally looking up at the TV screen. it was quiet, it was peaceful. and then your dad spoke again.

“i’ve noticed you’ve been a little in your head lately. distracted easily, not as focused as usual.” a brief pause. “is everything okay?” you swore your heart stopped and you set your mug down with a shaky breath. your dad set his pen down and turned to face you, his focus fully on you. “kid?”

“i’ve wanted to tell you, i-i was just worried you’d get mad.” you whispered and he frowned.

“well, you’re sitting here now so you haven’t been arrested.” the blunt statement shocked you and you couldn’t help but smile a bit. “i’m your teacher, so i’d know if you were expelled, suspended, or failing anything. none of your classmates ever come to me with any complaints about how you treat them. i don’t see what you could’ve done that would make me upset with you.”

“it’s nothing i did. it’s just… i don’t know how to explain it. just something i… discovered?” you could practically hear the gears in his head turning.

“is it about school?” you shook your head.

“do you remember the crush i had on hitoshi?” you decided to finally get to it and your stomach twisted and turned. he didn’t have his capture weapon on, you could realistically make it out the door before he could get it. you wouldn’t make it far, but you could make it to nemuri’s or hizashi’s. no, you needed to tell him. you could run away after.

your dad nodded. “didn’t that end a while ago? when he started liking someone else?” you nodded.

“i had never had a crush on anyone before hitoshi and when he told me he liked someone else, i was upset. i had my friends to help me through it, and i got close with one of them. i think i really like them, but…”

your dad stayed quiet, waiting to see if you’d continue talking or if he could talk. you took a deep breath before you looked your dad in the eyes. “i like momo.” you whispered. “i, i never liked another girl before and i didn’t know i could. then denki talked to me about it and said i could be bisexual? and i am. bi.”

the silence was deafening and you felt your hands start to shake. you wanted your dad to say something, anything, but you were scared of what he would say.

“have you asked her out yet?”

“i’m sorry, i’ll go back to the- wait, what?”

“why are you apologizing?” your dad asked and suddenly, his expression softening. “did you think i would react badly?” your vision immediately became blurry and your eyes began to burn. seconds later, you were pulled into your dad’s chest and you latched onto him. you sobbed against him, tears soaking through his shirt as he rubbed your back. “you’re happy, you’re healthy, you’re not hurting anyone. that’s all i could ever ask for,” another sob left you at his words and you shifted to look up at him.

one hand combed through your hair and the other cupped your cheek, thumbs wiping away stray tears. “i-i don’t know why, but i thought you’d be mad at me,” you whimpered and your dad shook his head.

“never. you can’t control who you love, it would be illogical to get mad over something you had no control over.” your dad leaned back against the couch, and you curled into his side. “besides, would be extremely irrational of me to get upset over you being bi since i’ve been dating hizashi for the last two months.” it took you a minute to process his words and you sat up.

“what?! you and hizashi?” your dad nodded, amused smile on his face and you stood up. “come on, get up. i need to go talk to him if you thought you two could date without telling me!” laughter filled the dorm and as you walked down the hall a minute later with your dad trailing behind, you couldn’t be happier. maybe now you could finally ask momo on a date.

[gotham-daydreams]

Ooooh can't wait for your isekai fic, speaking of isekai what's your perspective of it? I feel like there's two form of isekai that's popular with people the first is thrown away by magical object to another world and given mission to go home the second one is full reborn into another world the term isekai truck come to mind when we talk about isekai reborn....

Maybe just a niche of mine but what do you think of isekai reader that doesn't know jackshit about world or universe they got it? The don't know anything about this people might as well destroy the plot for shit and giggles for all they care

Oh I definitely agree that the whole "i got hit by a truck, died, and now i'm reincarnated into this thing i'm crqzy about and know everything on" is suuuuper popular at the moment, and honestly before i looked up the term I thought it literally meant just "reincarnated into a diff world" and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't! I haven't seen too much of the "object sends you to a diff world and you need to head home" kind of story, but I'd like to, honestly!

Also, I love your niche because that sounds funny as hell, and honestly more people need to write stuff like that! I'd read the hell out of it.

Though, maybe it's because I love psychological horror and such so much, and just delving into the mind and people's thoughts... but I honestly wish that more was done with the genre? Not even from a horror aspect or anything. I just sort of wish I saw more main characters that wished they got to go home, or back to their own world (without being certain if they are even able to). Or characters that are having a genuinely hard time adapting to the world because - even if they are familiar with it, it's just so different then what they're used to. Or where, even as they are going along - they kind of miss their old life, as shitty and boring as it was in comparison. Or not even their life, just the world. They miss the ocean, the forests, and the kind of subtle peace they knew they could have there if they wanted to take a break. It wasn't perfect, and it didn’t have magic, but... it was still their world, y'know?

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the idea and I think it can be very interesting! But for the most part it's definitely very power-fantasy... and just generally very fantasy esc, which- there's nothing wrong with that! Sometimes reading something like that just feels good, or its so silly and a good way to lift your mood- or just generally just fun to read!

I think I just kind of wish that sometimes more was done with it? Since, I'll be honest, a lot of stories feel like that, and I wish that someone would try to do something a little different?

I really only mentioned psychological horror earlier because I believe it could get a darker if anyone really ever does try to kind of delve into an unwilling protagonist- which is a up my alley a little more, but is that really a surprise when I write yandere content? LMAO

On a lighter note I'd also like to see characters that just like... come from completely different world, going to another??? It's both hilarious and so interesting to me, genuinely.

I mean- technically I'm doing that with Clover? And hell, I'm also kind of doing some of the more existential stuff with another yandere fic of mine that isn't Batfam or DC related at all- but that's nor here nor there. I'd still like to see other people do it, I think it'd be really cool! And I don't mean like, fantasy world to modern world (even if that is a semi-good example), I moreso me just, like, alien world -> completely different alien world. Or even like, fantasy world -> world with totally diff magic + apocalypse? Just cool things people could mess with, really!

On topic of a character not knowing anything... maybe they do but just can't even interact or even apply half the knowledge they have? Like, either they're in a magical setting but still can't use magic- but everyone can. Or there is a system they just can't use (another idea of mine that's completely unrelated the Batfam/DC, actually), and so on and so forth!

Or they don't know and are just stumbling around, trying to find a way back home... and are either completely ruining everything or actually making things better without that even being their full intention. Broski just wants to go home, and they're just making the world a better place/destroying the entire universe by pure chance and accident.

Also like, what if people just accidentally stumbled into these worlds? Or random people are being brought there for... whatever reason? (I've seen that done a bit, and I'm also kind of doing it myself, but again, not going to dwell on that too much!) I don't know, I'm just throwing things around here, haha!

Tldr: I don't mind the idea and actually find it really interesting, I just wish more was done with it and I saw more experimentation with the subject! I do find it very fun, though :]

[shapeofallcosmos]

time to get stupid about the king again

seeing this guy on my friend's brother's ps2 right before i moved out of my hometown at age 9 was insane, like it caused such a delayed reaction that took ten years to finally kick in. i'm desensitized now, but this changed 9 year old me in a way that i can only articulate now or something. not my favorite design, but its so classic. so original. so tastefully off putting to normal people. so...katamari. In my humble opinion, his tight clothing exudes subtle yet awesome confidance. no fear, nothing to hide, he wants all of it shown off. it's really cool. And his HEAD. I want a pillow with that pattern. Purple is by far my favorite color (and i think it's his too?) and its so soothing to look at. staring at him on my tv with my already fuzzy eyesight makes it downright hypnotic.

He's stupid, your honor. EDIT:Forgot to mention they took away his chest hair. Let the man be hairy. ok ok, on to we love. (reroll version)

oh yeah baby. oh YEAH. this is the stuff of dreams. so casual. so laid back. so lovely. he's comfy. at least physically. that stupid throne we only see again in touch my katamari. what's that lever for? sorry. tangent. the blue. the flowiness of it. his neck ruff not being sharp but instead soft and gentle. A more gentle King. I love it a lot. I actually bought some pants i saw in a thrift store because it reminded me of this king. It's such a good design. oh my god i love this king. He just looks so gentle. Like he's 20% more father now. Not "king", but "father. I don't know how to describe it. I want this fit so bad. The head is also soothing to look at too! Very nice, yet again a lot more gentle feeling, especially on the eyes. I'm probably just biased because this was the first game i started with. oh well. great design 10/10 i just wish they'd slow down on using it so much in other games (reused in forever as a model, and in touch as a model. im VERY pissed about how it was used in touch.)

ew

this was funny though. though it's kind of terrifying having him smiling when he's that close to you and when you're that small. please dont eat me.

i deeply enjoy when they are shown happy together. this design kind of smells. i actually think it's worse than touch.

I. LOVE. THIS. FIT. It's SO stupid. the stupidest fit he'll ever have. I just need to see how he even walks in it.

as i have said before, this design looks very much like my bed i used to sleep in at my grandma's house. I wanna lay on him and fall asleep. Looks so comfy. i also generally love beautiful katamari and i love how he's written as sort of like a father-friend, at least in how he talks. It reminds me of how my mom talks to me. I know, that's bias, but whatever. Beautiful King is a good dad friend to me. I love him.

man. man why'd they ruin you. i weep for this design. it's over the top in a way i dont really think fits him but it's still super pretty. I'm so mad they wrote him like that in forver. sometimes its funny but most of the time its just upsetting. he's mean yeah, but not THAT mean. (Some dialogue from RoboKing implies that when the King is off doing his own thing and that thing doesn't wind up going how he wanted it to, he'd come back and take his anger out on Robo. We never see it and again, it's just text and Robo could be lying for pity points but JESUS CHRIST. It upsets me so much! How could they do that to King?!

why. why would they do this. I cant enjoy Forever's design when it's attached to that kind of writing. all i can think of is how much of a jerk he is. i hate it. it's so pretty. im mad. on to touch...

I hate you and everything you stand for. And I am also sorry for what they did to you. You didn't deserve this. Or maybe you did.

[adobe-outdesign]

Could I request a review of the Cybunny? They're my personal favourite, I have a tattoo of one! Would love to hear your thoughts 🐰

The Cybunny is... drumroll please... a bunny. Strictly speaking it's fairly standard for a rabbit, but the face and proportions make it super cute. The addition of a colorful mane with uneven splotches also adds a lot to the design and gives it almost a permanent Easter-esq vibe. I also like the addition of colored paw paws that extend up onto the base of each foot, which match the primary mane color. Meanwhile, the pink accents in the ears, spots, eyes, and nose add a nice secondary touch of color that's not too overwhelming or distracting (unlike, say, the base color Wockies). Overall, these are some aesthetically pleasing, well-balanced bunnies.

As a side note, my only nitpick is that Cybunnies have these super subtle whisker dots around their noses which are so hard to see that I literally never noticed them until writing this review. Those definitely should've just been dropped.

While the raised paw looks a bit weird, I think Cybunnies as a whole were improved with customization. The original art was starting to look slightly dated, and something about the head size and position looks better to my eye, even if it's hard to place why—it's like the original was hunched over a bit, if that makes sense. I also think the ears look quite a bit better.

Favorite Colours:

Halloween: Vampires are a pretty obvious pick for Halloween and this is by no means a fancy design, but man does it look good. I'm a sucker for a good black/white/red palette, and the fangs, red eye shadow, red tail tip, and black cape and ears really all come together to make a great design.

My only nitpick with the conversion of this one is that the cape shape got a bit lost in customization (originally it looked more like bat wings), and also we lost one of the all-time best Battledome poses (above). Also, there was a missed opportunity to make the mane spots look like bats or blood splatters or something.

Maraquan: "What if a rabbit was a fish" is a valid question that has to be asked sometimes on Neopets.com, and TNT delivered with this one. The teal and magenta come together really well, as do the long fur and striped markings. The ears also have a really nice shape to them and are much longer than Cybunnies usually are allowed to have.

Like the Halloween Cybunny, I do have one nitpick about the converted version, which is that it inexplicably lost the hair on top of its head. Why??

8-bit: I went over this in my 8-bit colour review so I won't spend too much time on it here, but this is just a really nice colour. While not technically "correct" from a pixel art standpoint, something about the pose is super cute and it has a great retro feeling to it.

BONUS: The woodland Cybunny is nice enough that I had to give it its own spot on this list. The flower accents on the mane are lovely and mimic the spots they usually sport, and the wood itself looks great—the grain contours correctly with the body shape and little details like the knothole in the ears really bring the whole thing together. (An honorary mention goes to camoflauge and Christmas, which didn't quite make the cut but I still like quite a bit.)

[lurkingshan]

Shan’s Confession Corner: Minato’s Laundromat

I’ve just finished the second episode of Minato’s Laundromat 2, and I absolutely loved it. I love the clear intent behind this new season, and I love where the story is headed. And it made me think this might be a good time for me to unpack my complicated feelings about the first season. All gifs used in this post are by the wonderful @wanderlust-in-my-soul.

So here’s the confession: I didn’t love Minato’s Laundromat as much as a lot of you did. I respect it, of course. I recognize it as a very well-executed show that fulfilled its vision with smart writing and filming techniques and an excellent cast. I recognize that the characterization of Shin and Minato was very much based in yaoi tropes and that Shin being the pursuer while Minato resisted was a necessary construct to make the age gap palatable. 

But despite understanding all of that I didn’t love it, and Minato is the reason why. I always have a hard time connecting with emotionally immature adult characters. I struggle mightily with romances that feel too one-sided. I cringe away from the blushing maiden trope. I dislike it when I can’t quite understand what one character sees in another. And all of this came up for me in the romance between Shin and Minato.

Now before @bengiyo comes through with his bat let me just say that I get it. I get that Minato is this way because he is a lonely gay man who has been repressing his sexuality since adolescence. I get that he never had the chance to mature because he was hiding who he was. I get that he is defensive around Shin at first because he is being responsible, and then because he is so unused to physical affection and attention that he doesn’t know how to handle it. Minato strikes me as someone who is both, as Ben sometimes says, touch-starved and touch-repulsed. And all of that is rooted in his experiences with internalized homophobia and a life lived in the closet.

While I can understand and empathize with all of that, I didn’t understand how that was meant to work in the context of a relationship with someone like Shin. Shin who is so honest, and so brave, and so smart, and so responsible, and so damn all around desirable. In my meanest moments, I would think to myself that Shin should really just go to school and meet new guys, guys who are his own age with less hang ups who could return his affections. And while I enjoyed the finale of the first season, I was not really satisfied with where we left them because it still didn’t feel like Minato had worked through his issues enough to be a good partner to Shin.

Which brings me to Minato’s Laundromat 2, and my love for what it’s doing. Because y’all, this is exactly what season 2 is about! And it’s interesting to me that this season is not based on the manga, and instead features brand new material. It says to me that the creators of this show had some of the same questions I did about how these characters would actually function together in a relationship, and decided to explore it and figure out how it could work. And that is my absolute favorite kind of season 2, because I am always interested in how a couple stays together, not just in the getting together itself.

So in these first two episodes of the second season, we have seen that after their initial getting together, Minato retreated into his usual patterns. He is still holding Shin at a distance. He is still doling out affection sparingly. He is still struggling to verbalize his feelings and he is still cringing away from physical intimacy. And Shin is, as ever, being patient and giving him space to work through it while sometimes expressing frustration and continuing to ask for and sometimes scheme his way into the things he wants. 

I love that we are already starting to see the subtle changes in Minato. He is, internally, able to recognize now that he loves Shin even if he won’t say it out loud. He is starting to notice and unpack his own reactions—I love him so much I can’t look him in the eye—and trying to push through them to return affection to Shin in the ways he is comfortable with. He is engaging in acts of service like cooking as a means to communicate his feelings. He is giving Shin some of what he wants, like living in the same place and handing over his spare key. Is he still doing it all with a grimace and many verbal protestations? Of course, he didn’t change his whole personality overnight. But he’s doing it, and Shin knows him well enough to understand how meaningful that is. 

I am excited to see how far the show intends to take this growth arc for Minato. Shin is patient but he’s not a saint; he will sometimes feel unsatisfied and push for more than what Minato wants to give, and seeing them work through that is exactly what we need to feel secure in their future as a couple. I am so glad we’re getting this season 2, both for the sake of the characters and for those of us in the audience who really needed it.

[okaylikeschaewon]

What part of writing that make you think "yep this person never have sex before" when you read other smut? For example,for me its when they use "sound effects" in sex like "plok!"

And how do you translate the sex scenes you have on mind to your writing to make it compelling? THANKS A LOT

Two questions so the answer is going to be a bit longer, I'm going to try being thorough with this one since it's a very interesting question.

Honestly I generally try to ignore that part as best as I can because I don't think it matters, people should write what they want to write even if they are virgins! That being said, there's a big difference with the plot being ridiculous and the actual physical act being ridiculous, and the latter is much more difficult to read for me personally - it's just very immersion-ruining.

For example, my Aespa fic has an absolutely absurd plot that leads to sex with Winter, but I'm totally fine with that because it's clearly fiction. What ruins it for me a bit is when people write stuff like a girl trying anal for the first time who takes it in the ass for an hour in the most brutal, intense, relentless session, and begs for you to go harder because it feels so good. Or like when a girl is written as a virgin, but somehow she's amazing in bed and knows every trick, has no issue deepthroating, etc etc. I generally try to avoid doing this (although, I have no issue writing over-the-top sex scenes from time to time), and I put a good chunk of effort from time to time to write fics that depict the struggles of sex. Maybe the girl can't deepthroat her first time, maybe anal is too painful, maybe she doesn't love the taste of your cum, these are all possibilities and I like to explore them sometimes to make my writing feel more 'real' and have some variety. There are only so many ways to write 'he put penis in vagina' in a compelling and interesting way.

To answer your second question, and this applies to more than just sex scenes, I just try to use real life experience whenever applicable. Let's take relationships in general, assuming you are a writer who is a virgin. You can still write a lovely relationship by using your own experience with relationships, you could write out a date you went on with a girl (while replacing names ofc). Maybe you've never gone on a date, you could write about a date your friend has told you about instead. Maybe you've seen a cute couple while you were out for a hike, you can use that as inspiration. It's obviously more difficult with sex when you are a virgin because people don't generally talk about their personal lives and the amount of details is a bit less than the info about dates and stuff, but you get the pont. I really think using porn is not a good idea because it's incredibly unrealistic for how sex really is, but if you are going to then at least try using amateur content. You can always browse online forums where people are more comfortable sharing their experiences, like Reddit, but just be aware that people can lie on the internet!

I personally wouldn't write out one of my real life expereinces one to one in a fic for numerous reasons, but I absolutely mix and match aspects and alter them in both positive and negative ways. Like I've written stuff that I, in real life, would never do. I've also written stuff that I, in real life, wished I did. It really comes down to the little details, the subtle awkwardness, the comfort and fun being with someone you really love, that feeling you get inside. Trying to put it into words is what really makes writing enjoyable despite the difficulty at times - for me at least.

I hope I adequately answered the question, and I hope my answer can potentially be of some help/insight for other writers in the community! Thank you again for the lovely ask!

[the-s1lly-corner]

Splendorman x gloomy!reader

realized that splendor literally gets no solo posts on this blog and that just. doesnt feel right. sure im not his biggest fan but i do like writing him!! i think he only has one solo post here.. sick and twisted !!

if youre more reserved and to yourself i think he would try to get you to come out of your shell every now and then

dont get me wrong i do think he would still try to keep your comfort in mind and understand that youre not always going to be willing to interact with others or do some high energy activity; for the most part he respects that

its hard to word this but hes kind of like one of those toxic positivity people that worry for you. except he truly does worry for you and hes working on trying not to smother and hurt you, last thing he wants is to silence or invalidate your feelings

generally very good at reading you and tones himself down when he notices youre a little more stressed than usual

snack master, very good at making your favorite snacks and comfort foods. will make them for you, and you dont even have to ask. always makes sure youre staying hydrated too

i dont think he would beat around the bush in asking if you drank or ate that day, nah splendorman doesnt know how to be subtle most of the time

likes putting on music for you, usually sticks to things he knows you like but i like to think he sneaks his own songs into playlists

doesnt really need to sleep but he loves winding down with you at night so you have someone to stay with you

always offers a shoulder to cry on

gives the best hugs

just like laughing jack i dont think he would leave you alone until youre at least feeling a little better... which depending on things might... make things worse since sometimes you need to be alone

please please communicate! he might wilt a little but ultimately hes going to understand if you need some alone time to gather yourself!

very positive and optimistic, always tries to get you to think more positively; or at least more realistically

"someones gonna die..." "OF FUN!" dynamic

[wonwoonlight]

im just wondering what kind of romantic trope that you think suits with each svt members?

(im sorry if this sounds like a request, its okay if you're not answering this)

HIII don't feel sorry about this omg i love this kind of asks tbh!!!! makes me think about writing and stuff hehe but personally, these are my thoughts:

cheol: strangers to lovers, friends to lovers, anything that is soft, mature love in which he feels safe playing childish bc his partner knows it's all just an act!! a dynamic in which the couple would know when to be playful but immediately gets into it when the situation calls for maturity.

jeonghan: exes to lovers (for some reason if i have an ex2l trope it's always him on top of my mind), brother's best friend (this man too loyal for his own good), rivals to lovers <3

shua: childhood friends in which he doesn't even realize he's been into them bc he thinks it's just obvious that he needs to take care of his friend lol his dumbass thinks it's all platonic when everyone can tell it's not he's in denial

junhui: friends to lovers, cowokers to lovers, roommates to lovers? anything that is somewhat slow paced and happens naturally, that one day just clicks to him that oh... this isn't platonic, is it? unlike shua he isn't in denial even tho he might be oblivious

hoshi: playful love, like introduced from a friend kinda trope!!! i feel like his character would be more open for a love in the first sight kind of thing, and he falls quick and deep. it'd be any trope that, at some point, would be filled with doubts because: are we moving too fast? do we actually understand each other? because hosh can sometimes be too playful for his own good despite his well meaning heart

wonwoo: ah... i can write an essay about his bc he's essentially my muse lol. but wonwoo definitely fits the slowburn trope no matter what title OC has. Whether they're friends, coworkers, friend's sibling, etc etc, it doesn't matter bc to him it only matters that they actually know each other; if it happens, it happens. His character definitely fits the silent pining kinda trope, in which no one even realizes he's into OC until he decides to actually show it. or, the other way around, i feel like he might act oblivious to OC's pining if he doesnt reciprocate the feeling.

jihoon: bestfriend or childhood friends to lovers!!! i feel like his characters fits more into steady, long lasting relationship if anything. so it has to be someone he already knows rather than in the moment kind of thing. perhaps even ex2lovers bc when he loves, he loves long and deep so it's never gonna be easy to move on even though he keeps on telling himself he'll be happy as long as they're happy

seokmin: this is basically my falling flowers trope but unrequited love in which he comforts OC because he's a good friend like that. perhaps he doesn't feel anything in the beginning, perhaps he does, but he really just wanted to comfort OC but things get out of hands bc he's too kind for his own good

mingyu: a trope in which he takes OC for granted bc he thinks their relationship (platonic, fwb, whatever) is a given and when OC has finally had enough and tried to leave that's when he starts to realize what OC really means to him so he tries to win OC back <3

minghao: like wonwoo, he fits the silent pining kinda trope. he thinks he's being subtle, but everyone knows he's in love even though he's not excessive with it. he has reasons for holding himself back though: OC is off limits, whether OC is a friend, his best friend's sibling, or even a friend's ex (!!) he's fine loving from afar until he isn't

seungkwan: this is also one of my fics but, lovers to exes to lovers lol seungkwan is a man with a mission, he knows what he wants and he's ambitious when it comes to it. he loves OC, he really does, but at some point his ambition gets to the best of him and he doesn't even realize until OC calls him out and the rest is history 😗

hansol: this is randomly out of the box compared to the other tropes but: arranged marriage. in which he's just doing it because his parents made him and it's not like he has any romance interest anyway? plus OC would already know what they're getting themselves into so there's no way it would get messy (it would). he was in it because it was his responsibility and he didn't see how it'd be bad for him until feelings get in the way aha

chan: in which he tries to play matchmaker but finds himself seeing OC in a different light the longer it goes. he knows what he wants though, so when he realizes that he's into OC, he'd try to steer OC into him instead ehe

WHEW this took much longer than i thought it would but this was so fun to do 😫 thank you for asking this!!! i purposely didn't consider any non-normal setting like soulmate au and etcetc bc it would get way too long otherwise lol

[yandere-daze]

hello! comgrats on 3k!!! glad to be able to be with you, daze!

may i ever for tatsumi in the yandere tarot prompts; the star, strenght and the tower? if it isnt okay, please feel free to delete~

-✝️

Thank you very much! ^^ I´m also glad to see so many people sticking around!

Ooh TatsumiPs enjoy some more food! I do feel it´s only appropriate that I write a bit about him after reading Obbligato!

gn reader

tw yandere, obsession, mention of worship, slight religious themes?

The Star - How would this yandere deal with their darling’s loved ones?

I think Tatsumi is probably one of the least problematic yanderes when it comes to your loved ones and their safety. He´s a very mature and truly kind person and I believe that would also extend to your family and friends.

He´s so nice and accommodating to everyone he meets, how could they not simply adore him? He´s very good at making a good first impression which will serve as a great benefit to him when he seeks out a romantic relationship with you.

Your parents approve of him and your friends think he´s a really sweet guy. So why wouldn´t you want to date him when everyone you´re close with starts pushing you in that direction?

Wouldn´t he just make the perfect boyfriend? Everyone else thinks so too!

He´ll also let you continue meeting with your loved ones because he knows it makes you happy and your happiness is absolutely vital to Tatsumi. He doesn´t want to see you sad for even a second.

But of course, he will ask to tag along wherever you go because deep down there is a hidden path of him that gets jealous when you spend too much time with someone else.

He tries to suppress that part of himself most of the time but it sometimes can rear its ugly head when you tell him that you´d prefer to spend some alone time with your friends today.

Really, there´s no need for you to push him away. He surely won´t be a burden when everyone you know is so eager to have him join, right?

Strength - How outwardly passionate is this yandere around their darling? 

I think Tatsumi is a bit more subtle with his obsession for you than other yanderes. He´s generally pretty mature and I believe more than being super clingy and professing his love to you loudly in a grand show of affection, Tatsumi´s love for you is quieter, a bit softer.

He certainly almost sounds reverent with the way he talks about you, the way the words spill out of his mouth like gospel, it´s as if he treats you as a being worthy of worship, just as much as the god he believes in.

Showers you with compliments and sweet words to the point it´s almost a bit too much at times, the constant barrage of praise too overwhelming after some time.

I also don´t believe Tatsumi to be too physically affectionate and would rather be romantic with you behind closed doors. Doesn´t care too much for public displays of affection that go beyond him holding your hand in his own, though he might sneak in a quick hug or even a kiss on the cheek when he feels particularly jealous and wants to show someone else that you´re already taken

The Tower - If this yandere saw their darling in danger, how would they respond/react?

Tatsumi would of course be very shocked at first and unsure of what exactly to do. He´s a worrywart already and when his worst suspicions come true? He´s really panicking beneath his calm exterior

Is not going to get violent but depending on the situation might try to negotiate or talk sense into a potential attacker. He´s good with words and we´ve seen from his past at Reimei that he knows how to rally other people behind him to strive for a good cause.

So even if your attacker doesn´t give in, Tatsumi would be quick to find someone else to help you out.

If you´re not being attacked and simply put yourself into a dangerous situation? Tatsumi is going to run to you as fast as he can all while cursing his bad leg. Why must he be so slow when his love is in danger?

He still tries to stay calm for your sake and throws words of reassurance your way as he tells you that everything is going to be okay. You´re going to be safe soon.

[edai-crplpnk]

Hello (:

Mind if you share some list of KankuKiba favorites fics of yours? Or where can I find some recommendations? Suddenly I wanna read about them but I don’t wanna filter them by kudos or # comments on AO3. Feel free sharing of your own jobs.

(You can omit this of course) Thank you! Have a nice day.

Of course! I haven't been reading a lot lately so all the fics I have to mention are a bit old, and maybe you know them already, and also maybe there are more recent gems that I don't know about, but I've got those.

Thirst, by kranquro

60k words, canonverse, action and pining

Kiba and Kankurou work on a joint mission in the Land of Wind and pine for each other while Kankurou is meant to be arranged marriage very soon. Lots of tension (sexual, but really not just that). I really like their dynamic, it's funny, it's angsty, it's hot, it's nuanced and real. The more plot and mission part is really well built too and intersects with the pining in a very well balanced way, love it.

(Note: There's also a little sequel in the series that is nice!)

20 Tracks - Kankuro collection, by shadowstrangle

65k words, canonverse, a bit of action and a lot of romance

Our little internalised homophobia and alcohol abuse Kankurou treat. I can never turn down one of those. Kankurou's very far into the closet when Kiba sort of busts the door open, I suppose. It's a lot about Kankuro figuring that out and the two of them being cute, but there is also some political plot around the political consequences of Kankurou being gay. There are some scenes that have really stuck with me hard.

If I had a criticism it would be that I'm not wholly fond of the trope of Konoha being super liberal and Suna being super conservative and that the political side of things is sometimes a bit simplistic in that area. But it's still nice, it has still surprised me in good and subtle ways in its development, so still a fic I love.

(Note: It comes with read-along songs that are great, and that's what made me want to do the same thing for Haemorrhage!)

Blanket Retrieval Arc, by HelloThereGhoul

25k words, modern college au, mostly fluff

Kiba and Kankurou live in the same college dorm and stumble upon each other. Classic meet cute. They're sweet and funny and crushing babies. Very soft, I thoroughly enjoyed it, several times.

(Note: The fic is technically abandonned? The author said they had plans for more and stopped, but it's written up to the point when they get together and it doesn't feel like it's lacking an ending to me.)

Time to heal, by Lycka

110k words, modern au, figuring out relationships and trauma

Kankurou and Kiba meet at a time where Kankurou is looking over Gaara who is in rehab. They start dating a bit but Kankurou initially identifies as ace and it causes a lot of doubts and questions about how that could work out between them.

It's not in the tags and there's no warning so I feel like I need to add it: there are mentions and non-graphic memories of incest and one other instance of sexual assault in it.

This one is a bit of a wild card. The author's note mentioned that it was their first time writing in English and that the first chapter was not representative of their current writing. So I decided to give it a go and trust that it would improve over the course of the fic, which it really did. This fic has really good scenes that I've reread a bunch of times, but : 1 It's true that the first chapters are really not at the level of the ones down the road so you have to be willing to work with that. 2 It becomes quite KankuKiba centric, but it starts GaaNaru centric, there is also a bit of SasuNaru and a bit of SakuTema. 3 It's abandoned, but the author left a last chapter to summarise the plot that they didn't write up until the end and the KankuKiba part of the fic is not what is left hanging.

Overall, some interesting and good things, but a lot of variety in both quality and content. I've read it once whole, and I'm very happy I did, and then several times just the (KankuKiba) parts that I was really involved in.

While I'm here I will briefly do a little self-promo recap of my own KankuKiba stuff but let it be know it's almost exclusively smut. They're just like that.

I have a series of KankuKiba kinky T4T smut. Canonverse. Shino is also involved in some. I hope to write non-smut in this AU eventually (mostly just pregnant Kankurou fluff), but I have none yet.

I have a modern AU with KankuKiba in a polycule (KankuKiba, KibaShino, ShinoHina). There is a bunch of smut, and a long fic about them getting together that I have yet to finish. I started it two years ago so I too am a bit insecure about my old writing in it, but I love this AU a lot so I still hope to finish it eventually. I update sporadically.

And finally, I have a KankuKiba hook-up fic in my beloved other modern AU. I have ideas to write them again in this AU, maybe not even smut, but I don't know when that'll happen.

That's it for this time I think! Thank you for asking, I hope you will like them. (Anyone passing around this post please feel free to reblog with your own rec!!)

[lostmyremembrall]

congrats on your 1k because you totally deserve it <33

for the 1k even thing i'd like to request 🐍 if its not too much of bother!

soo my love languages are mainly physical touch and words of affirmation as i get very affectionate when im really comfortable ^^ though most of the time in public i look or act grumpy without noticing😭 its just my resting face i guess?? im quiet and i dislike socializing with most people, most of the time im just off into my own world. i need words of affirmation and proof of someone's appreciation or love for me, or else i probably wont believe it. i always look a bit messy, even when i try to look presentable

🐍 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐂 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐦

𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 1𝐾 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡!

Thank you so much for your kind words! And of course, it's not a bother! I'm loving these requests and I'm so enjoying writing these, including yours!

Hope you enjoy!

He was drawn to the air of mystery and defiance that you exuded. He perceived you to be someone who is headstrong, and honest with themselves, rather than constantly putting on a placating smile.

Which was why Tom was somewhat surprised by how loving and affectionate once he got to know you.

And now Tom is obsessed with your smile. Especially because he may not get to see that as often in public, he feels that your smile is special, like it's reserved for him.

Whether you're talking animatedly about something, smiling, or off in your own world, you often notice him staring at you with a mixture of curious observation and obsessive adoration.

You may think your appearance looks messy, but Tom simply adores you however you look. Sometimes burying his face into your hair, your sweater, or the crook of your neck.

---

Physical touch comes naturally to him.

Whether it be finding your hand in mid-air as you two walk together.

Wrapping his arm around your back and pulling you closer to him as you study next to each other in the library.

When he's stressed, or simply just because he wants to, he would pull your hand to stop you in the middle of the corridor. And while everyone's passing by, shooting curious glances, he'd pull you into a quiet embrace.

---

Tom did not grow up witnessing compliments and verbal affirmations (orphanage employees barely had time for those), so he is not used to giving compliments.

When you brought it up, Tom was genuinely shocked that you did not feel loved.

"I thought you knew," Tom was flabbergasted. From how much he feels for you, he thinks it's impossible for anyone to love more fiercely than how he loves you.

It has never occurred to Tom that you didn't feel loved because of how much he adores you.

You explained the concept of love languages and the communication of love differs from how much one feels for the other.

---

Ever since then, Tom has been attempting more verbal affirmations.

He would get embarrassed about it.

His cheeks turning red and mumbling something about how you looked radiant in the morning sun. He couldn't even meet your eyes.

Things started to change when he opted for a different strategy where he'd pass you notes and leave you notes around your dorm.

Apparently, it was easier to verbalise how he felt through writing.

It was then that you found your boyfriend to be a hopeless romantic and a poet.

You awoke to a torn-out paper placed on your bedside table. "Good morning sleeping beauty. While writing this, I had to restrain myself from kissing you so as to not disturb your sleep."

A line of elegant handwriting that appeared on your note during Charms class. "Your eyes shimmer in the most enigmatic way when you gaze at the sky."

Which caused you to blush, noticing Tom who's been staring at you as you daydreamed.

"I would do anything to take a peek into that wonderful mind of yours."

Another line appeared and dissolved into the paper. You turned your head towards him again and found his lips pull into a subtle, soft smile.

It was special, this moment that only you two shared together in a class full of people.

You two may be different and have to adjust things, but Tom is willing to change and learn anything if it means making you smile and blush the way you do.

[thesovereignsring-if]

You're welcome to play however you like.

Yeh? You can play evil MC but the ending won't be really satisfying: "Bah, you were killed. The end! " Play good MC and maybe you will be rewarded.

A subtle manipulation authors sometimes use​ if they want to steer readers towards a specific route. I've seen this before in some games....

And whos the say I won't do the same for those play moral and good characters? I've said it before, I'll punish you for being too good, I'll punish you for being too bad. I'll even punish you for liking one brother over the other. People have asked what happens to MC that are too naive, merciful or trusting and I say- "well, people(your allies) will probably kill those you spared behind your back." or "They're gonna use you for their own agendas."

This is game, at the end of the day, is a story with a narrative with an ongoing theme. I've talked at length before how I will punish both good acts and bad. I've said countless of times that these characters have their own morals and agenda that go beyond their relationship with the MC.

I'm telling you right now, that if your MC is too corrupt to the point that it makes makes your rivals look like the good guy- it would be a disservice to my own character's backstory and convictions if they allow that to exist. They will not accept it. They've suffered under the status quo for too long to tolerate a leader that is significantly worse. It doesn't matter if you're their best friend, sibling or lover, they will put down the dog if it's too feral. You're one person, but the people being affected are in the thousands.

If you want to play the extreme option, I welcome it, it continues the narrative about leadership and change and sovereignty that I am trying to weave, and I enjoy seeing characters pushed beyond their limits- but you have to understand extreme choices come with extreme consequences. Its not so much about you being killed and that's the end- it's you were so fucking unreasonable and cruel, it made your lover strangle you in your sleep because they couldn't live with the guilt that you slaughtered someone they cared about unjustifiably. It's the people rising up against a tyrant to freedom. It's the ambition of power tainting your MC's body and mind and paying the price. It's more nuanced than you think.

If I didn't want to explore it, I wouldn't have made it an option. It would be easier to write a book. But I instead I do, because I still think there is narrative value in exploring a corrupted narrative in the MC and how the characters in the story will react to it.

This isn't going to be some evil wank fest- nobody is going to glaze you off for being so evil. I'm not interested in entertaining that narrative in my story. It has no place for it. The world as I have crafted it, will not tolerate it.

All interactive fiction is a lie by your standards then. As all choices only exist within the breadth of choice that the Author allows. And we authors are all manipulative as fuck. If we want you to engage in the narrative a certain way, we'll make sure it happens the way we want it to. That's the difference between a shitty sandbox an a story of choice that explores a evolving narrative theme.

As authors, we write stories to make you feel exactly how we want you to feel- unreliable narrators exists for the sole reason to lie to readers and gaslight them into believing that some false is true. Hell, I have character lie to your face because I want you to believe in something that might not actually be true, cause the real truth will hurt much more later in the story. I have a fucking fake love interest hiding in the crowd right now as we speak.

If you want to play the villain, you get the villain ending. Sorry anon.

[hballegro]

chapter 8. the biggie. part 1.

it is now i reveal a terrible secret to you all;

you can ctrl+f this chapter and compare it to If-- by Rudyard Kipling. and you will find that every god damn word in that stupid poem appears at least once. there are also a few paraphrased lines in there that you might notice.

WHY???

[i am very bad when it comes to gaging ppl's knowledge of poems i think everyone already knows, so yeah, the poem they're sharing is If- by Rudyard Kipling. easy for me to recognize personally because my mom memorized it all in school and would say it to me sometimes]

this process included me writing the whole thing out by hand, ctrl + f for all of the words, highlighting the ones that i had yet to use, and then keeping the list next to me while editing the first draft

and if you didnt notice this fact at all. that means i did a GOOD JOB!! cause its SUPPOSED TO BLEND IN SEAMLESSLY!!

yknow. its the moment hawkeye fell head-over-heels. and bj too, maybe. so ofc i had to include it in the chapter where they finally Kiss. they havent worked it all out yet yeah but. cmon. i cant just not. my options were to either have one of them reference it directly [im bad at that, and would be ham-fisted], or do this insane strat. and i picked the worst option. fuckin Knaves i hate you rudyard kipling for this and other reasons

also; shouted out in the ao3 endnotes but ill do it here to all sneaky-like, shout out to serpercival for both motivating me to put trapper in this chapter via loving the guy a lot and for letting me use their marvelous brain to pick out some subtle nods to Trapper John MD. i dont wanna @ people but hehe i can still link their page >:]

anyway: the painting peg talks abt being erin's favourite is California Spring, as she says, and here it is

folks i can finally use this meme i made back before i even finished chapter 4

shoutout to this video for being great to have in the bg underneath my sad love music to really set the scene. Loon moment

if you liked how papa Daniel Pierce acted in this, good! hes based off my childhood best friend's mom! she was very intimidating and always had this serious look on her face but the very first time i went over to their house she went 'psst. [best friend]. hball. come over here my husband is gonna come up the stairs and you should jump out and scare him' within the first 20 minutes!!

so basically hes stern/serious/intimidating [formal letters, the kind of man to not want to worry his son, idk just feels right] but goofy as shit and its all a facade [had hawkeye so he gotta be a lil silly, dinner table talk in Sons and Bowlers]

if you liked how i described hawkeye's childhood home GOOD!! i was describing my grandmother's house the whole time and you didnt even know. that ugly sofa is a thing my grandpa did. get pranked. always draw on experience when possible folks

i plan to have the next chapter out two days from now. THREE at the LATEST. and tomorrow i plan to publish the next Operating in Limbo chapter ~sometime~ before midnight [my time. central time.], or like 1am at the latest since i can stay up late tomorrow. unless the Troubles.

reward for scrolling this far; my saga of proto-names being shit like 'ooga booga' continues in the form of this being the working title for the Big Conversation chapter;